Damien turned his focus back to the mule, stroking Gulliver’s muzzle as he snuffled Damien’s face. “You’re a strong one, eh?”
As the animal blew a string of slobber on him, tugging a chuckle from Charlotte, Damien finally let himself rest in the faith that things really might turn out well for them all.
24
Charlotte itched to finish the final leg of their journey. Now that she was safely back with Damien and had her father, Brielle, and Evan around her, her spirit craved to set out on the final trek that would return them to Laurent.
Yet Damien would need at least this day to rest, and they still hadn’t seen for sure whether his feet would bear his weight again. Lulled by the warm drink her father prepared and the furs they heaped over him, he’d fallen asleep not long after he’d seen for himself that Gulliver would recover.
The mule also needed this extra day of rest to heal from both the bruised hoof and the gashes caused by the wolf pack. Once Damien could walk, they’d all agreed to move slowly, most likely dividing this last stretch into two days.
Or longer, if need be.
She studied the top half of the sleeping face belonging to the man who held her heart. Even with lines around his eyes that revealed the harrowing event his body still healed from, she’d never seen a man so handsome.
Yet it was his inner strength and character that drew her even more than his attractive exterior. She could imagineherself growing old beside him, raising a home full of children together—boys with the same breadth of shoulder as their father, and girls with the same striking dark hair and eyes. With this man guiding them, raising them to be strong of character and full of kindness, could she ask for a better life? Maybe it was too soon to be picturing such a scene, but the thoughts had taken hold anyway.
But would he be accepted in Laurent? Though both Evan and Levi had been held with suspicion when they’d arrived in Laurent, each man had shown his willingness to embrace the life there. They’d also shared knowledge and connections to help their new neighbors.
Damien would do the same, she had no doubt.
Would he be happy in such a remote, quiet village? He was used to a trapper’s life and was more than willing to take risks in the wilderness. Could he be content with a life lived in one location?
Or could she leave her home, her people, to be with him? Could she be happy with the life of a wanderer? A trapper’s wife?
Her brow furrowed at the thought. When a trapper married, did his wife even travel with him? Or was the woman set up in a home somewhere, waiting weeks or months for her man to return? She’d much rather trek through the snow with Damien, as long as she could be by his side.
Of course, she’d be certain to make sure they thoroughly investigated every cave before they set up camp within. No more bear attacks if she could prevent them.
The furs covering Damien stirred, and his eyelids flickered open. His gaze met hers, as though he’d known she would be sitting exactly in that place, staring at him.
She smiled to cover the warmth creeping up her neck. “Bonjour.”
He shifted the furs down to reveal one of those sleepy half smiles that curled her insides, heating her in a way that had nothing to do with embarrassment. “Good morning.”
His focus lingered on her face for another moment, then swept around the campsite. “Where is everyone?”
She reached for the pot of tea she’d kept warming by the fire and poured him a cup. “My father went for a walk, and Brielle and Evan are exploring the cave. I told them about the paintings inside, and Brielle had to see them. I think Evan went along to make sure she didn’t fall from the cliff or find some other danger.”
Damien’s smile deepened. “I get the feeling she’s as strong-willed as you are.”
She raised her brows at him. “I’m nothing like my sister. I’ve always been the quiet one in the family.”
Damien studied her, his dark eyes piercing deeper than usual. If he thought he saw a likeness in personality between her and Brielle, he was quite mistaken. No one had even hinted that she might have Brielle’s charisma and leadership abilities, that strength that attracted people to her.
Charlotte moved to his side with the cup as she scrambled for a new topic to speak of.
Damien sat up as she approached and reached out for the drink. His hands took hers, though, instead of the mug, forcing her attention to his face. He gave her that searching look once more, but this time its intensity was eased by the warmth in his gaze. “You are quiet. Your thoughtfulness is one of the things that intrigued me from the very beginning.” One corner of his mouth tipped up. “One of the many things.”
That one-sided roguish grin tugged a smile from her own mouth.
But his expression grew serious again, even more earnest than before. “I don’t know your sister yet, but I do know you. I know how deep your strength runs. How beautiful your heart shines. How stubborn you can be when you’re certain what must be done. You’re tenacious, yet gentle. The perfect blend.”
His words brought an ache in her chest that rose up to steam her eyes and clog her throat. No one had ever complimented her so thoroughly. Did he really mean those words?
Before she could gather her wits to answer, footsteps sounded in the snow. She glanced over to see her father approaching, a load of firewood in his arms.
Damien took the cup from her, and she pulled her hands back, though she made sure nothing was rushed in the action. She was pretty sure Papa suspected her feelings for Damien, but if not, he would realize soon enough. And the last thing she wanted was for him to think she was trying to cover up something untoward.
