Not long after the woman had walked away, the bench on the other side of the table was taken by Kai. Ava stared at him, trying not to let her stomach be taken over by that moth-like sensation which had dominated it the evening before.
“How about we leave that?” Kai nodded at the trencher. “I have better food we can eat on the journey, and we can have another lesson on our ride.”
“Another lesson? Already?”
“Nervous?”
“I dinnae fear anything, Kai.” Ava happily pushed the trencher away and stood. Kai winked at her as he led the way out of the tavern, not sparing a second glance for the dark-haired barmaid. Ava tried to keep the smile from her face as she noticed.
“Ye dinnae need tae be nervous,” Kai said as they stepped outside.
The wind had dropped this morning, but the snow was just as thick as it had been the night before, perhaps even thicker, with a fresh falling of snow on top of it. The clouds were a misty bright white, making everything as far as Ava’s eyes could see appear as if they had been painted ivory white. Even the trees in thedistance were blocked out with clouds, the path that led toward them through the mountains obstructed in thick clumps of ice.
“It’s only me, Ava,” he whispered as they walked through the snow toward the stables. Kai led the way, but when Ava shivered in the wind, he turned back to face her, flicking up the collar of her cloak with ease, as if he had done it a thousand times before.
“Maybe I’m nervous exactly because it’s ye,” she whispered.
Clearly, Kai had heard. He whipped his head around as they entered the stable, plainly not paying attention to where he was going and walking straight into a beam. Ava couldn’t stop her laughter as she readied her mare.
“Dinnae get excited,” she said teasingly. “With ye… I ken ye only ever look at women like that tae bed them fer a night. Tae see ye looking at me like that last night, making me dae the same…” She couldn’t put it into words, couldn’t possibly explain that it made her think things she knew she should not think about. Strange things. “It was weird, ye ken.”
Kai was now readying his own steed, just waiting for her to continue.
Ava watched him move. He belted his cloak around his waist to hold it in place, pushed back his tousled chestnut hair then pulled down a wide-brimmed hat. The whole display was one that was very alluring as he pulled himself athletically up into the saddle with ease.
Ava bit her lip, wondering what it would be like to see Kai without the belted cloak, shirt and tartan. What if he stood there before her bare, with only his body on show?
Her cheeks heated, as if coals were burning on them.
“Ye were saying?” Kai urged.
Ava turned her head away as she pulled herself onto her own horse, setting the sword she carried into the saddle to make it easier to ride.
“It was just awkward,” she said, hoping to dispel the odd atmosphere between them. “With a stranger, it might have been easier.” She turned the horse to leave the stable, only for Kai to shift his own steed to block hers. “What are ye doing?” He looked at ease in the saddle, leaning forward and shaking her head.
“Ava, if ye cannae even flirt with me, how are ye supposed tae flirt with a stranger? Ye ken ye’re safe with me. Remember that.” He winked, turned his horse out of the stable and was gone.
Ava blinked as she stared after him.
I am safe with him.
The thought was both warm, comforting, and yet also a bit of a wrench. Wasn’t he insinuating that he never thought of her in that way? That she had never been and would never be anything but a friend? He wassafeto practice on.
“Ye coming?” Kai called from outside the stable.
Ava urged the mare out of the stable and into the snow.
Ava and Kai had an uneventful ride to the castle, where she had snuck back into her room, only to feign surprise when Kai had showed up shortly after telling her and her father that Thora had expressed a strong desire to see her. As she had known he would be scouting in the area, she had asked him to drop by and ask if Ada would come visit. It was faster than sending a letter and he could accompany her back to Dunvegan without needing to bring guards of her own.
The laird had gladly consented, as the MacLeods were old family friends. He also most likely felt bad for the future that lay ahead of his oldest daughter and wanted to grant her some solace, spending time with her dear friends.
They all shared a midday meal while the servants prepared Ada’s things for her journey and then headed off immediately thereafter while the weather was decent, fearing what might come in the following days.
However, the more they rode, the worse the snow became. What started as a light snowfall became a thick blizzard. They were trapped on a rough track that could barely be discerned in the ice, forced to ride with heads bent into the wind. Ava had covered her mouth with a tartan scarf as Kai buried his ownface into the neckline of his fur cloak. Repeatedly the horses whinnied and snorted, angered to be out in such weather.
“Kai!” Ava called when they dropped off a mountain path and into a valley. The wind was still strong there, but not so great that it whistled in her ears and made her nose burn with the feeling of ice. “Kai?”
“Aye?” He turned his head around in the saddle, struggling to look back at her.
