"What?"
"Ye should have yer own horse." He said it matter-of-factly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Here." He pressed the brush into her hand. "Start with this. Long strokes, followin' the direction of the hair. Firm but nae too hard."
Mhairi looked down at the brush, then up at him. "Ye're serious."
"Always am when it comes tae horses." He positioned himself behind her, his hands settling lightly on her shoulders as he guided her. "Go on. Dùbh willnae bite."
“I rode a lot at home, but the stable hands always took care of the horses.” She applied the brush tentatively. The stallion's skin twitched under the bristles but he didn't move away.
"Good," Alpin murmured near her ear. "Just like that. See how his muscles relax? That means ye're daein' it right."
His hands were still on her shoulders, warm and steady. Mhairi tried to focus on the horse instead of how close Alpin was standing. On the simple task of brushing instead of the way her heart was racing.
She failed spectacularly.
"What else?" she managed.
"Check the hooves." Alpin moved around to demonstrate, running his hand down Dùbh's front leg until the horse lifted its hoof obediently. "See here? Ye want to make sure there's nothin' stuck, no stones, no debris. And look at the shoe. If it's loose or damaged, the horse will go lame."
Mhairi knelt beside him, watching closely as he pointed out what to look for. His hands were gentle but sure, and the horse trusted him completely.
"Can I try?" she asked.
"Aye. Take his other front leg."
She mimicked Alpin's movements, running her hand down the stallion's leg. Dùbh shifted slightly but then lifted his hoof. Mhairi caught it, surprised by the weight.
"That's it," Alpin encouraged. "Now check the shoe, feel for any looseness."
She did, carefully examining the iron horseshoe and the way it was nailed to the hoof. Everything seemed secure.
"Good," Alpin said. "Very good fer a first time."
They worked together for the next while, Alpin showing her how to move around the horse safely, where to stand, how to read the animal's body language. Mhairi absorbed every detail, fascinated by this new knowledge.
Finally, Alpin stepped back. "There. Now ye ken the basics."
"Thank ye." Mhairi stroked Dùbh's nose one more time.
"Ye're a natural." He meant it, she could tell. "Most people are afraid of horses this size. But ye moved around him like ye've been daein' it fer years."
Pride bloomed warm in her chest. "I should go. Donnach said he wanted tae show me how tae prepare a specific tincture this mornin', and I dinnae want tae be late."
"How are things goin'? With the healin'?"
"Wonderful." The word came out more enthusiastically than she'd intended. "Yesterday he let me actually treat a patient, just a minor burn, but still. And he said..." She paused, suddenly uncertain.
"Said what?"
"He said if I want, I could become his apprentice. Properly. That he'd teach me everythin' he kens." Mhairi looked down at her hands. "But that would mean stayin' here. Fer a long time. And I dinnae ken if ye are ok with that."
"Mhairi." Alpin waited until she met his eyes. "Ye can stay here fer as long as ye want. A month, a year, forever. That's yer choice tae make, nae anyone else's."
"But me faither––"
"Can go tae hell fer all I care." His voice was fierce. "Ye're buildin' a life here. Yer own life. Dinnae let anyone take that from ye."
The certainty in his words settled something inside her. Something that had been fluttering anxiously since she'd first arrived.
