Logan curled his fingers on the windowsill. Wind blew into the study, bringing with it the smell of manure and damp earth. Below, Emma tilted her head back, eyes flicking toward the wall. If she saw him through the window, she gave no sign. She said something that made Isobel laugh.
Something about the sight made him want to go down.
Instead, he let go of the sill.
“Have them ready,” he instructed. “We ride to the village later in the day.”
David nodded. “Aye, me Laird.”
Logan gave him a nod and turned away from the window.
The room felt smaller once he stepped away, the sounds from the yard fading behind him. He picked up his belt from the chair, buckled his dagger back into place, and made for the door.
He had never been more confused about what he wanted more than he was at the moment.
And a part of him wondered if he was being punished for wanting both lives.
24
After they had returned from the village that evening, Logan walked the length of the courtyard with David at his side. He had decided to look through the castle to see if everything was in order before he started off the next day.
So far, everything looked all right. They had already passed the outer wall and one of the watch posts when the first wave of animal noise rose from the far side of the stables.
Logan’s jaw clenched before he could stop it.Right. He had forgotten that those animals lived here permanently now.
“This way, me Laird,” David said. “If we cut across, we can check the east gate as well.”
They rounded the corner of the stables, and Logan noticed that the ground around that area dipped. It would be very easy for a place like this to get muddy after rain.
His eyes flicked to the other side. Someone had laid a short run of rough planks across the worst of it to make a path between the stable yard and the main courtyard.
At a distance, it looked serviceable, but upon closer inspection, it was the complete opposite.
The sight made Logan draw to a halt.
Two of the boards had lifted at one end. Another sat at an angle, one side resting on mud rather than stone. Worst of all, the wet muck showed through the gaps.
David took one more step before he realized Logan was no longer beside him. He turned back.“Me Laird? Is something wrong?”
Logan pressed his boot down on the nearest board. It shifted under his weight with a dull, rotten sound. The far end tipped and slapped back into the mud.
Christ.
The entire area was a disaster waiting to happen.
Any of the four-legged animals could hit the planks at a run. Any of them could fall and get seriously injured before they could even stop it. All it would take was one leg through that gap.
“Who set these?” he asked.
David followed his gaze. “One of the stable boys, I imagine. A temporary solution. We can send for the men later and have them?—”
“Later might be too late,” Logan interrupted. He turned towards the nearest guard and raised his voice. “Ye, bring me a mallet and some nails. Oh, and get an axe too. I need to pry these things open.”
One of the guards at the stable wall blinked, surprised that the order was aimed at him and not a lesser hand. “Me Laird?”
Logan did not lift his head. “Tools. Now.”
The guard sprang into action.
