The moan she emitted clearly indicated the fight going on inside her. Deciding it best to let her come to her own decision, in her own time, he turned away to take stock of available firewood, just in case she agreed to stay. But ’twas getting dark enough he couldnae see far, so he wandered a bit farther down the streambed. No’ too far ahead there appeared to be a mound of debris piled up against a rock from the high-water. Mayhap he’d find something there.
“Wait! Reggie! Don’t leave!”
The panic in Lauren’s voice stopped him instantly. He whirled to see her trying to stand.
“I’m sorry, Reggie.” She called. “I shouldn’t have—”
“Dinnae fash so, lass. Sit back down, before ye injure yer ankle even worse!” he called, walking back to her. “I was merely scouting some wood for a fire. Just in case ye decide tae stay, ye ken. But if ye’re determined tae go, I’ll do my best tae carry ye.” He shrugged. “I dinnae ken another way.”
He reached her just as she settled back onto the log with a distressed groan, and a sudden desire to tease her fear away, overcame him. He braced his chin between his thumb and forefinger and studied her. “Just how heavy are ye?”
She looked up, uncertainty painted across her face. “You’re not angry with me?”
“Angry? Nae, lass,” he grinned, watching the surprise on her face morph to something closer to irritation.
“Well, Ido notrequire carrying. Not tonight, and not tomorrow. I’m quite capable of taking care of myself.”
Raising an eyebrow, Reginald reached out to pluck some of the sticks and leaves from Lauren’s hair. “As I’ve observed.”
She swatted his hand. “My fall was purely an accident. I was watching for bars and didn’t see the drop-off.”
Bars, again. He sighed, annoyed by his sudden flash of disappointment. They were strangers. She had a right to as many bars as she wished. She hadnae judged him—at least no’ to his knowledge—and he dinnae wish to judge her. They’d simply wait out the night together, here or wherever, and after he got her back to her car and knew she was safely on her way to her family, they’d go their separate ways. He owed any stranger that much.
But Lauren dinnae feel like a stranger.
There’d been mortals on the moor, but none that captured his fascination, as this one did. Even after Soni gifted him with his own mortality, and he’d encountered a few more at Wickham’s and in town, still none stood out. But ’twas something about this strangely compelling lass he couldnae turn away from.
He clenched his teeth, uncomfortable with both the thought and the sensation. Surely, ’twas his still-new mortality, clouding his brain. He backed up a step, suddenly needing more distance from the scent she wore that made him want to move closer.
From the very first look, her vibrant face, alive with every shifting thought and emotion had captivated him and kept him stealing glances. Even with her disheveled hair and torn clothing, no’ to mention the compelling smudge on her cheek he’d itched to wipe away from the moment he’d seen her, he’d been drawn to her.
He envied the lucky man who’d spend his life with her. ’Twould likely no’ be easy. She was spirited, this one. A smile stretched the corners of his mouth. Aye, but what a lovely challenge tae wake up to each day.
Och! What the devil was he thinking? Besides, she was likely already married. A swift glance at her left hand revealed no ring. Alarmed, then annoyed by his flash of relief, he stepped further away.
He was a bloody fool.
He’d been mortal for the briefest time. How pathetic to think he’d fallen for the first woman he came upon? This couldnae be attraction. It reeked of desperation. Self-loathing bubbled to the surface, followed by anger that he’d succumbed to such a trite circumstance.
Had Soni no’ made a great sacrifice to give him this new chance? How could he be so self-serving? She’d asked for some kind of heroic deed from the ghosts she’d released before The Reckoning. Though ’twas no longer expected, how could he do less with what his freedom had cost her? He had no right to fall prey to distractions, even one as compelling as Lauren Bradford, when he hadnae yet fulfilled his obligation, self-imposed, or no’. He’d help the lass, as he would any stranger, then return to his quest.
“Reggie?” Lauren asked, tentatively. “Is something wrong? You’re…you’ve grown awfully quiet.”
“Nothing wrong, lass. Nothing at all. What have ye decided? Do ye wish tae stay, or try moving on?”
He grimaced, ashamed of his childish behavior. Despite his annoyance with himself, he hadn’t meant to be harsh. ’Twas no’herfault he’d acted the fool. “If ye wish tae try getting back tae yer car tonight, we should leave now.”
“I know you’re right, about staying here,” she finally said. “I can’t walk and it’s too far for you to even consider carrying me. Besides, it’s impossible to find the way, in the dark. It’s just that my family will be frantic when I don’t show up and they’re not able to get in touch with me. They’ll probably call out Search and Rescue.”
He dinnae ken exactly who they were, but he understood the words search and also, rescue. The lass was lost, to them and herself true enough, but she wasnae in any danger. Although he realized they couldnae ken that.
“ ’Tis admirable that ye dinnae wish tae alarm them.”
Her sigh was heavy. “It can’t be helped. I suppose we don’t really have a choice but to stay and get a fresh start in the morning.” She looked down at her ankle. “I don’t think I’m hurt too bad. Hopefully, I’ll be better by then, and in the daylight, I’ll have a lot better chance of recognizing something I passed.”
She startled when an owl hooted in the distance just before they heard the faintflap-flapof its wings.
“Ye’re sure?”
