“Nae so fast,” she warned as she shoved a handful of leaves into her mouth.
He watched her through narrowed eyes that quickly doubled in size when she spat out the leaves into her hands and reached once again for his side.
“What do ye think ye are doing?” he demanded, scrambling to his feet to put some distance between them.
“Putting some waybroad on ye so ye dinnae catch a fever. Now come here.”
“Why would I let ye put spat-out weeds on my side?”
She sighed impatiently and stood, cocking a hip as she studied him.
“Ye ken, ye have never been verra good about guarding yerself. Ye swing yer sword too wide and give yer opponent too much room to?—”
“I cannae believe that ye are trying to correct my form right now. Ye, of all people.”
She shrugged.
“I am just saying that I am surprised ye have nae been cut like this before.”
He could feel as her eyes roamed his bare chest for any scars that would prove her right. James kept his left arm down, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of knowing that he had received this exact wound before, only on his other side.
“Since when did ye become an expert on sword skill?”
“Since I had to.”
“Those are some mighty words coming from the lass, who still cannae keep her stance wide enough to nae be thrown off balance. Dinnae think for a moment that I did nae notice when he managed to knock ye off yer center.”
“I did nae fall.”
For a moment, he would have sworn she was going to cross her arms and stamp her foot like a petulant child. He found himself smiling at the mental picture it created. In his momentary distraction, Taryn had rushed forward and slathered her hands down the fresh stitches, coating them in a pale, slimy green mixture.
“There,” she announced triumphantly. “Ye are welcome.”
Without thinking, and before she could step away again, James’ hand shot up to her cheek. He hadn’t noticed the line of blood there before, but with the burning in his side nearly gone, he took a second to study the rest of her, wanting to be sure she wasn’t injured.
“It is nae mine,” she answered before he had even asked the question.
“What about yer arm?” he asked, pointing to the slit in her sleeve.
She shrugged and tried to step away again, but James was too quick for her.
“Sit. My turn to play nursemaid.”
She did as he asked, sitting on a log by the fire with a huff. He straddled the same log so he could reach her arm easily. Returning the favor, he cleaned the wound and then determined she wouldn’t need any stitches. Taking the bottom hem of his shirt, he ripped off a long strip and wrapped it around her arm. It was impossible not to notice how small her bones felt in his hands, though the muscles that guarded them were quite firm. He tied off the makeshift bandage and let out a sigh.
“Does this mean ye can trust me nae to run?” she asked, turning to look at him. “I could have, ye ken. I could have left ye to fight those bounty hunters on yer own, but I did nae. Surely, that earns me some trust? Even just enough to nae have my hands bound?”
Their eyes met with an electric pulse humming between them. He said nothing for a long moment as he took note of the gold flecks in her bright blue eyes. Despite everything, she was still so open, so full of hope.
Though they had been riding in the same saddle for days with barely an inch between them, there was something entirely different about sitting on the same log, the snow melting on his skin as soon as it landed. Her expression pierced his core and James couldn’t stand it. Needing a distraction, he reached for his shirt once more and tugged it over his head as he stood. Taryn followed him, clearly not understanding his need for space.
“Come on, James. Have I nae proven myself? I told ye I would nae run again, and I did nae. I dinnae want to be caught in a situation like this again. All I am asking for is a way to defend myself should I need it. A wee bit of freedom and a blade. Surely ye can trust me with that?”
He turned, no longer caring about how close they were standing. Using it to his advantage, James took half a step forward, forcing Taryn to tilt her head back so she could meet his eyes. Their breath mingled as he spoke.
“Taryn, there is nothing ye could ever do to make me trust ye again. It will take another knife at my throat before I hand ye a sword again.”
