“I think you had the right of it,” she murmured, not daring to look at him. “For whatever my opinion is worth to you.”
“Your opinion is of high value to me. Higher than you know.”
His words gathered around her heart, warm and comforting in a way she’d never expected. If only—But no. There was noif onlywith this man. She’d already tried that.
She met his gaze, stark and serious. He lifted a hand toward her, but allowed it to drop to his side when the sounds of others coming through the underbrush reached their ears.
Damn the others for choosing that moment to join them. She wanted to thank Hall for not backing her brother’s insistence on leaving her behind. She wanted to thank him for trusting her skills in the confrontation with Dobbie and the bandits this morning. She’d even begun to consider the possibility of including him in the plan brewing in the back of her mind.
With the others approaching, that wasn’t possible now.
She’d just have to hope that he’d still hold her opinion in equally high value tomorrow morning.
With her animal settled for the night, she tossed her pack down by the fire alongside the others and began to mix the pieces of dried meat and fruits with the porridge for their evening meal while Jamesy’s friend Alex built their fire.
Keeping her thoughts to herself while she stirred the boiling oats, Brie listened to her brother and Patrick discuss their plans and their expectations for reaching Castle MacGahan tomorrow if they started early and rode into the night.
By utilizing the same strategy, rising early and riding late, she could reach her destination in only two days.
“I see you still haven’t learned to cook a decent bowl of porridge,” her brother joked as he took his first bite.
She smiled and nodded, keeping her temper in check. If this were the last encounter she would have with Jamesy, she wouldn’t go to her reward knowing it had ended in a fight.
Besides, Jamesy had the right of it. She didn’t like cooking and it showed in the food she prepared. She’d jumped at the chance to be responsible for the meal preparation tonight for only one reason.
No one ever paid attention to where the cook repacked the supplies, and she would need to apportion out her own share of their provisions for her journey.
Finn’s big, shaggy animal nudged at her leg and she fished a few bites of dried meat from the bag next to her. Dog could be a problem when she tried to slip away, unless he was already used to taking food from her. If necessary, she’d bribe him to silence with a few more tidbits.
When they’d all finished eating, Alex offered to clean up but Brie brushed aside his offer of help, in order to prepare things as she needed them done.
Once she’d finished, she sat on her blanket next to the fire where Jamesy had laid it out for her, only feet from where the others would sleep.
This wouldn’t work at all. These men were all warriors and not likely to sleep through her rising, rolling up her blankets and slipping away in the middle of the night.
Looking across the fire, she caught Hall staring in her direction and she glanced away. Sometimes it almost felt as if they shared thoughts, and she couldn’t afford to risk any suspicion tonight.
But the moment of connection with him made her remember his actions of the night before, when they’d waited for Dobbie Caskie at the loch.
Foolishly, she’d chosen a spot to sleep where the winds swept off the water and buffeted her mercilessly, ruining any chance for a decent night’s sleep. When the sharp sting of the wind had suddenly ceased, she’d peeked out from under her furs to find Hall had moved close by, blocking the wind with his body.
One more thing for which she owed him her thanks. The list just kept growing. And now she could add another item to it. His actions of last night gave her an idea of how to solve her current problem.
Putting her arms around herself, she exaggerated a shiver and rose to her feet. “I am not sleeping in a draft again tonight,” she grumbled as she gathered up her blankets and pack. “This will do,” she announced, and dropped her things beyond the fire’s circle of light, separated from her companions by a big rock.
“You’ll regret that choice in a few hours,” her brother cautioned. “It’s warmer by the fire—and besides, I hardly feel the wind at all.”
“Maybe not where your bedding lies,” she responded, curling into her furs. “But I felt it. I like this spot much better.”
When the only sounds in the camp were those made by sleeping men, Brie quietly gathered her things and made her way to her horse. She loosened his tether and led him into the forest, walking him for at least half an hour before risking the noise of taking to her saddle.
She wouldn’t look back, wouldn’t consider the concern the men she’d left behind would feel in the morning. By their actions, they had chosen her path for her.
Except for Hall. She did feel a moment of regret at not having said good-bye. But of all of them, he, more than any other, would understand.
At least, she hoped he would.
Twenty-eight
