“I will set up camp and then prepare a meal. Stay there,” he ordered.
Alana didn’t ken where he thought she might go, but she dipped her head in acquiescence and watched him move around the area. He lit a fire first, close to the overhanging ledge they were using as shelter. He unfurled her blanket and brought it over to her.
“Ye might get chilled.”
She accepted it and he walked off afore she could answer him.
Their surroundings weren’t as lively as they were in previous days. The trees had lessened. There were still many, but not as many as had littered the ground as they wound their way up deeper into the Highlands. There were more grassy fields here, sloping up with rocks guarding the sides of the path they were following. Some were huge moss-covered boulders, some small. Some loose, like the one she had slipped on.
She adjusted her legs and winced at the slice of pain that shot up through her ankle and followed through to her leg. She was lucky she hadn’t broken it as Rory had mentioned. She couldn’t even imagine the delay that would cause. And whilst that would give her more time to spend with Rory, he would for certs be angry at the further postponement. Lord kens, they had experienced many hindrances on their journey so far. She didn’t want to be the cause of yet another one.
So, on the morrow, when it was time for them to leave, she made the decision that no matter how much her ankle may hurt or throb, she would push through the pain. She’d done it with her blisters, she could do it through this as well.
With all the camp preparations done, he sat down beside her, so close, their arms touched. Neither of them made a move to pull away. The connection was something they both wanted, even though theyshouldn’t. She leaned against his side, the pain in her ankle beginning to dull just a wee bit as the warmth in her belly grew from being so close to Rory.
Lord above, would she ever have this same reaction when it came to her future husband? She didn’t want to think about that right now.
“Thank ye,” she murmured.
She felt Rory shift and he brushed a loose strand of hair from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. As he had afore, he let his fingers linger on her skin, and drag slowly away afore breaking the contact.
The space around them was quiet, as if nature was holding its breath the same way she was. She caught her bottom lip in her teeth, thinking about how much she enjoyed being this close to Rory. To soak in his warmth and gentle touch. To feel the rise and fall of his chest with each breath he took beside her.
The moment stretched, for what seemed like an eternity, and Alana didn’t mind it one bit. They remained like that for what seemed like hours, but it couldn’t have possibly been that long.
An owl hooted, his call breaking the silence of the night, severing the connection she had felt, causing Alana to jump.
Rory chuckled, the deep rumble bubbling up from his chest. “Ye scare easily, Bluebell.”
“I dinnae. It just caught me unawares, is all.”
His fingers played with the edge of the blanket that covered her. She watched his hands move back and forth, folding the edge, and unfolding. Over and over again. On constant repeat. A steady rhythm that he continued.
She snuggled closer to him, fashing that he might pull away. But he didn’t. Instead, he draped a strong arm around her shoulders and pulled her in closer to him. Emboldened, she nestled even closer, burying her face in his chest. She could feel the hard planes of his muscles beneath her cheeks.
They were quiet for a while. Listening to nature as it woke for thenight around them. Listening to each other’s breaths. She listened to his heart as it beat beneath her ear, a steady, strong staccato.
It was late, the sun finally setting and disappearing. The flames of the fire the only light around them. It created shadows that danced along the rocks. If she were alone, she might be frightened of the images they created, but with Rory she was calm.
As the hours passed, they still leaned against each other. Neither of them tried to move away and break the constant contact they had been enjoying for the night.
It was as if they were right where they were supposed to be. In each other’s arms. Connected in a way that only those who cared very much for each other could.
The fact that they could never really be, hurt. It hurt more than she would ever admit.
And that revelation broke Alana’s heart.
Chapter Nineteen
The next day’stravels were slow-going because of Alana’s injury. Rory took care not to push her too hard or to make her feel guilty that they couldn’t move at the pace he had originally planned. Her ankle was swollen and he kenned it ached, but she was putting on a brave front and hadn’t said a word about how uncomfortable she was. Still, her pain was easy to see in way she clenched her jaw and sucked in her breath. In the squint of her eyes, and the pinch of her mouth.
So, as they climbed higher, he took their forward progress slow.
He looked up to the sky, frowning. The once sunny sky had become dreary with angry, gray clouds moving in quickly. “’Tis bad weather threatening. We should seek shelter.”
Alana paused, looking around and holding her hands up. “Where exactly do ye suggest we go? There isnae a village in sight. No croft. No bothy. Just the land and us.”
As she finished her sentence, rain started to fall. They hurried their pace, Alana crying out in pain as the rain fell so fast, so suddenly, it flooded the trail. Causing water to stream down the path forcing them to slip and slide. Fearful that Alana would fall again or hurt her ankle further, he pulled them off the trail.
