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“Aye.”
“Dare I ask what happened?”
“Dare I ask why you’re out here, wandering about alone at this time of night?”
He moved them away from the doorway.
“I’m not alone, not any longer.”
“It is not safe for you out here.”
“And yet, I’ve never felt safer.” As soon as the words were out, Kathryn wished them back. She hadn’t meant to say such a thing, even if it were the truth. What would he think of her?
“Why?” he said, holding her gaze, and she knew he wasn’t asking her why she felt safe with him. He wanted to understand why she’d gone into hiding, why she’d asked him to help her. “Tell me, Kathryn.”
Her answer was immediate. “I cannot.”
Even those words were probably a mistake, for Kathryn had effectively admitted to having a secret. Of course, Neill knew that already. He’d known it from the start.
“You cannot?” He cocked his head to the side.
“Nay.”
“If you cannot tell me what ails you, then perhaps you can explain why you would see to your own welfare and safety, then come back down here all alone. It makes no sense.”
“I am rash,” she admitted.
“Pardon?”
“Rash. My father used the word often to describe me. ’Tis the reason I’m down here when I should not be.”
That smile. Kathryn was sure she would say, or do, just about anything to see it.
“As am I, at times.”
“Is that so?”
“Aye. According to Adam, the man with whom I fostered. And my brothers too.” He frowned. “So you will admit coming out here was not the best idea.”
“Mayhap, but I’ll not say I regret it.”
When he turned serious, his smile faltering, Kathryn realized how foolish she’d sounded. “I didn’t mean . . .”
Only she had. He was the reason she didn’t regret venturing where she should not have gone. She’d wished to speak to him about Brockburg, aye, but that wasn’t the only reason she was happy to see him.
His lips parted, just slightly. She couldn’t stop staring at them, wondering what they would feel like on hers. What a proper kiss, from him, would feel like.
Something told her such a kiss wouldn’t be merely passable.
The men who’d entered the stables rode past them, interrupting the tense moment. One of them inclined his head to Neill before they rode off into the night.
The moment had passed. Thankfully. Kathryn needed to focus on the task at hand. Convincing Neill Waryn to take her to Brockburg.
“What do you regret?”
The question took her aback. She blinked, considering her answer.
“I regret not saying goodbye to my father.”
