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Torin nodded. “I am glad we agree.”

Torin mounted Cathbarr and put down his good hand. “Princess, ye are goin’ tae ride with me, mount up.”

I asked, “What are you talking about? Why aren’t I riding on Mustang?”

He chuckled, “I want ye on this horse.”

“Between your legs?”

“Aye, I canna wait.”

“This is an interesting turn of events. You can’t wait for what?”

“Tae touch ye.”

“Oh, and yes, we need urgency, in that case I better mount up.” I put up my hand and he tried to haul me up with his one good arm, but I slid down and Cathbarr side-stepped and stamped.

I didn’t make it, my feet hit the ground.

Torin laughed. “Och, ye almost fell. I am so excited about gettin’ ye on m’horse, I almost dropped ye.”

“That does not bode well for the beginning of our marriage.” I laughed. “But, thankfully, it’s not actually the beginning of our marriage, this is our second wedding. I’m choosing that this is not a sign. We’ve been married for a whole week already.”

He put down his hand and hefted me up and this time I made it easily.

I swung my leg over, adjusted my skirt, and with his hand on my hip he directed me into the saddle, right in front of him. His voice was gravely when he said, “Aye, a whole week, and we haena had a proper honeymoon, we need it. We hae been puttin’ it off, I canna bear it.”

He hitched my hips back a bit, pressing me against him. “Comfortable?”

I said, “Aye, Albannach.”

He directed Cathbarr into a brisk pace down the lane back to the main part of the village. I asked, “Are you sure there is an inn?”

He said, his voice very close to my ear, “Aye, there is a big one right up here. It ought tae hae private rooms.”

I said, “Albannach, you are horny. What put you in such a mood?”

He ran his hand around my chest, groping me on the horse as we rode, then pressed my hips back even more. “A few things, Princess. I feel better than I hae in days, and also we are winning. Goin’ tae that church was one of the best ideas I ever had. We got the casket somewhere safe and got married at the same time.”

“Oh, good point—” Rolling thunder came across the valley, my heart raced. “Could it…?”

We both turned to look at the sky behind us.

Torin said, “Och nae, unfortunately — tis not our kind of storm.”

I said, disappointed, “Yeah, that looks like just a normal storm.” I sighed. “But that’s fine. Max might already be here. We don’t need to worry about it.” I looked down at Dude trotting in between Mustang’s legs with his tail up, as if the horse belonged to him and was his shelter.

Torin said, “Aye, and if he inna there he will be there shortly, we will wait.”

I felt him look around. “The rain is comin’ across the fields, but the inn is just ahead.” He urged Cathbarr faster.

The lane was narrow and rutted, dry and dusty, needing the coming rain. There were people farther out in the fields, but with the coming rain the lane was solitary.

Torin put the reins in one hand and with the other he rubbed up my chest and around it. Oh. Wow. He was caressing me, his face nestled against my neck. “You’re being... wild.”

“I wish I could take ye right here.”

His hand went down my front and down the inside of my thigh.