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‘When did you say our ship would arrive? I left my best shield on board.’
Ash shaded his eyes from the glare of the sun and looked out along the wide river. ‘I had anticipated it today, but it could be longer. Helgi the Short won’t play me false. He owes me too many life debts and he knows I’d hunt him down.’
‘You can be ruthless when you want to be.’
‘I prefer single-minded. I refuse to worry until the middle of next week. There will be time enough to tell Kara then if the ship fails to appear.’
He offered a small prayer up to the gods that he could uncover the key to her passion before then.
The grizzled warrior shrugged. ‘My wife used to appreciate knowing about such things in advance. You are storing trouble. Trust her instead of looking at her like you want to eat her up.’
‘Kara will only panic and take Rurik away. They are safer here.’
‘They are safer with you, you mean.’
‘Nothing will happen to her or our son. They’ll remain here. It is why I brought you lot.’ A muscle jumped in Ash’s jaw. He knew what he was doing. He had played this sort of game before in Viken, but never for such high stakes and never with anyone he’d cared about. ‘Now are you ready to fight again?’
‘Bed her and tell her in the afterglow. Women love to feel protected. My wife did. You should have more children. Your son is a credit to you both.’ Saxi pushed back on his helm. ‘It would give us a chance to recover if you did bed her. Think of it as a favour to us all.’
Ash rolled his eyes. He’d been naïve to think the entire hall didn’t know of his sleeping arrangements. But the last thing he wanted was advice on wooing his wife. ‘She needs time. Seven years.’
‘She is worth fighting for, Ash. The good ones always are.’
‘When I need your advice, I’ll ask for it.’ Ash raised his sword. If he kept fighting, maybe his dreams would cease to be plagued with a beautiful blonde who had blue eyes to drown in. ‘Shall we have at it again? Or are you getting too old?’
Chapter Twelve
Kara breathed in the sweet air of the stables. All about her the horses stomped their feet. For once she was all alone.
She did her best thinking when she was around animals. Her dogs sat in the corner of the stable and waited for her to be finished. She picked up a brush and started to work on the nearest horse, a simple enough task, but when she was done, she knew she’d feel steadier and more able to cope with her increasing desire for Ash. Desire rather than deep feelings. It had to be. She couldn’t entrust her heart to him a second time.
‘Why are you never where you are supposed to be?’ Ash asked, coming into the stable as if her thoughts had conjured him. The horse gave a whoosh of air, but continued to stand placidly. ‘I’ll wait until you are finished, but I do want to speak with you.’
Kara concentrated on brushing out the horse’s mane, teasing out several burrs, rather than glancing up towards where he stood in the doorway. When that was done, she moved away from the horse, slightly surprised he remained there. ‘I like working with horses. I always have. Thora knew where I was.’
‘I didn’t.’
She put the brush down on a bench. ‘Do I have to inform you every time I change a task?’
‘No, it is just...’ He rocked back on his heels. ‘I missed you and I wanted to tell you that you were right. Your salve has helped my leg. I wanted to wait until I knew for certain. Thank you. I didn’t want you to think me ungracious.’
Her heart thumped. He missed her. And her salve had helped. ‘I’m pleased. Can I see it?’
He knelt down and slowly lifted his trouser leg. A great scar ran down the back of his calf. The muscle had healed knotted and twisted. ‘You see why I said nothing would help. The knee was injured, as well.’
‘If I may...’ She knelt beside him and touched his scarred flesh. Her fingers worked with sure purpose. She could feel the knots easing under the pressure. ‘It will improve further with a regular massage.’
‘You do have a healing touch. Are you offering?’
‘Perhaps.’
‘Then I accept.’
The air hung between them—sweet and still. The temptation to lean into him and lift her lips to his nearly overwhelmed her. Kara rapidly rose and pretended to be busy, picking up her brush again. ‘How did you know where to find me?’
