Ruby hugged the blankets tighter. “Shouldn’t we keep moving?”
“Aye, and run ourselves into the ground before the sun’s even high?” He cast her a sharp glance. “We need to pace it, lass. Save our strength. There’s a hollow ahead—sheltered. We’ll rest awhile, and then cut inland.”
Ruby bit back a retort. He made it sound so easy. But every muscle in her body trembled, and truthfully, she wasn’t sure how much farther she could push herself without collapsing.
They reached the hollow, a dip in the land sheltered by gorse and boulders. Evan checked it carefully before letting her step inside, his gaze always flicking back the way they’d come. She lowered her bundle, unwrapping the blankets with trembling fingers.
“It was good thinking to go back for supplies,” he said, without a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
“You don’t have to sound so surprised. I’m not completely useless, you know.”
“Never said ye were. The way ye handled that oaf at the harbor showed that.” His eyes lingered on her a moment too long, then he turned away, tearing a loaf of bread in half.
They ate in silence. Ruby watched him as she chewed on the tough bread, the way he remained half-turned toward the coast, ready to move at any sound. Who was he really?
She remembered what the thug by the boat had said.Always thought that highborn blood of yers made ye better than the rest of us.
Highborn blood? What had he meant by that?
When the bread was gone, Evan leaned close and pulled one of the blankets tighter around her shoulders. “Keep warm. If they’ve no horses, we’ll be well ahead by the time they think to search this far inland. They will expect us to steal another boat.”
“What did that man mean?” she asked.
“What man?”
“You know exactly who I’m talking about. He said something about you having noble blood. Who are you, Evan Campbell?”
He turned to look at her, the smirk and cocky charm gone, replaced by an earnest look in his gray eyes. “I am exactly what ye see, lass. Evan Campbell, merchant, freebooter, smuggler.” His expression tightened. “As for what Iusedto be, well, that’s something best left buried. We all have a past, dinna we?”
Ruby opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. Yes, they all had a past, herself included. She’d been running from hers and that’s what had landed her in this mess in the first place. She looked away, biting her lip.
Evan was silent for a long time. Then softly he said, “I’m sorry, lass.”
She looked at him, surprised by the admission. That earnest expression was still on his face, and Ruby wondered if she was seeing the real Evan Campbell, the man beneath the arrogance. “Sorry?”
“For dragging ye into this. It wasnae my intention to put ye in harm’s way. If ye dinna believe any other word I say, believe that. The last thing I wish is to put ye in danger.”
Something about the way he was looking at her made it difficult to tear her gaze away. She cleared her throat. “Just tell me one thing. Can youreallyget me to my cousin?”
He didn’t answer. Nor did he look away. “Aye,” he said finally. “On my honor, such as it is. Iwillget ye to Edinburgh and the woman ye are seeking. I give ye my word.”
He was a liar, a swindler, a wanted man. She couldn’t believe a word he said.
And yet, despite everything, she did.
EVAN SAT WITH HIS BACKagainst the rough gorse, one hand resting on the hilt of his dagger, eyes never straying far from thefaint line of the path that wound back toward the coast. Ruby was curled up next to him, her breathing even. Somehow, she’d managed to fall asleep. He should’ve been grateful she could rest—he couldn’t.
He hated the tug in his chest, the gnawing guilt at the trouble he’d caused her. He wasn’t supposed to care. Years ago, maybe, before his family had splintered and left him fending for himself. But that part of him had been beaten out, ground down under the weight of survival. Soft feelings only got a man killed.
And yet, watching Ruby sleep, her hair tumbling loose across her cheek, he felt something stir that he thought long buried. He cursed himself silently. He didn’t need her problems. He had plenty of those himself.
The dawn crept higher, bleeding pale gold across the land. Finally, he pushed to his feet, shaking off his thoughts. “Up,” he said, more curtly than he intended. Ruby blinked awake, frowning at him as she rubbed her eyes. “We need to move.”
For a wonder, she obeyed without complaint, tugging the blanket around her shoulders as she gathered her bundle. They set off, Evan leading her down the slope of a dry stream bed, its cracked bottom hidden by tall banks and tufts of grass. Perfect cover. He kept his pace steady but not rushed, listening for the slightest sound behind them.
They walked in silence. For a while there was nothing but the whisper of their steps and the occasional clatter of a loose stone underfoot. Then suddenly he heard a sound on the still air: the steady creak of wood, the rhythmic clop of hooves, voices calling to each other.
Evan raised his hand, and Ruby froze. Her eyes went wide as she followed his gaze upward. Indicating for her to remain where she was, he moved with quiet care, climbing one of the banks until he could peer over the top.
