“You’re assuming you’re going to win.”
Of course he would. “You’ve been ill,” he reminded her. “We’ve been riding for hours, and you need to preserve your strength.”
She looked back at him, and in her eyes, he saw the look of a woman whose days were numbered. “I want to enjoy the time I have left, Raine. Before it’s gone forever.”
The thought of her dying was a reminder he hadn’t wanted to face. He might not know Carice very well, but he knew how hard she’d fought to live. He’d watched her suffer, and he’d seen her smile. He knew the taste of her lips and the softness of her body in sleep.
“Only for a moment,” he acceded. “But you’re going to lose.”
She ignored his prediction and said, “Killian and I used to place wagers in return for power.”
He frowned at that. “What do you mean?”
“If I won, I gave him commands for an hour. If he won, he told me what to do, and I had to obey.”
Though he knew she was speaking of children ordering each other around, her suggestion made his wayward thoughts grow stronger. The idea was wicked, and he ought to tell her no. But he held his silence instead.
“Are you ready?” she murmured.
“We’re both going to break our necks,” he predicted. But when she gave the signal, he began sliding his feet across the ice, struggling to run. His feet went flying out from under him, and he hit the ice hard while she continued sliding one foot, then the other, in a steady pace.
“Are you all right?” she asked, grinning at him. Her brown hair had fallen loose from its plait, and it tousled around her face. There was a brightness in her light blue eyes, and she continued moving forward.
Raine got back to his feet and took longer strides, attempting to catch up to her. When he reached her side, she tried to push him down, but he maintained his balance.
“No cheating,” he warned. But as he spoke the words, he pushed back against her, moving ahead. Almost there...
At the last moment, she leaped from the ice back into the snowbank. She raced ahead of him, running through the drifts until she reached the end of the ice. “I won.”
He was incredulous at her declaration. “No, you didn’t. You left the ice.”
“I never said we had to stay on the ice,” she countered. “You made that assumption.”
Her brazen cheating made him determined to claim the victory. “You cannot win by breaking the rules.”
“Do you mean to say you won’t follow my orders?” She reached out for his hand, leading him off the ice. From the tone of her voice, his suspicions sharpened. He tightened his palm around hers and lifted her back onto the horse. Her face was flushed from the exertion, and in that moment, she looked like a woman who had just awakened from sleep.
“What orders?” he asked, mounting his own horse.
She sent him a secretive smile and answered, “I’ll tell you later.”
Chapter Nine
They arrived at Casheldrum by nightfall. Carice had never been to the settlement before, especially one so remote. The small crannog had a wooden walkway across a half-frozen lake that led to a gate and a ringfort at the center of the island. Several wattle and daub roundhouses were gathered in a semicircle. Though it was isolated, it would provide a good shelter for the night.
She was in good spirits after winning the race. It had felt so good to run and feel the wind against her cheeks. Seeing the expression on Raine’s face after she’d won had made it even more enjoyable. Although he was a stoic man, she’d detected a softening within him. This day, she was feeling stronger than usual, and she was confident that her health would continue to improve.
Before they dismounted, Raine removed his helm and hid it among their traveling supplies to ensure that he appeared like an ordinary visitor instead of a soldier. The guards allowed them to enter, and Carice spoke to the chief, since Raine’s grasp of the Irish language wasn’t strong.
“Have you traveled for long?” the chief asked her. He was a man similar in age to her father, and she wondered if he knew Brodie Faoilin. She hoped not, for she didn’t want him to alert her father’s men.
“We visited with the MacEgans last night,” she answered. “We are on our way home again.” She reached into a pouch on her horse and withdrew a handful of silver, offering it to the chief. “I hope we may compensate you for your hospitality.”
The chief waved it away. “No. We do not take silver from our guests. Stay with us awhile, since my son and his wife are away. You may use their home for the night. And if we ever visit your lands, then return the same hospitality to us.”
He seemed friendly enough, and he bade one of his men to help Raine move hot stones into the space to heat the interior of the hut. Carice was glad that they would have their privacy, and she did not dissuade them of the assumption that she and Raine were husband and wife.
They joined the rest of the clan for an evening meal out of doors. Carice sat upon a log near the fire and accepted a bowl of venison stew. The hot broth and meat were soothing after a long day of riding, and she enjoyed the flavors of the stew. Raine sat beside her, and she took comfort in his presence. His arm rested behind her, almost in a half-embrace. Though she knew it was only to maintain the pretense of marriage, her skin warmed beneath his hand.
