"Anyway, cease your worries," Neacal said. "They're traveling away from us."
She nodded, her brow still furrowed, anxiety dimming her green eyes.
How could he get her to calm down and smile again? He'd even enjoyed her teasing him and wished she would do it again. "Do you trust me?" he asked.
"Of course."
"Well then, believe what I say. All will be well."
Dunn sniffed at the limp rabbits he held.
"I'll go clean the rabbits and add one to the stew."
The dog whined, his intent eyes shifting from the rabbits to Neacal.
"Aye, one is for you, lad. Come out to the shed with me." Neacal snatched a wooden bowl from the table and exited with the dog. He hoped Anna was less worried by the time he returned. He wanted to learn more about her situation, but would she answer his questions and reveal all her secrets?
***
Closing the door, Anna pressed her head against the rough wood and said a prayer of thanks for Neacal's safe return. The work she'd done—digging and chopping the vegetables for the stew, gathering the herbs, building the fire and carrying the water—was to keep herself from going mad with worry. She'd feared he would run into Blackburn's garrison and be attacked by all of them at once.
She released a breath and, with a long wooden spoon, stirred the large pot of chopped vegetables. She was glad to see it starting to boil. The addition of rabbit would make it perfect. When he'd said he would return with some sort of game for a stew, she hadn't doubted him. She was certain he must be an excellent hunter.
Rain still poured down outside and the wind blew against the closed window shutters, making her glad she was inside this cozy, dry cottage. Neacal would be even wetter than he had been.
What would it be like to spend the night here with him? Against her will, a shiver of delight coursed through her. What a terrible wanton she was, but she couldn't help herself.
She was surprised he hadn't been angry after finding out about the mess Blackburn had forced her into. Instead, he wished to help her more. He was an amazing man.
A quarter hour later, when Neacal returned from cleaning the rabbits in the shed, water dripped from his long, dark hair, which he had flung back from his face. She feared he would catch an ague, for the air was cooler this eve and autumn was beginning.
"You're completely soaked now," she said. Droplets of water ran down his handsome face and dripped from the short stubbly beard on his chin. What she could see of his linen shirt clung to his chest.
He lifted a brow, a hint of amusement lighting his eyes. "You worry about me overmuch."
'Twas true; she did. Her face heated. "Well… I don't wish you to be sick."
"I do believe I have a change of clothing here someplace." He glanced about the room.
"I'm glad. Where is Dunn?"
"In the shed, guarding. He devoured his rabbit and seemed satisfied. He'll alert us if someone approaches. He'll hear them and smell them long before we would be aware of their presence, especially if he's outside."
That was good then, but she would be alone with Neacal again. She was unsure of their association and connection, which at times felt awkward because of how intimate they'd been at the tavern the night before. Would that happen again if she spent tonight alone with him, or something far more profound? A thrill of giddy excitement spun through her, along with annoyance at herself. Why couldn't she control her thoughts and reactions around him?
Neacal added the cut meat into the pot with the vegetables. "I'm glad it's raining so long and hard, in truth," he said. "'Twill keep the knaves away a while longer."
She nodded, praying they wouldn't follow. The last thing she wished to do was cause Neacal harm. Though she didn't want to surrender to the beasts, she would if that's what it took to preserve his life.
After washing his hands in the basin in the corner that she'd filled, he strode to the trunk beside the box bed, opened it and dug inside.
Watching the sure, confident moves of his lean, muscular body, she became almost enthralled. She could watch him all day and never grow bored.
He pulled out a folded plaid and shirt, sniffed them, then closed the trunk. "I'm thinking one of the shepherdesses washed these before packing them away with herbs a few months ago."
"How kind. I was glad to find the vegetables, flour, and other supplies they'd left."
Neacal nodded, watching her. "I hope you won't mind if I get out of these wet clothes."
