Page 17 of Hold Fast

He held his arms up for her, and she turned, bracing her hands on his shoulders as he lifted her off the horse. But the light was dim, and he misjudged his distance from the animal. In the confined space between man and beast, Una slid against his body as he lowered her to the ground. Her body went rigid again, and he practically leaped backwards. She stumbled, wheeling to grip the saddle for balance.

“My legs are stiff from riding so long,” she said. The horse swung his head around to look at her, and she reached out hesitantly to stroke his nose.

With the snow falling softly on her windswept black hair, wisps framing her face, Una looked like a faerie queen in the coming night, taming a wild creature of the forest. He had the strangest urge to rub one of those loose tendrils between his thumb and forefinger, to feel the satiny lock slip through his open fist. And wasn’t that odd?

Ewan coughed. “I’ll go gather wood for a fire,” he said, thrusting the reins into her hands.

“Wait!” Una called. “What am I to do with him?”

Ewan took back the reins and led the horse into the cave’s opening.

“Will he nae run? Should you nae tie him to something?”

“He will nae run. Just… I will return soon. Stay put.”

She made a sound of protest, but Ewan had already turned and stalked away from the cave. He went farther than he needed to, farther than perhaps was wise. But he found himself filled with a twitchy sort of energy that was hard to shake, no matter how briskly he walked. His mind kept wandering the way Una’s backside had felt pressed between his thighs.

Oh no. That would not do.

“Goddamnit,” he muttered.

The light was almost completely gone, the forest a tangle of dark shadows and deeper hollows. He hastily gathered enough wood that he fervently hoped would be dry enough to light. The snow was falling in earnest now, melting against his face and eyelashes. Through the curtain of fat, heavy flakes, he spotted the silvery gray horse against the darkness of the cave.

But where was Una?

The horse nickered a greeting as Ewan entered the cave, but Una was nowhere to be found.

“Una?”

No answer.

“Una?” he said, louder now.

There was no response. Only the sounds of horse and night forest.

“Una?” he called out, fighting against a rising panic. How could he have lost the damn healer already? “Una?”

From behind a boulder outside the cave, he heard a disgruntled huff.

“Dinnae fash yourself,” she grumbled. “I’m right here.”

“What in hell were you doing back there? And why didnae you answer when I called?”

She was a shadow, the night too dark to make out her face. But he could see her hands move to her hips.

“I had to see to some business, and I felt it best to do while you were away,” she said peevishly. “I didnae think I required an audience.”

There was a long span of silence as they stood, not looking at one another.

“Ah,” Ewan said, clearing his throat. “My apologies.”

She sighed. “’Tis fine. I am sorry I worried you. I ken ye have enough to panic about without thinking that I tumbled down a hill in the dark.”

He grunted.

“Did you find good wood?”

“Nothing dry. But we’ll do our best, aye?”