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The predawn glow outlined a spiky ridge of mountains to the east, lending just enough light for him to peek down at the sleeping beauty in his arms. Her forehead and nose scrunched from whatever dream she must be having, but smoothed again as she burrowed deeper against his chest.
He couldnae ken what the next ten minutes would bring, let alone the days and weeks ahead, so he wasnae about to take last night, or even this moment for granted. Not with the most unpredictable female he’d ever known. He still wondered about her reaction to last night’s kiss, hoping it came out of desire, not desperation. But he could only wait and see.
The tip of the sun crested the eastern mountaintop, casting long fingers of light across the valley below, hurrying the lingering shadows into the hills. Even within the wee circle of boulders, from their vantage point on the rise, they had a clear view of a small community, tucked tightly together.
To the west, rolling hills undulated into the distance. And to the south, beyond the valley, a broad, dense wood. His initial instincts told him there’d be good hunting there, but he had to remind himself this wasnae Scotland. Or, at least no’ the Scotland he knew.
“Paige,” he whispered, bending to kiss the top of her head. “Look.”
“Mmm?” she moaned, blinking sleepily, then coming instantly alert. “What?” She sat up and looked around, wide-eyed and wary.
“Dinnae fash, lass.” He swept a mussed lock of hair from her cheek to tuck behind her ear. “I dinnae mean tae frighten ye. I just wanted ye tae see yer new home.”
“Oh! My…” She stared at the valley below, sucked in a breath and turned tearful violet eyes on him. “It’s… I don’t know what I was expecting. I was so determined to find Austin, I just reacted without considering the consequences.”
Taran’s initial instinct to admonish her for being so impetuous, faded. She was doing a find job of it, herself. He worried there might be a lot of hard lessons, for both of them, while learning to survive here.
“But, now that we’re here…” She studied the scene below. “I guess this isn’t as bad as it could have been, right? I mean, it looks very…civilized. Do you think he could be down there?”
Taran gazed at the small, motley collection of huts and structures clustered within neatly tended gardens and fields. “I cannae say what happened tae Austin. ’Tis possible he dinnae come through thatdoorwaya’tall. But we did. So, we havtae rememberwe’rethe outsiders here. Whoever they are, will be as wary and suspicious of us as we are of them. But, by the way their homes are huddled inside their fields, on just one side of that wee burn in the distance that splits the valley, I’d wager they’re already trying tae protect themselves from something.”
“Burn?” she queried.
“A small river, I ken ye’d call it.”
“Oh,” she nodded, eyes locked on the scene below. “I believe Austin would have gone down there. He’d have needed to, don’t you think? But what if they thought he was their enemy? What if they thinkweare? I suppose there’s no going back if they do?” She glanced at the mountain behind them, then turned and scanned the hills and forest beyond the valley. “What if there is nowhere else to go?”
“Well, we cannae just stay here, wonderin’.” Detecting no immediate threats around them, Taran stood to stare at the rockface behind them, trying to detect any sign of the rippling irregularity that brought them here. He looked down at her. “If ye could go back through…would ye?”
She rose and stood beside him. “I honestly don’t know. I came for Austin. And I still plan on searching for him. But eventually, if I thought we could safely make it back, yes, I probably would. My life may have been boring and predictable but,” she glanced at the valley, “the only fear I lived in, was that it would stay boring and predictable.”
She shrugged and huffed out a breath. “That makes no sense at all, I know.” Her pained expression was so intense, it hurt his heart. “All the time I was waiting for Austin to come back from his adventures, I regretted not having one of my own.” She tried to laugh, but it sounded more like a cry. “Be careful what you ask for, right?”
Taran pulled her close. “Aye. Ye cannae ken what the Fates will hand ye when ye tempt them. They’ve a terrible sense of humor.” He was thinking of his own plan for adventure when he left Wickham’s ranch.Don’t get tied down to one place, one thing, or one person. See the world. Have it all.
But he did have it all—standing right here beside him—and he wouldnae trade being wi’ her for any prize, even though he knew full well, he had no guarantee ’twould last.
“I’m frightened, Taran,” she whispered, leaning into him. “What if I can’t do this? What if I don’t measure up? What if I disappoint us both? What if Austin isn’t even here and I’ve condemned us both to a world we can’t survive in?”
“ ’Tis a fistful ofifsfor so early in the morning, Love.” Stepping back, he touched her chin, raised her face to his and quickly kissed the tip of her nose. “Ye’ll do just fine.”
She looked away, clearly unconvinced.
He turned her face back to his so he could look into her eyes. “I cannae predict what’s in store for us down there, but I know we cannae stay here. We need water, food, and shelter. But Icanpromise that nae matter what happens, ye’ll ne’er be a disappointment tae me. I pledge tae protect ye with my life, Paige. If ye cannae trust anything else, trust that.”
He pressed his lips to hers. Restraining his desire to repeat last night’s kiss, he kept this one soft, tender, reassuring. Even so, he made sure they both parted wanting more.
“Before we go, let’s get one question out of the way.” He led her to the stone mountain that spit them out like sour milk, just hours before. Gingerly pressing his palms to the hard surface, he reached as far up as he could before working his way several feet left and right of where they’d emerged.
“Be careful,” Paige cautioned, grasping the back of his longshirt with both hands. “Remember, where you go, I go.”
He closed his eyes, absorbing her words. Nothing she could have said would have meant more. Turning, he pulled her into a crushing hug. “I hope so.”
Releasing her, he stepped back. “I cannae detect an opening. Mayhap it only works for ye? Do ye want tae try?”
She shook her head, her violet eyes wide and fearful, as she stared at the stone wall. “No.” She raised her chin and turned to pick up her backpack. “I want to find Austin.”
“I know,” he said helping her on with her pack. “And we’ll search for him. But first…” he dug in his own pack and pulled out the exquisite silver dirk Will had given him. Reaching into his boot, he grasped his own dirk and traded it for Will’s, slipping the hilt out of sight. His was plain and simple but had served him well.
