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Torn in two different directions, Sarah quickened her pace, her fury racing down to her legs, almost making her run. Run from herself. Run from all the doubts that simply would not leave her alone.
And it brought her a measure of peace.
Indeed, it felt invigorating to move, to see new places as she explored first the area surrounding the little village, walking a little farther every day, before heading for the land farther inward. Keir’s home was beautiful, and wherever Sarah went, she heard his stories echo through her head. Some days she would walk along the shore, enjoying the brisk breeze tugging upon her curls and the chill of the wind upon her cheeks. Other times, she would pick her way through the woods and across meadows. Winds often blew harshly, and Sarah had to keep walking to stay warm this early in the year. Still, winter was retreating, and spring was on the horizon. She could hear birdsong and spot the occasional blossom, daring the cold, unwilling to bend its head.
Sometimes Sarah all but stumbled onward blindly, lost in thought with no idea where she was going. And so, one day, she suddenly stood in front of a large rock outcropping, jutting upward and barring her path. It stood surrounded by thick foliage, thorny brambles growing at its base. Try as she might, Sarah could not see beyond or around it; and yet, the sound of the sea drifted to her ears. She knew it had to lie somewhere beyond. Only it was lost to sight.
Intrigued, Sarah moved closer, wanting a view of the sea, of the distant horizon. Yet there seemed to be no way through the thicket, the rock jutting upward in a way that would not allow her to climb. Disappointed, Sarah turned back the way she had come when a sudden sound echoed to her ears.
A sound almost as familiar as her own voice.
Spinning back around, Sarah swept her gaze over the thicket, her breath all but caught in her throat. The wind tugged upon her curls, blowing them in front of her eyes, and she brushed them away impatiently, annoyed to have her view obstructed. And then, out of the thicket, two amber eyes found hers.
Almost entranced, Sarah sank to her knees. “Loki?” A slow smile spread across her face as she watched the little feline slink out of the bramble bushes, seemingly unbothered by the thorns. “What are you doing here?” She held out her hand, and he came toward her, his gaze still upon hers, something almost beckoning there.
Loki’s fur felt soft against her skin as he rubbed his head on her hand and purred. Yet it was not that sleepy purr he often emitted when he felt the most content, completely at ease. No, it was rather a greeting, something to draw her attention.
“What is it, Loki?” Sarah murmured, wondering if the feline had followed her there. Yet she had not seen him once, and he had to have found a way inside the thicket before she had even gotten here. “What brought you to this place? If only you could tell me.”
Loki’s gaze still held hers when he slowly inched backward, a soft meow drifting from his throat.
Crouching on the hard ground, Sarah followed him, her eyes moving back and forth between the little feline and the impenetrable thicket barring her way. “What is it you want? I cannot go in there. I—”
Sarah stilled when another sound suddenly drifted to her ears. For a brief moment, she thought it sounded like the fussing cry of a child, and her heart stopped.
Then, however, her eyes caught movement within the thicket, something black and white moving there. She heard a soft whine, and in the next instant, Sarah realized what Loki had been trying to tell her. “It’s a puppy!”
With wide eyes, Sarah looked at Loki, all but expecting him to shake his head at her for stating something so very obvious. Yet instead, he once more tiptoed toward the thicket and the little creature trapped within, his meow urgent.
“Yes! I’m coming.” Sarah inched closer, ducking her head as she carefully pushed branches out of the way, thorns scraping against her skin. She kept her gaze focused on the pup, its soft whine urging her onward. “Don’t worry, little one. We’ll have you out of there in a moment.”
Seeing her approach, the puppy’s whine grew louder, and he scrambled eagerly against the confining brambles, trying to push through, trying to get to her. Sarah was surprised that it was not cowering in fear. After all, how could it know she meant it no harm?
“Ouch!” Sarah jerked back her hand, blood welling up from a scratch on the back of it. She drew in a sharp breath, allowing a muttered curse to fall from her lips before fetching the handkerchief from her pocket and winding it around the wound. Then she turned back toward the little creature, moving carefully, bending away the branches and creating a hole big enough for the pup to slip through. “Almost,” she murmured, beckoning it forward with her voice. “Come on, little one. You’re almost out.” Sarah gritted her teeth against another sharp poke of a thorn against the side of her neck; yet she held onto the branches until the pup managed to squirm free. Then she slowly ducked her head, released the branches, and backed out of the thicket.
The pup sat shivering upon the cold ground, and Sarah quickly swept it into her arms, wrapping her heavy cloak around it. “We need to get it back to the castle,” Sarah told Loki as he fell into step beside her. “Without its mother, it will not survive.” As she walked away, she turned to look over her shoulder at the thicket, wondering how the puppy had gotten there. Where was its mother? Was she still somewhere around? Had they been separated? Sarah did not know, and there was no time to linger and search.
With her eyes fixed upon the castle in the distance, Sarah walked quickly, holding the little creature clutched in her arms. At first, the pup seemed rather agitated. Eventually, though, he settled down, his heartbeat slowing as he grew warmer in her embrace.
Entering the castle grounds through one of the smaller gates to the west, Sarah spotted Keir’s mother in the herb garden, an apron over her dress. Again, Sarah blinked in disbelief for a moment to see the lady of the keep do such ordinary work. But those were the MacKinnears, were they not? Just like the chief of the clan had gone to help rebuild a house, his sleeves rolled up, lending a hand where it was needed. Indeed, this was a different place.
A better place.
And Sarah wished she could stay.
“Sarah!”
Jarred from her thoughts, Sarah blinked.
Keir’s mother had raised a hand in greeting, her gaze watchful. Then she nodded, beckoning Sarah over.
Sarah stepped through the small opening in the fence and into the herb garden, Loki at her side. “Good morning, my lady,” she greeted Keir’s mother. “It is a beautiful day, is it not?”
The other woman chuckled, smirking at Loki in greeting. “Please, call me Heather. Ye know that we dunna stand on ceremony here.” The look in her eyes was insistent, and Sarah felt herself relax. “Now, tell me what’s happened.”
Sarah drew back the cloak, revealing the small pup. “I found him over by the cliffs. He had gotten caught in the thicket.” She looked down at the black-and-white pup, its eyes now sleepy as it lay in her arms.
Heather smiled at the small creature. “Take it to Mrs. Murray. She’ll see that it will be fed.” She brushed a gentle hand over the pup’s head. Then her gaze rose and met Sarah’s. “Did my son put that look in yer eyes?”
