Page 17

“Nightmares can be terrifying since they feel so real.”

“You’ve had nightmares yourself.”

“Aye, some leaving me with no desire to return to sleep,” he said, pushing the memories of such nightmares away.

She shared her grandmother’s advice on nightmares. “My grandmother was a wise healer, and she insisted that nightmares had to be spoken, not hidden away where they could linger and resurface, but rather spoken aloud, shared with family or a trusted friend, so they could be banished never to disturb us again. I would gladly listen to your nightmares if you ever wished to talk about them.”

A smile tempted at the corners of his mouth, and she had never seen the blue of his eyes so remarkably serene, but it was his response that took her by surprise.

“Does your offer make us friends, Shade?”

She could throw his question back at him to find out how he felt, but she did not feel the need. She knew how she felt and had no problem admitting it. “Aye, it makes us friends, unless you don’t?—”

He interrupted her quickly. “I would cherish a friendship with you. You are a good woman.”

“I can be stubborn,” she said, grinning.

“Most women are stubborn,” he said, and the blue of his eyes deepened in color. “But you’re not most women, Shade. You are unique.”

She didn’t know what to say to that. No man had ever offered her a compliment except her da. He had always praised and encouraged her, and she missed hearing his loving words. So, hearing Quint say she was unique touched her heart.

She found her voice and said, “That is generous of you to say.”

“It’s not generous, it is the simple truth,” he said and ran his thumb faintly across her lips.

Her breath caught briefly, and her body felt as if it awakened after a long sleep, eager to experience all that life offered.

“We can be more than friends, Shade,” he offered, “while I am here.”

Her heart had soared with his first few words but plunged when his offer was only for a short time. She felt something for him though she was unable to understand it, and she preferred to explore it before plunging into something she might regret.

She moved out of his arms to sit up. “I will give it thought.”

He sat up beside her, slipping his arm around her waist to squeeze it slightly. “Don’t give it too much thought or I will be gone before you know it. I enjoyed having you in my arms last night and I would enjoy doing more with you than only sleeping in your bed.”

She was glad he moved away from her. She found it difficult to think wisely when he was near. There was far too much she favored about him and far too much that warned her away. She was uncertain as to what to do. There were consequences that would come with her decision, and she had to decide wisely.

Her glance strayed to him. He snatched up the bucket of water by the hearth and placed it on the table, then scooped up a handful of water to wash his face. He did that a few times, then ran his wet hands through his hair several times.

He grabbed the bucket’s rope handle and walked to the door. “I will return shortly with fresh water for you.”

He never glanced back at her. She hurried out of bed. She needed time to think, and she thought best, and she believed more wisely, when she was busy.

Quint emptiedthe bucket and dropped it by the rain barrel to fill after he saw to his morning needs. Though this morning he woke with more of a specific aching need, not a random one. His need to couple with Shade was growing stronger. It disturbed him at times since he never thought he would want another woman again the way he had wanted Amara.

Love.

He loved Amara, though it was more like she showed him how to love, how to release the anger inside him and embrace the feelings she had awakened in him, feelings he had never known possible. His life had been one of hardship, his mum dying in childbirth along with the bairn when he was ten years. His da didn’t wait long to find himself another wife and she made it clear that he was in the way, so his da sent him to live with his mum’s sister. She was kind enough to him, but it was obvious she and her family had little enough food for themselves. He did what he could, but he was more of a burden than helpful. He left and by sheer accident found himself with a band of mercenaries who taught him how to survive and fight. Fighting was his life until he met Amara.

She changed everything.

He thought about what Shade had said about talking about one’s nightmares. If he talked about them, it would only allow other memories to surface that would be even more difficult to recall than the nightmares themselves. After he lost Amara, he promised himself that he would never give his heart to another woman. He would never allow himself to love so deeply again. The pain was too unbearable.

He was attracted to Shade and would not mind sharing her bed while here and he did not think she would mind either. He could see the need in her eyes and since she was past her prime, he assumed she was no stranger to coupling. They both werealone, attached to no man or woman so why not enjoy each other while they could and part friends?

A stab of pain to his chest had him rubbing it and it annoyed him that it came when he thought of leaving Shade. He had felt it the last time, not a pain but a disturbance in him that he didn’t understand. He had a mission to accomplish, and he could let nothing stand in his way, especially a woman.

He returned with the bucket of water to the cottage to find porridge cooking and Bannock, a bread he favored. Nothing further was mentioned about his offer and Quint let it be. It was for her to decide, and, for now, he would say no more about it.