'You will stop frowning at me this minute.'
She had to wait until he let go of her to answer. 'I didn't realize I was frowning at you. Is that why we stopped?'
'No,' he answered. 'I wanted to ask you something.'
'Yes?'
'Are you still in pain?'
She immediately lowered her gaze in embarrassment. In the blink of an eye, her face was flooded with color.
'I'm waiting for your answer.'
'Must we talk about it?'
'Answer me,' he ordered once again, though in a much more pleasant tone of voice.
'No, I'm not in pain.'
'Was I too rough? Did I tear…'
'I'm fine, really. Please don't concern yourself.'
'Brenna, will you get over your shyness with me soon?'
'I fervently hope so.'
He found himself smiling in spite of his irritation. She'd sounded desperate.
He still wasn't completely convinced she was telling the truth about her condition, however, and therefore refused to let the subject go just yet.
'If you aren't in pain, why are you so restless in your saddle?'
She was surprised he'd noticed. He'd barely given her a glance all the while he'd ridden by her side, after all.
'I didn't realize how observant you were.'
'I notice everything. So do the others, or they wouldn't be riding with me. It's one of the reasons we stay alive.'
'Did you notice you broke my heart?'
He looked exasperated. 'I did no such thing.'
'We argued and…'
'We didn't argue.'
'Then what did we do?'
'You asked questions. I answered them.'
He really didn't understand at all. The revelation stunned her, and with it came a glimmer of hope for their future.
Perhaps Connor wasn't cruel or heartless, after all. He was just ignorant. She was blissfully relieved by her discovery.
'What else did you notice about me?' she asked.
He noticed every little thing about her, he wanted to answer her, such as the way she'd drawn her breath in when the meadow covered in a rainbow of colors first came into view, the radiant smile that came next, and then the frown when he wouldn't let her stop and explore because it would slow down his men.
'I notice you frown every time you look at me.'
She let out a sigh. 'I didn't understand that you didn't break my heart. I also thought we argued, but you have explained we didn't.'
He nodded. 'Why are you so restless in your saddle?'
He was going to make her admit her embarrassment. 'There is a little tenderness,' she whispered. 'I've been shifting my weight to ease the discomfort.'
He lifted her from Gilly onto his lap and put his arms around her. His chin dropped down on the top of her head next. 'Is it better now?'
'Yes, thank you.'
'I'm not going to be able to touch you tonight, am I?'
He actually sounded a little disappointed. She had trouble believing him, of course. Then she thought he might be jesting with her and looked up to see if he was smiling. His expression didn't give anything away, however, and so she asked, 'You want to touch me again?'
'Of course. Why does that surprise you? I told you you didn't disappoint me, and I want children as soon as possible.'
She leaned away from him. 'But after we, directly after… You told me you weren't disappointed, but I know you weren't very happy either.'
'Why would you think such a thing?'
'You rolled away and ignored me. You needn't pretend now just to make me feel better. I'm bound to improve.'
'Ah, lass, you'll kill me if you do.'
She turned scarlet. 'Then you were happy… after?'
He let out a long sigh. He couldn't understand why she needed to hear him admit it.
'Yes.'
'Why didn't you tell me how you felt?'
'Why would I?'
He was ignorant of women's feelings, she reminded herself so she wouldn't get angry. 'You could have given me a compliment or two.'
He gave her a surprised look, and she immediately recognized it. It was the same look he had given her when she'd told him she wanted to be comforted.
'I cannot guess what you want. You have to tell me, Brenna.'
She shook her head at him. 'I no longer have any need for compliments, so you can stop looking appalled. It only just occurred to me that I didn't compliment you either. I certainly wasn't disappointed.'
'I know.'
She ignored his arrogant remark. 'I believe we should start over.' She nodded to emphasize her conclusion before repeating it. 'Yes, that's what we must do. As of this minute, we're starting all over.'
What was she talking about? Start what over? If she hadn't looked so pleased with herself, and so damned happy, he probably would have demanded she explain herself.
Brenna suddenly realized how considerate it was of him to gain privacy for their intimate talk about her condition. 'I'm grateful you waited until we were alone to discuss my discomfort, and I feel better because you were concerned.'
'That isn't why we stopped.'
She looked so disappointed, he decided to soften the truth. 'It was only one of the reasons we stopped. I also wanted to talk to you about your horse.'
'Gilly's worn out, isn't she?'
'Yes,' he agreed. 'We're going to have to leave her behind. She won't make it up the last climb,' he continued on, in spite of the fact that she was vehemently shaking her head at him. His wife still didn't understand it was not proper to disagree with her husband. He hoped she'd figure that out soon.
'She's ready to collapse even now.'
She knew he was right about Gilly's condition, yet she wanted him to realize what he asked of her was impossible. 'My brother gave me Gilly years ago. I'm very fond of her. Surely you can understand I can't leave her behind. Couldn't we stay here until she regains some of her strength?'
'No.'
'Please be reasonable.'
'I am being reasonable. The horse can't possibly regain what she never had. She wasn't bred for endurance.'
'But if we lingered just a little while…'
'It's too dangerous to stay here. Would you put the lives of my men above those of your animal?'
Her shoulders slumped in defeat. There didn't seem to be any point in continuing to try to sway him, especially since he'd given her such a valid reason.
