Page 10 of Ruining a Highland Healer
"Where are yer things?" he asked her, and Valora pointed silently a few feet away, where a small bag lay on the ground. Torrin ran over to it and picked it up before he headed back to the steps where Valora still stood. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he gave her a good look from head to toe to make sure that she hadn’t been hurt in the scuffle, and then reached for her arm to take a look at the only injuries that she seemed to have sustained—some bruises that were getting darker by the minute.
He had hardly managed to touch her, though, when she raised her other hand and slapped his away, much to his surprise—and much to his amusement.
He couldn’t help but chuckle, despite the seriousness of their situation.
"I didnae think this would count as me bein’ inappropriate," he said, the corner of his lips quirking up into a small smirk. "I only wished tae see if ye’re well."
"I’m fine," Valora said sharply, but then she seemed to catch herself and her expression softened ever so slightly. "I just… dinnae want tae be touched right now. Thank ye. Fer savin’ me… an’ fer checkin’ about me well-bein’."
I’m yer husband now. It’s me job.
He didn’t speak those words out loud. He didn’t know how Valora would react, though she already knew she was meant to be wedded to him. Instead, he gestured to her to follow him, but even as he walked off, she didn’t move. Torrin paused after a few steps and glanced over his shoulder at her with a small, questioning frown, but still, Valora didn’t move.
"Where are we goin’?" she demanded.
"Tae yer new home," said Torrin. "An’ I suggest ye move afore Keith’s men come back fer ye."
That seemed to be more than enough motivation for Valora to finally follow him, the two of them going down the path Noah had taken and meeting him by the stables. Thankfully, their horses had remained prepared for a swift escape, and Torrin took his by the reins, swiftly guiding it out of the squat building.
"Go on ahead," he told Noah, who nodded firmly. "We’ll be right behind ye."
Once he had his orders, Noah jumped on his horse and rode off to clear the path and prepare the council for what was to come. With him gone, Torrin turned to Valora, looking at her expectantly, only for her to stare at him in silence.
"Well?" he said. "Get on the horse."
"Surely, ye jest," said Valora, much to Torrin’s surprise. "I willnae share a horse with ye, I dinnae ken ye! I would appreciate having me own horse."
Torrin glanced around them, seeing movement in the shadows. With an impatient sigh, he gestured to the horse in frustration, saying, "I suggest ye get on unless ye wish there tae be another fight."
Valora looked around as well, and she seemed to notice the same thing Torrin did—men, coming out from the shadows. She didn’t move fast enough for his liking, though, and so he did the only thing he could think of—he grabbed her by the waist, much to her ire, and tossed her on the saddle before jumping on behind her.
"What dae ye think ye’re daein’?" she demanded, just as Torrin put the horse into motion, the two of them fleeing before Keith’s men could chase them. "How dare ye manhandle me like I’m a… a sack o grain! I’m a lady!"
"Aye, so ye are," said Torrin. "A lady who will get us both killed with her stubbornness."
Valora remained quiet, but the silence between them was heavier than any quip she could have thrown at him. Just as he thought she wouldn’t speak another word at him, though, she mumbled under her breath, just loud enough for him to hear it.
"I doubt they’d havemekilled."
Torrin found himself laughing, his shoulders shaking with mirth. He supposed it was true; if Keith’s men were going to kill anyone, it would be him and not the woman he was trying to marry.
Still, he preferred his head attached to his shoulders.
For a while, he and Valora rode in silence, neither of them speaking. Then, it occurred to Torrin that she could very well try to run, and he would much rather avoid the kind of trouble that would come with having to chase her, even if he was quite certain he could catch her.
There were dangers in the woods. Though the parts they were riding through were wide, an expanse of glens and valleys thatwere sparsely populated by tall trees, there were still places to hide near the path—places any ambitious brigand could use to hide and string out in a surprise attack when the time came.
Torrin considered his options; he could try to hold onto Valora, but the last time he had touched her, she had promptly slapped his hand away. He could take his chances and simply let her be, but that, too, didn’t sound like a good idea. During the very short time he had known her, Valora had seemed to him like a particularly stubborn woman.
Looking around, Torrin’s eye fell on his satchel, which was attached to the saddle, and he reached down to rummage through it, producing a thin cord of leather. It was far from ideal, but it would have to do for now, as he had nothing else at hand, and he couldn’t think of a better solution.
As he made to wrap one end around Valora’s waist, she jumped in surprise, her hands grabbing onto the saddle’s edge to steady herself.
"What is this about?" she asked.
"It’s fer security," Torrin said, making quick work of the knot behind her back, making sure the cord was loose enough around her that it wouldn’t hurt or constrict her. Though he could practically feel the discontent waft off her in waves, Valora said nothing more on the matter, surrendering herself to his whims, much to his surprise.
He had expected some more resistance; he had expected to get a piece of her mind, but she only sat in front of him, her head high and her lips shut, staring straight ahead.
