Together? She had experienced a “together” relationship only once, with her mother before she died. Otherwise, it had mostly been Ella against the world or Ella protecting those weaker than her. Her father’s known cruelty had frightened away any friends she tried to make at Dunrobin or in the village. Florie’s main charge was Jamie, so Ella ended up protecting them both, keeping Florie hidden until she could claim Jamie as her own baby.

Her father’s advisor, Kenneth Macleod, had been a loyal friend to her mother. He had always been near, teaching Ella survival skills and helping her evade her father. He supported her in taking over the chieftainship, remaining loyal to her as well. Ella often wondered if her mother had wrung a promise from him to watch over her. Why else would he have stayed at Dunrobin?

The soap was scented with rosemary and mint, and she rubbed it along her limbs and between her fingers, but her tunic was smeared and wet with birthing fluid.

“There are spare tunics in the stables, although they will be gigantic on ye.” He nodded to her legs. “Your trousers are dirty again.” Without breaking their gaze, he stripped off his once-white shirt. The dim light of the lantern cast his corded stomach and muscular chest in gold and shadows.

An ache in Ella’s chest reminded her to breathe. He is the enemy. A fierce bloody enemy. Who had brought her a kitten and loved his horses.

She looked down as if examining her leather trousers until she heard him turn. She peeked up again. The dark lines of his tattoos stood out easily against his tanned skin, following the contours of his well-developed muscles. The sharp lines came together to form the head of a horse on one of his large biceps while Celtic bands encircled both of them. Across his upper back was a tattoo of a horseshoe with a nocked bow lying slanted across it, a crown propped on one side. The sign of the first horseman.

“The leather washes,” she said, dipping out water to wipe along each arm, scrubbing hard. “If you let me return to Dunrobin, I have several more pairs.”

“We can ride there directly after we share our wedding vows,” he said without a pause.

Damn stubborn. Ella plopped the soap into the bucket. Just because they both cared for horses didn’t mean that they were like-minded in other ways. She marched back toward the mare who was nudging her foal to rise on spindly legs. A moment later, she heard Cain walk up behind her. Was he still bare and brawny from the waist up?

“I worry Boo will not know where to sleep if not with me,” she said, avoiding looking at him.