“I will not allow you access to what is for a husband’s eyes alone,” she said with a stubborn lift of her chin.

“With your affliction, the likelihood of you marrying is slim, so there is no need for you to be concerned about that.”

Snow felt the sting of his words, a sting she had felt often lately with both her sister’s marriages. His words only worsened the pain of that sting. She would never know the touch of a husband’s lips on hers or the intimacy shared between husband and wife or the joy of giving birth to the bairns of such a union. That had been denied her and all because of her father’s mind illness that had him causing the fire in the keep that had robbed her of her sight and had eventually caused her mum’s death. A moment in time that had taken everything from her.

He may have spoken the truth but he needn’t have caused her the hurt, and she couldn’t keep the sarcasm from her response. “Your compliments truly overwhelm me.”

“I do my best to please you.”

Laughter accompanied her sarcasm this time. “You do know how to please a woman.”

“Believe me, ást, I definitely know how to please a woman… many times over.”

A pleasing sensation wiggled its way through her slowly almost as if his words caressed her, and she wondered what he had called her since the word was unfamiliar to her.

“You’re not looking at my wounds,” she said, sounding as though she delivered an edict.

She wasn’t sure if it was him or Thaw that growled low.

“Let me at least tend the scratches on your face and look at the wound on your leg,” he offered more reasonably. “Some are quite red and swollen and a bruise forms by your one eye.” He touched the spot lightly and she grimaced. “I did not mean to cause you pain, and while you can be foolish more often than not this is one time I believe you’d be wise enough to listen to reason.” He stepped away from her. “Think on it while I add logs to the fire.”

“You found logs?” she asked.

“There is a stock pile of them on the side of the house, plenty to keep us warm. I brought in quite a few before I heard Thaw bark,” he said, bending to see to the chore.

Snow felt a bit contrite. He had saved her life more than once today, had provided shelter and warmth for them, and he wanted to tend her wounds. He had kept her safe since finding her and continued to do so. She had no reason to complain.

Still, she could only let him do so much. She might never marry, but that didn’t leave her cause to act improperly.

“You may tend my face and leg,” she said.

“A wise choice,” Tarass said.