“Of course, but take what time you need,” Slatter said and looked to the pup standing next to Tarass’s leg. “Come on, Thaw. Come with me.”

Thaw looked up at Tarass.

“Go with Slatter, Thaw. He’ll take you to Snow,” Tarass ordered and hearing Snow’s name the pup ran up the keep steps, Slatter following several steps behind him.

Tarass made his way to Twilla’s place and knocked on the door.

The door opened slowly, Twilla resting her hand on her lower back. “This cold has these old bones aching.” She stepped back, making room for Tarass to enter.

Tarass cast an annoyed glance at the hearth where small flames barley flickered. He went straight to it and got more annoyed when he found no firewood in her basket. He went outside and grabbed wood from the pile several of the cottages shared and brought them inside. In no time, he had a fire blazing.

“Sit by the heat,” he ordered, placing a chair in front of the hearth and once Twilla sat, he wrapped a blanket around her. “I will have someone see that your fire remains strong. You should have told me how difficult it has been for you.”

“I don’t like to be a burden,” Twilla said, tears threatening her eyes.

“You’re not a burden and it is my duty to see everyone in my clan kept safe. After all, we are family.”

“You’re much like your father,” she said with a smile, keeping her unfallen tears at bay.

Tarass grabbed the other chair and placed it near Twilla and sat. “Da told me that I could always trust you. You know more about the clan and my family than anyone. If my da was an honorable man, why would someone want revenge against him?”

“Revenge?” Twilla asked, shaking her head slowly. “I know no one who would want revenge against your da, except, of course, Lord Polwarth, but that is settled. Your da was respected here in his homeland.”

“Then why leave here?” Tarass asked the question he had asked repeatedly and never gotten an answer to.

“I have no answer for you,” Twilla said sadly.

“I think you do and I hope someday you will trust me with it.”

Snow tried not to yawn, but she had already managed to keep her husband from seeing a few yawns and this one she just couldn’t hide. If he thought her tired, he wouldn’t make love with her tonight and she so wanted to make love with him. She loved her husband like mad, but when they made love she felt as if they truly became one, that there was no separating them, that their love had become whole. It was like nothing she had ever felt before and she knew she’d only ever feel it with Tarass.