“Did everything go well?” she asked.

Daric nodded. “The last two towns in the dry-belt now have their full supply of ice blocks. I inspected the containers, and they’re all in good shape. It won’t water their fields, but it’ll give the townsfolk what they need to survive the upcoming season.”

Several years ago, Daric had conceived of a plan to provide extra water for the towns around Leathen with the fewest natural depressions to collect rainwater and snowmelt from the winter. Under his direction, villagers had built huge watertight basins to hold blocks of ice that Daric and a team of soldiers regularly cut from the mountain lakes in winter. Each journey meant a difficult climb into the Axton Peaks, a long week of perilous work, and a treacherous descent with heavy sleds stacked with ice. While the weather was still cold enough to transport the frozen water, Daric brought it to the towns that needed it the most. There, it was stored and slowly melted as the weather warmed. With rationing, the ice provided enough water for areas hovering on the brink of disaster to survive the inevitably rainless spring while everyone waited for summer storms to help refill their water towers.

Daric had yet to lose a man on these dangerous but necessary outings, and Rain knew he’d jumped into holes in the ice more than once to pull someone out. People didn’t die on Daric’s watch, despite the winter elements sometimes doing their best to blow his team from the mountaintops. Rain felt as though she held her breath each time he left and only let it out again when he returned.

“Did you just arrive?” she asked.

“Last night,” he answered. “But you’d already gone to bed.”

That explained why he was clean-shaven and looked freshly washed. Polite and civilized were expected of Daric, but Rain enjoyed seeing him come home all bristly and wind-whipped and looking deliciously barbarous in his winter furs. Weapons strapped on. Somehow stronger and wider after each grueling, work-filled expedition. Eyes sparking blue fire from across the room.

She shivered just thinking about it, although with him beside her, she was anything but cold.

Rain sat up and wiggled back against the headboard. Daric did the same and then handed her a small box.

He grinned at her. “I would have offered you a silver necklace to match your hair, a sapphire ring to match your eyes, or a ruby brooch to match your lips, but Leathen has no riches left, so you’ll have to make do with this.” He tapped the lid of the box, his smile widening.

Rain smiled back, laughing a little. “You make me sound like a crown—silver and rubies and sapphires.”

“Sadly, we don’t have a single crown anymore, either. Besides, they were all gold, and you certainly don’t have boring yellow hair.”