“He must have forgot,” Lisa sighed and turned away again. “Come back to bed and sleep.”

Suzette stared at her silently, her frown growing. Why weren’t they leaving until mid morning? They had left bright and early every day until now, and this was the last day of the journey. She would have thought out of all of them, this day would be the one where they set off with the rising sun.

Suzette set the brush on top of her chest with a sigh and considered undressing and getting back into bed, but knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep. However, she didn’t wish to pace about the room until everyone else began to stir either. And she was thirsty. Grimacing, Suzette moved silently to the door and slid out onto the landing.

The soft murmur of voices from the great room below reached her ear as she eased the chamber door closed. Suzette moved to the rail to peer down over the empty tables. It wasn’t until her gaze reached the door to the kitchens that she spotted the speakers. Daniel was there talking in low tones to the innkeeper.

Suzette smiled as her eyes slid over him, taking in his serious expression and slightly ruffled hair. It looked as if he’d just woken and hadn’t yet even run a brush through his hair. There were also sleep creases on his cheek that made her smile widen. He was just so adorable and she found that the mere act of peering at him made her chest ache a bit. Unsure what that was but not ready to face it, she started along the landing toward the stairs, intending to join the two men, but she’d barely taken a step when the innkeeper nodded and slipped away into the kitchens. The moment he did, Daniel turned and strode through the room full of long empty tables and straight out the front door.

Eager to catch up to him, Suzette hurried down the stairs and outside, reaching the courtyard just in time to see Daniel enter the stables. She hurried after him, one part of her mind wondering what he was doing up so early when they weren’t leaving until mid morning, and another part pointing out that they would finally have a moment alone together.

Suzette slowed as she reached the stables. She didn’t see Daniel at first, but a slow scan of the building revealed him in one of the stalls near the back. He was saddling a horse, she saw, and moved forward at once.

“What are you doing?” she asked as she reached the stall where he was working. Her sudden question made Daniel jerk around with surprise. She’d obviously given him a start, but once he saw that it was her, a smile lifted the corners of his mouth.