There was no sense in delaying further, he realized as he held his wife, cheek against her hair.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a short trip. Won\u2019t be gone for long. Remember that.<\/em><\/p>\n He sighed. Marin smiled up at him.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Thom nodded. \u201cYeah. It\u2019s time.\u201d<\/p>\n He let go of her with no small measure of reluctance, heading for his horse. Marin caught the pack horse\u2019s lead rope and trailed behind him.<\/p>\n Cameron tore his gaze away from Neve, noticing as Thom hauled himself up into the saddle. \u201cThat\u2019s it, then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re wasting daylight,\u201d Thom said as he took the pack horse\u2019s lead from Marin. He caught her fingers and squeezed before releasing them. \u201cIf we leave now, we\u2019ll make good progress before we have to find a likely place to camp.\u201d<\/p>\n Cameron nodded slightly and turned to steal another kiss from Neve. Thom couldn\u2019t hear what they said to each other, but one last kiss was sounding like a very good idea.<\/p>\n He leaned down as Marin stood on tip-toe, their lips meeting for an all-too-brief moment. Marin\u2019s fingers brushed his cheek.<\/p>\n \u201cI love you,\u201d she whispered against his lips.<\/p>\n Throat too tight to speak, Thom straightened in his saddle and nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll take good care of each other, fear fiach<\/em>,\u201d Phelan said, drawing Thom\u2019s attention. The Taliesin stood a few yards away, hands shoved deep into the pockets of a battered leather jacket. He gave Thom a weak smile.<\/p>\n When did he get here?<\/em> It didn\u2019t matter, of course, though his presence was something of a comfort.<\/p>\n Cameron was mounting up, now. J.T. was already in the saddle, and Seamus was whispering something into Leinth\u2019s ear, one hand on his saddle and the other entwined with hers. Thom exhaled. It had been a good gamble, that.<\/p>\n At least we hope so.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI promise, Thom,\u201d Phelan said.<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d Thom murmured, smiling back. \u201cWe\u2019ll see you in a couple weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n Phelan nodded. \u201cYeah. You will.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There was no sense in delaying further, he realized as he held his wife, cheek against her hair. It\u2019s a short trip. Won\u2019t be gone for long. Remember that. He sighed. Marin smiled up at him. \u201cIt\u2019s time,\u201d she said. … Continue reading