Not two hours before, he had been filled with more rage than he could possibly endure. Yet having her so close seemed to wash away his rage and he thought only of the way her touch felt. He wanted to hold her even closer and thought of the day he could without hurting her. Then he felt her arm go around him, so he put his cheek against the top of her head and closed his eyes. Maybe he needed her touch as much as she needed his. When she moved closer still and her body was against his, it was all he could do to keep from holding her the way he really wanted to.
Anna didn't want to move away and was glad he didn't make her. She couldn't remember a time when she felt so content. Was this love? She hoped so; she hoped so very much.
He had a feeling he would remember this and didn't have the faintest idea why. It was the kind of tender moment he had never experienced before with a woman. Was it because she was so vulnerable and he had a duty to protect her? Or was it something else? He wondered, if only for a second, if he was beginning to love her. He didn't want her to, but when she started to pull away, he let go.
They walked further than they had the day before and she didn't get tired as quickly, but when they turned back, she was glad of it. Perhaps she was expecting too much too soon as Katie suggested. They didn't talk much on the way back either, but she was content just to be near him. He had given her permission to touch him whenever she wanted and her heart was pounding with excitement and joy. She would touch him, she would even kiss him -- but that was all.
He heard her let out a long sigh. "Why do you sigh?"
"I just realized I have shared my burden with you."
"Nay, you have given your burden to me."
"If that were so, I would not still have a heavy heart."
He realized she was right. "When Thomas found you, why did you want to die?"
"There were two reasons. First, I thought if I was dead, my father's plan would be useless, and he would have no reason to kill my mother or my sister."
"And second?"
"Father told me you were a cruel man who would kill me and never love me. I was dead either way … or so I thought."
"Do you still believe him?"
"I do not believe you intend to kill me, but..."