Chapter 1
13th century, Scotland
“Don’t be afraid, lassie, we’re not that far from home. There’ll be a nice fire in the hearth and a hot cider to warm you.”
“I look forward to it, Finn,” Snow said, trying not to let fear creep into her voice as she spoke loudly to be heard over the swirling snow and wind.
“I’m going to tie this rope from my horse to yours so we don’t lose each other. With a blinding snowstorm like this one, it’s easy to get separated and we wouldn’t want that to happen.”
“No, Finn, I wouldn’t want that,” she said, keeping her voice raised just as he did.
“Worry not, lassie, I’ll get you home,” Finn shouted and patted her arm to reassure her.
Thaw’s head poked out from Snow’s fur-lined cloak to give a quick bark.
“Right you are, Thaw. You keep Snow safe,” Finn called out.
Snow hugged Thaw against her, the pup having sprouted a good bit in the last month, but she still didn’t want him wandering on his own in a snowstorm.
“We’re all set, next stop… home,” Finn said cheerfully, giving his left arm a good rub. “Old wounds can pain in the cold. Can’t wait for that warm fire myself and a tankard of ale.” He laughed as he walked to his horse.
Snow listened, his laughter caught by the swirling snow to drift away as he disappeared in the wildly falling snow. She recalled what Finn looked like, a big, thick, strong man and a fine warrior. She remembered how he had scooped her up with one arm when she was a wee bairn and how his whole body would shake with laughter. She felt safe with Finn and she knew he would see her home safely.
When she and Finn had left her sister Willow’s home the snow had been falling lightly, a dusting on the ground. They hadn’t been on the road long when the snow began to pour down around them.
She couldn’t see anything in front of her. Not that she could see anyway, having lost her sight in a fire about a year ago now. She had been so happy when some of her sight had begun to return, leaving her to see gray shadows. It took time to grow accustomed to it, since she had felt as if ghosts constantly surrounded her, never able to see anyone or anything clearly. She would recall what they looked like, as she had done with Finn, but anyone unfamiliar to her left her feeling uncomfortable and vulnerable.
Her two sisters, Willow and Sorrell, had helped tremendously, but they both had wed and had their own homes now, Sorrell living a distance away and Willow living not that far, a walk that would take less than an hour, but not in the dead of winter and certainly not in a snowstorm.
Willow and her husband, Slatter, had suggested she stay when light snow had begun to fall. But she had already stayed a week to help her sister settle into a new home. It was time she returned home and allowed the couple time to themselves.
Her visit also had allowed her half-brother James time with Eleanor, who had helped look after her when Willow had gone to visit Sorrell. She was a lovely young woman who James had taken to on first sight. Eleanor had equally been taken with him and love had blossomed quickly. A wedding was being talked about and she couldn’t be happier for James and Eleanor.
There would never be a wedding for her. No man would want a blind wife. It saddened her at times, especially since she had always dreamed of having lots of children to fill a home with laughter and love. Now she would spend her days going from her sisters’ homes to her home with James and Eleanor and enjoying the nieces and nephews that would come along.
Willow was already with child and would deliver in the summer and she would be there to help whatever way she could. Not that Willow would need much help, since she was a skilled healer growing even more skilled with time.
Snow tucked her hood down to keep the snow from whipping at her face. The snowstorm seemed to grow worse by the minute. She worried that Finn was having a difficult time maneuvering his way through the blinding snow that had to be accumulating rapidly on the ground, his pace having begun to slow to almost a crawl.
When her horse came to a stop, she grew even more concerned. Had Finn decided the snowstorm was far too dangerous to continue on? Would they need to seek shelter? She waited anxiously to see what he would say.
Thaw suddenly popped his head out of her cloak and gave a bark.
“It’s all right, Thaw,” she said, trying to calm him. “We’ve stopped for a moment.”