Page 14 of Ties of Legacy

He looked at her again and caught her sneaking a look at him. He quickly turned away. Could she tell he’d just been considering abandoning her in a stream so he could rummage through her cart?

He was closer to the cart and its contents than he’d ever been, so why did he feel a little dizzy? Looking at Avery was almost as disconcerting as stepping too far from the remains of the candelabra. He was sure he looked like a drowned rat, but somehow she looked even more arresting while soaking wet than she did dry.

At least she was no longer looking at him like something she wanted to scrape off the bottom of her boot. Although that might have been due to the shock. Should he be talking to her as well as the girl? You were supposed to talk to someone who’d just been through a traumatic incident.

But what could he say? When he’d seen her in the stream, he’d revealed himself without thinking, but now that his brain had caught up with his actions, he was in trouble. Once the girl was safely handed over, Avery was sure to go back to threatening him. Given he’d been following her for days and had attempted to steal from her twice, it was possible she might even turn him over to the closest guards.

Water dripped from his hair into his eyes, and he shook his head, spraying it in all directions. It hit both the girl in his lap and Avery, making them gasp, and he winced.

“Sorry,” he murmured.

Avery nodded silently in response, not giving him any opening for a conversation.

He sighed. Could he blame her after how strangely he’d been acting? He kicked himself for the hundredth time for not approaching her openly in the beginning. The kind of girlwho worried about the health of thieves and rejected rescue so someone else could be rescued instead might actually have heard him out.

The first houses appeared, and several adults caught sight of them, raising a shout as they noticed the three wet passengers. Avery continued deeper into the hamlet, and by the time she had stopped and Elliot had carefully climbed down, a crowd had formed.

The parents of the girl fell on him with more shouts and cries, and he reassured them that she was breathing and conscious. He was glad to hand her over, and only once she was safely transferred did he notice how cold he was.

Someone draped a warm blanket around his shoulders, and he turned to smile his gratitude at an older woman. Looking around to check that Avery had also received one, he found her in earnest conversation with the girl’s parents. She didn’t even seem to notice that she was shivering as she spoke, making her words shake.

Removing the blanket from his shoulders, he placed it around hers instead. She drew it close, not looking up to see him.

He stepped back. He hadn’t seen the girl fall in, so Avery could give the parents more information than he could.

Another blanket settled over his shoulders, and he gave a second grateful smile to the same woman.

“Thank you,” he said, and she beamed at him.

“Broke my heart to hear that girl was traveling alone,” she said. “I’m glad Avery has someone she can rely on now.”

Elliot immediately flushed, stammering over his reply. He hadn’t considered how their arrival might have looked to the villagers.

“Oh no,” he said. “It’s not…I mean, we’re not…”

The woman patted his shoulder. “Modest—as a hero should be!”

“Hero?” a light voice asked from behind him. “Perhaps.”

He turned to see Avery, an expression on her face he couldn’t read.

“She’s with the healer now,” she told him. “But it sounds like she should be fine. Thanks to you.”

He shook his head instinctively. “You’re the one who directed me to her.”

The blanket lady sighed sentimentally. “Does my heart good to see the two of you.”

Avery stared at her in astonishment, and Elliot quickly put his hand on her arm, steering her back toward the cart. There was no need for Avery to hear the woman’s theories. He was almost certain they would put her back up—if it was possible for her to turn any further against him than she already had.

“What are you doing?” Avery asked suspiciously. Her eyes narrowed as they neared the cart. “I’ve already warned you about getting anywhere near my cart.”

He instantly stopped, letting his arm fall. He hadn’t been thinking about their destination, just about getting her away from the villager.

But even though he said nothing, an uncomfortable look passed over Avery’s face. “Not that—I mean, I know you’ve already…That is to say…Thank you for your assistance at the stream.” The last words were delivered stiffly, accompanied by a pained look.

Elliot smiled broadly. “You’re welcome.”

“Since you saved that girl,” she continued, still stiff, “I’m going to assume you weren’t following me but just traveling in the same direction.”

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