shovel and laughed. “I have been responsible for taking care of my own horse since I was old enough to ride, which includes mucking his stall. You must believe me a delicate thing if you think I cannot do a little work.”
“Ye, delicate? Nae, I would never make such a foolish mistake.” Humor crept into his voice.
Anna had to admit, yet again, he truly was a handsome man when his eyes crinkled with amusement. His smile did things to her insides she’d rather not consider. She could almost see the young boy he must have been. Both cheeks dimpled slightly, easing his appearance. The strangest urge to touch them rose, curious if they were as soft as she imagined, wondering what the stubble on his face would feel like under her fingers.
He wheeled the cart out to dump it into a large pile for the villagers as she put fresh hay in Orion’s stall. He leaned against the doorpost. “Why are ye here so early?”
“I feel better, and enjoy time alone tending my horse. ’Tis one of my favorite ways to think.”
“Aye, mine as well.”
“Sometimes I prefer being around horses to people. Horses do not judge your station, appearance or behavior if you treat them well.” Anna frowned, silently chastising herself for disclosing so much. What imp possessed her to allow him a glimpse of her soul?
Duncan tilted his head, drew his brows together and stared at her. “I know exactly what ye mean.” He stood silently as she finished her work. “If ye wish, I will fetch breakfast to take with us. We could make an early start.”
“That would be fine.”
Duncan departed the stables and returned with a small sack. Handing her an apple and a small loaf of sweet bread filled with nuts, seeds and berries, he hung a water skin on Orion’s saddle. “Anything in particular ye would like to do today?”
“Yes. I would like to cut a quarter staff, and am interested in gaining skins to line my cloak. I am not accustomed to the cold and damp here. I can only imagine how it will be come winter.” An involuntary shiver rippled through her as she thought about snow and the wind, which never ceased to blow.
“We have a man who can fill such a need. He is the village fletcher and cooper. A quarter staff would prove no problem for him. With regard to skins, we could simply purchase them. If not in the village, then from one of our neighbors. Ye hardly have to hunt them down yerself.”
“Duncan MacGregor, you confuse me yet again with a delicate noblewoman in need of charity. I am fully capable of cutting my own staff and skinning my own hides. I need only a satisfactory branch or billet and access to tools. With regard to the cloak, I know not what fur-bearing creatures live in your lands, so I will bow to your superior knowledge of where and what I should seek.”
Duncan laughed at her reply, and Anna thought it was as pleasing a sound as she’d ever heard. His deep baritone resonated like a distant peal of thunder. His face lit with humor and though his laughter subsided, mirth lingered in his eyes. The sound and sight brought an answering smile she couldn’t hold back. He should laugh more often. His stern look does not suit him. I wonder what causes such a dour guise.
“Aye, it appears I have made the same mistake again. I am usually a fast learner. I should think we can easily find a billet. Such tools are here in the stables. As far as what animals should have the good fortune to grace yer cloak, I would suggest waiting until Martinmas when their fur is fullest. Summer coats willnae do as good a job ye wish. As for what we would target, I suggest mink, fox or beaver. I dare say ye will find any of those satisfactory.”
The thought occurred she would need thicker clothes to stay warm in the meantime. “Very well. I accept your advice. I will have to cope with the cold until then.”
“’Twill not be necessary. We can have a set of woolens made for ye. ’Tis a herder in the Graham clan who owns a special breed of sheep. The wool from this breed is very fine and soft indeed. ’Twould be no trouble to obtain enough to have two sets of woolens made if ye wish.”