shouted at him. No, wait, throw yourself backwards! Or sideways? Go sideways!
Before he could decide which direction to respond to, a smooth, deep chuckle sounded behind him, and Ciaran grabbed him around the waist.
Somehow one foot went forward and the other went back. He stepped on the hoe with his right foot and something squishy with his left. His back landed with a thud against Ciaran’s hard chest and the hoe handle flew toward him.
Panic seized him, and he threw out both arms to catch it, but his momentum carried him back farther, and he ended up sliding down Ciaran’s body till he hit the dirt and the squishy thing with his bottom.
The handle stopped a foot from his head, and Ciaran’s chuckle turned into outright laughter.
Groaning, Bannon let himself lean against Ciaran’s legs. Now his arse was wet too. How did he get himself into these situations? Honestly, he had more talent in clumsiness than he had in painting. And that was saying a lot, because he was the best painter he knew. Actually, Aiden was just as good, and Louie was close, but that was beside the point. “What am I sitting on?” He raised his head and peered up at Ciaran, who was still cackling like a loon.
Ciaran glanced down. His face was red with laughter—probably as red as Bannon’s was with embarrassment—but, dust, he looked good. Happy. It made Bannon feel good deep inside, and how rare was it for someone to laugh at his follies instead of castigate him for them?
After the laughter finally subsided, Ciaran held down a hand to him. The hoe was clutched in his other one.
Taking the offered hand, Bannon stood. Once he was standing and staring at that chiseled jaw on a more even level, he didn’t know whether to swoon or kiss it, so he smiled. Even as attracted to Ciaran as he was, he was also… content? Yes, that was it. He was content. Which was actually a little odd. Before Ciaran had made him flustered and excited, but this was nice too.
Bannon reached for his backside and touched slime. “Eww….” He brought his hand around to the front and stared at the slimy remains of….
“Ye sat on a tomato. I must have knocked it off the plant when I leapt over it tae get tae ye.” The row of tomato plants was behind them.
Bannon had just cleaned up the disaster area that was tomato row. The boar had wreaked havoc on the plants. Which meant they had several partially ruined fruit to get seeds from for the castle garden. Apparently now they had one more, or at least the seeds. Bannon glanced around and located the basket of decimated produce and found it at the head of the aisle between the tomatoes and the beans. He slung the seeds and goo off his hand and into the basket.
Ciaran smirked at him, looking on the verge of laughing again. “What happened?”
“I lost my balance, and Timothy started shouting out directions.”
Ciaran’s lips twitched.
Bannon glared at him, and Ciaran held up a hand. There might have even been a few snorts.
After a moment, Ciaran’s mirth faded, and his face sobered. “I meant what had ye so deep in thought? Ye looked lost.”
“Pfft….” Bannon started to wave it away, but the look on Ciaran’s face stopped him. When Ciaran reached out and grabbed his hand—the hand still covered in tomato guts—without flinching, Bannon was lost. Or maybe he was found…. He’d never really confided in anyone except Louie. Louie was his safe haven, but he couldn’t help the feeling that Ciaran might be too, and all the worry he’d been harboring just seemed to come rushing out. “The idea of going into the base terrifies me. What if one of us is killed? What if all of us are?”
Ciaran’s face softened, but it wasn’t pity. His eyes shone with compassion and understanding. He tossed the hoe aside and reached out with his other hand to touch Bannon’s cheek in a gentle caress.
Bannon leaned into it and closed his eyes, taking comfort in the touch.
“I willnae lie tae ye. It happens. People die. It’s part of battle. Part of life.”
Not part of his life…. He shook his head, but Ciaran did not release him. “Captain Kindros will come back. Can’t we just wait awhile until she does? She is loyal to Regelence.”
“Ye are positive?”
Bannon nodded, loving the feel of Ciaran’s hand on his cheek. He could almost forget the turmoil inside him