“No, I missed it.”
“Och, ye slept through it, but I kept ye safe, that is the important thing. Tis just as well ye dinna see me fight them, Istabbed one, the other I rode in a big loop through the air afore I slit his throat.”
I sat up. “And where are these dragon bodies?”
“Och, when dragons die they disappear, everyone kens. And I am glad ye dinna see me as I prefer tae be more humble on m’wins.”
We both laughed.
He put out a hand to heave me up.
“This is your job now, to heave me to my feet? I wonder if you’re going to regret taking on the responsibility of me.”
He grinned as he hoisted our bags to his shoulders. “First, I canna ever go back tae afore I met ye, I hae only gotten tae taste yer pie once. Och nae, how could I regret ye when I am dreamin’ on ye constantly?”
I laughed. “And the second reason?”
“Even if I had tasted yer pie many times and I had grown used tae yer pie?—”
“Lochie, don’t say it, you would grow used to my pie? Likebored?”
“I canna imagine it, Ash, but evenif, how could I go back tae only helpin’ m’self stand? For one twould be lonely, but also tae go through life only lookin’ out for yerself is too easy. I need more tae do, I want the hard things. When I heave m’self up after a jump, tis simple, I want tae say, is Ash well? Does she need help? Then I want tae say, is m’son up? Is m’daughter up? Is my...? And I will go down the list helpin’ everyone up.”
“You want more responsibility and complications?”
“Aye, of course I do, that is true happiness. I will be there all day heavin’ people tae their feet, grinnin’ like a fool.”
I joked, “It’s statements like that that prove you deserve another slice of pie, but alas, you haven’t married me yet.”
“Och nae, daena remind me, I am goin’ as fast as I can.”
He unlocked the door of the house. “I am bankin’ all the good feelings ye hae, and when tis our wedding night, I will hae ye serve me all the pie. Do ye ken the recipe? Or do we need tae get it from here?”
I stopped on the entryway. “Lochie, are we talking about real pie?”
He laughed. “I canna remember. We dinna start with real pie, yet here we are, I am hungry for pie in all its forms.”
“I can remember the recipe, but I would like to go by my place.”
The safe house was a small ranch-style residence on a lot of land. They had a gassed-up truck and some ATVs in the garage, a gun vault, a ‘money and valuable paperwork’ safe, and toiletries in the bathrooms for showers. There were changes of clothes in assorted sizes in the closets.
Lochie walked me through to the master bedroom and stood at the door. “Ye can go through the drawers for clothes, anything ye want tae wear...”
“Good, and I can take a shower? I haven’t had one in weeks.”
“Aye, take a shower. I will take one in the other bathroom, unless...” He put out a hand.
I took it. “Unless what?”
“I daena ken... I wonder if ye need me tae shew ye how tae turn on the water. Dost ye need m’help tae get ye undressed?”
I looked down at my sling, “Oh... Maybe, but I also think this might be a trick.”
His brow went up. “Ye think I might be trickin’ ye tae see ye unclothed?”
I raised my brow. “Definitely.”
His head jerked back a little. “But ye need m’help... aye?”
