Calen ended up joining Micara and his sisters for the remainder of their swim. He did race Katrina across the river, and succeeded in reaching the further shore first, but lost his lead when she outmaneuvered him in the turn around by diving under, flipping, and resurfacing in front of him when he stopped and turned to head back.
Cara and Maggie cheered them on, but both girls secretly favoured Katrina's victory. Cara knew she ought to feel chagrined by the fact, but she felt the tiniest bit relieved that someone was better than Calen at something.
They didn't stay long after the race, for both Micara and Maggie began shivering from standing still in cold water. The women waded to shore and continued on to the cabin without Calen when he waved them ahead and dunked below the surface. They crowded into Maggie's room, each of them eager to be out of their wet clothes.
"Micara," Maggie asked, her voice muffled by the petticoat around head head and neck that she was struggling into.
Micara chuckled and tugged the waist opening over Maggie's red curls. "Oui?"
Maggie smiled impishly, her single dimple in her right cheek making her look especially young and mischievous. She tugged the petticoat to her waist and straightened the ties.
"Would you marry Calen if he asked?"
Micro's mouth opened and closed wordlessly in shock.
"Maggie!" Katrina exclaimed, "Hold yer tongue!"
Maggie looked defensively at Katrina, "You want the answer as well."
Katrina frowned at her younger sister before turning to Cara, "Tis sorry I am fed her words. Ye need not answer, fear tis no one's business but yer own."
She cast another glare at her sister. Maggie rolled her eyes and turned her back to pull on her dress. None of them seemed to know what to say after that, so they dressed in silence. Maggie left the room with a final toss of her hair.
Katrina noticed Cara struggling with the lacings at the back of her dress, and she went to help. "I am sorry," she told Cara again, "Maggie lets her bluntness escape her sometimes."
She paused for a moment before continuing, "But she was not wrong on one count. Do an let me pry, but would ye? Would ye marry my brother?"
Micara was still for a long moment. "I don't know," she whispered.
~~~~~~~~
Calen came in from his swim as Shannon was setting the table for supper. He ducked into Maggie's room to change. He finished quickly and gave his mum a peck on the cheek as he went outside to hang his wet clothes on the line like she had told him to do at least three times in the minute and a half he had been in the house.
He met Micara on his way. She was coming from the clothesline carrying a woven basket filled with clothes. He smiled when he saw her. "Hello, lass, ye look lovely tonight."
She blushed. "Hello, Calen."
He smiled wider at the clot of her cheeks. "Did ye enjoy the river today?"
She nodded, but looked down silently.
He thought to ask what was wrong, but she excused herself and went around him and back into the cabin. Calen frowned and watched her go. He walked far enough to toss his trousers and shirt onto the line before turning around, not caring how they hung.
It appeared his Mum had finally allowed Micara to help with the chores, for as Calen reached the cabin, Cara was headed out again, the water pail in her hand.
"Micara," Calen said to stop her, "Is something troubling ye?"
Cara looked at her feet. Her cheeks turned pink again.
Calen frowned. "Micara?" he pushed.
Cara took a breath and looked up again, "Nothing is wrong, Monsieur Donelly."
She dodged around him once again. Calen frowned again but he could not think of any reason she might be avoiding him. He shrugged; maybe Katrina could provide some insight.
He sought out his older sister whom he found hauling potatoes from the root cellar behind the house. He stopped her and took the basket from her. "I have a question for ye," he told her.
She cocked her eyebrow and held out her hand for the basket. Calen kept a hold of it and shook his head slightly.
Katrina rolled her eyes. "Aye, what is it?"
"What is wrong with Micara?"
"Nothing," she replied too quickly, "Now give me the potatoes."
Calen held the basket away, "Not yet. She seems odd tonight, why?"
Katrina crossed her arms. "Maggie said something that upset her."
Calen frowned in confusion. "Which was?"
Katrina held out her hand, "The potatoes first."
Calen handed her a single potato.
Katrina groaned. "She asked if Micara would marry ye if ye asked."
Calen's insides flipped. A loud silence filled his head. He breathed in slowly, careful to keep his expression neutral.
"What did she say?" he was surprised by how in control his voice sounded.
Katrina studied him a second before answering, "Well, she did nae say no." She snatched the basket from his hand and went inside.
Calen stayed where he was. It took him a moment to process what she had said. Micara had not said no. That did not mean she had said yes, but it had not been an immediate not. She had considered it, maybe even still did.
He did not know exactly what to do with the information. He had all but buried the hope that Micara would even consider someone like himself, or even want to consider someone like himself.
He had done very well at putting such thoughts from his mind. Until Trenton. Until the reality of her leaving had nearly put him on his knees. And again with the situation at the inn. He didn't know what to do, didn't know what to feel. The disappointed reassignment he felt about the whole thing was suddenly gone. He didn't know where to go from there.
There was an odd haziness in his mind when he went into the cabin at supper time. Micara was across from him, glowing. He was reminded of her expression from that afternoon. He didn't think he'd seen her that excited the whole time he'd known her. When she had left the water and run to him and embraced him, he couldn't have been more surprised, or more pleased. Her unconventional clothes had been soaked, and her hair dripped in messy tangles, but her eyes sparkled and her smile lit up her face. She had never looked more beautiful.
Even now that she had changed her clothes and returned to a quieter, more proper mood, the smile and sparkle had stayed in place.
Calen had also noticed the change to the atmosphere of his home in the short time Micara had been there. Even just sitting down to dinner as they were now, the whole family seemed cheerier. Calen had even seen a smile grace his Da's face under his beard.
Calen liked what her presence did to his family. He did not want her to leave. And he knew exactly what he was going to do about it. For once he would do exactly as his Da suggested.
The next morning, Micara was helping the Donelly women finish the breakfast dishes when Calen interrupted them. "Micara," he asked, "Would ye like to take a walk? I've something to show ye."
Shannon had the dish cloth out of Cara's hands before she could protest and excused her from the dishes. Micara was surprised by Calen's offer, but Shannon answered for her by shooing them from the kitchen.
"I suppose I would," Cara smiled.
Calen surprised her again by taking his fur hat off and gesturing for her to exit the cabin before him.
When they were outside he led the way again. They went to the side of the cabin and continued on into the trees. They seemed to be heading in the same direction as they had gone in search of Shannon's escaped cow, Fánaí. And as she had been then, Cara was impressed by the way Calen navigated the forest without any visible path.
The direction they went this time seemed rougher than Cara remembered and Calen had to reach back and help her over fallen branches and through patches of brush. Eventually he stopped letting go of her hand after each obstacle and kept their hands entwined as they hiked, which did seem to make it easier. Micara hoped Calen wouldn't mind having to help her along so much.
As they walked, Calen pointed out each creature and interesting plant they came across. Cara couldn't help but giggle when he tossed a pinecone at a pair of squirrels to make them scurry only to be pelted in return with similar ammunition from the tree tops.
"Why ye lousy rats," Calen cursed good-naturedly. The rodents responded with loud chattering and Calen grabbed the back of his neck when one of the cones struck home.
"Eh!" he shouted at them.
Cara laughed, but it turned into a squeal when more pinecones rained down. Calen threw one last pinecone before grabbing Micara's hand again.
"Let us escape these beasts!" he declared. Micara squealed again and covered her head with her free hand. She could hardly keep up from laughing, as he puled her swiftly to safety. They stopped once they were out of range. Cara looked at Calen with a twinkle in her eye. She had managed to quiet her laughter, but when Calen rubbed his neck and referred to the squirrels as "little fluffy devils", she let out one more giggle.
"Ye think it funny, eh?"
Cara bit her lip and shook her head, trying to put on a serious expression.
Calen shook his head, "Not even favoured over squirrels," he lamented jokingly.
"Tis right to favour the victor," she teased, mocking his accent.
Calen's rogue smile appeared. "But ye will admit, tis the gallant loser that wins the heart."
He watched her a moment for her reaction, and his rogue smile turned into a grin. He was the one to break eye contact, and he pulled her along walking with him before she could form a response. They walked further and further into the forest until Cara was sure that had she not been until Calen, she would have been lost in the trees forever. She gripped Calen's hand tighter at the thought and he glanced back at her. He smirked, as if he had read her thoughts.
"Do an worry," he said, "T'will not be long now."
They walked for some minutes more before Calen parted a patch of brush for them to step through and let out a satisfied, "Ha."
He had found a walking path, a narrow and slightly overgrown walking path, but a path nonetheless.
Calen smiled at her triumphantly. "We've done it."
Cara looked around confusedly, sure she had missed something. Calen chuckled, "Well, we've not done it yet, but we're closer and the way will be easier now."
He let go of her hand and pointed down the pathway. "This way leads ye to the river. And this," he said, pointing down the opposite direction, "Ye will see in a moment."
He started down the trail, not even waiting to see if Cara would do the same. Cara lifted her skirts and followed after him. The trail was fairly rough, but nothing after trekking through the uncut forest."
Calen bounded down the path, each of his strides equivalent to atlas three of Micara's. But it did not go on for long, he stopped up ahead where the pathways widened. Cara could see an open space beyond the edge of brush. Calen waited for her. He was almost giddy in eagerness.
The path emerged into a large clearing. It had obviously been handout, for the stumps had been left where trees had stood, their tops giving evidence to an axe. There were stacks of logs, both with and without bark, piled up, each pile a different length. There was even a small number of rough hewn boards.
Calen beamed a proud smile. "This is it," he said, "Tis me homestead."
"Oh," was all Cara could think to say.
"I know tis nothing now, but wait."
He took her hand once again and led her to the middle of the clearing.
"The cabin will stand here, facing east," he mimed opening a door and gestured for her to "enter". He led her to a stump. "Yer dining table and chairs, m'lady."
Cara sat on the stump and Calen began his imaginary tour. He walked the length of the soon to be cabin's dimensions, pointing out features as he came to them. There would be a fireplace on the north wall, a living area such as a bed and storage on the west, and on the south, not one, but two windows. Cara smiled at his excited depiction. His descriptions were so vivid, she could almost see the walls forming around her.
"And over there," he said, pointing to the small pile of boards, "Floor planks! No house o' mine will ever see dirt floors, and no family o' mine will ever know life on them."
He crossed his arm and took a deep breath, looking around at it all.
"It's taken most o' the spring to get it this far, but wait till autumn. T'will be a different sight indeed, naught but a cabin and clear ground in the whole space. I'll have it done, ye just wait and see if I don't."
"I have no doubt you will, Calen, I simply wish I would be able to see it," Cara said.
"Ye could," Calen told her.
Cara smiled sadly. "I leave for Trenton in four days. I do not think my aunt would approve of a visit to your cabin in the woods."
"Ye could stay."
Cara pushed her hair back from her face and put a hand to her suddenly warm cheek. "I couldn't and you know it," she told him, "I couldn't stay with your family in their home. Even now, under our current circumstances, it is highly questionable. Once Aunt Gladys returns, the arrangement would be nothing short of ludicrous. I simply couldn't."
Calen didn't answer right away, but walked towards her slowly. He stopped a couple feet away and only then did he look her in the eye.
"Ye could if we were married."
~~~
There ye go guys, don't kill me for the long wait and the cliff hanger. Enjoy!