Crow blinked in surprise when Penelope told him to climb onto the horse first this time. However, as she went on to explain her reasoning, it made sense to him. There was no telling if or when they were going to get ambushed again—there had been no signs of the mercenary who had retreated, so he could have just been biding his time to strike again—and he definitely didn’t want to risk aggravating such a serious injury if they needed to move quickly. So, instead of protesting, he simply nodded and went along with the idea, lifting himself onto the saddle first and waiting for her to join him behind.

It felt strange to be the one sitting in front, and he wondered how Penelope intended to guide the horse while he blocked her view of the road. She seemed determined to make the awkward position work, however, as she reached around him to hold onto the reins. When she did this, he couldn’t help but notice the way she leaned into him, her chest pressed against his back, and he flushed slightly. [i]I guess this isn’t too bad,[/i] he mused, smiling to himself as she drove the stallion to move.

As they rode down the street, he looked at the buildings around them, taking in scenery that he hadn’t paid much attention to when he had been riding behind Penelope. Now sitting in front of her, he wasn’t nearly as tempted to doze off as he had been before, and he could keep a more alert watch of their surroundings. He paid especially close attention to the side streets they passed, since those were what the mercenaries had used to catch them by surprise the last time.

Crow glanced back over his shoulder as he felt Penelope lean into him and say that she understood why he had always been tempted to sleep like that. “And you made fun of me before,” he pointed out with a soft laugh, nudging her teasingly with his elbow. “See? It’s harder than it looks to stay awake when you have someone to lean against.” He rested his left hand on her thigh and winked at her mischievously. “If you need me to help you stay awake though, just say the word.”