“She saved them?”
“Aye.” Alec nodded. “Doughal, the fawn, responded to my wee sister’s touch quite well and has stayed close in the private woods surrounding the family’s area of the keep.” Alec chuckled. “My brothers swear Esme’s bewitched the buck, butMáthairsays humans are not the only creatures on this earth able to ken a pure heart filled with love when they find it.”
“Your mother sounds like a wise woman.” Sadie looped a hand through Alec’s arm and squeezed, sending a thrill clear to his soul. They walked along in silence for a few paces, then Sadie asked, “So Kenzie was the squirrel. What did she name the other ones?”
“I’m afraid Kenzie was the only survivor of the three that Esme found in the downed tree.” Alec shook his head, remembering his sister’s sorrow when each of the little animals had failed to thrive under her careful tending. “’Twas a terrible time at the keep when we had to bury Esme’s wee friends. My dear sister might be a wicked beastie at times, but when she loves, she loves hard.” Alec stopped walking, covered Sadie’shand with his own, and turned her toward him. “All the MacDaras love hard.”
Sadie nervously wet her bottom lip, her gaze dropping to their clasped hands. “I see,” she said, her voice dropping lower. “I’ll have to remember that.”
“Aye,” Alec said, not attempting to keep the wistfulness from his tone. “See that ye do.”
He leaned in closer, taking the utmost care as he slid a finger beneath her chin and slowly lifted her face to his. He had to have a wee taste—no way could he resist this time. He cautiously grazed his mouth across the seam of her barely parted lips, gently nibbling and sampling. So soft. So . . . promising.Must take care.Alec repeated the silent mantra over and over as he reluctantly pulled away.
Aye, indeed. The MacDaras loved hard—when they dared to love.
CHAPTER 7
Yesterday had been perfect. Sadie smiled back at her reflection as she brushed out her long, dark hair and swept it up into her business-as-usual ponytail. Alec seemed decent and kind and genuinely interested in knowing her better—just like he’d said when he’d named the additional terms to the agreement.
And what about what he’d said about MacDaras when they love?A tingling shiver shot through her. That gentle, cautious kiss. Such a precious tease. The man knew how to reel a woman in. He’d set the hook and she was so ready to be landed. The MacDaras might love hard, but she was at imminent risk of loving fast.
She cocked a brow at her reflection, her ponytail sliding slowly through her hand. Love? Really? After just meeting the man?Lust—yes. She was definitely head over heels in lust. There was no doubt about that whatsoever. But love?
She ran the brush through her hair again, rehashing yesterday’s moments. The more she pondered all the conversations, all the looks, all the flashing hot feelings of . . .oh my,she fanned herself, finally nodding to the mirror. “Who knows? Maybe there is a fast lane for love as well as lust.”
With one last pat to her hair, she exited the lavish bathroom and grinned.Not bathroom.En-suite spa—Miss Lydia’s voice silently corrected her, droning on inside her head. She scooped up her ball cap, pulled her ponytail through the hole in the back, and settled it comfortably in place. Perching on the wide cushioned bench at the foot of the four-poster bed, she laced up her hiking boots. They’d walked the main thoroughfare of the park yesterday, but Alec had said today they’d be on horseback so he could show her the more remote parts of the MacDara land.
Sadie meandered over to the nightstand and slid open the drawer, hesitating a moment, as she stared down at the jumbled mess she’d dumped out of her overnight case.
Should she or shouldn’t she? An extra-large box of condoms stuck out of the pile of hairbands, notepads, and hand lotions like the grand prize at the carnival. Delia had shoved the box ofextra ribbing for ultimate pleasuregems into her hands when Sadie had been packing for her six-week stay at Highland Life and Legends.
“Just in case,” Delia had said with a dismissive smirk.
At first, she’d been insulted by Delia’s gesture. But now . . .
Would it be over-the-top slutty if she took along a couple of the little jewelsjust in case? She opened the box and fingered a few of the sealed packets. Slutty or not, after spending yesterday with Alec MacDara, she’d be sorely disappointed if he didn’t make aless chastemove today.
But what if he didn’t? Then she would do it.She flipped the packages in one hand, staring down at them as if they’d tell her what the future held. What would Alec think if she took the lead and seduced him into an afternoon of picnic blanket wrestling? Old insecurities reared their ugly heads. Seduce him? What if he ran screaming off a cliff when he saw all those curves coming at him?
Sadie shook away the evil voices, lifting her chin proudly. “He said I was beautiful and didn’t need to change a thing,” she informed the box of condoms. To further strengthen her resolve, she scooped out half of the packets and shoved them into her backpack. “I’ll be ready,” she promised, just as a knock sounded on her door.
“Are ye ready, Sadie?” Alec asked from the hallway.
“You have no idea,” she said under her breath as she scooped up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. “Ready!” she called out loud enough for Alec to hear. She pulled open the door and nearly swallowed her tongue.
A linen tunic opened at the throat made her fingers twitch with the urge to rake them across Alec’s tanned collarbone. He wore a kilt—not the super-short workout number he’d worn in the practice arena. This one was different, longer but somehow more seductive in the way he had it wrapped around his body. She’d heard the tales of what a true Scot wore beneath his kilt and truly hoped that today would be her chance to discover the truth of that particular rumor.
The colors of the tartan were subdued. A hunting kilt—how appropriate.The thought sent another surge of heat through her. He didn’t have to hunt. She was right here.The corded muscles of his calves flexed as he resettled his stance and shifted the bulging picnic basket to his other hand.
Shit. She was staring.“Uhm . . . you look awesome.” Sadie waved a hand to encompass Alec from his long, dark hair tied back with a leather thong down to the scuffed toes of his boots. “I didn’t realize I’d be spending the day with an authentically dressed Highlander.”
Alec leaned a bit closer, winking as he took the backpack from her shoulder. “Yer not a Brit or an Irish, are ye?” he teased. “Neither seems to care overly much for us Scots.”
“Do I look like I have any British or Irish DNA?” Sadie playfully nudged his rock-solid shoulder, then flipped her nearly black ponytail to the front and wagged it at him. “Mediterranean descent—or so I’m told.”
“This way.” Alec turned them into a side hallway that Sadie hadn’t noticed on the day she’d arrived. His dark brow arched, as he grinned down at her. “Mediterranean, ye say? What country exactly?”
“This leads outside? I didn’t realize I could go this way.” Sadie pushed through the narrow-framed glass door at the end of the hall. She hurried down the short flight of stone steps and out onto the leaf-strewn lawn, doing her best to change the subject. She’d rather not talk about her past. There just wasn’t that much to tell—or at least not that much worth rehashing. She tensed at his quizzical look. She needed him to let it go and not ruin this day by talking about what was behind her.
