Tomorrow, she might well be free.Free.
The word sounded good, or so Megan told herself firmly. She would keep telling herself for as long as it took. Once she wasfree of Keep MacCulloch and its laird, she would recover. She would become herself again. She’d stop thinking about him, and what a relief!
But of course, Megan couldn’t talk to Alaina about this. She couldn’t evenhintat it. It already infuriated her that she thought so much abouthimwhen he probably never even gave her a passing thought.
It would be so much easier if I simply turned off me feelings. So much easier.
But the talent of turning off one’s feelings was not one that Megan possessed. Not yet, at least. So, she swallowed down her hurt and wounded pride and concentrated on heading across the grass toward Sophie.
“Look, I’ve got lots already!” Sophie cried, holding up a bunch of flowers, beaming.
“Well done, hen, they look beautiful!”
“We could scatter some in with the rushes?” Sophie suggested. “In the Feast Hall, I mean?”
“Aye, that would be nice. Give the place a wee bit of color.”
Sophie nodded eagerly and went back to flower-picking. After a moment, Megan felt eyes on her and glanced over to find Alaina watching her thoughtfully.
“Sophie loves ye,” she said at last. “She talks about ye all the time when ye are nae here. She’s always wantin’ to talk about yer weddin’, and what dress ye will wear, and what flowers ye will carry. Sometimes I think it bothers Ryder, all that talk about weddings.”
A lump lodged itself in Megan’s throat.
“I’m glad she likes me so much,” she managed.
Aye, and I pray that she isnae too hurt when I leave. Could I explain the truth before I go? Would that make things better, or worse?
No answer was forthcoming. Megan cleared her throat, turning away from Alaina’s intense, almost accusing stare.
Across the courtyard, movement caught Megan’s attention. A new group of soldiers came loping across the cobbles, visibly sweaty and out of breath. They’d entered through a narrow door in the Keep walls, which was in fact the same door Alaina and her friends had fled through.
“Oh, they must have done the day’s run,” Alaina remarked, standing on her tiptoes and peering. “Every day, Ryder takes a few select warriors, and they run, full speed, all the way around the Keep. It’s a difficult run, I’ve been told, and it’s supposed to be a real honor if he invites ye to go. He always takes Ewan, and once he did invite Hamish. I wonder if Hamish is here this time? Can ye see him, Megan?”
Megan was not listening. She was certainly not looking for Hamish’s blond head.
Ryder led the group of runners. He wore a heavy kilt that swung about his knees and a thin linen shirt. Heavy with sweat, it stuck to his skin. His hair was damp, curls sticking up at odd angles. He drew a hand over his forehead, turning to say something to Ewan, who ran behind him.
One of the younger warriors, a man she didn’t recognize, said something to Ryder, laughing, and pretended to feint toward him, fists half-raised in a fighting stance. Grinning, Ryder stepped forward, rolling his shoulders.
The young man dived at him, throwing a joking blow. Ryder ducked easily and swept in low, winding his arm around the man’s waist and lifting him off his feet as easily as if he weighed nothing. The others all cheered and laughed, clapping and egging him on.
Ryder swung his struggling comrade around in a circle, even holding out one arm. It was a ridiculous display of showmanship, and the smirk on his face showed just how pleased he was with himself. Muscles rippled under his thin shirt, shifting with each movement. At the end of his showing off, he carefully placed his red-faced friend back down on the ground, balancing him on his feet and stepping back with a wide grin.
Heat coiled in Megan’s chest, seeming to press down on her lungs so that she could hardly breathe. She wanted him, muchto her horror. She wanted him. Shewantedhim, even after everything that had happened.
How embarrassin’.
Ryder strode over to a barrel of water with a wooden ladle hooked on the side. He dipped the ladle and took a long drink, and she could almost hear his sigh of satisfaction.
Things got worse, of course. As if he could sense eyes on him, Ryder’s smile faded a little, and he glanced around the courtyard. His eyes met hers. He saw her; sheknewhe saw her. How could he not, standing in the middle of the lawn like he was? Their eyes met, and heat trickled down her spine.
Her throat had gone dry, and color rushed to her face. Ofcourseit had. After all, a serious incident could hardly pass by without Megan’s face going as red as a beetroot.
Holding her gaze, Ryder dipped the ladle again. This time, he lifted it over his head and slowly spilled the water over himself. It splashed down over his head and shoulders, running down his chest and sticking his shirt to his skin. Droplets caught in his hair and eyelashes, and he closed his eyes, shaking himself like a dog. When he glanced back at her, Megan still had not been able to tear her gaze away.
He broke into a wide, lopsided grin, and that was the last straw. Megan turned around, relieved to see that Alaina had not noticed her moment. Alaina was still staring at the other warriors.
“Hamish isnae there,” she murmured mournfully. “Sometimes I think I’llneversee him again. Do ye think Ryder is keepin’ him away from me?”
