“Nay…you do not,” she said spritely, overcome by a sense of joy she did not want to over think. The look they exchanged then was powerful and made the racing in her heart earlier seem like nothing. Why, why him? Why did her mind go weak whenever he looked at her…whenever she thought of him….whenever he stood so close that goosebumps broke out on her skin that had nothing to do with the weather? Her hand went to her belly because it did some kind of somersault. She understood then, what she was feeling, and curiously, she did not try to pretend or tell herself she did not love him. How could she deny what her heart held so deep within it?
He moved first; his hand slid to the back of her neck and she was back in his arms, where she wanted to be. For just a sweet moment she was overcome by a powerful sense that she was truly safe. She closed her eyes and just let him hold her. He waswarm and his body muscled and solid as the protection of a stone curtain wall. She took a deep breath and smelled leather and horse and pine. Montrose was here. She relaxed for the first time. His hand rubbed her back and he did not move; he did not step away. He just held her. The only thing better would have been if he kissed her.
She lifted her face upward.
Kiss me… Kiss me…
Mentally she tried to will the idea into his head.
But he merely held her. Then his hand left her back, stopped rubbing it.
He pulled some leaves from her hair and softly brushed at the hair at her brow. “You’ve lost your hat,” he said gruffly.
“Because of Munro. I had to let down my hair to save myself from his lust.”
His eyes narrowed and his expression grew harsh and black. “What did he do to you?”
“Surely not what you are thinking. He was much more interested in doing something other than hanging me when he thought I was a lad. Women hold no interest for him, other than to torture. He is so evil--the man who beat Ruari till he was almost dead. Did you know that?”
He shook his head.
“Munro would strangle cats, probably pull the wings off of butterflies, and beat children. He locked me in a dirt pit with an adder!”
“Aye,” he said, tightening his arm around her. “I saw the snake.”
She pulled back. “You were inside the manor?”
“It matters not.” His arms fell away from her and he was all business. He glanced around the woods cautiously. “We need to leave here.” And he started to turn away.
She grabbed his arm. “First we must go to Fergus. They shot him with an arrow, and they took me away from him and left him to die. We were hiding in a shepherd’s hut high in the forest.There.” Her voice grew higher pitched and faster as she spoke and she pointed toward the ridge and said in another rush of words, “Skye is there, too. She was tied to a tree in the woods behind the hut. We must go. I must go.”
“Calm yourself. We will go to the shed.”
Why had she thought he would argue with her? He did care…
“But come now,” he said. “We need to move swiftly.” He took her hand and strode toward the denser woods and she had trouble keeping up with him. He stopped turned back and caught her hobble. He looked at her foot. “What is wrong?”
“I fell. ‘Tis nothing.”
The next thing she knew she was up into his arms as if she were merely a bag of goose down. She didn’t protest, but slipped her arms around his neck and leaned her head on his shoulder until they reached the black and she asked for water and drank from the skin he had until she thought her belly would burst.
He took the empty skin. “There is water all through these woods. You did not know? You could not stop?”
“I dared not. And Fergus and Skye must need water as much as I do. If they go without, I can go without.”
“You would do them and yourself little good if you wither and drop to the ground from thirst,” he said, shaking his head in that way men had when they were exasperated with a woman and he set her on his horse and mounted, settling into the saddle.
She slipped her arms around his waist and said cheerily, “I am stronger than you would believe.”
“But more stubborn than I can even imagine."
She smiled. “Aye, we are much alike, I think.”
He laughed.
"You have a new water skin."
"Aye. Someone took mine."
