“I want to stay at Glen Arrin,” she said, “with my sister.”
Already she was taking the stallion by the bridle, leading him away from the grass. She spoke to him in a firm tone, as if trying to convince the animal to win. Dougal went to retrieve Ivory, amused by the way she was chiding the stallion.
“What do you want from me if you win?” she asked.
He helped her saddle Titan again, then boosted her up. “You already know what I want.”
Her face dimmed. “Don’t ask me to leave, Dougal.” The hurt look in her eyes made him feel like a bastard. But damn her, why should he let her stay? He had no desire to be tormented by her presence each day, reminded of the way she’d seduced him and cast him aside.
Celeste dug her heels into the stallion and urged him out toward the open fields. Without even waiting for him, she started the race. Cheating, was she?
He had to hurry to saddle Ivory and then catch up to her. Celeste had gained a strong lead, and as she took the stallion north, Dougal marveled at how well Titan ran.
Ivory raced to catch up, and the mare began to close the distance. Although Titan was a fast stallion, Celeste wasn’t as skilled a rider. She was also racing toward the edge of another loch. Dougal followed her, and soon enough, their horses were side by side.
He could pull ahead and win the race. But something held him back. Ivory, however, had other ideas, and began to force her way to the front. Celeste appeared dismayed and leaned forward, urging the horse even faster.
But the stallion had grown winded and was already slowing down.
“Come on!” she urged, but Ivory had pulled all the way ahead of them while Titan had slowed to a trot. When she tried again to move him forward, the horse reared up, sending her flying into the water.
He’d won.
Dougal wheeled the horse around and hurried back to where she’d been thrown. Celeste trudged through the waist-high water, glaring at the stallion. The animal nickered at her, and she was so angry, she flicked water at it. “You are welcome to him, for he’s a horrible creature.”
Her hair was sodden from the water, her gown plastered to her body. Dougal couldn’t stop the laugh that rumbled from inside him. He dismounted, holding on to Ivory’s reins.
“Don’t you dare laugh,” she warned. “I don’t know why I ever thought this was a good idea.”
“I warned you.” His grin was so broad, she dipped her hands in the water and slung a wave at him. The water doused him in the face, dripping down his shirt, but he hardly cared as he laughed even harder. “Next time you need someone to tend you in the bath, I’ll send my horse.”
“How can you stand there and laugh at me?” she demanded, sloshing through the water until she stood before him. “This isn’t at all funny.”
Oh, but it was. He reached out for her fallen veil and wrung it out. His shoulders shook as he did, but when he glanced back at Celeste, she was crying. Her face held a lifetime of misery, and she clutched her waist as if she was in pain.
“Were you hurt?” he asked, dropping the veil. She’d struck the water, but had he been wrong? Had she hit her head? He hurried to her, not knowing whether he should touch her or not.
“It w-wasn’t supposed to happen like this,” she sobbed. “I thought when I returned that you’d be glad to see me. That you’d want your horse.”
“I did want my horse.”‘
“But you wanted to be rid of me,” she wept.
He was so dumbfounded by her reaction, he raked a hand through his hair, wondering what to say. Before he could think of anything, she started pouring out her woes.
“I don’t know why I ever thought I should return to you. It was awful at Eiloch, but at least I had a place to sleep at night.”
“Until they tried to kill you,” he felt compelled to point out.
Celeste stepped closer to him, so near he let her come into his embrace where she pressed her face against his heart. “You made me feel safe. And I don’t care what Lionel said to you—it wasn’t true. I never would have taken a child from you. At least . . . not without coming back.”
Every word he’d been meaning to say froze within his throat. Was that the reason she’d returned? “You’re not having a child, are you?” He drew back to look at her.
“I don’t know. Perhaps not. Or maybe I am. But even if I was, you’d never want to see me again.” She wiped at her eyes and tried to step back.
Before she could move away, he slid his arms around her waist and drew her in again. “You’ll stay here until we know if there is a child.”
She let out a slow breath. Her eyes were wet and red-rimmed. “Will you forgive me for what I did, Dougal?”
