“I must talk with ye. Where can I find ye? My brother marries within a fortnight. Afterward, I will be away through the fall. I don’t know when I will return. Please meet me at the loch, even briefly. Each afternoon, I will go to the loch and wait for ye. Please say ye will come.”
“I can’t promise anything, but I will try to come. I missed ye and I need to return the book ye loaned to me. The pages now are well-worn.”
“I will pick out several more for ye. I will bring lunch for our picnic by the loch.” Cailean’s enticing eyes bore through hers with a clear expectation she would meet him.
“I must return. Bye, Cailean. Be well.” Elayne vanished into the crowd. Afterward, he felt like a fool.I should have offered to walk her back home. Then, at least, I would know where she lived.
*
The day was sunny and bright. Elayne kept a keen eye on her father as she worked at the forge. After she uncovered part of her stash of nails, Elayne gave the container to her delighted father.
“Papa, it is such a delightful day. I don’t ken when we will have another lovely afternoon with all the recent rain. May I go to the loch this afternoon?”
Her father cast a keen eye over his daughter and saw no guile on her face. Elayne appeared a wistful lass, wishing to swim in the loch, and she never went anywhere, so he could not begrudge her this favor. “Aye, ye can go. Be back before dark.”
“Aye. Thank ye, Papa.”
“Mrs. Logan, it is such a warm and lovely spring day, Papa is letting me go to the loch.” Elayne gathered a comb, a blueribbon, and a towel into a sack that she carried with her as she walked through the gates and past the village, into the meadow. Elayne ran as fast as possible, having no other alternative and longing to see Cailean and hear all he had to tell her.
Like last summer, it seemed doubtful they would have many opportunities to meet, and Elayne wanted to make the most their time together. She slowed, reached into her pocket, and tied a ribbon around her long braid of thick black hair. Elayne’s heart beat fast as she returned to running, exhilarated at the prospect of seeing Cailean again and having him all to herself—even for a short time.
Cailean had developed larger muscles in his arms than before, and it seemed his chest and shoulders had gotten broader too. He was even more handsome. Cailean was the only friend she’d ever had.
Elayne arrived at the loch out of breath. As she crested the hill, she spied Cailean already swimming in the water. Elayne ran down the hill and called to him. He waved across the loch to her.
“Turn around. I’m going to join ye swimming.”
Cailean turned slightly, and out of the corner of his eye, watched her remove her dress and lay it carefully over a branch. Then she placed a towel on the rock. Cailean couldn’t help but notice the soft round curves of her arse as she bent over her towel. He observed how her linen shift hugged her generous breasts and hips.
A mere glimpse of her made him instantly aroused. In his absence, Elayne had grown into a bonnie woman. Cailean chafed at having to leave soon when he had only just found her again.
Elayne swam up to him, laughing. “Ye can turn around now. I’m here. I’ll race ye to the waterfall.” She swam ahead, intent on beating him in their competition for once. Cailean let her get a head start, but her diminutive frame was no match for his powerful strokes.
They laughed as they arrived at the waterfall. Water droplets like diadems clung to her dark, lush lashes, and her cheeks were rosy and flushed with exertion. Elayne appeared like a woman sated from pleasure and a tumble in bed. His heartbeat accelerated at the thought. Cailean needed to be careful. Elayne was an innocent lass, and he feared he would lose control lusting after her.
He thought of the battles and war they had waged until back in control and his arousal simmered instead of raging. Cailean and Elayne did laps across the loch in leisurely strokes, taking delight in each other’s nearness and company.
Finally, Cailean said, “Come, I’m hungry, and I brought a huge picnic for us to share. I’ll get out first. Turn around.” Elayne did as he bid and did not peek at him. Cailean took his time getting dressed, testing her to determine if she would attempt to sneak a glance, but she did not.
“Come now. I will turn around so ye can dry off and dress.” When he turned his back, Elayne emerged from the loch refreshed. She noticed Cailean standing to the side with his back to the loch, dressed in a kilt with a liene and a tartan sash across one shoulder.
Hastily, she dried off and put on her dress. “Okay, ye can turn around now.” Elayne unraveled her braid to dry her hair thoroughly and combed it. It was the first time Cailean had seen Elayne’s hair loose.
Cailean’s breath caught in his throat. Elayne was ravishing, captivating him; her raven locks glistened like silk in the sun, shimmering like the surface of the loch. Droplets of water glimmered in her hair like jewels.
He couldn’t help himself and caught her hand as they climbed the hill to their picnic lunch, drawing a blush to her cheeks. Deftly, he spread a tartan blanket on the grass and unpacked drinks and food for them, including roast chicken, bread, fruit, berry tarts, and drinks. He handed her the chicken first and poured her a drink of wine.
“It’s a feast. Ye brought so much food. It tastes delicious. Thank ye.”
“Ye are welcome, Elayne. I am glad to be with ye. I am happy ye joined me today. Can ye come another day too?”
“I want to, but I don’t know if my father will let me.”
“Lass, ye are always working. Ye need to have fun too.”
“I am always working and helping my father. There is much for us to do. It is my duty to help him. My father cannot do it all by himself and I owe everything to him. Never mind that. Tell me of yer travels. I missed ye and worried about ye while ye were away.”
Cailean shared with her of the battles waged against the other clan and how successful her strategies were in their ultimate defeat. “Yer strategies helped to prevent greater loss of life and injuries to our clan. My father was so proud of me for suggesting them. I wished to tell him I owed it all to ye.”
