She decided she’d trust him enough to give him the rope.But not the axe.
She nodded.Then she made a slow retreat, brandishing the weapon before her, until she could reach Hamish’s head.
The man stayed obediently rooted to the spot while she ducked under Hamish’s horns and loosened the rope around his neck.But she kept her eye on him.
Once the rope was off, the man’s impatience showed.He waved his fingers toward her.
“Hurry, lass,” he said.“They’re halfway up the hill.”
But she had one more precaution to take.Something to ensure her safety.
She slipped the rope off Hamish’s horns with her left hand.But before she tossed the coil to the warrior, she reared back her right arm and, with all her might, hurled the axe as far as she could across the field.
It arced impressively through the sky, catching the moonlight on its sharp blade as it tumbled end over end before clattering onto the ground.
Ten yards away.
She sighed in exasperation.
He was too polite to comment, but she detected a gleam of amusement in his narrowed eyes.
After that, she may have thrown the rope at him with more force than was necessary.
His reflexes were good enough to keep it from smacking him in the chest.After he caught it, he hurried off after his quarry.
This was her chance to escape.
All things considered, the odds were still in her favor.
No one knew who she was.
She had the coo.
And tying up the Boyle brothers would keep the Viking occupied long enough for her to flee with Hamish.
It was tempting to retrieve his axe and keep it for herself.But she was a woman of her word.Besides, he was a Rivenloch warrior.While he might eventually lose interest in tracking a common cateran, he’d likely follow her to the ends of the earth to get his precious weapon back.
Nay, she’d proceed as planned.Just her and Hamish and the journey ahead.
Without the rope, she had to coil her fist in the thick hair of Hamish’s neck to guide him.It wasn’t ideal.The rope would have given her greater control.But she knew he would stay close.He would sense the slightest shift in her bearing and follow her without question.
With a whispered prayer for safe travels, she guided him onto the path through the mountains.
Centuries ago, a crack in the rock had widened into a deep ravine running alongside the narrow trail that traversed the stony slope.As the path progressed, the steep shards of slick, moss-covered walls grew taller on one side and deeper on the other.Anything dropped into the chasm was gone forever.Anything and anyone.
Stray lambs sometimes slipped into the ravine.Now and then, an unwary traveler stumbled and fell to his death.Children were warned away from the path.Still, every few years, some drunken lad lost his life trying to negotiate the path blindfolded on a dare from his fellows.
But tonight, the ravine’s treacherous nature made the route the perfect choice.No one with an ounce of sense—no one but intrepid Carenza—would attempt to take a great beast like Hamish through the perilous passage.And more importantly, no one would ever try to bring him back.
Containing the Boyles took longer than Hew anticipated.There was no loyalty lost between the brothers.One was perfectly willing to flee while his sibling was captured and tied to a tree.
Eventually, Hew chased and tackled the second brother and managed to secure them both.Then, annoyed by the bearded one’s incessant caterwauling about freezing to death, he tore off a piece of the lad’s leine and stuffed it into his mouth.
But now, the lady and her coo were long gone.
Still, he wouldn’t give up.The Boyles might not have recognized who she was, or even that she was a lass.But he knew.Which meant someone else would eventually find out.If news spread that the daughter of Dunlop was reiving her father’s cattle, it would bring shame upon her and her whole clan.
On the other hand, he’d promised he wouldn’t turn her in.
