He chuckled, a little sound deep in his throat. “My mam can be somewhat pushy. But I will be sure to tell her.”
They arrived at the stables where Malcolm turned to give them his full attention. His gaze first went over her, then to Duncan. Chloe thought for the briefest of moments she saw a hint of jealousy flash through his eyes before he managed to conceal it. He held out a hand to her.
“Thanks for escorting her,” he said to Duncan.
She started to reach for Malcolm’s hand, but before she was able, Duncan grasped it and kissed the back of it. It was probably the most chivalrous thing that had ever happened to her, and she flushed hot.
“’Tis been a pleasure, my lady. I hope to see ye again sometime.”
Malcolm seemed less than amused by that and reached for her, taking her free hand in his and pulling her toward him.
“We’ll be on our way.” He turned to Angus. “I thank ye for the hospitality.”
He gave a nod of acknowledgment. “Farewell and Godspeed, lad.” Then he bowed to her. “My lady.”
Angus and Duncan left them and headed back to the keep. Chloe didn’t deny how awkward she felt standing in the presence of a man she hardly knew and yet was willing to ride away with.
“How long will it take us to get to Dundale?” she asked.
“A few hours. Can ye ride?”
She glanced at the large horse with a bit of apprehension. The one and only time she had been on a horse was when she woke up cradled against his chest. She didn’t recall much about that ride other than how much her throat had hurt and her head ached.
“Ah, so, ye never have, eh?” he asked, as though he read her thoughts.
“No, never. Well, except for when I rode with you yesterday.”
His face was devoid of any sort of expression. At least, one she was able to read. She was sure he must think she was inept for not being able to ride a horse.
“My brother’s wife had never ridden a horse, either,” he said. “She does fairly well now.”
And she needed this information why? She lifted a brow at him. “Does she?”
“Aye. Ye’ll meet her when we arrive,” he said, a twinkle of knowing in his eye. A small grin appeared on his bearded face. “If ye prefer to ride with me, I dinnae mind.”
She realized the horse he held onto was meant for her. “Oh. I’m sure I can manage.”
She wasn’t sure she was prepared to ride with him again. It was much too close to him, after all.
Sensing her hesitation, he held a hand to her and gave a “come on” nod toward the horse.
She reached for the reins, taking them from him. She could do this. She’d seen enough movies about riding a horse. Taking a deep breath, she stuck her foot into the stirrup, which felt uncomfortable at best. Her knee was to her chest as she tried to lift herself up. While she had never done it before, she had a working understanding of how to do it. She managed to swing her right leg over the horse’s back and settle into the saddle. He seemed satisfied with that and walked around to his own, which waited next to hers.
His horse was far bigger than her little brown one. A large black steed, she was certain it was a war horse with its long thick mane and tail. By the time he was in the saddle, he sat at least a head taller than her.
It was a bit intimidating.
But she was not to be dissuaded.
He assumed she knew what she was doing and started off, heading for the portcullis. The distance grew between themwhile she tried to figure out how to get her horse to move. Finally, she gave it a little kick with her legs and the horse started to move forward.
Then stopped.
She jerked the reins and whispered, “Come on. Please?”
But the horse remained in place. Ahead of her, Malcolm came to a stop and turned to look at her. There was a wide grin on his face as he walked the horse back to her.
“Trouble?”
