It was an altogether too familiar intimacy that her body remembered well. Her skin prickled. From the cold, she told herself. But then why was she so flushed?
God, did he only have to touch her for her to fall apart? Did she so easily forget that he'd lied to her and deceived her from the first moment they'd met? That his seduction had been coldly calculated with one purpose—her dowry? That he was a MacGregor—her clan's enemy and an outlaw?
She straightened her spine and forced herself to ignore him and not let his touch affect her.
He must have felt her resistance, because he finished quickly, murmured a brusque thanks, and said that he would return soon, leaving her to dress in peace.
Being alone in the forest at dusk, however, even with a fire, was not conducive to a state of peace. Frankly, it was terrifying. She jumped at every sound, imagining all sorts of horrible creatures lurking behind the trees. Time passed slowly, tolled by each rustling leaf, each snapped twig, and each oddly timed raindrop that splattered on a nearby rock. By the time he returned, her nerves were frayed raw and she would have welcomed the devil himself with open arms.
He took one look at her face and apologized. “It took longer than I expected. With the rain, there aren't as many hares venturing from their holes.” He set down his bow and sword and sat opposite her. After putting the dead animal in front of him, he took out his dirk. “I hope you weren't frightened?”
“Of course not,” Lizzie said automatically, before seeing his teasing expression. “Well, maybe a little,” she conceded. “I kept thinking of that wolf. Are there any other wild beasts that I should be aware of?”
She turned her gaze as he started to skin the dead animal. Not normally squeamish about such things, she was none theless usually more removed from the preparation of her meat.
“You mean other than boars and wildcats?”
Boars and wildcats, dear God!“Aye, other than those.”
He appeared contemplative and then shook his head. “Nay, nothing else I can think of.”
“I'm greatly reassured,” she said dryly.
He chuckled. “I don't mean to make light of your fears, lass, but it's not the wild animals we need to worry about. They're just as scared of you as you are of them.”
“I doubt that.”
He laughed again. “I won't let anything harm you, Lizzie.”
She peered up at him, gazing at the hard angles of his handsome face flickering in the firelight, and could almost believe him. There was very little, she suspected, that this man could not do. His strength had always impressed her, but she was only now beginning to learn of its depths. She'd never met a man like him—tough to the bone, resilient, and resourceful. He would protect her with his last breath. Even against his own brother.
She'd been too angry to think about it at first, but she was glad Patrick hadn't killed him. The thought of him killing his brother for her … She shuddered.
“How is your leg?” she asked.
He shrugged. “A bit stiff.”
An understatement if there ever was one, she would wager. “That's right, I forgot. Hamish said that you don't feel pain.”
He gave her a long look. “I feel pain, Lizzie. I've just learned not to show it.”
Their eyes held, and she wondered if maybe he wasn't as unaffected by what had happened between them as she had thought. It was some time before she looked away.
The smell of roasting meat a short while later was surpassed only by the first succulent bite. It was the first real meal she'd had in almost two days, and not knowing when she would have another, she ate her fill. It was some time before she stopped eating long enough to speak.
“Good?” Patrick asked, a wry smile on his face.
“Delicious,” she said enthusiastically.
He handed her the skin of water. “If we had something to boil water in, I could make you a hot drink with pine needles.”
“Hmmm. I didn't realize you were such a talented chef.”
“Necessity breeds many talents.”
She heard the underlying truth behind his jest, a reference to his life as an outlaw, she realized. What must it be like? A little like this, she'd wager. Hunted, living on the run, forced to find shelter in the wild. She felt a moment of compassion before she shook it off with the memory of how he'd gotten that way.
But now that the initial sting of his betrayal had dulled, she was left with many questions. “There's something I don't understand.”
