Had he just fallen for a ruse to allow her to ride off alone? What if she had no intention of returning to call for a wagon—but instead would skirt the castle and head southward for Sutherland country?
Cursing under his breath, Alec drew his sword and went to stand by the stag…his narrowed gaze fixed upon Rowen and her long red hair flying behind her.
* * *
Her first chanceat escape fueling her, Rowen waited until she had ridden over the rise where Alec couldn’t see her anymore before she veered her mare to the south.
Her heart pounding and her cheeks feeling flushed as she swiped hair out of her face.
A half day’s ride, no more, would take her home to her father’s fortress…but what would he say to her once she arrived? What would her brothers say? Errol would be glad, but the others—och, she had almost forgotten about how he proposed to make her a widow!
That dark thought made Rowen pull hard on the reins to come to a stop, the pure white mare whinnying and tossing her head as if in protest.
“I know, I know. You love tae run, Snow, but what if Errol…?” Her breath snagged in her throat, Rowen twisted in the saddle to look all around her, though she saw nothing but green hills covered in heather, scattered groves of pine trees, and the castle in the distance.
No sign anywhere of Sutherland men bursting out of cover to ride toward where she had left Alec, which gave her a strange sense of relief.
In truth, she didn’t want him killed by some feigned accident, but what other way was there for her out of this marriage? Alec hadn’t been cruel to her or unkind, or pressed his advances upon her, thankfully, but she didn’t want to be yoked to a Mackay.
Since childhood, she had heard nothing but terrible tales about the strife and bloodshed wrought by his clan upon the Sutherlands—though in truth, her clan had done much damage to his kinsmen as well. No wonder King Robert had demanded a truce between them sealed by her wedding to Alec, but why hadshebeen chosen as the pawn?
Sighing heavily, Rowen took another glance around her as Snow pawed impatiently at the ground. She could see dozens of buzzards circling high in the distance so she wasn’t yet so far away from Alec.
Had he grown suspicious and decided to ride after her and leave that magnificent stag to be pecked at and devoured by those birds? Och, she couldn’t bear the thought…and Alec had shown trust in her that she hadn’t expected when she proposed her plan.
Why did the man have to be so…so amenable and even-tempered with her? From everything she’d heard about the Mackays, she had expected a tyrant as her husband, aye, a brute!
Instead, he had surprised her at every turn and even complimented the color of her eyes this morning, Rowen feeling that same strange sense of warmth at how stirring his husky voice had been and how he had looked at her?—
“Och, he’s your sworn enemy and never forget it!” Rowen reprimanded herself as she urged her mare with some reluctance into a gallop.
She didn’t care a wee bit what Alec thought of her eyes or how skillfully she rode or whether he trusted her or not, but she wouldn’t allow that stag to rot upon the ground. Food would be scarce enough as winter approached, and wasn’t to be wasted.
Her empty stomach rumbling in assent, Rowen leaned into the saddle and rode hard for the castle, imagining the look on Alec’s face when she returned with some of his men and a wagon.
Mayhap he would think she was warming to him, but she wasn’t.
By God,she wasn’t!
CHAPTER7
“Didna you think I would return, Mackay?” Rowen tossed at Alec as if teasing him, gesturing to the riders approaching with a wagon rumbling not far behind.
She had galloped ahead and now sat astride her mare and stared at him with her chin lifted, which was more of a challenge than any jest.
“Not at all,” he lied, having watched her barely disappear over the rise before she veered her horse southward, which had left him certain that he had seen the last of his spirited Sutherland bride.
Yet here Rowen was with her windblown hair and flushed cheeks looking bonnier than any woman he had ever seen, a tug at his heart as he wondered what had made her change her mind and ride instead for the castle.
Was she warming to him by some miracle? Och, that thought was too much to hope for, and well he knew it…at least not yet.
His father’s advice about wooing her ever present in his mind, Alec sheathed his sword and moved to his steed with the buzzards screeching and circling overhead, but they wouldn’t alight upon the dead stag with so much commotion.
Already a half dozen men had dismounted to lift the animal into the wagon while he turned his attention back to Rowen.
“Shall we continue our ride? Unless you’ve had enough for one day?—”
“Not at all,” she echoed him lightly, which made Alec chuckle in spite of the dark mood that had enveloped him the moment she had ridden away a half hour ago.
