Page 39 of The Lady of Her Highland Clan

But fun was not something Fiona had time for. She had the clan to think of. And that meant remaining aloof. Her position will be determined from the finding of the treasure. She needed to assert herself for the good of the clan. And for herself.

Bearing this in mind, her eyes met Clyde's pertinently. "I mean, a contest that is fair, nae ye riding ahead of me wi' a head start already, an' on a horse which is bigger an' faster."

Clyde watched her amusedly. Suddenly, Fiona was irritated. Was it the knock on her head, or was he laughing at her? Perhaps it did not seem like it before, but now she was not so sure.

"So come on, lad, let's have a challenge that is fair," said Fiona, tempestuously pushing back her raging hair; the wind on the hillock was getting back up to speed and sending everything flying about.

Watching her slowly, Clyde appeared to think about that. "Alright, lassie," he said thoughtfully. "Ye shall have yer contest. What say we see who can fire the best arrow o'er there."

His fingers indicated a tree a little further away. Fiona's eyeline went to the small tree.

"Alright," she said, getting ready to mount her horse, standing patiently by the crest of the hillock. "We will both fire arrows intae the heart o' the tree an' see who is closest!"

Fiona stood, ready to mount the horse, when Clyde tutted.

"Wheesht," he said, with a shake of the head. "But that's the way ye mount. It's all wrong."

Perturbed, Fiona spun around. The sudden movement almost knocked her off balance, but she was determined to carry on. Briefly, Clyde’s eyes turned to her in a flash of concern. But she straightened herself quickly. Finally mounted on Lizzie May, Fiona glared at him.

"Wrong? How can it be wrong?" she demanded. Now that she was up on the horse, everything felt dizzy. It was just for a moment, but still, it was an indication that not all was right.

Then, from somewhere across the horizon, she thought she heard horse steps. Fiona flashed her head from side to side, seeing nothing, but the end result made her even more confused.

"I mean," said Clyde, slowly mounting his horse, "ye are doing it all wrong. What ye want tae do is this..." Clyde put his foot up toward his horse and demonstrated climbing on. "Then ye hop over like so...that's the way tae mount properly. An' if ye’re going tae be the clan leader, ye need to ken."

His eyes smiled at her, but Fiona did not notice. Instead, she tensed, arching her back rigidly.

"I dinnae ken what the difference is," she said stiffly. But all the same, she mounted Lizzie May in the same manner. When she had finished, she tilted her head toward Clyde pointedly.

"Good enough for ye?" she asked with a little smirk. Clyde looked on musingly.

"Nae bad," he conceded. "But let's see ye take the tree."

He indicated the tree just beyond. Having mounted, now the pair were walking together in a light trot. Fiona, who was just getting her bearings, nodded.

"That's if ye’re quite alright to," said Clyde. Now he looked at her more closely. Fiona could see the concern in his eyes but was not giving in to it.

"Aye, dinnae fash," she said with a grin. Taking her sling, she found her arrows. A little shakily, she aimed her bow.

Wheesh!

Fiona's arrow raced through the air, sailing toward the small tree in the distance. They were standing on the top of the hillock, looking down. It should have been a clear shot, but with no warning, Fiona's arrow sailed over the top of the little tree, spearing into a nearby Scots pine standing behind.

Clyde's eyebrow raised. Without another word, he took his bow and effortlessly shot into the sodding tree. Fiona felt her hackles go up but was determined not to show it.

"Beginner's luck," she said serenely. Grasping her bow, she felt anything but calm as she pointed her arrow for a second time.

Once again, the arrow sailed overhead, this time missing more by a mile than a few inches. Inside, Fiona was crushed, but she played it cool.

Shaking his head, Clyde picked up his bow. He fired straight into the tree a little off-center but still inside it. Fiona felt her cheeks heat up.

Clyde looked at her unsurely. "Are ye sure ye’re alright, lass?" he asked.

Fiona instantly wanted to kill him. With supreme effort, she forced herself to smile.

"Dinnae fash," she said. With a little nod, she pressed her face against the skies. Concentrating hard, she pulled back on her bow.

The result was an arrow that launched with a twang and soared on to almost perfectly land in the center of the tree. Unable to contain herself, Fiona leaped up.