Page 41 of The Lady of Her Highland Clan

"Nae here," he said, displeasure writ large across his face. Instantly, this had Fiona's back up.

"Och, ye’re always spoiling for a fight," huffed Fiona, dragging the knapsack down and examining the tenting.

"Nay," said Clyde, coming over beside her. He took the knapsack from her. "It's too wet."

"It is nae!" pouted Fiona, but stopped anyway. Inside, frustration was burning at her. "There's nothing wrong wi' here, ye just like a collieshangie!"

Fiona's temper was hitting a peak. She had not expected to feel so indignant, but there was something about Clyde's mood that had annoyed her.

"Nay," said Clyde. "It's just that..."

He stopped. Maybe he realized he was being ridiculous, or maybe he had just had enough of arguing. A half-hearted smile wrapped around his face.

"Och, alright," he said with a grin. In an instant, Fiona forgave him. "But dinnae blame me if we get wet."

Smiling, Fiona lifted the heavy tenting from the bags. But before she could pick them up, Clyde came behind her.

"Here," he said, taking the bags from her. "They're heavy. It's nae for a lassie, let alone a lady." Clyde's eyes went up as he said this last part, and despite herself, Fiona relented.

"Och, alright," she said, watching him as he set the tenting up. "But I can help."

"Dinnae fash," said Clyde. "I wilnae hear o' it. Now, ye just settle yerself down."

Fiona rolled her eyes but got comfortable. Watching from behind, she treated her eyes to the sight of Clyde, his rounded biceps bulging, as he fitted together the tent.

Leaning over, his shoulders jutted out, revealing their rugged nature. And beneath his plaid, the very outline of his behind, pert and sweet, teased her.

And it took him a long time to get it together. A very long time. By the time he was finished, the sun had vanished completely and the twilight was being replaced by the moon.

In the interim, Fiona had gotten a fire started and was cooking some legumes, a basic but tasty meal for them both. By the time Clyde had finally got the tent up, the broth was completely ready, and Fiona ached for her bed.

And that was not all she ached for! Watching Clyde's toned body at work had given her unexpected thoughts. Well, perhaps not completely unexpected. Riding and being this close to him for the last few hours had set her mind racing.

As well as other parts!

Consequently, as Fiona watched Clyde's hands grappling with the tenting, she couldn't help her eyes from sliding further down. As Clyde's strong hands fastened, his wide biceps bulged, the muscles in his back twitched, and lower down...

Damn!She really should not be looking there. Or thinking like this. As Clyde leaned over, Fiona tried her hardest not to see the curve of his hips, but when she did, there was no unseeing them.

Despite the cool breeze, sweat pumped all the way through her. And unnecessary thoughts, which had been playing on her mind, ramped up another notch.

Sleeping that night was all but impossible. The tent was small—far smaller than she had anticipated—and their beds pressed much too close.

"I thought the tent would be bigger than this," Clyde remarked, somewhat uncomfortable, as they bedded down together.

Fiona murmured. "So did I. Ye must have put it up wrong."

This resulted in an instant harrumphing. Clyde turned his face away from her, perhaps in an attempt to stop them from staring at each other. Because they were. It seemed neither of them was able to take their eyes off the other. And in a space this small, that could be a problem.

Sensing her thoughts, Clyde smiled unsurely.

"I could sleep out there," he offered, but almost as soon as the words were said, a rain cloud erupted, sending hail and showers hammering down.

Fiona sat and blushed. She had not realized her discomfort was so obvious. Trying her hardest to settle, she snuggled down and pretended not to be bothered by his presence.

But she was. Massively. Still, for several minutes they sat and listened as the sound of the rain crashed down on the tent above. Fiona's hopes that it was fully waterproof were quickly dashed as a puddle formed at her feet.

Whatever else happened tonight, Clyde was not going anywhere. And she had mixed feelings about that.