Page 37 of Highlander’s Dangerous Gambler

This was enough for Scott. Suddenly, he let loose. Bringing his horse up from a canter, he bade the stallion to speed.

And speed he did. In a haze of green, trees were coming toward him. The horizon speeded up, everything coming thick and fast.

The gap was closing. Now when Aileen turned to look, he was hard on her heels. And with it, a huge gust of her perfume reached him.

In doing so, it nearly knocked him sideways. A hot tingle took him. Trying urgently to shake it off, Scott sped for all he was worth. Egging the stallion into supernatural lengths, he cajoled the animal into phenomenal speed.

Gradually, he overtook Aileen with a quick glance as he went by. The truth was, his large horse was no match for Aileen's slight gelding.

It was not long before Scott hit the finish post, smashing through into the copse with a clear lead. Behind him, Aileen sped on. She did not falter, nor did she concede defeat, and Scott found himself admiring her spirit greatly.

Finally, she brought her white horse to a standstill. Panting, the pair of them dismounted.

"Och!" Aileen leaped down and almost bent double on the ground. All around them, the windswept glen seemed to join in with her howls.

"Aileen!" Scott was down from his horse and charging toward her. The fresh-faced girl was pale and wan. Fearing she would swoon, Scott caught her before she fell.

Her face brushed against his softly, her hair landing in his face. Scott faltered. This was almost torture. He wanted her so much. Banishing such thoughts from his mind, he helped steady the ailing girl.

"Ye alright?"

The wind was raging all around the empty glen. Everything was golden. Scott did not know when it had happened, but it seemed that fall had descended, possibly overnight.

Now everything was washed in a yellow color. Blinking slowly, Aileen looked around. Her velvet skin caressed his face. He did not mean to, but he found himself drenched in her.

"Aye, I am alright..."

It took one minute for the lass to compose herself. Pushing her raven hair to the back, she smiled.

"An' I tell ye something else, if I wasnae hurt, I would have beaten ye!" She winked suddenly.

Scott grinned. "I thought ye might say something like that, canny lass," he said. All he could think about was brushing her hair from her face. She was perfect. Even close up, she had no flaws he could detect.

"So ye’re on. Next time, when ye’re recovered, just ye against me..."

As he said this, his eyes caught hers. And just for a minute, there was no denying what he had just said.

Gazing at him, Aileen nodded. "Ye against me? Aye, I'm in!"