Page 42 of Reviving Her Highland Spirit

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It was wrong. It was all wrong. Callum should not be doing this. He knew that, but here he was anyway, crushing Maggie to him and kissing her as if his life depended on it.

He’d known that she was looking at him from behind the trees. He could feel her eyes on him like a brand, and it made his mouth dry up, and his heart pound harder than ever.

Callum knew that he was a strong, impressive-looking man. You didn’t go through all the hardships that Callum had without coming up strong as an ox.

Maggie’s skin was warm and wet against his, her arms wound around his neck, her fingers tugging gently at his rough ponytail, sodden with water. Her fingers were hot, burning where they touched. Callum had his palm flat on her back, the material of her shirt so thin and wet it might as well not have been there at all.

They all have tae die, Callum. Every. Single. One.

Rufus’ voice sounded in Callum’s head, emotionless as always, and Callum broke the kiss abruptly, gasping for breath. He backpedaled, stumbling to his feet, eyes wide.

“Callum?” Maggie ventured, getting shakily to her feet. “Are… are ye alright?”

She was so innocent, so trusting. She was looking up at him, her expression so open it made Callum want to cry. She trusted him so absolutely, and Callum was nothing more than a spy. A liar. A cheat. Working for the man who wanted Maggie and her whole family dead.

How could he have let her kiss him? How dare he have touched her?

Guilt stabbed at Callum’s stomach, clenching with real pain.

What sort of man are ye?

“We should go back,” Callum said shortly. “We’ve been away long enough.”

Maggie’s face twisted with disappointment, and Callum turned away so that he wouldn’t have to look at her.

“We have tae go back… go back now?” she ventured.

“Yes,” he said shortly. “Right now, I’m afraid. I’m sorry.”

There was a long, tense silence between them, then Callum heard Maggie moving away, wet feet crunching and slapping on the shore. Only when he was sure that she’d disappeared behind the little clump of trees did Callum dare to let himself turn around.

* * *

The ride home was tense and absolutely silent. Callum should have expected that. Maggie hadn’t said a word to him since he broke off their kiss without a single word of explanation and insisted they go home. She sat, stiff-backed and wooden, on the front of the saddle, and didn’t allow herself to lean back against him at all.

Ye ruined it, Callum thought miserably. Ruined it. Like ye ruin everything, just like Rufus says.

It was clear to Callum what he had to do now. He had to go and warn Rufus. Maggie had said that the McAlisters were on his trail, and they knew he was nearby. They could be closing in on him right now.

But Maggie… Callum closed his eyes, just for a moment, and tried desperately to force the image of Maggie’s lips out of his mind. This wasn’t about Maggie. It wasn’t about him. It was about something much bigger.

Isn’t it?

Rufus was the rightful Laird McAlister, Callum knew that. He’d always known that. Rufus had told him the story since the day he brought him under his wing. Why was he doubting it now? There was no room for doubt. There never was.

They trotted out of the forest, and there were the stables, right in front of them. Callum didn’t know whether he was disappointed or relieved to know that their ride together would be over in only a few minutes.

It should be a relief, shouldn’t it?

As soon as Stardust came to a halt, Maggie slid down from the saddle, not waiting for Callum to help her down.

She paused, turning to look up at him. “Ye know, Callum, sometimes I think I know who ye are. Then I realize that I haven’t the faintest idea at all. I’m sorry if I made ye uncomfortable today. It wasn’t my intention.”

She turned back towards the keep. In a few seconds, she’d be gone, over the hill towards her home, and Callum just knew that he’d never see her again.

This was his only chance.