Page 363 of Wicked Highland Heroes

Chapter Fourteen

By daylight, or moonlight, no other word could describe the scene before her. Magnificent. Victoria stood transfixed by the sight of the men who worked to break up the boulders that had rolled from the side of the mountain. She touched her cheek where warmth had crept up. Sweet Jesu. It wasn’t the group of men that held her attention, but one man in particular.

Her eyes remained on Iain McPherson, stripped to the waist, awl gripped in readiness for another strike at the rock he was breaking up. Every muscle in his chest strained with each powerful blow he wielded. The sound of metal striking stone rang off the mountainside, and a thrill went through Victoria. She remembered the feel of him close to her, but not until witnessing such power in motion had she appreciated the strength of that body.

He swung the awl once more and her resolve faltered. She’d just stepped from the trees into the clearing. A few quiet steps backward and she could melt back into the foliage. Iain turned in her direction. Victoria froze. For an instant, it seemed he looked through her, then his brows lifted in question, causing her heart to thud.

Iain set the metal end of the awl on the ground and leaned expectantly against the wooden handle. When she made no move to approach, he tilted his head in obvious invitation. She suddenly felt very much the captive, awaiting the good will of her master before entering his presence. Heat flooded her cheeks anew, and her first step in his direction was clumsy with the effort to still her shaking knees. Victoria steadied herself, then picked her way through the scattered debris.

“Morning, love,” Iain said when she paused a few feet away.

She ignored the leap of her heart at the gentle note in his voice. What had come over her? If she didn’t gather her wits, she was sure to muddle the whole thing.

Victoria nodded. “Good morning, my lord. I see you are hard at work.” She gestured at the rocks strewn about them.

Iain picked up a nearby cloth and wiped sweat from his chest. “One of the disadvantages of a mountain for a wall.” He flashed a grin as he discarded the cloth.

His smile disarmed her, and she couldn’t help smiling back. “’Tis an ongoing problem, I would suppose.”

“A few fall every year. Not so many as you would think.”

There was a moment of silence, then Iain lifted the awl as if to resume his work. Victoria searched her brain for some way of broaching the subject she’d come to discuss, all earlier plans having vaporized.

“Ah…” she began, and he lifted a quizzical brow. Courage, she told herself before saying, “I understand

you are to travel to the village.”

“Aye.”

Iain leaned the awl against the rock and walked to where a bucket sat.

Victoria followed. “I would like to accompany you.”

She waited as he lifted the ladle and poured a cupful of water over his face. He took a deep drink, then ran his hand across his face and smoothed his dark brown hair back before reaching for another cloth.

“Would you now?” He wiped his face with the linen, then tossed it aside and gave her his full attention. “Why should I take you?”

“It is untenable being held prisoner within these walls.”

“A prison of your own making.”

Victoria felt as if a match had been struck beneath her when he started toward the place where men were piling the rocks for removal. “Oh, if I were a man,” she said under her breath.

“What would you do?”

“I would not remain your prisoner. And I would make you pay for kidnapping me.” “Tit for tat?” he asked.

“Aye.”

“How would you suggest I make you pay for your recent foolishness?”

Victoria knew it was wiser to keep a reign on her temper, but temptation was too great. “Which recent foolishness do you refer to, my lord? The one where I tried to escape, or the one when I took one too many steps in the wrong direction?”

Iain surprised her by grinning. “There are quite a few to choose from, eh, lass?”

She gave a loud “hmph,” and he paused as if to allow her to add more wisdom to the conversation. “Or,” he went on, “shall we speak of the time you set out in the middle of the night and found yourself at the mercy of a man who would have taken what he wanted?”

Her heart skipped, but not because of the memory of the man who had followed her, but the one she had left standing in the doorway. The look on Iain’s face seemed to say he’d known that all along, and she realized her goal was fast slipping through her fingers.