Page 24 of A Dangerous Highland Affair

“Well, madam, it wasnae really their coin they were complaining about being stolen; it was their hearts!” he quipped. He said this lightly so that Teasag knew he was flippant, but just coy enough for her to maybe believe a bit of it.

“What, all of them?” said Teasag, her big blue eyes opening. She looked so sweet and pure that Neacal wanted nothing more than to kiss her there and then. But he did not; instead, he took her hand, and feeling the now familiar tingling sensation work its way up the base of his spine, wished that he could banish it. It would make lying so much easier if he could be untroubled by inconvenient things such as emotion!

“Well, nae quite all o’ them, I cannae claim to be quite such a heartbreaker,” said Neacal modestly, with a quick flash of the head to make sure Teasag was on board.

She was watching him avidly. Now comfortable in his role-playing, Neacal continued, a faint grin twitching at the corners of his mouth.

“Nae, lassie, the thing is, while I was in the toon earlier, afore I met ye in the tavern, there was another wench who made eyes at me, and…, oh,” here, Neacal stopped himself dead. “Nae that I am saying that ye made eyes at me, or anything even a bit like that…”

Quickly, again, he checked Teasag’s face. She had the beginnings of a grin on it, but when he looked, he banished his impish feelings and masked his face. Swiftly, she followed suit. When Neacal was satisfied that she was duly on board, he continued.

“Well, one o’ yer women there, she had a… she was a wee bit sweet on me, ye ken?”

“Which one?” said Teasag instantly. She stared at him with topaz blue eyes.

“What?” said Neacal, unsure, suddenly thrown off by her question. He was busy looking out to the upcoming crossroads ahead. Seeing the signpost reminded him of his journey; to get to Blackness as soon as possible. But the road forked ahead, and remembering Teasag’s mission to help the stranded cartman, he feared she would wish to turn away to the local town, not many miles away.

Glancing up at her face, Neacal wondered furtively how set she was on making this detour. But for the time being, thoughts of their journey did not seem to feature on the young woman’s face. Instead, she was busy probing him for information.

The laden gray skies above dissolved with the first drops of rain, but Teasag didn’t notice. Instead, she was looking intently at Neacal with interest.

“Which of yon lassies there was sweet on ye? I only ask because they all seemed quite a bit too auld for that sort of thing!” she said, sharply placing her sky-blue eyes upon him.

“Really, too auld? Teasag, my dear, ye’ve a lot to learn about the machinations of the human heart if ye think that yer ever too auld for love!” Neacal quipped, and Teasag simultaneously turned red and then giggled.

As much as Neacal enjoyed playing with her, they both knew it was a game; his mind was elsewhere. His eyes were cemented to the road sign, a roughly chiseled lump of stone spelling out in somber detail just how far away salvation lay.

Neacal hovered around the crossroads awhile before suddenly taking the plunge in the direction towards Blackness. He hoped fervently that Teasag would follow him, but instead, she lingered by the roadside, a quizzical look on her face.

“Well, which one o’ them was it? From the look o’ them, they were all auld enough to be yer mother, an’ most likely married to boot. I’m nae the type to judge another, an’ o’ course yer awfu’ bonnie to be sure, but it seems a wee bit strange, that’s all…!”

Despite her smile, Teasag’s expression had a serious edge to it. In his heart, Neacal knew that she deserved an explanation and felt terrible. Because she wasn’t going to get it.

“Well, lassie, when yer as good looking as this, what can I say?” quipped Neacal, hoping to throw her off the scent. Teasag smiled but didn’t give up. Eventually, Neacal was forced to say something. “Um, it was, um, the dark-haired woman, ye ken, the leader o’ the pack… morbid Morag!”

“What, her the one wi’ the bun an’ a stare that could turn a man to stone at twenty paces?” said Teasag in disbelief.

“Aye,” said Neacal, his eyes darting around as if to make sure she was not still nearby. “Aye, her, the fact is, I rebuffed her last night, just afore ye walked into the bar… an’ she hasnae let me forget it!”

Neacal smiled his most charming beam. Slowly, he took her hand and lifting it close, he squeezed at Teasag’s limp, pale wrist and felt a surge build in his body.

To be this close, touching her without any real hope of it unfolding into a kiss, was madness. Suddenly, Neacal forgot everything and only thought about the eruptions taking place within his heart.

All he wanted to do was to take this beautiful woman in his arms, press her tight, and caress her gently on the cheek. In his head, he could see them, kissing, lightly at first, but then tenderly, stroking each other and basking in the other’s warmth.

Staring deep into Teasag’s soft blue eyes, Neacal no longer cared for anything but how to get inside them. For a moment or two, it looked as if she was coming nearer, bringing her soft rosebud lips a shade closer. In that instant, it was hard for Neacal to stop himself from kissing them, but somehow, he did. All the same, all he could think about was them uniting in a kiss.

But it was not to be. Teasag turned on her heel to look at the milestone by their feet.

“Look,” she said, suddenly ignited with joy. Neacal looked at her heart-shaped face alive with excitement. “Dennyhead is just within reach. With some luck, we’ll be able to get help for the cartman an’ maybe even find some transportation for ourselves…”

“Um, really,” said Neacal, unable to stop himself from looking annoyed. Briefly, Teasag looked up, and Neacal smoothed himself over. “Well, ye ken, we probably willnae even find a cart there, it’s nae very big…,” he began.

Teasag looked as if she had something to say when out of the blue, the sound of advancing hooves made them turn.

Neacal whipped his head around faster than a speeding bullet. Somehow, he had been caught off guard and had not seen the rider approaching. Squinting, he made out the shadowy figure on horseback as it rounded the bend.

Neacal’s heart gave a sudden tug; what if it was them? The women from earlier could have tipped off the Laird’s guards.