Page 36 of Highland Vows of Betrayal

He'd been angry up until that point, seeing how she'd outwitted him with the daggers. He was humiliated and felt strangely small. It was amazing how Scarlett could make him feel that way.

Scarlett. I much prefer that nickname.

Now that anger was dissipating very quickly.

“A little stuck, are ye?” he teased and walked alongside on higher ground to be safe from the bog.

“I’m nae in need of help.” She reached down and lifted the hem of her skirt. Noah couldn’t resist, and his eyes traced the milky skin of her leg. She was well-toned, rather surprising for a lady raised to embroider cushions and drink tea in fine rooms. Hooking her hands around her knee, she levered her leg free and, with a hand up from Noah, scrambled to stand on the ridge beside him. “Lead on,” she urged with a wave of her hand.

He laughed and did as she asked, wondering how much farther they’d get before she was stuck in the mud again.

“This is what ye do, then? Ye hunt deer out here for fun?”

“Aye, sometimes for fun, but mostly for food.” In truth, Noah had no great love of hunting for amusement. When he hunted, he did so for food. Today, he had little intention of hunting at all. He just wanted to see how Scarlett would cope with all this dirt.

They strode far from the horses, leaving them behind. Soon enough, Noah bent round and urged Scarlett to be quiet, pressing a finger to his lips.

“How can ye expect anyone tae walk silently through here?” As she asked the question, she purposely plunged her boots in and out of the mud beneath her, reveling in its loud sucking sound.

“Ye could try,” he muttered, walking on. He slowed his pace when he caught sight of a deer at the edge of the expanse. “There,” he said quietly.

“Where?”

When he pointed in the right direction, she stepped forward, with both boots stuck in a deep expanse of the bog. Within seconds she was up to her knees in mud.

“Well, ye did say there would be mud,” she said, resigned. When she laughed at her fate, he did too, tipping his head back to laugh heartily. There was something absolutely ridiculous to him about seeing the next lady of the clan in such a state. She tried to free her legs, but failed at every attempt, and ended up muddying the brocade gown and her cheek too, though she didn’t appear to notice due to her laughter at the current predicament. “Is it nae yer turn tae be stuck instead of me?”

“It just might be.” He carefully walked around her, proving that he knew every knot of land and clump of grass to stand on safely.

“Very smart,” she muttered to herself.

“Ha! Well, I could stand here laughing at ye, or would ye like some help once again?” He offered a hand to her. At first, she hesitated, not immediately grasping his proffered palm. “Ye wish tae be free? By all means, raise yer skirt again.”

“Ye flirt,” she said, shaking her head. “Do ye always say such outlandish things tae ladies?”

“Ye have agreed ye will marry me; surely it is acceptable with ye.”

“Aye, but…” She trailed off, her eyes going wide when the mud slipped beneath her.

“Would ye like that help now?”

“Aye, please!” she waved her arms as he offered his hand she took it with both hands.

“Do ye always hold on so tightly? Perhaps we should dae this more often.”

“One more flirtation and I shall find somewhere else tae store all this mud.”

They smiled before he used muscle to free her, which was more difficult than he had anticipated since she was truly stuck. It took a few slick attempts, but his eighth pull finally yanked her free. She wobbled onto the earthen bank where he stood, her boots so caked in mud that the leather was no longer visible.

“Dae ye plan tae hold on much longer?” he teased, and she tapped his arm in reprimand.

“I’d thank ye for yer help, but ye are quite insufferable suddenly.”

“By all means, thank me nonetheless.”

“Thank ye,” she said with surprising heart and he rewarded her with a genuinely sincere grin.

“If ye wish tae stay safe, step exactly where I step.” He glanced across the landscape. In the distance, he saw the deer again. It had retreated after all the noise created when Scarlett got stuck, but it was still visible where the mud met the trees. “Quiet now, it’s here.”