Page 14 of Secrets of a Kilted Seduction

He wanted to believe it, but so far, their journey together had only proved how far she was prepared to go to keep him at a distance. He dropped his hand, feeling helpless, at a loss, because he could see no way back from his lies. No way back into Alana’s heart.

Alana was still fast asleep when she was abruptly awoken by someone coming loudly into her room. She had only just opened her eyes and was about to turn over to see who it was when a hand descended and shook her.

“Time tae wake up,” said a familiar deep voice.

“What are ye doing in here?” she asked, rolling over and glaring at him, holding the covers close to her chest. “I thought I told ye tae stay out of me room.”

“That was before the mouse, when ye gave me permission to come and go as I please,” he pointed out, far too cockily for her liking. “’Tis time tae get up and eat. We need to be on our way as soon as possible if we’re to reach the MacIver castle at a decent hour.”

“All right, but ye need tae leave,” she told him grumpily, noticing he was already dressed for the journey in his leather trews and buff jerkin. It was irritating that he could appear so alert at such an early hour, and why did he have to look so damned handsome?

“I’ll go down and order breakfast. Dinnae take too long. I want tae be on the road within the hour.” After issuing this ultimatum, he left, shutting the door behind him. Alana listened to his retreating bootsteps and breathed a sigh of relief.

After washing herself and quickly dressing, she joined him downstairs for a breakfast of sweet rolls with butter and honey and tea. Then she collected her things from her chamber, while Tadhg settled up with the landlord and had their horses brought around to the front courtyard. Within the hour he had stipulated, they rode out, heading to Castle MacIver amid the misty, early morning sunshine.

“How are ye feelin’?” he suddenly asked her after a while of riding in silence. “Are ye nervous about meetin’ yer long-lost family?”

“A bit,” she admitted, surprised at the question. “But the man who says he’s me faither willnae be there. It’s him I really want tae talk tae and ask why he never bothered about me before.”

Tadhg looked over at her curiously. “Ye sound as if ye’ve taken against the man already.”

“Why shouldnae I? He’s naethin’ tae me.” He was right; she already harbored a deep resentment towards John MacIver. “’Tis a shame he’s been taken though, fer I’ll likely nae have the chance tae have it out with him.”

“Unless he gets freed,” Tadhg said.

“Aye, but it seems this Blaine needs me tae help with that,” she said. “I havet tae admit, I’m still worryin’ about what the clan has in store fer me with this talk of an alliance tae save John MacIver.”

“A marriage, ye mean?” Tadhg asked, his voice suddenly tight.

“Aye. I’m still comin’ tae terms with it all. It’s hard tae accept that I’m the illegitimate daughter of a laird and that Maither was his mistress. I’m nae sure I like bein’ illegitimate.” It was the most she had told him about her secret concerns, but she had to talk to someone, or she felt she might burst. Besides, though she may not like him, she knew she could trust him to protect her. In her current world of uncertainty, Tadhg’s presence offered a rock-like stability and, yes, even a modicum of comfort.

“I just hope this ruse of yers about us bein’ married works,” she told him, lapsing into thoughtful silence again for a while. That was until she suddenly felt her horse stumble beneath her. The beast shook her head violently, her teeth clacking, and she seemed reluctant to move. Alana knew something was wrong.

“Tadhg, I think me horse is goin’ lame,” she said worriedly, pulling the beast to a halt and looking down at one of its front legs. Frowning, Tadhg stopped too and slipped from his saddle. He came over and, after gently rubbing her horse’s nose to reassure it, knelt to inspect its leg, gently running his hands up and down. He was forced to duck as the horse snapped at him, a sure sign it was in pain.

“There’s nae wound that I can see, but she daesnae want tae put weight on her left foreleg,” he pronounced. Alana watched as he stood for a few minutes rubbing his chin, apparently deep in thought, as he looked at the mare. Finally, he said, “Ye cannae ride her any further. She cannae bear the weight of a rider. Ye’ll have tae ride with me the rest of the way. Hopefully, they’ll be able tae dae somethin’ for her at the Castle stables.”

Alana missed his last words because the previous ones were looming large in her mind and filling her with panic: ‘Ye’ll have tae ride with me…”

“Are ye sure? I mean, I dinnae weigh that much,” she tried to argue, unwilling to ride with him. Their bodies would be pressed close together, and she would have to put her arms around his waist to hold on. Oh, Lord!

But she had no choice in the end. Her mare would only go forward without a rider. So, Tadhg attached her with a long line to his stallion and mounted up. Once in the saddle, he reached down to offer Alana a hand up. She looked at it, reluctant to take it.

“Come on, time’s a wastin’,” Tadhg urged. With a sigh, she kilted up her skirts and gripped his arm tightly, letting him swing her up behind him. Her cheeks burned as she settled herself as best she could behind him, her thighs gripping his hips and her front wedged against the wall of his back. “Grab a hold of me then, unless ye want tae fall off,” he said, gently kicking up his stallion into a slow walk.

With another sigh, Alana did as he said, putting her arms around him and linking her hands in front as they advanced along the track in front of them. This was the closest they had been in years. It was mortifying how warm and solid he felt, his powerful muscles shifting smoothly beneath his clothing like machinery as he moved. His long, dark hair tickled her nose, and she could smell his musky scent. She tried her very best to ignore the tingles running all over her body like flames, but after a while, she just gave up. Aye, he’s braw all right, but he’s nae the man ye used tae love, and ye’d best remember that.

“Ha! ’Tis a long time since we’ve done this, eh?” Tadhg observed cheerfully, picking up the pace.

Without thinking, Alana snapped back, “And whose fault is that? Ye were the one who went off and abandoned me.”

“I didnae abandon ye. I had tae go. I came back as soon as I could,” he retorted. After a short pause, he added, “Those were good times. I miss them,” and sighed meaningfully.

He did not say the words, but she knew he was telling her that he missed her and the intimacy they had once shared as sweethearts. She bristled.

“Aye, I missed them too, fer four long years.”

“Ach, are ye ever gonnae change yer tune? I’ve been back six months. If ye were nae so stubborn, we could be havin’ those good times again right now.”

“Yer arrogance is breathtakin’. Ye must think me a fool. Ye’re the last person I’d wantae share such times with.”

“I dinnae think ye’re a fool at all. But ye are as stubborn as a mule,” he shot back.

“I need tae be tae put up with ye.”

Thus, they bickered and niggled at each other as they drew ever closer to Castle MacIver.