Page 44 of Secrets of a Kilted Seduction

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Silence descended between them again for a while. They broke their journey for something to eat and to let the horses drink by a burn. Then they carried on, but after another hour of riding, the sky filled with dark clouds, and it began to rain hard.

“Come on, let’s pick up the pace,” Tadhg shouted over the sound of the rain. “I can see some rocks ahead. We should look fer a cave tae shelter in.”

They speeded up, which Alana was sure made them even wetter. The driving rain was already starting to soak her hair and face. She was grateful when, within a few minutes, they reached the rocky outcrop. It rose up before them like a stone chimney, and on the ground, it was covered with gorse and scrub.

“I cannae see anythin’ like a cave,” she said, squinting through the rain as she

scanned the foliage.

“Wait a minute, I think I may see somethin’.” Tadhg dismounted and headed for a specific spot among the overgrown bushes. With his leather riding gloves protecting him from the thorny gorse branches, he began searching tentatively through the greenery, evidently having spotted something she could not see.

“Here!” he called to her, beckoning her with his arm. She got down from her horse and led it up to where he was standing. She noticed he was smiling despite the water soaking his hair, running down his face, and turning the shoulders of his jerkin dark.

“Look.” He held the foliage aside, and she saw why he was so excited. There were three or four dark entrances leading into the rock. “We’ll have our pick of the most comfortable accommodation,” he added jokingly.

“Aye, I have tae admire yer scoutin’ skills. Honestly, I’ll just be happy tae get out of this rain and tae dry off a bit,” Alana said, shivering as rain ran down her neck.

“Aye, me too. Now, if I make this gap a wee bit wider, can ye lead the horses through? There’s an overhang here large enough to shelter them as well and a bit of grass fer them tae feed on. ’Tis perfect.”

“Aye, of course. The poor things, they’re soaked too,” Alana responded. She grasped the halter of her mare, while Tadhg used his feet and arms to bend aside the bushes and hold them apart far enough for her to bring the beasts through. She led her mare through first and then went back to fetch Tadhg’s stallion.

“We’ve been lucky tae find this place. We should be well hidden in here, and the horses too,” he said, finally allowing the bushes to spring back once they were all inside. “As long as we keep our heads down, then naebody should ken we’re even here. Let’s get the horses settled and go and see if we can find a cave big enough for us tae rest in out of the rain.”

“Ye said ye’d nae let me get wet,” she pretended to chide him, following as he led the horses under the rocky overhang, which protected them like a canopy from the elements.

“Aye, I’m sorry about that,” Tadhg replied, securing the horses and then untying the saddlebags and bedrolls. He took off the saddles as well and moved them to a flat rock nearby to dry. “Ye were right, I couldnae control when the rain would come. But I think I can promise tae get ye dried off and warm again.”

“And how d’ye propose doin’ that?” she asked, giving him a sharp look. “I hope ye’re nae gettin’ any funny ideas about cuddlin’ up tae get warm.”

“I was nae thinkin’ anythin’ of the sort,” he told her with an expression of injured surprise. “I merely meant that if we can find enough dry wood, I can light a fire fer us tae dry our things. We can even make some tea and put a wee dram in it tae warm up. Then, we’ll be nice and snug, just like I told ye.”

“That’s all right then. I’ll help find some wood,” Alana replied, relieved to hear it and looking forward to drying off. The damp was permeating her clothing, and she was starting to feel chilly.

They left the horses and, with Tadhg lugging their belongings, started along the little space between the bushes and the rockface, intending to explore the cave entrances. They had hardly gone a few paces when they both stopped dead and stared at each other. Above the hissing of the driving rain, the sound of thudding hooves and the jingle of harnesses was clearly audible.

“Riders comin’,” Tadgh whispered urgently, dropping his burden and pulling Alana into a crouch at this side. “They could mean us harm. Come on, we need tae find some place tae hide.”

“But why? D’ye think they’ll see us from out there if we keep low?” she asked, her heart pounding as the hoofbeats grew louder. Men’s voices could now be heard too.

“Nae, but if they ken these caves, then they’ll likely want tae shelter here themselves. They could be thieves or brigands, or they could be part of the clan Blaine thinks may have kidnapped yer faither. Either way, I dinnae want tae take the risk of findin’ out.”

“All right,” she whispered back, his words sending cold fear through her.

“Quick, in here.” He took hold of her arm and pushed her into the nearest opening in the rockface. It turned out to be a very small cave, high enough for her to stand up in but very narrow and only a few feet deep.

“Dammit!” Tadhg hissed under his breath as he crammed himself inside after her. Being much taller than Alana, he had to stoop, and in doing so, he could not help but squash her up against the far wall. They ended up with their bodies pressed together in the small space, their faces barely an inch apart, eyes locked.

“I hope tae God they dinnae decide tae come explorin’,” Tadhg added, his warm breath tickling her cheeks as he spoke, making her skin tingle. “Listen. I think they’re outside.”

Alana’s heart was hammering in her chest, partly with fear of discovery, partly due to being crushed against Tadhg’s warm powerful body, with his lips hardly a hairsbreadth away from hers. For, despite the men outside, the close quarters and the silence inside the cave only amplified the pull she felt towards him. Her heart continued to pound as his eyes bored into hers. Suddenly, he placed a finger on her lips and whispered, “Dinnae make a sound.”

She obeyed, pinned by the dark intensity of his gaze. She was shocked by her reaction when instead of removing his finger, he used the tip to slowly and delicately trace the outline of her lips before dropping his hand. The gentle caress sent a wave of heat rushing through her, and she could not explain to herself why she did not move or try to stop him. It was confounding that he could have such an effect on her with potential danger, possibly even death, so close at hand.

The long minutes while they waited, crushed together, to see what the riders would do felt like the passing of eons to Alana. Her lips were tingling from Tadhg’s touch, which had lit a flame within her. It was all she could do not to lean forward a little and just kiss him, like she used to. After all, she told herself, it may be the last chance I get if these men find us and wish us harm.

Her eyes fell to his mouth, and she was on the verge of actually doing it when they heard a loud cry from outside and then, to her relief, the sound of horses leaving above the persistent hissing of the rain.