Page 22 of Transporting a Ruthless Highlander
He tilted his head over the back of the chair and closed his eyes, reliving the conversation he had just had. It was the first time he had ever thought about the roles of men and women, and he realized that it was completely unfair to expect women to be held to higher standards than men.
He looked at Gavina’s rigid back and knew that if she so much as smiled at him, he would be back in the bed without a second thought. It was torture to be with her and torture to be without her. At last, he closed his eyes and fell asleep in the chair. He would suffer for it in the morning, but he was not sure that his willpower was strong enough to lie in bed with Gavina and not touch her.
Morning came, gray and overcast. Gavina opened her eyes to see Struan in the chair, his neck bent backward over the back of it at an angle that looked awkward and painful. She washed quickly, then glared at him for a few seconds. She felt like giving an evil chuckle and leaving him where he was while she went downstairs for breakfast. However, her better nature won, and she shook Struan’s shoulder and brought him back to consciousness.
“I am goin’ tae eat,” she said curtly.
Struan groaned as he straightened his neck and grimaced in anguish. “Thank you, Gavina,” he said hoarsely, rubbing his neck. “I think I should have slept on the floor.” He smiled at her, then stood up. “Forgive me! I did not mean to hurt you.”
“Nothin’ tae forgive.” Gavina shrugged, but her eyes were smoldering with rage. “I will meet ye downstairs.” She turned on her heel and went out, wrenching the door open and slamming it behind her. She ground her teeth together as she clattered downstairs. He deserved a sore neck. He deserved every twinge of pain he received, and she wished she could inflict some of it herself.
Why had she thought he was a good man?Ye are a fool, Gavina. Ye have let yersel’ be led astray by a handsome face an’ a body like a god.
She sat down at the table and ordered two bowls of porridge for them. Struan’s would likely be cold by the time he came down, but she felt it hard to muster up any sympathy for him.
“Ye have a face like a wet weekend, hen.” The sympathetic voice belonged to the landlady, a short, dumpy woman with deep gray eyes, who was now gazing with concern at Gavina’s scowling face. “Did ye have a wee tiff wi’ yer man?”
Gavina twitched a rueful smile. “How can ye tell?”
“I have seen that look a hundred times,” she sighed, shaking her head. “But dinnae worry, ye will mend yer argument an’ later ye will forget what it was about in the first place. Mark my words, hen. I have been married for longer than ye have been alive.”
Gavina smiled at the woman. “Thank ye,” she said gratefully. “I have no’ been married long. Ye are much wiser than I am.”
The landlady patted her shoulder, then said, “Eat up,” before turning away.
A moment later, Struan sat down beside Gavina. He studied her angry face for a few seconds. “I am sincerely sorry, Gavina.” His voice was hard. “I was only thinking of you. But this is the last time I will apologize.”
“Good,” she said crossly. “Then ye will no’ tire out my ears by sayin’ it again. Now, will ye eat up because we must go now. I havenae got a’ day tae sit here. An’ ye will have tae get some more clothes because them rags ye are wearin’ wilnae last much longer.”
Struan looked down at his shirt and sighed. Gavina was right. His shirt was filthy, his kilt ragged and torn. “You are right, but I wish you did not have to do so much for me, Gavina.”
She shrugged, but said nothing, then finished her porridge quickly and went to pay for their stay and saddle the horse. The landlady smiled and winked at her, and Gavina smiled back, warmed by the understanding between them.
Once in the stable, she saddled the stallion quickly, then stroked his nose and whispered to him while she waited for Struan, trying to calm down and deny how hurt she was at his rejection. He had taken her halfway to a place that she had only heard about, somewhere magical, then abandoned her halfway. She could hardly contain her fury.
Gavina was diverted from her train of thought by the man himself, who mounted the horse and reached a hand down to help her up. She ignored it and climbed into the saddle by herself.
He let out a terse breath of frustration but did not say a word. It was going to be a long day!
13
They set out on a day when the weather was misty and threatened rain, which made it very hard to see the way ahead for more than a hundred yards. Gavina had always hated fog since it made it so easy for two ships to collide with each other, and many vessels had been lost that way. As well as that, although she would never admit it, it terrified her.
Gradually, however, the thick mist lifted, the land in front of them began to become visible, and Struan was relieved to realize that it looked familiar. It was mostly open and bare of trees, with low rolling hills that were cropped by black-faced Scottish sheep and enormous shaggy Highland cattle with fearsome horns.
“This is the way to my family’s land,” he told her. “I recognize the terrain. My half-brother Kevin thinks he has wrested control of it from me, but I am here to show them that he has not.” The words were almost a growl. “And if I can kill him in the process, then so much the better!”
Gavina heard the bitterness in his voice, but knowing his story, she could completely understand it. She had never taken a human life, but she could imagine a few situations when she would. She could have killed her father and smiled while doing it.
Despite being furiously angry with Struan, she loved the feeling of safety his strong arms gave her as they stretched around and in front of her to hold the reins. She sighed as she realized their position. She would help him, then he would help her, then they would part ways forever. The thought saddened her deeply.
“Just over that hill,” Struan pointed. “That is where the castle is.”
They rode on further, and the land became thickly wooded again. Struan began to describe where they were going and what each piece of land was used for, but his explanations dried up as he realized that Gavina was simply not listening. Eventually, he became concerned. “Gavina? Is there anything wrong?” he asked anxiously.
“No,” she replied tersely. “I am tired, that is all.” It was the first thing she could think of on the spur of the moment.
Struan saw right through her excuse and sighed in exasperation. “You do not want to hear about this then? I thought you wanted to help me. If you have changed your mind, then I release you from our agreement.”
