Page 50 of Desiring the Highland Laird
“There’s nothing to it. I’ll teach you.”
Evie wasn’t sure about that but she took Callum’s word for it and decided to throw caution to the wind and give it a try. The stable hand had the horses saddled in record time and led them into the yard. Callum motioned for her to follow. As apprehension swept through her, she did.
Once the horses were out of the stable—his the giant war horse and hers the smaller gray mare—he showed her how to put her foot in the stirrup while grabbing onto the saddle horn to hoist herself up into the saddle. It took some doing, but she managed to get herself settled into the saddle, holding the reins far too tightly in her hands.
Callum gave her instructions on how to make the horse go and how to steer.
“Ye can do it,” he said, sounding far more confident than she felt.
But she took the reins in her hands and gave him a winning smile. He got into the saddle of his horse, holding the reins.
“Ready?” he asked.
“As I’ll ever be,” she said.
He nudged his horse into a slow walk as he headed toward the portcullis. She did the same, surprised the mare she’d named Mist decided to follow. Evie wasn’t sure about any of this but she was happy to be out of the stuffy keep even if it was a bit chillyoutside. Mostly, she was happy to be by Callum’s side. He took it slow as they headed away from the keep, keeping a good pace which was not too fast or too slow.
He pointed out the tall, thick stone curtain wall connected by towers that circled the keep. In the stone were arrow slits. Several of his men strolled along the walkway to keep a lookout for any invaders. The view of the loch glistened in the late morning light, making the water sparkle. Beyond that, more rolling hills and rough terrain but it was breathtaking and beautiful. As the wind trickled over her, tickling her face, she smiled and closed her eyes.
He steered his horse toward the gatehouse. “I’ll take ye to where we found ye.”
“You said I fell from the sky,” she said.
“Och, it was Hamish who saw it,” Callum said. “He said the sky lit up and was split in two and he saw ye falling to the ground. ’Tis a miracle ye dinnae die.”
“Or break any bones,” she said.
“Aye,” he agreed. “It’s there.” He pointed ahead.
The place was an open field in the middle of nowhere. Behind them was Dundale Castle and the glittery loch as its backdrop. Ahead of them, the soaring mountains of the Highlands, the Scottish heather, and the purple thistle dotting the landscape. The wind was cool and crisp and bright as she inhaled it.
“It’s so beautiful here, Callum,” she said.
“Aye,” he agreed, smiling and looking proud. As if he had anything to do with the beauty of the land. “I’m glad ye like it. Have you no seen a place like this before, lass?”
“I live in the city.” When he gave her a questioning look, she tried to elaborate. “There are tall buildings made of steel and glass. It’s noisy with people and traffic. Not calm and quiet like this. Where you hear nothing more than the breeze through the trees. I wish I could show you a picture.”
“Do ye like this place better then?”
It was a fair question. She wasn’t sure she liked it better. It was merely different.
“It’s calmer here,” she said at last.
“And ye like that it’s calmer?”
It seemed important to him that she like it. She nodded. “I do.”
“Good. This is where we found ye.” He pointed ahead as he dismounted.
She slid out of the saddle in a most ungraceful movement, landing on the ground next to Mist. The horse seemed unconcerned with her awkward dismount. Evie followed Callum as he walked a few feet away and paused. He stood there, his hands on his hips, as he peered down at the ground.
“I dinnae notice that before.”
“What is it?” she asked. He pointed to the flattened grass that was charred. “That’s where I landed?”
“Aye. Where I picked ye up and took ye back to the keep.”
Her heart fluttered at the idea of that. She knelt, running her hand through the flattened grass. It was as though her body was hot when it landed. Like it was fused with fire. The grass felt brittle.
