Page 95 of Treachery in the Highlands
"Well enough."I pore my gaze over the caber and the sweaty man in front of me."Joey, you should have waited for me.You know I love to watch you hurl cabers.Your sweaty, glistening skin arouses me."
"Then you'll love what I'm about to do."He crooks a finger at me."Come here, baby, and hold this thing up for a sec.All you have to do is put both hands on the caber.Piece of cake, right?"
I trust him completely, so I do as he suggested.A moment later, he rolls a caber toward me, and a moment after that, he has the log fully upright.
"Ye cannae toss two cabers at once,gràidh."
"No, but I can hurl one right after the other.Capisce?"
"Aye.But why must you fling two cabers?"
He grins and shrugs."Just for the hell of it."
I shake my head, one hand on my hip."What you mean is that you want to outdo my father."
"Well...maybe."
A woman must learn to accommodate her husband, I reckon.So, I nod my assent."If your manly pride requires it, then go on and do what you must."
He kisses my cheek."Thanks, Rach.Now, for caber number one..."
Joey lays the second caber on the ground, then takes the one I've been holding up.Surprisingly, I have no trouble keeping the log upright.Must be something to do with physics and laws of motion or some such thing.
I step back, watching as Joey positions himself, shoulders squared beneath the weight of the first caber.His gaze narrows, and his lips flatten, as he concentrates.Muscles flex beneath his linen shirt, now damp from exertion.There's something mesmerizing about watching him embrace our Highland traditions with fierce determination.
"Ready?"my fiancé hollers, his voice strained.
"Aye, ready to see ye make a fool of yerself," I tease, but my heart swells with pride.Joey has acclimated to the seventeenth century better than anyone, including myself, could ever have imagined.
Joey takes three powerful strides forward, hefts the massive log upward, and with a guttural roar that would make my father proud, launches it into the air.The caber spins perfectly, landing with a satisfying thud precisely as it should---twelve o'clock position.
I jump and down, shouting and whistling."Go, Joey!The new king of the caber toss!"
He raises his arms, flexing his biceps.
And I pretend that I might faint.
Joey grins and laughs."Let me toss the second caber before you act like that.Never know, I might tank this toss."
"You, Joey Finnegan?Never."
He walks the second caber into a vertical position.In one fluid motion, he takes it from me, his hands brushing mine in that deliberate way that always sends shivers down my spine.The caber must weigh twice what I do, yet Joey balances it with practiced ease now.
"This one's for your father," he winks, a bead of sweat trickling down his temple.
"He'll be spitting thistles when he hears about it," I laugh, backing away to give him space.
Joey's face transforms into the picture of intense concentration.His squints again, jaw clenched, as he positions his hands just so on the rough wood.Three deep breaths, then he's moving---one, two, three powerful strides before launching the massive timber skyward.For a breathless moment, the caber hangs suspended, then tumbles with perfect precision as it lands dead center at twelve o'clock, just like the first one had.
"Sweet Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!"I exclaim, rushing toward him."Have ye been practicing in secret?"
Joey's chest heaves as he attempts to catch his breath, his triumphant smile lighting up his entire face."Maybe a little.Your father's been giving me pointers when you weren't looking."
"My father?"I stop short, blinking in surprise."The same man who threatened to use your bones for tent pegs when we first announced our betrothal?"
"The very same."Joey wipes his brow with his forearm, leaving a smudge of dirt across his forehead that somehow makes him even more appealing."Turns out the fearsome Kieran MacTaggart has a soft spot for anyone willing to embarrass themselves repeatedly in pursuit of Highland traditions."
I throw my arms around Joey and pepper kisses all over his face.The tang of sweat on my tongue only heightens my lust.
