Page 13 of Highland Hero
“It is just like a man to want a woman defenseless.”
His grin faded. “Ye are more a danger to yourself than anyone else if ye doona ken how to use a knife. Ye saw how easy it was for me to disarm ye.”
She furrowed her brows. “You did that just because you could.”
“Aye, I suppose I did.” He took hold of her hand and pressed the handle of the knife into it, then closed her fingers around the hilt. “Ye keep it for now. I will show ye how to use it properly another time.”
She looked as though she wanted to retort, then changed her mind and put the knife away.
“I ken we are both tired,” he said, “but I would feel safer if we could put a few more miles between us and the Camerons. I’ll lead Baron and ye can ride.”
Juliana looked at him and then the horse. She reached up to stroke Baron’s neck. “I will not subject this poor animal to carry me. He has done enough. I will walk.”
Rory studied her for a moment. She had to be nearly exhausted, but as stubborn as she was, she wouldn’t admit it, any more than she’d admit she had no idea how to handle a knife. Still, he liked the fact that she’d considered his horse when most women would have taken him up on the offer.
“How long before we can stop for the night?”
“Only an hour or so more.”
She didn’t answer but simply nodded as he started to walk. That she was quiet as they stayed within the tree line was an indication of how tired she must be. Rory squelched a twinge of guilt. She probably was thinking they’d be stopping at an inn and she’d have a hot bath and a soft bed, but that wouldn’t happen until they were much farther away. He could take no chances on word getting back to the Camerons that they’d been sighted.
But that information could wait for later.
…
“Damn the MacGregors to hell and back.” Neal yanked his horse’s head back as the animal skittered to a stop in the MacLean courtyard and tried to lessen the tight rein on its bit. He paid it no mind as he dismounted. “We’ll need fresh horses,” he said to the stable boy who came running out.
“Ye canna think to set out again in the middle of the night?” one of his men asked.
“Why nae? The damn MacGregor is getting away with my intended!”
“We doona ken which way he went.”
“Well, we ken for damn sure he dinna ride south,” Neal sneered. “We were chasing ghosts for a good ten miles or more.”
“Aye, we ken he dinna ride straight for home,” another man said, “but the more reason to wait until morning when we can pick up tracks.”
“I willna let the bastard get away!” He’d already been made a fool by letting Rory MacGregor bluff his way into making him believe the handfast was true. He should have known better when Juliana didn’t know what the word meant. He’d almost—almost—accepted that might be the reason she didn’t want to marry him. That made him an even bigger fool. And the fact that Margaret announced in front of both the MacLean and Cameron men what she’d been told made it imperative that he right this wrong. His pride demanded it.
“Think on it,” the first man said. “We ken he dinna ride south. It wouldna make sense for him to ride west. Loch Linnhe is in the way. If he rides east, there are nae villages and he has the Grampian mountains to cross. More like, he will head for Fort William.”
The second man nodded. “We can get to the fort by tomorrow afternoon. The dragoons stationed there are nae fond of MacGregors, even if they have been un-proscribed. A letter from the MacLean stating hislady guestwas abducted from his home by one of them should get the general to issue orders for a search.”
“Aye and we’d have the king’s men looking for them,” a third man added. “We ken now the Sassenach doesna want to marry him, so she will corroborate the story. MacGregor will be arrested.”
“He might even be charged with ravishing her if the lass claims he forced himself on her. The English will take offense at a barbarian taking her against her will.”
Neal ground his teeth. The idea of MacGregor plowing that virgin field enraged him. English ladies prized their virtue above all else, and he wanted to be the one to pierce that maidenhead…to show no mercy until she realized that her pleasure—or pain—depended entirely on how submissive she became. She had made him a fool in front of his men. Once he found her, he would show her who was in control.
That damn woman was going to be his, one way or another.
Chapter Five
Juliana woke to the sound of gurgling water, the smell of pine, and the realization that every bone and muscle in her body ached beyond belief. And she was cold, even though she wore her cloak and was covered with a saddle blanket. She opened one eye to see bare brown branches below a leaden sky. Her groggy mind told her this was not her bedchamber. But where…
Both eyes sprang open as she recalled the events of the past two days. She’d been so exhausted, she didn’t even remember stopping somewhere in the forest for the night. No wonder she was cold. It was December. No wonder everything ached, given that her bed was pine needles over hard-packed earth. And where was Rory? Had he left her?
She sat up, pulling her cloak more tightly around her, and looked around. He was nowhere to be seen. But Rory’s plaid covered her, so hopefully that meant he hadn’t deserted her. She rose, wondering where she should start looking, when she heard rustling nearby. In another moment, Rory emerged from the trees, leading Baron.
