Page 14 of The Highlander's Inconvenient Wife
“Or a very plucky woman,” she added.
“Or that.” The smile around his lips seemed genuine as they walked.
Their conversations petered off to a comfortable silence as they walked to the other end of the gardens where a weeping willow hid a wooden bench. The evening air kissed the nape of her neck and chest where her skin was exposed. She thoroughly enjoyed the feel of the soft earth beneath her feet. There was always something mystical about Scotland for her as if one could expect a mystery at every turn.
“Would ye care to take a seat, me lady?” he asked her politely, gesturing to the seat with one arm.
Joan shot him a curious look as she considered the way he was acting. She didn’t know how to feel about his sudden change in behavior. Was he being genuine, or was he merely trying to lower her guard? She decided to proceed with caution, given the fact that she needed his help to carry on with her journey.
“I think that would be nice,” she accepted his offer and walked ahead, pulling the leaves of the tree aside like a curtain so she could enter. The evening dew on the low-hanging branches glistened in the moonlight like diamonds embroidered onto a dress.
A sudden noise startled her as she jumped back, stifling a scream. A strong pair of arms suddenly came around her waist, suspending her in mid-air as she hung above the ground. Flapping wings passed her face in a blur as something large flew over their heads.
“Ye need to be more careful,” Jasper said in a husky voice as he looked down at her in his arms. “There’s an old owl that likes to nest in this willow.” The intense look in his eye took her completely by surprise as she glanced at his lips for a second.
Her heart was beating a fierce rhythm in her chest as she felt his arms around her waist in a protective manner. He’d reacted so quickly that she barely had time to catch her breath.
Joan looked into the starry sky to see the massive bird flying away. The span of his wings was longer than the length of both her arms combined. She felt completely mystified by the strength of the magnificent bird.
“I didn’t know,” she said breathlessly as she looked back at him. “It’s beautiful.”
Time seemed to stand still as they gazed at one another, completely lost in the mystery of the moment. They were complete strangers, yet something in the look he was giving her made it feel as if she had known him all of her life.
“Aye, it is.” The laird was staring at her face with an intense look she couldn’t read. Images of his lips close to hers flashed through her mind as they stared at one another in silence. The only audible sounds were the chorus of creatures that lived in the night and the thumping of her heart in her chest.
She suddenly became very aware of his hands on her hips as he lifted her up, placing her firmly on her feet in front of him. The moment seemed to last forever as her breathing deepened, matching the pace of her heart. She realized just how handsome his sculpted features were as the light from the moon lit up the contours of his face. The sudden urge to drag her finger over the line of his jaw nearly overtook her.
Jasper’s face drew closer to hers as he reached up with one hand and placed a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I just thought of another reason why ye wouldnae make a good spy,” he said in a husky tone.
Joan began to panic as she thought of all of the things he could possibly say in the moment.
Is he going to say how beautiful I am? What if he says he wouldn’t be able to kiss me if I were a spy? What should I do?
Her heart raced through her chest as she thought of all the possibly romantic things he could say in a moment like this. She’d never realized that she wanted a man to tell her how beautiful and desirable she was beneath the light of a full moon. Her long lashes drifted shut as she prepared herself for the inevitable kiss that would slake the desire she had felt toward the man since they moment they had met.
“Ye jump at loud noises,” he finally said and cleared his throat, breaking the moment that had formed in her head.
“What?” Joan asked as her eyes shot open. She hadn’t even realized that she’d closed her eyes while he was staring at her.
“Ye cannae hope to be a good spy if ye jump at sudden sounds,” he repeated his statement with a shrug of his shoulders. “Spies have to be quick on their feet and adapt to their surroundings at all times.”
She stared at him in disbelief for a second before bursting out laughing.
“Why are ye laughin’?” He looked at her with his head tilted to the side.
“It’s nothing,” she said and wiped the tears from her eyes. The truth was that she had genuinely thought he was about to kiss her, and what was worse, she had wanted him to. “Go on then, who would you choose as a spy? Gregg?” she asked to divert the intention from the moment they had shared.
“Gregg?” he looked up at the castle before looking back at her. “Gregg would more than likely fall asleep while important information was being exchanged. He probably fell asleep an’ let ye slip right by him, did he nae?”
“You know your men very well.” She tucked strands of her hair behind her ear as the wind began to pick up. “Why do you have him as a guard if you know he falls asleep?”
“Maither forced me to make him a guard,” he explained with a pained expression on his face. “He’s a distant cousin with nae right to his own title. I take pity on him and give him the jobs that are nae too serious.”
Joan suddenly realized that he had tasked Gregg to ensure she didn’t escape. Did that mean he doubted her abilities to escape, or that he had wanted someone he knew would be gentle to look after her? Out of all the guards, she couldn’t see Gregg being violent with her or pulling her hair.
“To answer yer question, I would make me maither a spy,” he said confidently as they began to walk again.
“Your mother?” she asked in shock. “Why on earth would you make your mother a spy?”
