Page 54 of Captured By the Cruel Highlander
He would return to the castle, find his horse, and come back for her.
I need some time alone to clear me head.
It took a second before Emily remembered where she was.
She opened her eyes to a pointed wooden ceiling and a cold, unforgiving floor.
The events of the night before came flooding back all too soon. As she processed what she had allowed to happen, and who she had allowed it to happen with, she looked around to discover that she was alone.
Sitting up and pulling the blanket around her, she was surprised to find the fire had been rekindled and was burning merrily.
Where is he?
She felt strangely bereft to be left alone following everything they had shared the night before. It was a stark reminder that she was just a convenience for him. Adam had probably woken up beside countless women before, and he likely didn’t feel any obligation to stay beside her until she woke up.
Emily shivered, but not due to the cold.
Unwilling to remain in her borrowed léine any longer, she grimaced as she glanced at her dress. It was still covered in mudand twigs from her run through the woods, but she had little choice. She could hardly return to the castle in just a man’s shirt.
Checking the windows for any passersby in the silent woods, she stripped off the léine and tugged the sodden dress back on. It wasn’t easy to tie the bodice by herself, but it would have to do. She brushed her hair with her fingers as best as she could, twisting it into a knot.
As she made her way outside, the forest was starkly different from the night before. The trees were no longer imposing shadows, and everything seemed far less intimidating than it had in the darkness.
It was the kind of fresh morning that only ever followed a storm. The scent of wet earth hung heavily in the air as Emily looked around her. It was far more inviting in the light of day, lush and green and refreshing.
Was it all a dream? It doesnae feel real somehow.
The sound of a horse’s hooves approaching made her look up as Adam appeared through the trees, leading Buck beside him. He looked impossibly handsome in his loosened jacket, his unruly hair flowing over his shoulders.
The sight of him without a shirt the night before flooded her mind, and her cheeks flushed alarmingly. Never in her life had a man appealed to her so much. She would happily stare at his muscular torso from dawn until dusk.
Perhaps when we are married, I can at least enjoy looking at him.
Adam was clearly surprised to see her awake and quickened his steps as their eyes met across the forest.
“When did ye wake up?” he asked.
There was tension in the air between them that had not been there the night before.
“Nae long ago,” she said. “What time is it?”
“Early. Only a few hours after dawn. We should head back to the castle—ye need a hot bath and clean clothes.”
“Where were ye?” she asked, grappling to find the equilibrium she had felt between them the night before.
“I went to find the horse. This fool had run all the way back to the castle and caused a riot. Theo’s been up all night searchin’ for us, and nay one kenned why Buck returned without his rider. I think me man-at-arms believed ye’d killed me.”
Emily didn’t laugh. Adam’s tone was off—deliberately making light of their situation as though he didn’t want to discuss what they had shared.
Standing before him now, she couldn’t believe the sensual nature of their time together. This man was stiff and cold, uninterested in anything except being away from her. She could almost feel his need to get away, and it made her heart stutter in her chest.
“Come on,” he said quietly.
Emily could do nothing but comply. He helped her up onto the horse and then pulled on Buck’s reins to walk back through the forest.
“Ye willnae ride?” she asked in dismay.
He had been perfectly happy to ride the horse together when they first met. But now he chose to walk beside her rather than touch her again.
