Page 76 of The Highlander's Illicit Bride
“Aye. I often like tae ride just tae see it.”
“So? Where are we ridin’ tae then?”
“Just up ahead, take that small path tae the forest.”
Isolde guided Skye onto the path and smiled to herself as the big mare moved easily at her commands. They followed the narrow, winding path as it cut through the forest. The tall trees loomed over them, the thick canopy overhead blotting out most of the sunlight and leaving the forest floor cloaked in thick shadows. If not for Struan’s steady, reassuring presence in the saddle behind her, Isolde might have been scared. There was a sort of… tension in the air.
The path emerged onto the shore of a small loch. The trees pressed close around all sides of the water, giving it a private, secluded feel. Struan slipped out of the saddle, then turned andhelped her to the ground. He tied Skye’s lead to a nearby tree, giving her plenty of slack to graze and water herself, which the big mare immediately did.
“’Tis beautiful,” she said. “And so quiet.”
“Aye. ‘Tis why I like it out here.”
“And what are we daein’ out here then?”
His eyes glittered mischievously but she could see that something was worrying him. Just as she was about to ask him what happened during his meeting this morning, he said. “We’re goin’ fer a swim. And after that, we’ll… see tae our marital endeavors.”
Without waiting for her, Struan began stripping out of his clothes. Isolde’s cheeks flushed and she put a hand over her mouth, trying to stifle a giggle.
“What? ‘Tis naethin’ ye’ve nae seen already,” he smiled.
“I’ve never taken me clothes off outside.”
He tipped her a wink. “There is a first time fer everythin’ then, eh?”
Isolde watched him dash into the still waters of the loch, admiring the muscle and form of his body. Recalling howmortified she’d been when he went swimming naked outside the crofter’s hut made her laugh. Her cheeks flushed and her entire face grew warm. It seemed a lifetime ago. They had come so far in what was truly such a short period of time together.
Isolde felt like a completely different person now, standing on the shore of the loch, than she was then. And it was then, as she watched Struan swimming into the deeper water, that she realized she was a different person. She had a completely different life, and a different future stretched out before her.
Now, she had a future she never expected, one that filled her with a joy she’d never felt. A life filled with something she thought would forever elude her… love.
“Why nae?” she whispered to herself with a smile.
Struan cheered as Isolde stripped down. She gently laid her dress over Skye’s saddle then laughing, she ran to the water. She gasped as she plunged in, shocked by the cold, but the further she waded out, the more she adjusted to the temperature. And it wasn’t long before the warmth in the air made the water around her feel pleasant.
“I ken ye could dae it.”
She turned to see Struan behind her, a wide smile on his face, some of the tension from earlier gone. The water had made his hair dark, clinging to his skin, beads of it glistening upon his skin.
“Admit it,” he said. “Ye like swimmin’ naked. It feels nice, eh? Freeing.”
She laughed. “It feels nice, aye. Like it? I’m nae sure yet.”
He splashed her with a handful of water, making her gasp. His deep booming laugh rang in her ears and brought a smile to her face. She splashed him back and for a few minutes, they took turns splashing each other, laughing together.
Eventually, they stopped playing and Struan swept her into his arms out of nowhere. Isolde’s shriek echoed around the secluded loch as she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and clung to him. She stared deep into his eyes, feeling the air between them grow charged with a strange tension. She cocked her head and looked at him as a sober expression crossed his face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked finally as her thumb caressed his cheek.
He licked his lips and frowned. The change in his demeanor sent an icy dagger of worry through her heart.
“We’ll be marchin’ tae Cluny House tomorrow.” His voice was determined, which, for reasons she didn’t understand, made the fear inside of her grow stronger. She felt like millions of ants were trapped beneath her skin and were trying to scratch and claw their way out.
“I didnae ken it would be so soon.”
“We didnae ken either, it was decided this morning that it’d be the best course of action nae tae wait any longer. Everythin’ is prepared—the soldiers, the provisions, the horses. We will follow yer advice and if everythin’ goes well with the plan, we should be back only a few days later, with Finlay in tow.”
“I… I…” she left the rest unfinished but they both knew what she wanted to say.
