Page 32 of Kilty as Sin
He shifted. “No’ much longer. Ye can see the smoke from the hearths of the village.”
He sounded…different. More subdued.
She was no fool; she had seen how little he liked this duty of his. Grace wondered if she began to scream and sob and reveal how truly terrified she was, how he might respond.
Nay, ye’ll no’ humiliate yerself that way. Ye have a plan. Stick to it.
Aye.Aye. She didn’t need to marry Laird MacGill. No matter if Father locked her in the tower, she’d find a way to escape again! She’d be gone, back to the convent, before Laird MacGill could be summoned from his failing estate to claim her as his.
Just rehashing the plan made her feel better. Grace forced herself to breathe deeply.
Unfortunately—or mayhap fortunately?—this brought Barclay’s scent into her lungs. Into herheart. Thanks to the swim in the loch last night, he smelled of the crisp Highland air and pine and perfection. Stifling a groan of frustration, she dropped her forehead to his broad back, cursing her weaknesses.
“Grace?” Barclay placed his broad palm atop her knee. “Are ye aright? Do ye need me to pull over?”
“Pull over what?” she mumbled against his back.
“Pull over the reins to get to the side of the path, so ye might hop down and puke in the bushes.”
Och, well, since he’d put it so eloquently… “Ye dinnae use the reins.”
He chuckled at that, although she wasn’t certain if ‘twas her words, or how pitiful she’d sounded. “Nay, but if ye need to puke—”
“I dinnae need to puke! Stop saying that!”
“Why? ‘Tis a perfectly natural—”
She jerked her head up, irritated now. “Because if ye keep nattering on about it, Iwillhave to puke!”
When he turned far enough in the saddle that she could see his profile, he was grinning. “But ye’re feeling better now, aye?”
He squeezed her knee and she couldn’t be mad at his charm.
Instead, she sighed and gave into the temptation to pull her arms around his waist. Hugging him, she pressed her cheek against his shoulder.
“Just keep riding,” she murmured. “Hear that, Mayo?” Grace raised her voice. “Just keep going. I want to get this over and done with.”
“His name is Horse,” Barclay said mildly, even as he urged the animal forward.
“’Tis a stupid name for a horse.”
“’Tis aperfectname for a horse,” he corrected.
The damned horse bobbed its head, as if agreeing.
“Och, what doyeken?” she muttered irritably at the animal.
The horse tossed its head this time and whinnied in what sounded remarkably like indignation.
Barclay chuckled, and even Grace found her lips curling into a smile.
They said naught else, but he didn’t remove his hand from her leg, either.
It felt…comforting.Comfortable.
It felt right.
As they rode through the village surrounding the walls of Father’s keep, Grace was recognized. A cry went up, and she saw people running for the castle. Resigning herself to the coming confrontation, Grace lifted her chin and met everyone’s stares as regally as possible.
