Page 12 of The Wrong Bride
Riona gasped. “Highwaymen!”
She pressed back into the seat as Samuel drew his pistol and cocked it. The man who’d seemed shy and malleable compared to McCallum now had the demeanor of a deadly soldier, eyes hard, mouth pressed into a grim line.
“Whatever happens, stay here,” he told her in a low voice, looking through the small opening in the window.
“If you go out there, that highwayman might shoot you!” she said with urgency. “He’s probably not working alone.”
“Odds are, they won’t hit Himself and me both,” he said, as if indifferent.
Riona began to wonder if this robbery attempt might be her salvation. Highwaymen were focused on coin and jewelry; surely she would be worthmore coin than they could imagine, if they ransomed her to her family. It was a wild, dangerous idea, but wasn’t it better to risk that than to end up a Highlander’s wife forever?
To distract Samuel, she said, “Don’t you have a purse to give? My father carries two, his own and a small one for highwaymen.”
“Quiet,” he insisted, leaning toward the window to hear.
She did the same.
“Stay in the box,” the same highwayman ordered McCallum, then added, “Keep an eye on him,” as if to someone else.
“He has partners,” Riona whispered.
Samuel ignored her, head cocked as he listened intently.
They heard the crunch of boots approaching on gravel.
“Ho there, inside the coach. We have pistols on your driver and will use ’em if we have to.”
Riona let loose with a shriek, and Samuel gaped at her.
“I’ve been kidnapped! Free me and I’m worth a great ransom!”
Samuel dove to cover her mouth, and she had no choice but to let him. Then the carriage rocked, as if McCallum had jumped from it. A gunshot echoed.
“Ballocks,” Samuel muttered. He flung himself at the door and slammed it open, vaulting out.
Riona followed him to the door and held on to the frame. The same stone half walls and fields greeted her, but the land rose in long flat waves to the sides, and patches of forested land covered the hillside. Not a barn or cottage was in sight—perfectly remote for two fugitive Highlanders to take her, perfect for highwaymen to avoid exposure. She imagined that they weren’t used to their victims fighting back, but McCallum had obviously been more of a challenge.
One of those highwaymen was already struggling to mount his horse, his leg covered in blood and difficult to maneuver. Had the gunshot come from McCallum’s pistol? The clan chief was grappling with another man, and Samuel was charging at a third, sword and pistol drawn, as the retreating man ran for his horse. She was startled when Samuel let loose a bloodthirsty shout.
The last man fighting saw his men in retreat, and it was obvious that McCallum was toying with him at sword point. The man dodged a thrust, then ran for his own horse. Not bothering with a chase, McCallum stood triumphant, sword point resting in the ground, barely breathing hard.
“Cowards!” he shouted as the horses galloped away.
Riona’s plan had failed, and she wondered what her punishment would be. But for the moment, McCallum and Samuel seemed to have forgotten herscream and simply grinned at each other like boys who’d just won a horse race. She hadn’t seen McCallum smile before, and she was surprised at how it lightened the cragginess of his features, made him actually appear . . . handsome, in a rugged way.
But that smile died when he turned and focused his narrowed gray eyes on her. His hair had come loose from its queue, and the dark waves settled to his shoulders. He looked like a wild Highlander, and she’d just gone against him. She tensed in the doorway, knowing it was too late to flee.
“What did ye think of my plan?” Samuel called, as he slid his sword back into its sheath. “Lady Riona’s screaming, I mean.”
She stiffened and tried to mask her shock.
“That was a plan?” asked McCallum skeptically.
“I was certain they’d want the chance to ransom a highborn lady,” Samuel continued. “Their hesitation was all ye needed to attack. Ye got two of them with one jump. Impressive.”
She swallowed heavily, attempting to appear confident, while inside she was stunned that Samuel would defend her. She wasn’t certain why he’d do such a thing, and it made her feel both indebted and worried about his motives.
“You have my thanks, because it worked,” McCallum said. “That piercing scream distracted them like nothing else.” He glanced at Riona, then spoke with a trace of reluctance. “Well done.”
