Page 52 of Wild Highland Rose
The significance of his words were slow to sink in. When the full impact hit her, she felt herself grow hot. He always seemed to rob her of her sanity. She rolled off of him, shivering in thecool of the night air. The loch's water lapped at the shore, almost at their feet. The small clearing was lit faintly by starlight, but it was difficult to make out details.
When she was sure she had her feelings under control, she turned back to him. "The curach?"
"Gone, I'm afraid."
"How did we get here, then?" She chewed on her lip, still very aware of his body close to hers.
"Don't you remember?"
Irritation flashed. "If I remembered then I wouldna be asking you, would I?" She immediately regretted her words. "I didna mean to sound so harsh. I remember jumping into the water." The memory of the icy darkness closing over her was something she'd never forget. "I also remember you pulling me to the surface, but after that, I'm afraid 'tis a blank."
"Join the club." He offered her a wry smile.
"Join the what? I dinna fash?" She frowned. How in the world could a body join a weapon?
"Well, that makes two of us."
"I beg your pardon?" The man was talking in riddles. Maybe this last ordeal had robbed him of his sanity once and for all.
He grinned. "I only meant that if you can't remember what happened, you're in the same boat as me when it comes to amnesia."
"Of course I was in the same boat with you. How else would I find myself stranded in the middle of the wilderness with you?" Saints above, the man was making no sense at all. "And there's naught wrong with me that a good night's sleep wouldna cure. I certainly dinna have am-nee-sha."
He laughed, his even white teeth shining in the darkness. "Amnesia's just another word for memory loss, Marjory. I only meant that it was ironic that you had memory loss, too."
"Ach, well if you'd just said that instead of talking about clubs and boats…"
"I'm sorry, I'll try to speak more plainly in the future." He didn't sound at all apologetic.
"So, are you going to tell me what happened after we jumped into the water?" she asked indignantly
"I swam to the shore, pulling you along with me."
The enormity of what he had done hit her. "You saved my life."
"I saved us both."
"Aye, but you could have left me."
"Don't be silly, I would never have done that. Anyway, it's behind us now. We're here, somewhat worse for the wear, I'd say, but still alive, and that's what counts." He tipped back his head, rubbing his temples.
"Are you all right?" Fear laced through her, maybe he was going away again. She wasn't certain what was more unsettling, the fact that he might just disappear or the fact that she believed it could happen.
"I'm fine. Just a little tired. It was a long swim." He opened his eyes, his face lined with exhaustion. "Tell me something though, how is it you grew up living next to a lake and never learned to swim?"
She grimaced, and looked down at her hands, old wounds still painful. "No one would teach me."
His brows drew together in question. "Why?"
Marjory looked up at the night sky with a sigh. It certainly wasn't from lack of trying. She'd begged everyone she knew. Fingal, her father, and after he died, her cousin Iain. But the answer had always been the same. "It isna ladylike. Women dinna swim."
"But that's just plain stupid. What are you supposed to do when a boat capsizes?" Marjory met his gaze and stuck herchin out defiantly. His eyes widened with understanding. "You weren't supposed to be on a boat were you?"
"'Tis my holding and, in point of fact, my curach, so I can ride in it whenever I choose."
His eyes narrowed. "Marjory Macpherson, have you ever been on a boat before?"
She ducked her head, embarrassment welling up inside. The man made her daft with his questions. "Nay, no' until today."
