Page 12 of Her Highland Prophecy
She found his pronunciation charming when he spoke. Thicker in places than the accent of the people of the fair, and sometimes it took her a moment to understand what he was saying, but she enjoyed listening to him talk.
“Well, Gordain. How are we getting back?” she asked, pushing away her earlier emotions. She would have to remain calm if she wanted to get back to Grace.
He pointed at the horse grazing in a patch nearby as if it was the most natural thing in the world. She was beginning to believe that, for him, it was.
“Taranis will carry us, won’t ye,mo charaid?” He patted the horse’s flank fondly. Taranis neighed in response and butted his head against Gordain’s arm, then backed away from the gentle swat Gordain aimed at him.
She smiled at the horse’s antics.
“Shall we get going then?” she asked.
Gordain helped her get back onto the horse and settled behind her. She blushed at his proximity. He was large and warm. His arms formed a cage around her smaller frame as she rested her back against his chest.
“We’ll be there in a couple of hours,” he said and kicked Taranis lightly in the sides.
As far as she was concerned, the sooner they arrived in Ballachulish, the sooner she would sort everything out.
The problem was that she wasn’t sure anymore what she hoped to find when they arrived. On the one hand, she wished she woke up and found out that it had all been a dream. Her life hadn’t been threatened, and she hadn’t been saved by a man who lived in the past as part of some bizarre historical enactment.
On the other hand, she still hadn’t ruled out that the gypsy fortuneteller was getting revenge on her by playing a practical joke. Part of the fate predicted for Diana was that someone would try to kill her, and that prediction was made before accusing the gypsy of being a fraud. At what length would she go to prove that her predictions came true?
If the first, then she could just enjoy herself without worrying about any negative effects. If the second, then she would most likely find the fairgrounds as she left them last night. Grace, Louisa and Peggy would lecture her for worrying them when they saw her, and then everything would go back to normal as they continued their vacation.
Or it was all true and this was her new reality. Her mind shied far away from that thought, which seemed more likely as time went by. She put her hand on her throat, where the wound the knife had made earlier had scabbed over and shivered. The fear she had felt had been all too real.
Gordain pulled her closer and murmured in her ear.
“Are ye cold, lass?”
She shook her head, but he pulled on the reins bringing Taranis to a stop anyway. A moment later she felt him moving around behind her, and then a warm coat settled around her shoulder, swamping her body and puddling against Taranis’ body.
She was instantly warmer.
“Thank you,” she said, snuggling into the heat. She could smell him in the jacket. It was a woodsy smell that she associated with campfires underscored by his own masculine musk. She discreetly placed her nose inside the collar and took a deep breath.
Warm and feeling safe in the cage of his arms, the steady pace that he had set Taranis on soon lulled her into a calm state. The sleepless night was catching up to her. Her eyes slipped closed and she relaxed against him in a deep sleep.
When she woke up again, the sun was high in the sky, and she was lying on a pile of soft leaves. She stretched luxuriously, feeling well-rested if a little sore from being on the ground.
We must have arrived while I was sleeping.
She sat up and found Gordain sitting up against a nearby fallen log with his eyes closed. As soon as she shifted to stand, his eyes opened, and he smiled at her.
He was adorable with his sleep-mussed hair and sleepy grin and she couldn’t stop her own smile if she tried. He cleared his throat and looked away.
“We’re here, lass,” he said. “The fairgrounds in Ballachulish.”
“We are?” she asked bewildered. They were sitting in the middle of an empty field. “Where’s the town?”
“The village is in that direction,” he pointed toward the ocean. She squinted but couldn’t see anything. She looked back at him, confused.
“Perhaps we should start there and then make our way back here?” he suggested. “If yer sister or yer friends are there, we will find them.”
“Good idea,” she answered and joined him as he walked across the empty space.
It was wholly unfamiliar to her. She kept looking around, hoping to recognize even the slightest landmark, but it was completely unknown to her.
She was hoping that the town would be easier to spot. She had walked up and down the main street a couple of times the day before when they arrived and when they were heading to the fair, so there were sure to be places she recognized.
