Page 68 of A Virgin for the Icy Highlander
“I can’t decide if I liked you better when you werenotso amusing,” she teased, blushing.
He raised an eyebrow. “Who said I was jokin’?”
He cut a square from the petticoat and handed it to her. A moment later, he pulled a thread from the weave of his kilt and gently wrapped it around her finger.
“For ye to tie it on with.” He lay back down on the bridge, staring up at the sky with what very much looked like a smile on his face.
To Grace, the sight felt like a prayer already answered.
26
It was a miracle that Grace and Hunter managed to make it back to Castle MacLogan at all, thanks to the inevitable closeness of riding on a horse together.
The intimate proximity had conjured brazen whispers from Hunter’s lips about what else he wanted to teach her, while her mind had run wild with vivid imaginings. She had nearly demanded that they stop at least ten times, until nature itself had decided that enough was enough, dousing the pair with a vicious, icy downpour.
The rain still hadn’t ceased by the time they entered the main courtyard, as if it wasn’t taking any chances.
“Shall I have a bath drawn for ye?” Hunter asked, reaching up to help her down from the saddle.
Grace smiled at the sweet gesture. “That would be lovely, but I think it will have to wait. I should go directly to my friends. They must be very worried, and I won’t enjoy my bath at all if I know they are in distress. I should probably speak to Ellie, too, if she hasn’t gone to sleep already.”
She couldn’t even guess the hour, for they’d spent far longer than they’d expected at that magical valley. The sun had set long before they left, but with it being almost winter, the days were so short that the sun wasn’t any help in guessing the time.
“Aye, that’s wise,” Hunter replied. “But make sure ye get out of those wet clothes, or else ye’ll catch a cold. Unless ye want me to help ye?”
She chuckled, blushing happily. “Now, thatwouldn’tbe wise.”
“Well then,” he said, “goodnight, Grace. I’m goin’ to take me horse to the stables while ye gossip with yer friends.”
“We don’t gossip,” she protested.
He brought his hand to her face, brushing his thumb across the apple of her cheek. “Aye, of course ye dinnae,” he muttered, before he leaned in to plant a slow, lingering kiss on her lips.
With that, he walked away, leading his horse to the stables.
For a dazed moment, Grace stood there in the courtyard, grinning like an idiot until he vanished from sight. He didn’tlook back, but it didn’t matter. She had enough memories to keep her satisfied until she saw him again, and a restful night’s sleep away from him would only bring her closer to their wedding day.
With a full heart, she hurried out of the rain and into the castle, apologizing profusely to the servants she passed by, as she left a trail of water in her wake.
Twenty minutes later, she was dry and wearing her nightclothes. Her damp hair was tied up with a ribbon. Grabbing a lantern from the writing desk in her bedchamber, she stole out of the room and headed down the hall, hoping that her friends hadn’t gone to bed already. Neither slept restfully when they were worried, and she didn’t want to be the cause of any tired eyes or sour moods.
Reaching Lilian’s chambers first, she paused and listened for any sounds from within.
“Youare entirely responsible!” Maddie’s voice exclaimed, pursued by a surprisingly familiar laugh.
Is that…?
Grace didn’t bother to knock but instead opened the door to see if her mind was playing tricks on her. Sure enough, seated in one of the armchairs by the fire, with a cup of tea in her hands, was Miss Thalia Sutton.
“Grace!” Lilian leaped to her feet and hiked up her skirts so she could race over and throw her arms around her friend. “Oh, thank goodness! I was preparing to raise an army to come and find you. If I knew anything about raising an army, I assure you, they would be marching right now.”
Grace held her friend tightly. “I’m so sorry to have worried you. Hunter and I… got ambushed by the rain, but I am as you see me—in one piece.”
“I assured Lilian that you were perfectly fine,” Maddie said, getting up to join the embrace. “In truth, I rather hoped you wouldn’t be back until morning. I thought perhaps you’d taken shelter in a pleasant little lodge somewhere, so you would have some delectable stories for us to enjoy over breakfast.”
Miss Sutton cleared her throat. “You may be leaving my care soon—some of you, sooner than the others—but that doesn’t mean I am not still your oh-so-sensible guardian. The less I hear of ‘delectable stories,’ the better. My ears are not built for it.”
“I have none, I promise,” Grace replied with a grin that likely told the opposite story.
