Page 133 of Once Upon A Haunted Castle
His chest rumbled with a chuckle and she wanted to swat him.
Jamie waited for his men to cross the river and go down stream. When they were out of sight, he walked his destrier into the water.
“Gather up your skirts, Lass. I’ll do my best not to peek.” His voice was low and mellow. He took a deep breath and straightened his back, distancing himself from her. She was almost disappointed. “The men are away and will not notice your ankles and I’d rather you stay dry. The water is higher than I anticipated.”
One minute he was rude and commanding and the next playful and thoughtful. Rather than make an issue of the contradiction, she decided to enjoy his playful, thoughtful side.
Laura gathered her skirts, her ankles shamelessly dangling.
“I hope you know how to swim. You never know about the river sprites. They may take offense at your serious expression.”
She swung her head around. “Have I been that difficult? No, don’t answer that.”
She turned away and glanced up river and stiffened.
“What is it?” Jamie followed her stare. Riders galloped towards them and they weren’t his men.
He and Laurawere targets in the swift moving water. He needed to get farther downstream, away from the marshland. He cursed himself for worrying about her propriety rather than her safety.
The sound of splashing from up river grew closer.
“Wrap your arms around my waist and try not to lose your seat.”
They reached the far bank and raced along the river, the raiders not far behind.
“You need to let me down,” she yelled at him in the wind. “You can go faster without me.”
“Keep down,” he said between clenched teeth and pulled his sword. They raced on, the land a blur as they flew by.
The spray of water from his horse’s pounding hooves turned into small clouds of dust as they came out of the marshland into the meadow. His horse couldn’t maintain this speed much longer. They reached the area where the river dog-legged to the right. A dense fog hung low in the forest. Jamie let loose his battle cry then veered into the woods.
They raced on. Out of the mist his men charged and dashed past them set to do battle with the reivers close behind them.
Jamie and Laura raced on. Laura glanced over his shoulder.
“Rider behind us.” Jamie urged his horse on faster. If they didn’t stop soon, the poor animal would collapse.
Another glance. The man was gaining ground. Think, she told herself. Sunlight bounced off Jamie’s sword. Could it work? It had to.
“Put your sword on your left shoulder then make a quick half-turn to your left and face the rider. Don’t stop, charge,” Laura said as she lay as close to his horse as possible to give Jamie more room to maneuver.
“Don’t look. It’s not going to be a pretty sight.”
She closed her eyes tight.
Jamie followed her instructions. The sound of the horse’s hooves echoed in her head as he completed the maneuver and his horse sprang forward. With the full weight of the charging horse behind his sword, he hit the raider in the chest. The man fell to the ground. His disembodied head rolled somewhere in the mist.
Jamie turned his horse again and continued into the woods. Laura sat up. The trees sped by. She began to panic at the tall hedge row that loomed in front of them.
Their direction didn’t waver. Rather than slow down, the animal gathered speed. Jamie crushed her in front of him and held her head against his chest.
“I won’t let anything happen to you. Hold me.”
The sensation of flying through the air frightened and exhilarated her at the same time. For a moment, her heart stopped. How they landed without the horse falling or them being thrown was beyond her, but they did.
The horse slowed to a halt, lathered and blowing hard. The men were soon with them.
“The raiders weren’t interested in a fight once Donald appeared leading a troop of Robert the Bruce’s men. As soon as we joined forces, the reivers turned and ran. Donald followed them. He should be here soon.” Sean helped Laura down. “How did they know where to find us? We covered our tracks well.”
