Page 14 of Pretty in Plaid
“What does that mean?” She stopped her horse, so she could turn fully toward him, wishing that the moon was brighter so she could see what he looked like at this moment.
Sorley slowed his horse, glancing at her in a way that seemed almost hesitant. “I only meant after we shared a kiss…”
“Ye thought I’d no longer be upset at being uprooted? Fetched like a bone?”
He shrugged, the nonchalant gesture in the murky shadows seeming so...so...annoying.
“I dinna believe ye’re a bone if that makes any difference. I assure ye, lass, your uncle has the best intentions in having me come to get ye. Ye were in danger, and I need no’ remind ye of it. Boyd was intent on seeing ye harmed, whether I was there or no’.”
Kenna let out a groan, suddenly even more exhausted. “And I suppose ye want thanks for that?”
“Nay, no’ at all. Ye were the one who saved me first if ye need reminding.”
“I think we can say we saved each other.” After all, he had arranged for her escape. And she hated to think what would have happened had he not been there. Because she’d have gone back to her room to change, even if Sorley hadn’t been there. Elizabeth would have come up, and Boyd likely would have had another excuse as to why he should be on the family chambers floor.
The bastard would still have torn apart her room, and she’d not have thought about running down the secret stair, or if she had, it would likely have been too late.
“I swear to ye on my life, lass, that I’ll no’ let any harm come to ye. No’ even from me.”
“Do ye anticipate having an inclination of putting injury on my person?”
“Quite the opposite, though that too can lead to injury.” The subtle deepening of his voice sent a shiver through her, reminding her all too much of that kiss.
“I’m no’ sure I understand,” she said softly, though she was pretty sure she did.
“The kiss. The undressing…”
Heat flamed her face, even in the dark. But she was thankful he couldn’t see it. Nor could he see the way her body immediately responded to the memory of his breath on her neck, his fingers at her back. Their conversation, the sensations coursing through her, felt wicked and unreasonable. After all, they’d been acquainted less than a day, but in that time, Kenna had discovered something about herself she hadn’t known before.
She liked intrigue, danger, and a man who was brave in the face of those things made her heart skip a beat. Sorley was that man. He encompassed danger, passion and adventure.
Things she’d never thought to want or desire. And now, within hours, she found her heart pounding and exhilaration running rampant in her veins. Sorley was a thrill she hadn’t known she needed.
But before she had a chance to answer, to say she didn’t regret their kiss, even if she was sore from the disruption of her life, there was a sound of gunfire in the distance.
Sorley stiffened as he listened, and then his head swiveled back to her. “’Tis coming from behind us. We need to move. Fast.”
Kenna didn’t hesitate. “I’ll follow.”
Sorley nudged his mount, and they galloped down the road with her not far behind. She was thankful for the horse that he’d given her, which seemed able to keep pace with his, and also grateful she’d continued to ride even when living with Uncle Duncan. She was not the most skilled horsewoman, but she was decent enough. She could hang on and give direction. And she wasn’t afraid.
Well, of riding. The shots fired behind them had her quite fearful of what was to come. Who had the dragoons found? Or was it a warning shot, meant to pull them from their hiding place?
She could practically feel Captain Boyd’s breath on her neck, and it sent shivers of trepidation and revulsion through her. The man was a blackguard, a devil in disguise. She hoped that he got what he deserved one day and that it was a slow and painful death.
They raced down the road for nearly a quarter of an hour before Sorley slowed, leading his mount into the pine trees that lined that part of the road, giving the animals a chance to breathe. The thick green needles afforded them cover. He cocked his head to the side, concentrating. Even their breaths seemed to echo in the cover of the woods. But so too did the sounds of the advancing enemy. Kenna was listening particularly for the baying of hounds. If Boyd’s crew had dogs with them, they’d have a hell of a time not being found out.
So far, that distinct howling noise didn’t materialize.
“We should keep off the road,” Sorley murmured. “Maybe go deeper into the forest.”
Kenna nodded, the sounds of the enemy getting closer chilling her blood. They picked their way slowly and carefully through the pine forest, careful not to go too fast in case the horses caught their hooves in a fox hole or tripped on tree roots. She hoped he knew his way around the forest, for if she’d been the one to navigate them, they’d have passed the same tree thirty-four times already.
As the dark of night turned to the hazy purple of dawn, Sorley stopped once more to listen. Seeming satisfied, he nodded to her.
“I think we can safely get on the road now. We’ll give the horses a chance to go at an easy pace. If we ride them hard, we’ll need to change them out, which I dinna want to do. The least amount of time we spend in view of anyone, the better.”
Kenna nodded her agreement, studying his strong, shadowed profile. “I trust ye.”
