Page 16 of Sadie's Highlander (Highland Protector 1)

“Mornin’, Mr. MacDara.” A man dressed in faded blue bib overalls waved at them from the confines of the paddock. With a face weathered and tanned from years in the sun and hair white as cotton, the older gentleman reminded Sadie of a tall, lanky gnome. Standing beside him, calmly swishing a well-brushed tail, was one of the biggest horses Sadie had ever seen.

“Sadie Williams…” Alec stepped to one side and slightly bowed. “Allow me to introduce ye to Thomas Blankenship, or Tom as we call him—finest horse handler on the continent and stable master here at Highland Life and Legends.”

Tom’s long-handled mustache, a gleaming white that matched his cottony hair, arched higher at the corners, completely hiding the smile that was easily discerned by the friendly sparkle in his pale blue eyes. He barely nodded in Sadie’s direction, one hand still resting on the horse beside him. “Ma’am.”

“Mistress Sadie and I shall be touring the northwest border this mornin’.” Alec handed Sadie’s backpack and the picnic basket over to Tom, who immediately passed them to the stable boy who had somehow appeared out of nowhere.

“Here, boy. Bess and Max are waitin’ in the inside ring. Lash these good and tight behind one of their saddles and be quick about it.” Bushy white brows knotted together, Tom watched the boy half stumble and half trot across the paddock back toward the stable. “Don’t know about that boy, Mr. MacDara. He’s got a good heart, but damned if he ain’t the clumsiest kid I’ve ever seen.”

“Isn’t he the one who wanted to be one of the swordsmen?” Sadie asked, remembering how she’d felt so bad for the undersized kid when his dream had been abruptly burst by his inability to heft a sword.

“Aye.” Alec drew in a deep breath, pulled open the gate to the paddock, and stepped aside to let Sadie pass through first. “He needs a job…and a chance. I’ll see to it that he has both here.”

“Is his mama doin’ any better?” Tom plodded along beside them. “I ain’t got the heart to ask the kid.”

“Mistress Lydia andMáthairsee that there’s always food in their house, and I’m sure those two also take the time to be certain no drugs or drink have found their way back within the woman’s reach.” Alec pushed open the wide double doors leading into the cavernous stable.

“Drugs and alcohol?” Sadie repeated. She’d volunteered at a women’s shelter and seen the damage those demons could do to women who’d either been abused or just never found the strength or opportunity to follow a different path.

“Aye, both.” Alec spit out the words. “The boy’s mother couldna bear the loss of her husband nor the silence of their home when he didna return from battle across the sea.” He took Sadie by the arm, gently pulling her closer as they walked. “But the MacDaras will see to the care of her and her son. The town of Brady took us in fifteen years ago, accepted us with the same warmth and hospitality we’d only found before in the Highlands of Scotland. This town is our clan now and we always take care of our own.”

Sadie’s heart swelled and double-thumped hard in anI’m in trouble, this isn’t just lustrhythm. The more she was around Alec and got to know him, the more she felt like she’d finally found the elusive piece of happy her life puzzle had been missing all this time. “So you’ve been here fifteen years. What made your family decide to leave Scotland and move to North Carolina?”

Alec’s sharp look halted Sadie in her tracks and backed her up a step.Holy crap. What did I say?Were the MacDaras part of some international witness protection program? Alec’s sudden wariness pushed her away, filling the air with uneasiness. Sadie knotted her fists against her sides, silently damning herself for finding a way to shove both feet in her mouth with little or no effort. “Look—I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hit a nerve. None of my business. Really.”So much for the missing piece of happy.She’d managed to ruin the day without even trying.

“Nay.” Alec scrubbed a hand across his mouth as though trying to erase his dark, troubled look. “ ’Tis I who must apologize. I’ve a great deal…quite a bit on my mind—what with the filming and all. Your question caught me unawares.” His hand dropped away. A forced smile, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes, replaced his earlier scowl. “We came here because…” He paused, his smile becoming more pained as he struggled to explain. “Because…I guess ye could say the MacDaras were sent to North Carolina. ’Twas our destiny per se.”

“Yep,” Tom chimed in with a polite nod to Sadie. “God sent’m here all right. Some of the ladies in church dubbed them Brady’s kilt-wearin’ angels. They been helpin’ folks ’round these parts ever since they got here.” The slow-talking stable master pushed open the final gate leading to the dirt ring where two horses patiently waited. “The MacDaras here are some of the finest folks you’ll ever want to meet. Take care of any soul that needs tending.”

Thankfully, Tom’s obliviousness to any tension helped Sadie’s sense of everything being right with the world settle back in place. No more prying questions. At least not to Alec. If she wanted to know anything about the MacDaras, she’d ask Miss Lydia and probably find out a lot more than she bargained for.

A renewed uneasiness that had nothing to do with the conversation settled across Sadie as they drew up beside the pair of horses awaiting their riders.Shit. These aren’t horses. These are freaking giants.Sadie eyed the daunting height from the animals’ huge, hair-covered hooves all the way up to their dark forelocks. Taking a step back, fingers held tight together, she stacked her hands one atop the other, over and over, silently counting until she’d spanned the distance from the base of one hairy hoof to the highest point of the withers on the horse closest to her. “Twenty hands? Are you kidding me?” She’d ridden horses before, but never one so tall. “Are they Clydesdales or what?”

“Nah.” Tom shook his head with a snorting laugh. “Ain’t twenty hands—Max here’s just shy of eighteen and Bess a little less than that.” He affectionately patted the black horse with the white stripe that looked like a spearhead running down his nose. “And they’re Shires—not Clydesdales.”

“Ye did say ye ride, aye?” Alec glanced over at her as he reached to scratch behind the great black horse’s ears when the horse nudged his shoulder. “Aye, Max. Yer a fine lad and I’m glad t’see ye as well.”

“Uhm…yeah. I can ride.”Regular-sized horses,she silently added. Sadie moved around to the horse named Bess standing on the other side of massive Max. A soft whisker-covered nose halted her. Bess snuffled her face, nosing up under the bill of her baseball cap until it flipped back off of Sadie’s head.

“Bessie!” Old Tom gently scolded, pushing the horse’s face away from Sadie. “We’ve talked about that. Stop bein’ rude.” He shook his head at Sadie with an apologetic shrug. “Bess here don’t like hats. Never has. We have no idea why.”

“That’s not a problem.” Sadie skimmed the ball cap off her ponytail, rolled it up, and stuffed it in her back pocket. She wasn’t about to start off this ride by getting on the bad side of her horse.

Bess tossed her dark brown head as though nodding her approval. She stepped forward, nosing her way under Sadie’s arm and maneuvering until Sadie’s hand rested atop her nose.

“Well done,” Alec said. “When she gives ye her nose, that means she considers ye friend.”

Thank goodness.Sadie obligingly rubbed Bess’s velvety muzzle. Turning slightly away from Alec, she leaned in close to the horse and whispered, “It’s been a long time since I’ve ridden. Be patient with me, okay?”

Bess flicked an ear and responded with a grumbling nicker.

“I hope that means ‘yes,’ ” Sadie whispered, eyeing the distance between Bess’s saddle, the stirrup, and the ground. “Have you got a step stool or something?” She fixed Tom with her bestyou gotta help me out herelook. She was looking forward to this ride, but still hadn’t quite bought into the level of elevation involved in actually getting up into the saddle.

A rock-solid wall of muscle suddenly pressed against her back and two strong arms encircled either side of her. Alec’s warm breath tickled the side of her neck as he whispered close to her ear, “Ye’ve no need of a stool wi’ me around, lass. Put yer wee foot in the stirrup and I’ll see to it yer seated proper.”

I just bet you will.Sadie swallowed hard, willing herself to breathe normally instead of gasping for air between the revved-up drumroll of her heart. She reached up as high as she could, latching hold of the saddle as she shoved her foot in the stirrup. Alec’s hands slid down to her waist and he stayed in snug behind her.Heaven help me,she silently prayed, then tossed a nervous laugh back over one shoulder. “Don’t hurt yourself. You’re not hefting a tiny econobox. I’m a full-sized luxury model.”

Sucking in a deep breath, she lunged upward, panic spiking as her hold failed and her fingers slipped off the smooth leather lip of the saddle. “Shit!”

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