The young maiden jolted back to reality when Declan’s friend patted the shoulder of the man stealing her attention.
“This is me nephew on Aggie’s side, Errol.” The old man bounced on his heels with obvious pride at the size of the man. He nodded at Declan, “An’ yer friend, there?” Angus raised his brows.
“Rosalie’s cousin, Mairi.” Pushed to the limits of his patience, Declan did not even look at her. “Can we talk in private? I need yer help, Angus.”
Angus looked surprised. Still seated in her saddle, Gale watched them disappear into the cottage. She felt ignored. It frustrated her. Worse, she gulped, she was left alone with this man. She could not help but find him attractive, which startled her. She tried to stuff the swelling in her chest deep down into a hidden part of her, knowing full well that anyone associated with Declan would not make a proper match for someone as well-bred as herself.
The temptation was the devil’s trick, she told herself. As cruel and deranged as Gale’s mother was, she did one good thing—warn Gale about the treachery of men. She knew all about their sly tricks, especially those from coarser stock. Gale felt the man’s eyes on her. She straightened in her saddle, trying desperately to hide how nervous he made her.
Errol walked towards Gale. Each step he made sped the beating of her heart. She stared, uncertain of his aim. Her body stiffened as he reached up, hands extended, gliding them around her waist before she could stop him. Her cheeks flushed with blood, and she felt heat radiate throughout her body. Surprise, followed by immediate shame, shocked her body. Gale shrieked at the top of her lungs. Errol started back.
“Keep yer filthy hands off me! How dare you touch me?”
The words flew from her mouth before she could stop them. Her body’s reaction confused her and filled her with shame. It was not right for her to feel that way about anyone of such low birth. Her nostrils flared as she tried to calm the heart pounding against her ribs and blood rushing through her veins. It was all she could do to mask her emotions behind a veil of indignation—something she had practiced throughout her life.
Errol stepped back as if he had touched something hot. Gale saw his look of surprise. Her knee-jerk reaction furthered her embarrassment and injured her pride. She looked around her. Unlike before, there was nothing to help her down off her horse, no low fence. Any feeling of attraction was now deluded with anger fueled by pride. The last thing she wished after reacting so was to have to ask for his help down after all.
Errol smiled, watching Gale struggle off the horse. Her foot caught, and the opposite leg swung back and forth as if trying to toe the ground so far below. She squealed as she slipped further, and the horse stomped its foot in the dirt.
“My apologies,” he laughed. “Yer right, ye don’t need any help, do ye?”
Gale squinted her eyes at the man, trying to make him feel her growing disdain. Laughing, he picked up his ax and returned to work, leaving Gale to own devices. The young woman was furious. He turned his back on her. How dare he! She thought. If anyone was supposed to turn their backs, it was her: the rudeness—the disrespect—the audacity.
A tantrum was rising in Gale. She was filthy. She was tired, and now, she was being laughed at by a peon, as if she were some common wench. Gale let out a low growl, frustrated her emotions were visibly out of check. She cringed as Errol chuckled at her between the rhythmic thunks of cutting wood.
To further Gale’s embarrassment, her horse turned around in a slow circle as she dangled, clinging to the saddle for dear life. There was little she could do, and she was terrified as she hung there, swinging her leg back and forth as her horse ate a lazy meal of fresh grass.
Gale let out a sigh of relief when she heard Declan and Angus come back outside, whispering in low voices. “Ge’ her down from there!” Angus’s voice boomed.
The young woman stiffened. From the corner of her eye, she could see Errol’s ax land in the dirt. She watched from under her horse’s head as his feet walked towards her.
“No, no, no!” She struggled harder to free herself, “I can do it!”
Her pleas and attempts were futile. Errol’s hands grabbed her waist and lifted her as if she weighed no more than a chicken. Gale let out a small squeak, clinging to his arms. A hot, warm feeling surged through her. He smiled as he looked into her eyes.
Gale’s breath caught in her throat and choked her. Her heart froze. Her face burned as if a fire were lit beneath her pale flesh. The world stopped for a second before Gale’s brain started to work again. She slapped him on the bicep.
“Le’ me down! Le’ me down this instant, ye scoundrel!”
Declan’s friend let out a boisterous laugh. Gale jumped as far away from Errol as she could and started brushing out her skirts to avoid meeting his eyes. She was angry. In her mind, she told herself that she hated him more than anything. I’ll never speak to him or look at him again! We’ll leave this place, and I can forget all this nonsense. She boiled internally, ashamed, and confused. The only emotion which made sense was anger.
“Errol, I need ye tae help me,” Angus said.
Gale’s ears perked up to their conversation, but she kept her eyes on the ground. She folded her arms in front of her, determined not to look Errol’s way again until she and Declan could leave. The next words from Angus’s mouth caused her to forget all of the promises she made.
“Anythin’,” his thick accent caused unsolicited thrills to run through Gale.
“This woman,” Angus paused and said the name slow, “Mairi, is in trouble, an’ needs somewhere safe to stay.”
Gale’s heart dropped like a stone into a well. Her hands flew to her side, and her eyes darted up. Declan grabbed her by the arm. She tried to tear away, but his grip was firm. He led her to the side of the cottage. Angus followed close behind, leaving Errol on his own, waiting for their return.
“No! Ye can’t! Declan, please,” she turned to Declan, begging with her eyes, trying to put on her most pathetic heirs, “I beg ye, don’t do this tae me. Anyone but him.”
“There’s no one,” Declan paused, “Mairi.”
Gale turned her nose up at the name. She looked to Angus, hoping he would save her. Angus ignored her pout. Gale almost shook with anger at how she was being treated, at how they disregarded her desires. When she looked up to see Errol across the way, his smug grin made her sick.
“I’m no’ goin’!” Gale stomped her foot down. “Ye cannae make me.”
Declan’s patience broke. “Then ye can trek back to where ye came from! Ye’ve put all o’ us in danger. D’ya not remember wha’ yer family already put us through? Ye might have charmed Rosalie with yer plight, but I have two bairns at home an’ one on the way tae think o’.”
Gale looked to Angus, hoping her big eyes would persuade him to take pity on her and let her stay. His cheeks sank with dismay. Gale’s pitiful airs fell away as he shook his head.
“Sorry, lass, me wife would kill me—an’ even if she didn’t, Chief doesnae warm up to strangers, especially English ones.”
“I’m no’ English—” she felt as if she were on trial beneath Declan’s stern gaze. If she could run and hide, she would have. “Only half,” she admitted, knowing it was useless to lie.
“I think it bes’ the lad doesnae ken too much,” Angus said. Declan nodded and watched as Angus walked to meet Errol and fill him in.
Errol cleared his throat. “I don’ mind.” Gale could hear his strong, bold voice carry over the open land. There was a mischievous twinkle in his eye that boiled Gale’s blood when he smiled at her. She turned her gaze immediately to Declan, but could still hear him say, “Long as she works her keep, o’ course.”
Gale did not know what to say. Her slender white fingers curled into tight balls at her side until the pink blanched from her knuckles. It was all she could do to keep her temper from exploding. Her mind raced with other options. She considered her plan to live in the woods until she remembered the snapping jowls of the wolve
s.
“See?” Declan spoke to her in calming whispers, as if she were a child. “This nice man will see yer safe, an’ no one’s at risk o’ findin’ trouble.”
“No’ like I have any choice in the matter,” she snapped.
Although she tried to hide it, Gale felt a little guilt when she saw the disappointment in both men’s faces. Errol’s eyes looked wet as he hugged Angus tightly. She turned her eyes back to the dirt, hoping no one saw her sympathy and hoping the tender moment would end soon.
Angus and Errol walked together behind the cottage. Angus’s arm reached up to Errol’s shoulders at a sharp, awkward angle. It was difficult to believe they were related at all. When they returned, Errol was leading a massive draft horse already packed with a bedroll and travel bags.
Gale’s jaw dropped. She knew she was leaving soon from the conversation, but she thought they would feed her and bathe her and let her sleep first.
She ran up to the two men and the horse. “We can’t leave yet!”
Her sudden surge towards them startled Angus. “What’s wrong?” He touched his hilt and scoured the horizon.
The young woman touched her matted hair, “I need a bath.”
Angus’s shoulders relaxed, and a wild laugh boomed through him. Errol and Declan could not help but catch his infectious joy.
Gale felt small and angry and humiliated by the three of them laughing at her. A puff of indignant air snorted through her nostrils. She turned on her heels, her hair whipping behind her and stomped towards her horse. Once she reached the mare, she realized she still needed help mounting. Their growing laughter gained momentum at her expense, spoiling her dramatic exit.
Errol walked towards her, his eyes fixated on her. Gale backed up, outstretching her hands in protest. It was no use; within seconds, her feet were off the ground, kicking in vain.
“Yer a feisty one, aren’t ye?”
“Unhand me!” she screamed, pushing her palms against his solid muscles, trying to wrest away from his gentle grip.
Gale tried to struggle against him. It occurred to her how foolish it was to wriggle. She needed his help. Her body betrayed her. She hated him for taking part in her humiliation—for the way he made her feel when he touched her. More so, she felt powerless being passed to him like cattle. As the seconds passed, she counted up more reasons to resent him.
Chapter Four
“Ye cannae go the whole trip without talkin’ tae me.”
Errol tried to make amends from the moment they set out, but the young woman was dead-set on pretending he did not exist. He could not help but notice how beautiful she was, with her alabaster skin and hair so fair, it was almost white. Despite its waning novelty, her anger made her more attractive. Her lip trembled, and cheeks flushed bright pink like spring’s early roses.
“Aye, I can an’ I will.”
Errol shook his head and rubbed the stress from the back of his neck. What have ah got myself into? He wondered. He didn’t want to leave Angus, but there was no way he could live with himself if he left such a frail woman turned out to her own devices. The unmarked, soft skin over hands did not go unnoticed beneath his gaze—there is no way the woman had washed her own clothes, much less worked a day in her life.
“Suit yerself, but it’ll pass mighty slow if yer set on it.”
He kept his gaze ahead, but at the edge of his sight, he could see her turn her head and consider him for a moment. The fat of her bottom lip pinched between her teeth for a second. The moment of uncertainty fell away, and her gaze solidified back into her mask of stubborn anger. She tilted her nose up to the air and shook her head as if coming to a definite conclusion.
Errol laughed to himself. Her attitude spurred something mercurial within him. He wished to push her, especially given her childish temperament. At some point, he knew his patience would break with her.
After more hours passed on the open road, winding between mountain, field, and glen, Gale slumped in her saddle. Her hand hung limply along the neck of her dusty mare. The hood slipped from her head, revealing the matted tresses sticking out in each direction. Errol thought she looked like something from the wilderness. The charcoal blue of her cloak made her sapphire eyes gleam.
“Tell me we’re goin’ tae stop soon,” she groaned, turning her cheek to face him.
Errol looked up at the sun. There were still hours of daylight before them. He shook his head and raised his hand to the horizon. “When the sun reaches that mark, we’ll camp.”
“Ugh,” she groaned. “I’ll starve before then.”
Errol reached behind him and fished a small parcel of dried meat from his rucksack. He tossed it to her. She sat up just in time for the package to hit her in the chest and bounce into her hand.
“Why would ye do that?” She whined. “Ye couldn’t jus’ hand it to me?”
“Ye should be grateful I gave ye anythin’ at all.”
“Like ye’d let me starve.” She ripped into one of the pieces of meat and wrinkled her nose at the dry, salty taste. “If ye knew who I was, you’d grovel at my feet.”
Errol grunted, “I don’t need tae ken ye to ken yer type—spoiled. Ye’ll have tae learn some humility ‘fore long. Once we reach Skye, ye won’t get nowt for free.”
The tall Highlander watched the heat rise into Gale’s fair cheeks. Her brow wrinkled with disdain as she ripped another mouthful of meat. She shot him a look that could cut through glass, it was so hot and sharp with her scorn.
“I won’t humor yer attitude long. Be grateful yer here at all, an’ stop actin’ like a wee bairn.”
“Grateful? Grateful?! I am a lady!”
Errol laughed as she straightened her posture and attempted to look dignified. “Ye don’t look like one. Ye look like ye crawled from beneath an animal shack, an’ smell like a horse’s arse.”
“You are the mos’ wretched creature I’ve ever known! If ye knew who ye talked to—if ye jus’ knew what I’ve been through—” Tears welled up at the corners of Gale’s eyes. She pressed her lips together until they blanched white, struggling to keep the tears from spilling over, “It’s nae ma fault. I’d do anythin’ for a bath an’ a comb.”
Errol was embarrassed at witnessing Gale’s tears. No matter how much she needed an attitude adjustment, it was against his nature to wish tears or discomfort upon any woman. His mother would tell him to be patient and kind. It was difficult to remember these things, though, when the woman sassed and treated him as if he was something she had scraped from the bottom of her boot.
“There’s a spring another day’s ride from here. We’ll camp there ‘morrow night.” Gale shook her head, loosing the pale strands of hair from her cloak. “Wha’ now? Ye need a bath.”
“Won’t do.”
“Pray, tell me, what’s wrong now? Ye want a bath, we’ll get ye a bath.”
She looked at him, and despite her ungrateful and coarse nature, the way her blue eyes seemed to swell with insecurity and vulnerability made him melt. It lasted only a moment before she turned her head. Her gaze was lost in the distance.
The words came out soft. “It’s too cold.”
Errol could not help but laugh. “I don’ care if there’s ice; ye stink, yer takin’ a bath. I’m no’ ridin’ the whole way with ye moanin’ ‘bout yer hair. Ye need tae clean yer clothes too. It looks like ye rolled in the mud.”
This was enough to flare Gale’s temper up once more, “If ye knew the half o’ what I’ve been through, if ye knew who I was, ye wouldn’t talk to me so!”
“Ye keep sayin’ that.” Errol tried to keep things light-hearted, but her attitude was grating on him. Just like her tantrums and complaints were childish, he could already see she would need discipline like a child. His voice deepened without conscious thought, and authority came into his words. “Ye need tae ken noo, an’ get it through yer thick skull—where we’re goin’, no one’ll care who ye were or what ye deserve. Ye’ll be judged on yer attitude an’ actions. Ye want to act
like a brat, ye’ll be treated as such. An’ if ye want to stay safe, I’d suggest ye stop blabbin’ on an’ on about who ye were, an’ come up with a different tale to start livin’.”
Gale’s cheeks flushed red, and then she calmed. Errol kept peeking over at her, wondering if his words were sinking in at all. He waited for her to respond, expecting some quip fueled by indignation. It never came.
They trekked on, and as the sun started to set, the sky washed with bright pink and deep purple. Errol heard Gale gasp at the sight. When he looked over at her, her eyes were wide with awe. She seemed to hold her breath, her chest stilled as she looked around at the fire washing over the hills of emerald.
Taken by her Highland Enemy: He was running from his past; she was fighting for her future... Page 27