THE GIFT: A Highland Novella (5 page)

“
That was a good fight, aye?
”
Harold said, slapping him on the back.
“
But next time, ye won
’
t be so lucky.
”

Next time, I
’
ll cut your throat.
Roderick clinked his cup against Harold
’
s and tossed back another dram of whisky.

Though he was not fond of drinking before his morning porridge was settled, he hoped it would help with his plan to rid himself of the Douglases.

“
As ye can see, your chieftain
’
s message is safe with me,
”
he said.
“
I know ye take your duty to heart, but why waste your time escorting me when ye could be enjoying yourself?
”

“
I
’
ve no doubt ye can protect the message on your own,
”
Harold said after wiping his mouth on his filthy sleeve.
“
But we
’
ve nothing better to do, and we can
’
t return too soon.
”

“
Fine with me.
”
Roderick shrugged and paused before speaking again.
“
But we
’
ll be out of whisky soon, and there
’
s a lively tavern in the village of Cumnag, a mile south of here.
”

Roderick took his turn taking a pull on the jug while he waited for Harold to take the bait.

“
Does this tavern have a woman a man can buy with a coin?
”
Harold asked, his grin displaying several rotted teeth.

“
Aye, a pretty plump one,
”
Roderick said with a wink.

***

How much could these Scots drink? Lily was stiff with cold from crouching in the bushes as she watched them through the branches. One moment they were set on murdering each other, and the next they were drinking like old friends. And it was barely past dawn.

If she wanted to spend the day hiding from drunken men, she could have stayed in London and visited her family.

The bushes offered scant protection from the damp wind whipping through the valley. Her eyelids were practically frozen open by the time the men finally began packing up to leave. After another round of backslapping and boasts, the Douglases mounted their horses and rode off, weaving in their saddles.

Lily emerged from her hiding place and went to stand beside Roderick, who was still packing up his horse.

“
We
’
re rid of the Douglases.
”
He spoke without turning.

“
Good,
”
she said, though she was not entirely sure if he had spoken to her or the horse.
“
Are you too drunk to ride?
”

Roderick spared her a scornful sideways glance, then returned his attention to the horse.

“
Well, are you?
”
she asked.
“
If so, you must instruct me on how to guide the animal.
”

The horse pawed the ground and rolled his eyes at her in a remarkable imitation of his master.

“
Alas, I am stone sober,
”
Roderick muttered under his breath.
“
And what kind of man cannot ride drunk?
”

Apparently, he was the sort who could. She had begun to believe this Highlander could do whatever he put his mind to. Reassured, she went to fetch the blanket she
’
d slept on and rolled it up.

“
I
’
m sorry if I was the cause of that fight,
”
she said.

“’
Twas bound to happen.
”
Roderick took the blanket from her and tied it to the saddle.
“
Harold had been spoiling for a fight since the start of the journey. I was happy to give it to him.
”

“
Ye weren
’
t afraid?
”

That earned her another scornful glance.

“
Not even a little?
”
she asked.
“
That brute Harold
’
s neck is thicker than my waist.
”

“
I imagine it is.
”
Roderick gave her his full attention this time, giving her body a slow perusal that drove the chill from her bones like a roaring fire.

When he lifted his gaze to hers, his eyes were a dark midnight blue that bespoke of sin and mystery. They drew her in until she found herself tilting toward him like a weak fence.

He is going to kiss me
. Of their own accord, her eyelids fluttered closed. Her heart thudded in her chest as she waited for his lips to touch hers.

“
Harold is strong, but he lacks stamina and discipline.
”

Lily snapped her eyes open and was mortified to find that Roderick was leaning under the horse
’
s belly, adjusting the saddle.

“
While I
’
ve been training with a claymore since I could lift one,
”
he continued, and gave the saddle a tug,
“
and fighting in battles since I was thirteen.
”

Had she imagined that Roderick wanted to kiss her? She looked down at herself in the dirty boy
’
s clothing. Aye, she must have, for it would take a violator of sheep like Harold to find her appealing like this. Still, it was strange. Her instincts about people were usually so good.

She told herself it was fortunate Roderick had no thought of kissing her. She faced enough trouble without that. And yet, a sour disappointment curdled in her stomach.

When he straightened and brushed his hands, a shock of black hair fell over one eye. A high-pitched sound nearly escaped her throat. By the heavens, he was a dangerously handsome man.

“
So, Highlander,
”
she said, forcing her attention back to the conversation with some difficulty,
“
you were certain from the start of the fight that you would prevail?
”

“
Aye,
”
he said.
“
The challenge was to make the fight last long enough so as not to humiliate him.
”

“
You care about Harold
’
s feelings?
”
She blinked at him. This was hard to credit.

“
Ach, no.
”
He gave a short laugh.
“
But insulting the Douglases would not serve my chieftain and clan.
”

Lily would do well to remember that duty, and not emotion, ruled the Highlander
’
s heart. He had not permitted anger to impair his judgment in a fight, and he would not lose his wits over a woman.

But she feared she might be losing hers. When he put his hands on her waist to lift her onto the horse, that dizzying sensation took hold of her again. Long after he set her on the beast, she felt the imprint of his hands burned onto her skin.

Weakness for a man was the most common ailment that led women to seek her cures. Lily had believed herself immune. She was stunned to find that she was falling prey to the malady, especially for a wild Highlander she
’
d known less than a day.

The conclusion was inescapable. He had bewitched her.

She did not know how he
’
d done it
—
and she doubted he even meant to
—
but there was only one sure cure. As soon as she could safely do so, she must part from her blue-eyed Highlander with no hope of ever seeing him again.

Sadness descended upon her like a weight. Good heavens, she had the illness worse than she thought.

CHAPTER 4

Usually a good fight, like a good swiving, left Roderick relaxed, but he felt on edge. The lad
’
s clothes Lily wore did nothing to disguise the tantalizing feel of her shapely arse between his thighs. When he was not imagining her naked, he was wondering what she was thinking. She had not said a word for miles. He
’
d never known a lass who could keep silent for so long. It was unnatural.

“
You can leave me at the first town we reach,
”
she said.

Learning that she
’
d spent the morning planning her departure worsened his already foul mood.

“
How much longer before we come to one?
”
she said, sounding damned anxious.

“
If all goes well, we
’
ll reach Ayr tomorrow.
”

“
Tomorrow?
Are there no towns before this Ayr?
”
she asked.
“
I don
’
t wish to be a burden on you any longer than I must.
”

“
You
’
re not a burden, damn it,
”
he said,
“
and there are no other towns.
”

He was not about to abandon her in Ayr. Whether his grandmother was right or no about this lass, Lily would be better off wintering in the isles with the MacDonalds, where he could ensure her safety.

“
Your husband must be worried about ye,
”
he said.
“
Have ye left him for good, or do ye plan to return to him once ye feel you
’
ve tortured him enough?
”

The question of whether she was married had been burning in his mind. He told himself he had a duty to find out. If Lily was the seer he was supposed to bring home to serve his clan, he must know what obstacles lay in his path.

“
I have no husband,
”
she said.

Was she lying?
“
At two and twenty, ye ought to have one.
”

“
Ought I, now?
”
she said with a laugh in her voice.

“
Aye.
”
He stifled a groan when the motion of the horse caused her backside to rock against his crotch.

“
I can put food on my table myself,
”
she said.
“
What would I want with a husband?
”

“
To keep ye warm at night.
”
As soon as he said it, the vivid memory of waking with her pressed against him came into his head. He imagined what that might have led to if they had not been surrounded by damned Douglases
…

“
I don
’
t need to be wed to have a man for
that
,
”
she said.

Roderick did not like her answer
—
no matter that he had been picturing her naked beneath him without the benefit of pledges.

“
Ye need a man to protect ye,
”
he said, though he did not know why he was arguing with her.
“
A husband will put your life before his.
”

“
Ha, not the men I know,
”
she said.
“
Besides, I can take care of myself.
”

“
I saw how ye take care of yourself,
”
he said.
“
I suppose ye were just taking a wee nap on the hillside when I found ye?
”

When she shivered against his chest, he regretted reminding her of the state in which he had found her. He suppressed a ridiculous urge to wrap his arms tightly around her and kiss her neck.

“
What was your plan once ye found that healer on the border?
”
he asked, though they both knew she would never have made it that far.

“
I imagined her as a kindly old woman who would teach me her ways of healing and invite me to stay for as long as I liked.
”
She gave a light laugh.
“
I must have gone a bit mad from hunger, for I had a clear picture in my head of the two of us decorating her cottage with greenery and cooking a delicious Christmas feast.
”

Judging from the longing in Lily
’
s voice when she spoke of this healer she
’
d never met, he suspected there was an old woman back in London that she missed. That gave him an idea for how he could persuade her to travel with him to his clan.

“
Whoever this Lowlander healer is,
”
he said,
“
I can promise ye she doesn
’
t possess half the gift my grandmother has.
”

Lily spun around to look at him.
“
Your grandmother is a healer?
”

“
Aye.
”
Roderick had a difficult time concentrating with those green eyes staring at him in such close proximity.
“
She is famous throughout the Highlands for her gift.
”

His grandmother was a healer, but what she was famed for was
The Sight
. It would be for her to determine if Lily was the one fated to take her place
—
and if Lily was, to persuade her to stay.

Once Roderick delivered this Sassenach healer to his clan, his duty would be done.

***

“
Show me where it pains you,
”
Lily said.

After Roderick translated the phrase into Gaelic, she repeated it back to him. He had shown remarkable patience in teaching her simple phrases she would need to ply her trade.

“
Ye have a good ear for our language,
”
he said.

If she learned quickly, it was because the words sounded so appealing when they rolled off Roderick
’
s tongue. Still, she could not learn much in a day. Fortunately, a healer relied on her observations as much as what she was told. She would get by.