Chapter Eight
Why was her aunt sitting on a blanket on the wet ground with everyone else standing around, Seona wondered. Heavens! Had something bad happened to her during the storm?
Keegan drew up a few feet from their party, moved his leg across in front of him and slid to the ground. Next, he lifted Seona down.
“I thank you,” she whispered, savoring one last, brief glance into his eyes.
He gave a deep nod and she hastened away to see what was going on.
“Aunt Patience, what has happened to you?” she asked, bending and taking her hand.
“Me? What about you, lass? I feared your horse would toss you onto the rocks and kill you.”
“Nay. I am well, as you can see. Keegan rescued me.”
“Thank the heavens.” Her aunt spared a halfway kind glance up at Keegan, the first Seona had seen her give him.
“Are you injured?” Seona asked her.
“’Tis my ankle. We dismounted during the gale and I stepped on a rock that rolled. I felt something pop in my ankle, then I fell to the ground.”
“Did you break a bone?”
“Nay, Laird MacKay examined it and said ’tis more likely I have sprained it or pulled something.” She glanced at Dirk where he stood a few yards away with Isobel.
’Twas good news at least that nothing was broken. “Can you stand?” Seona asked.
“I know not. Can you help me up?”
“Aye.” Seona grabbed one of her hands, while Isobel rushed forward and took the other. Patience was not a heavy woman, but it appeared Seona and Isobel were supporting most of her weight. Her aunt winced. “Ow! I think I’ll not be able to.”
They lowered her to the ground again.
Rebbie and the guards arrived, leading Juliana. Seona was glad to see the mare had calmed herself and was uninjured. But Seona was unsure whether she was ready to ride the horse again. She would have nightmares about that frantic ride across the moor.
“We need to be going,” Dirk said, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Members of their party strode forward and mounted. Hugh MacMillan lifted Aunt Patience into her saddle.
“I no longer trust Seona’s daft mare,” Keegan told Dirk, loud enough for her aunt to hear. “She’s going to ride with me.”
“She should.” Dirk nodded. “’Twould be far safer.”
Seona felt her face heat, certain her glaring aunt would protest. But she kept her lips sealed tight, apparently thinking better of opposing the chief. But Seona would likely get an earful later.
***
Sitting behind him with her arms around his waist, Seona enjoyed riding with Keegan several miles south. Despite her weariness, she’d never felt more alive. ’Twas the most enjoyable part of the journey thus far, aside from the stolen kisses. Each time she thought of them, her body heated all over and she hoped no one could tell what she was thinking. The fact that she was riding astride with him so close in front of her didn’t help. Her body felt strange and tingly, just as it had during the kisses they’d shared.
Though she tried to keep some distance between them, her hands on the firm muscles of his abdomen and waist constantly made her wonder what he would feel like naked. She shouldn’t be having such scandalous thoughts; she certainly never had in the past. But they came to her mind and would not leave her be.
Being held in Keegan’s arms was one of the few joys she’d experienced in life. And his kiss was pure decadence.
’Twas true that she was a virgin who had never been kissed prior to the night before, but now she found herself growing more and more curious about physical relations between men and women. No one had seen fit to educate her about such things thus far. Likely, a lot of naïve young ladies were in the same situation, until their wedding night when they found out first hand. She was not sure whether the bedding would be horrible or enjoyable. She suspected, with Keegan, it could only be enjoyable.
The sky was temperamental all day, but no more gales blew in, thank heavens. They rode into the evening. Huge gray clouds rolled in, bringing an earlier gloaming than usual. On the western horizon, sunset illuminated the clouds in bright pink, orange and violet.
She was thankful when they came upon a group of three thatched-roof stone cottages by a small loch so she could stretch her sore legs.
“We’ll have to see if we can stay the night here,” Dirk said to Keegan as they dismounted. “I want the women safe inside one of the cottages.”
“Aye. I like that idea,” Keegan said, helping Seona down.
But who knew if the occupants were friendly? Of course, Highland hospitality dictated that Scots be welcomed, especially a chief and his entourage. She hoped that would be the case this time. She didn’t relish sleeping in a tent again.
A few minutes later, the smiling crofters welcomed them to stay the night. They considered it an honor to host a chief, his wife, and the rest of the party.
Oran, the MacKay cook, helped two of the women prepare a huge meal from pooled resources. The crofter even cast his net into the small loch and hauled out several trout to add to the small feast.
After they ate, her aunt decided it was time for the women to wash up. They’d gotten muddy crossing the moor after that gale.
“You bathe first, Aunt Patience. I will later,” Seona said, then went outside while their maids helped her aunt with a sponge bath. Before their meal, Seona had washed her face and hands in the loch. She couldn’t wait to sink into a luxurious tub of hot water, but that was not likely to happen until they reached a castle.
Isobel talked with Dirk some distance away, near the horses. How cozy they looked, holding hands and murmuring. He kissed her cheek. Seona envied and idealized their love so much her chest ached. Isobel was lucky to have found such a deep passion. Seona longed for a happy marriage like theirs. An image of Keegan’s face sprang to her mind.
Lest she be caught staring at Isobel and Dirk, Seona glanced away from them and, turning in a half circle, she noticed four guards standing at attention around the perimeter, their gazes scanning the surrounding hillsides while one watched the trail they’d arrived on. They certainly had no time to spare her a glance. She felt much safer knowing they took their jobs so seriously.
A yell and a loud laugh echoed in the opposite direction. But the guards did not seem concerned about it. What was going on? She followed the noise into the low-growing trees and bushes at the edge of the loch, then peered through.
Several of the men were chest deep in the loch. And naked. She gasped. Although it was dusk, she could clearly see their skin. Some had chests near hairy as a wolf, while others only had a small amount of body hair, their chest and abdominal muscles showing through.
Her eyes sought out Keegan. Where was he? Someone emerged from beneath the water’s surface and flung his hair back. Her breath held, she squinted. Aye, ’twas him. His shoulders were incredibly wide and muscular. She was glad to see he wasn’t one of the furry men. His back and arms appeared smooth and sleek. When he turned, she saw that his chest only had a light amount of hair which tapered into an intriguing line down his ridged abdomen.
As he waded toward the bank, his body emerged from the water, inch by glorious inch. His lean lower abdomen, his trim hips, his…. “Oh my,” she whispered, then covered her mouth. She had never seen a completely naked man before. The male parts between his legs both shocked and amazed her. The light was too dim to see much detail, but she saw dangly parts that were substantial in size.
“Who are you spying on?” The whisper came from behind her.
She jumped and spun. Only her hand over her mouth prevented her squeal from emerging.
Isobel waited there with a wicked grin.
Lowering her hand, Seona took in a few deep breaths and tried to calm her rapid heartbeat. “You scared the life out of me, Isobel.”
She snickered and sent a quick glance through the bushes. “You are being a very naughty lass.”