Highland Blessings (5 page)

She glared at Bryce. He couldn’t hide his amused grin. His men broke into laughter. Faces turned red, more jests were made, and laughter continued to ring throughout the forest. Bryce managed to stop laughing and bent toward her, extending his hand.

Her lips tightened into a thin line as she considered her options.

Bryce made another move toward her.

“Don’t ye dare touch me!”

She might be in an unfavorable position, but she wasn’t witless. Drained of energy for the moment, she sank back into the mud to assess the situation further, completely at the center of attention as Bryce’s men circled around her.
Let the lot of them rot!

“Pray tell, what would ye do if I were to touch ye?” Bryce taunted, folding his muscled arms over his broad chest. His men shushed each other to hear her reply.

She smiled sweetly from her mud hole. “The same as ye would,” she answered, as if his question were silly.

“Lass, if ye would do as I would, ye wouldn’t be smiling at the moment.”

She didn’t take the bait, and her smile remained plastered across her face. “Ye belittle my intentions. Don’t think like a man, but have a wee wit about ye and think like a woman.” His men laughed. A few barbed comments reached her ears, but she ignored them, keeping her attention focused on Bryce.

Grinning with interest, Bryce took a step forward and bent. His eyes sparkled. “I believe a lass such as yerself would have the misfortune to imagine herself capable of pulling me down in the mud with her.”

Akira’s bravery never faltered. She lifted her chin a notch higher for emphasis and looked him straight in the eye. “And I believe a man such as yerself might overestimate his own ability.”

His men inched closer, as if straining to hear what Bryce would say next. They would have a while to wait. Before Bryce could come up with a fitting reply, a small fistful of red mud splattered across his face. It hit him so hard his head jerked back to the side.

Amazed at her own reflexes, Akira reached up and covered her mouth, unconsciously smearing a patch of mud on her face. She sat very still, waiting to die. Surely she had pushed him too far?

Fierce gray eyes scorched her. If it were possible, she would have run from him, but she couldn’t, so she thought hard to come up with a creative plan. Bryce lunged for her. She scrambled to her knees, pretending to cower before him, bending as low as she could.

Bryce hesitated, surprised by her actions. A second later, he no longer stood.

Akira had sensed his hesitation and chose that moment to lunge at his feet. She pulled and tugged on one of his legs until he came sliding down upon her. She twisted, grabbing two more fistfuls of mud. Knowing time was of the essence and that she might not live to gain any more favors, Akira shoved the mud into his face.

He sat up, trying to wipe the mud away, but his efforts were futile when his hands and every other inch of his body were covered in mud.

“Nay, I didn’t use brutal strength to pull ye in. I outwitted ye with yer own conceit, and if that hadn’t worked, my gown would surely weigh enough to pull us both in had ye tried to drag me out.”

Akira was so engrossed in her pleasure at having bested him in at least one thing that she did not yet realize she was now at his mercy.

“Is that so?”

“Aye, it is.” Her smile slowly faded with warranted concern.

“Well, I now have ye right where I want ye.”

“Aye,” she gulped, acknowledging the truth of his words. His dark eyes peered through his mud-soaked face, roaming over her equally mud-clad features. Her heart started beating rapidly, and she could not calm her racing pulse as he stared at her.

He reached down and smashed a handful of mud in her face. Laughing, he crawled away, watching as she sputtered and spit the gritty mud from her mouth. His men clapped and laughed. They were obviously pleased by his actions.

“Aye, she’s a spirited lass. She has a temper to match our Evan’s,” said a man above the other hearty voices. Akira had heard Bryce call him Kian during their ride.

Bryce glanced over at Akira still sitting in the mud beside him. He held out his hand to her in a gesture that suggested a momentary truce.

Akira hesitated. Should she trust him? If she didn’t, she might never get out of this mess. Deciding she could trust him in at least this one thing, Akira placed her hand in his.

He assisted her up. “Reach out to Balloch,” Bryce directed. She reached up and strong hands gripped her under the arms, lifting her out of the mud as if she were a small child.

Bryce followed suit on his own, but at a much slower pace.

She stood shivering in the cold rain, blinking as water rushed over her lashes and into her eyes. The rest of the pouring drops washed away some of the mud. Her gown hugged her figure, and she could only imagine the disgraceful sight she must be at the moment. Bryce stopped beside her, allowing his gaze to travel over her. She stiffened, knowing she was being scrutinized once again.

“I wonder if I look as sorry as ye?” Bryce raised a black eyebrow. He cleared his throat and wiped away a thick wad of mud that was about to drop from his ear.

“Aye, ye do,” Akira assured him.

Something to the side of her head caught his attention. “Hold still,” he ordered, reaching out and pulling a handful of mud from her long hair. He threw it to the ground, and it landed with a thud against the wet ground.

“I suppose now we should concentrate on getting clean.” He turned and called over his shoulder, “Balloch, get my soap.” Balloch had gone to retrieve Ahern and nodded at the command. Bryce turned back to her. “The rain will not be enough to clean us. We’ll go to a nearby loch where we can bathe.”

Balloch returned, holding Ahern’s reins in one hand and the soap in the other. “Dry out some furs by the fire in the tent. She’ll need something warm and dry to wear when we return.”

“Aye, Bryce.”

“We will go to the loch and bathe. Send someone so we won’t be alone. Keep a close watch while we’re gone. At the first sign of trouble, alert me.” He reached for Akira, easily lifting her onto Ahern’s back. Bryce then mounted behind her, reaching his arms around her for the reins and guiding Ahern along the path into the woods.

They rode in silence. The rain slackened to a soft sprinkle. A large clearing came into view. A natural bridge no wider than five feet lay as the only barrier between two lochs. Yellow wildflowers grew along the edges. She marveled at the beauty of this place and wondered how Bryce knew it existed.

“Can ye swim?” His strong voice sounded loud against the droplets of water falling from the trees. He guided Ahern up the grassy ridge between the lochs.

“Nay.” She shook her head. “My brothers tried to teach me, but thus far my fear of drowning has proven stronger than my will to learn. I loathe the idea of suffocating to death and that being in over my head would surely bring me to my death.”

He chuckled. She gave him a sideways glance. The subject at hand was one she took quite seriously. She didn’t appreciate his humor at the moment.

“’Twould appear,” Bryce said, as he pulled Ahern’s reins to bring him to a halt, “that if ye were to learn how to swim, ye wouldn’t be sinking over yer head, but rather floating on top.” A mischievous smile toyed at the corners of his mouth and reached into his gleaming eyes.

“’Twould seem,” she muttered stiffly.

“It could save yer life.” He slid from Ahern’s back, and his boots squashed onto the wet ground.

A shiver went through her as he reached up to set her down. She was too weary to protest his assistance this time. Besides, she did not want to provoke him. He might decide to let her drown, instead of having Ahern throw her in a mud puddle.

Taking her hand, he led her to the loch, carrying a bar of soap in his other hand. When they reached the water’s edge, he bent to remove his boots and entered the water. Akira sat on the bank to remove her mud-soaked boots. Cautiously, she tipped her feet over the edge, peering intently into the water, trying to measure its depth. Nervously, she glanced at Bryce a short distance away. He stood in waist-deep water, scrubbing mud from his face and neck.

Sighing wearily, Akira stood and stepped into the water, cautiously approaching him. When she reached his side, she smiled triumphantly and held out her hand for the soap.

“Ye’ll have to come and get it.” His expression was serious, but she could still hear the mischief in his tone. Akira inched forward. He moved backward. The water was now slightly above his waist, but Akira paid no heed. She was too intent on getting the soap.

“Please.” She desperately wanted the mud washed from her hair and body. It began to pour again. The rain took her by surprise, and she gasped as the coldness of it beat upon her head and upper body. She took another watchful step toward Bryce. She shivered with goose pimples and imagined her lips must be blue by now. Droplets of muddy rain fell into her eyes, obscuring her view as she crept forward. She splashed her hands in the water to wash the mud off them and wiped her eyes. Bryce appeared to be no more than two or three feet from her. That seemed strange. She thought she had just covered the same distance a moment ago. “Please, give me the soap.”

“And I said ye may have it. Ye only have to come and get it.”

“Why do ye taunt me? I told ye I canna swim.” She splashed her fists into the surface of the water.

“Akira, look at me.” He rubbed the soap between his hands, lathering them well. “The water is only up to my chest.” He placed a measuring hand across his upper torso. “Ye’re a wee bit taller than that. There would be no need to swim.” He glanced in her direction while continuing with his task.

It was clear he had no intention of coming to her, and she needed to wash the clinging mud away. Akira scraped her teeth over her bottom lip as she contemplated her next move. He started to whistle. She frowned at him and strode toward him. The water and her skirts slowed her down, but she managed to reach his side and once again held out her hand.

White teeth flashed in the rain as he smiled down at her. “I told ye the water wouldn’t be over yer head.”

“Nay, I suppose up to my neck wouldn’t be uncomfortable to someone who canna swim?” She was near hysterics and even closer to boxing his ears.

He started to hum.

“The soap?” She shoved her empty hand toward him.

“I thought ye might be a wee more comfortable with the water covering ye while ye bathe.” He nodded toward one of his men waiting upon the bank. Akira turned, not realizing anyone had followed them. “I intend to be careful with yer reputation. If ye remember, yer to wed my brother.”

“I appreciate yer thoughtfulness, but at the moment I’m more concerned about the soap. Would ye please share it?” She was cold and it was his fault she felt so miserable in the first place. When he came to a point in his song, he winked at her. Akira’s patience ran out. She lunged at him. He swerved. The slippery soap flew across the water behind him.

Forgetting the water’s depth, Akira shuffled after it with a bantering tirade.

“For someone who canna swim, yer not being verra cautious,” Bryce called after her—his back to her.

Akira sank deeper and deeper. Her wedding gown and undergarments were so heavy with thick mud, she never had a chance. Rather than waste her strength fighting to stay afloat, she willingly sank to the bottom, trying to release herself from her clothing as the murky depth swallowed her further. The strings were tied too tight. She was running out of air faster than her cold fingers could work the knots. Finally, she worked herself loose from one, but her thoughts began to slip from her. Her lungs screamed for air as she struggled to stay calm and remain sane. She had no energy, and worse, she was losing consciousness.

Lord, help me!

She couldn’t do it. Her lungs gave out in spite of her weak attempt to hold in her breath. Akira began choking. She fell to her knees as the water claimed her body. Her hands sank into a cold mushiness, and Akira could only assume she had reached the bottom.

W
hen Akira didn’t answer, a flicker of apprehension shuddered through Bryce. All seemed too quiet. He turned and she was nowhere to be found.

“Akira? Akira!”

A cold knot tightened in his stomach. He glanced back at shore, but his man paced with his attention elsewhere and obviously had not seen what had happened. He didn’t have enough time to enlist his help.