THE GIFT: A Highland Novella (4 page)

She regretted speaking so bluntly. But instead of being angry at the insult, he laughed again, a loud, reassuring sound that spilled over her and left inexplicable sparks of joy in its wake.

***

Roderick was grateful that nightfall came early this close to Yuletide and laid out his extra plaid for Lily well outside the circle of firelight. Pretending she was too weak to fetch her own meal, which was not far from the truth, he brought her supper to her there. The Douglas men would soon forget about
“
the lad
”
asleep in the dark behind them and quit grumbling about Roderick bringing
“
him
”
along.

He wanted to avoid trouble with them if he could, especially now that he had the lass to worry about. To make the men feel more at ease with him, he exchanged tales, threw dice, and drank with them through the long evening until finally all the Douglas men lay down for the night, rolled up in their cloaks and blankets.

Roderick stretched out on the ground next to Lily, careful not to wake her. Away from the fire, there was a sharp bite in the night air. They would wake up to frost in the morning. He lay awake long into the night, alert to every sound
—
the snorts of the Douglas men, the wind in the branches overhead, the hoot of an owl, and the soft breathing of the lass who slept an arm
’
s reach away.

Who was she? Did she have a man she was running from? Was she the seer his clan needed? What did she look like under her ill-fitting clothes? Though the last question was the least important, it occupied most of his thoughts.

He must have finally dozed off, for he awoke with a start when Lily rolled into him. It was lucky he realized that the soft body pressed into his was Lily
’
s, or his blade might be between her ribs. The thought made him break out into a sweat.

The lass must be cold. Still, he could not risk letting her stay tucked against him, lest one of the others discover them like this. With a sigh of regret, he eased her a safe distance away.

The day had been long, and this time he fell into a deep sleep. He awakened slowly, dragged from a dream of a green-eyed lass who smiled up at him as she lay in his arms. Sensing she was about to tell him something important, he fought to hold on to the dream long enough to hear it
…

Roderick
’
s eyes flew open.
By the saints
, she had done it again. The full length of her body was pressed against his
—
and now, the sky was turning gray with the coming dawn. He covered Lily
’
s mouth and leaned over her.

“
Ye cannot lie next to me as if we
’
re lovers, or they
’
ll know you
’
re a lass,
”
he said in a hushed voice.

The thought of them being lovers sent a surge of lust through his veins and made him suddenly aware of every inch that their bodies touched. He would swear he could feel her heart beat against his.

When she nodded beneath his hand, he paused a moment too long before releasing her. Then he sat up and glanced around the camp. The others were still asleep,
praise God
. He drew in a deep breath.

“
Quickly now,
”
he whispered,
“
go take care of your needs before the others are up and about.
”

He pointed to the thick shrubs that grew along the burn and watched her disappear into them. If it would not cause the Douglases to suspect some sort of treachery on the part of his chieftain, Roderick would steal away with her while they still slept.

The other men soon began to stir, so he got up and rekindled the fire. What was taking the lass so damned long? After nearly dying yesterday, surely she would know better than to run off on her own. But could she have gotten lost? The burn was only a few yards away, but the lass obviously had an abysmal sense of direction.

The Douglases were all up and ready for breakfast when he finally saw Lily
’
s small figure appear through the bushes. The tension between his shoulders eased until he noticed the distinctly feminine way she walked, swaying her hips and minding where she put her feet to avoid the mud, rather than charging ahead like a lad. When she joined him by the fire, she looked up and gave him a bright smile.

Ach
, she had scrubbed her face clean. No lad of thirteen would do that. Worse still, her face looked even lovelier without the dirt to hide it.

***

“
For the love of God,
”
the Highlander hissed at her,
“
why did ye wash your face?
”

What had she done wrong? To cover her confusion
—
and an unexpected stab of hurt
—
Lily spun away from him and sat on the plaid blanket that had served as her bed. Roderick could not truly be angry with her for washing, could he? No, that was ridiculous. He must still be upset about waking with his arms wrapped around her. Obviously, he blamed her, as men always blame women, though it was his fault entirely.

She would have pointed this out to him, if she were allowed to speak around the others.

As she watched the men line up for scoops of porridge from the pot on the fire, she wondered who Roderick had been dreaming about when he pulled her against him. Evidently he was accustomed to sleeping with someone. Poisonous tendrils of envy squeezed her heart.

She would never admit it to a living soul, but she had awakened long before he did this morning and lay still, barely breathing, so as not to wake him and end the embrace. Given the Highlander
’
s size and overbearing nature, she should have felt suffocated, trapped. Instead, she had felt truly safe for the first time in weeks.

What must it be like to wake in this warrior
’
s arms every day? To feel protected. Wanted. Even cherished.

Someone nudged her, startling her from her reverie. When she turned to find Roderick seated beside her and peering at her as if he could read the thoughts, her cheeks flamed hot. Her embarrassment gave way to hunger, however, as soon as she noticed he was holding out a steaming bowl of the porridge.

Her body had not yet recovered from going without food for so long, and the smell made her ravenous. Only after she had scraped the last spoonful from the bowl did she notice that Roderick was not eating. Traveling alone, he would carry only one bowl, and he had given it to her first. The kindness of the gesture made her immediately forgive him for snarling at her about washing her face, and she offered him a smile as she handed him his empty bowl and spoon.

Now why in heaven
’
s name was the man glaring at her again? She felt around the edge of her cap to make sure no long strands had escaped. Nothing was amiss. She glanced around the circle of men around the fire to find that a big brute with mean eyes was staring at her. From what she had overheard of the men
’
s conversation, his name was Harold, and he was the leader of the Douglas group.

“
As soon as ye can slip away without being noticed,
”
Roderick said in a low voice without looking at her,
“
I want ye to hide until this is over.
”

Until what is over?

“
The lad has a pretty face,
”
Harold said.
“
A man with imagination could pretend he was a lass.
”

“
Let him be.
”
Roderick spoke in a lazy tone and leaned back on one elbow.
“
If you
’
ve that much imagination, go bother the sheep.
”

Harold tossed his cup onto the ground and sprang to his feet.

Panic jangled through Lily
’
s limbs. The hulking Douglas warrior had murder in his eyes. She hoped Roderick would quickly apologize for insulting the man. Instead, he looked bored.

“
By now,
”
Roderick said,
“
I suppose the poor sheep hide when they see your ugly face coming.
”

“
I don
’
t fook sheep!
”
Harold shouted, clenching his fists.

“
Call it lovemaking, do ye?
”
Roderick said, and laughed.

Harold
’
s face turned a deeper shade of scarlet, and he charged Roderick like a bull. Before he planted his first step, the Highlander was on his feet wielding his huge two-handed sword. He blocked Harold
’
s first jarring blow with time to spare. Lily blinked, not quite believing anyone could move that quickly.

The other men gathered around, shouting encouragement to Harold.
“
Stick your blade in him!
” “
Knock him on his arse!
”

Lily remembered Roderick
’
s warning to hide and scurried into the bushes. Her heart was in her throat as she watched the two men go back and forth across the grass, swords clanking. She had witnessed plenty of fistfights and stabbings, but she had never watched two skilled warriors do battle. It was utterly terrifying.

Harold was a giant of a man, with a barrel chest and grotesquely thick arms and legs. Fueled by rage, he swung his sword with a blunt force meant to pound his opponent into submission.

Please, God, don
’
t let him kill my Highlander.

Guilt drenched her. She had caused this fight, though unknowingly. Her courage wavered, and she squeezed her eyes shut. But she could not escape the sounds of the fight. The shouts and grunts were loud in her ears, and the relentless
clang, clang, clang
of the swords reverberated up her spine. Unable to bear not knowing how her defender fared, she opened her eyes
—
and from that moment, she could not take them off Roderick.

She should have known her Highlander would fight like this. He was male beauty in motion. Lean and muscular, he moved with a stunning grace that made his opponent appear lumbering and ungainly. And while Harold fought with a crazed fury, her Highlander fought with a cold, deadly calm. She watched the muscles of his shoulders and back bunch and release with each smooth, sure stroke.

The shouts of the other Douglases waned as it became clear that the fight was going against their man. Harold was breathing like a dog that had been run too hard, while Roderick looked as if he could swing his sword all day long.

Roderick shot a glance in her direction, as if to reassure himself of her safety. Lily gasped as one of the Douglases took advantage of his momentary lapse to thrust a sword low in his path. Making it look effortless, Roderick leaped over the blade, and while his feet were off the ground, he hit the offender with the flat of his sword. Lily turned her head to watch the man fly backward.

By the time she whipped her gaze back to the fight, Harold was flat on his back and looking up the length of Roderick
’
s sword.
How did he do that?
Keeping the point of his sword at Harold
’
s throat, Roderick stared down the Douglas men who were circled about him until each one took a step back.

Lily had known instinctively from the first moment she looked into his eyes that he would not harm her. But now, as he stood fearless and threatening, though greatly outnumbered, she believed this fierce Highlander could protect her from any danger she was likely to face in this harsh, unfamiliar land.

What she did not yet understand was
why
he was willing to protect her.

***

Now that he had defeated their strongest warrior, Roderick doubted any of the other Douglases would challenge him. Still, there were six of them, and they were riled up. It would cause him a lot less trouble in the end if he did not have to kill them.

“
Have ye forgotten I carry a message from your chieftain?
”
Roderick asked the men who were surrounding him.
“
He
’
ll no
’
be pleased if it
’
s not safely delivered.
”

From the corner of his eye, he caught another glimpse of Lily in the bushes and was relieved she was out of the way, in case his attempt to calm the Douglas men failed. Settling disputes with words was not one of his strengths.

“
We could deliver the message ourselves,
”
one of the men said, but he took a step back when Roderick smiled at him.

“
The Lord of the Isles is my cousin, and ye know how we Highlanders feel about blood ties.
”
It was true they were cousins, though three or four times removed.
“
But if ye wish to be buried in the Highlands, there
’
s no lovelier place on God
’
s green earth.
”

“
He wouldn
’
t touch us,
”
another man said, sticking his jaw out.
“
We
’
ve all heard that your Highland custom of hospitality toward guests is unbreakable.
”

“
Ach, my cousin would never murder ye inside his home. That would be wrong,
”
Roderick said, shaking his head.
“
However, any manner of accident might befall ye on your long journey home.
”

Tension rippled through the men until Harold, who was still on his back, emitted a loud guffaw.

“
So much for the famed Highland courtesy,
”
Harold choked out between laughs.
“
Now get the hell off me!
”

Roderick took his foot off Harold
’
s chest and helped him up. Soon, they were all joking and passing a jug of whisky.