THE GIFT: A Highland Novella Read Free

thoughts about a lass who was too young. But what in hell was he going to do with her? He had an important mission to complete for his chieftain, and he must not tarry. Yet he could not leave her here to die.
    When she finished eating the small strip of venison, she leaned against him, as if exhausted from the effort. His heart did an odd flip.
    “ A bit more whisky will help, lass. ” He lifted the flask to her lips and held her close to keep her warm.
    Thump-thump, thump-thump. At the sound of hoofbeats, he slammed her to the ground.
    “ I travel with strangers, ” he said an inch from her face. “’ Tis best they not discover that ye are a lass. Understand? ”
    “ Aye, ” she said, and her breath tickled his lips.
    For a dangerous moment, he stared into her remarkable green eyes and forgot where he was and how he came to be lying half on top of her. By the saints, how could any man be fooled by her disguise? He picked up her cap and began stuffing her hair into it. If the others caught a glimpse of her long, wild locks, the chance of deceiving them would go from poor to none.
    “ No one else has found me out, ” she said, as if she ’ d heard his thoughts.
    With deft fingers, she tucked the curls he ’ d missed out of sight under the cap.
    He sat up in time to see the Douglas men appear over the hill. “ Here they come. ”
    As she craned her neck to see over the tall grass, she leaned against him, startling him with her touch. He wondered again why she trusted him so easily. She shouldn ’ t. When she turned to look at him, her expression was alert, but not frightened, despite the half-dozen warriors who were nearly upon them.
    “ We ’ ve no time to agree upon a story, ” Roderick said, speaking quickly. “ I ’ ll tell them something. Just don ’ t contradict me. ”
    “ I won ’ t. ” She gave him a solemn wink, then closed her eyes and went limp in his arms.
    “ Jesu, ” he said under his breath as he looked down at her, “ who are you? ”
    ***
    Lily was not on regular speaking terms with God, but she sent up a prayer of thanks that it was the handsome man with the bluest eyes she ’ d ever seen who found her, and not one of these other men. As she listened to their voices above her, she knew in her bones that she would not have been safe with any of them.
    Her rescuer had hair as black as the devil and a startling number of weapons strapped to his tall, muscular frame. She should have been frightened by him, but when she awoke to those dark blue eyes staring intently into hers, she saw kindness in them and trusted him at once.
    “ Who ’ s the lad, Highlander? ” one of the other men asked.
    “ How am I to know? He ’ s too weak to speak, ” her rescuer said. “ We ’ ll have to take him with us until we can find someone to care for him. ”
    The voices of the others rose, insisting that he “ keep to the task ” and “ leave the lad behind. ” The Highlander simply waited until they ran out of words.
    “ Do as ye please, ” he told them, “ but I won ’ t leave a half-grown lad to die. ”
    He scooped Lily off the ground, and the next thing she knew she was sitting in front of him on his horse. Her bag, which was still tied to her by its strap, came with her and slapped against her hip. Though she had ridden in a cart before, she ’ d never sat on a horse ’ s back. It all happened so quickly that she barely managed to stifle a scream. A trifle late, she remembered to loll her head forward — and prayed her cap stayed in place.
    “ I ’ ll take the lead, ” the Highlander shouted to the others, then he whispered in her ear, “ We ’ ll get some distance from them so we may speak freely. Hold on. ”
    The sensation of his breath on her cheek and the deep rumble of his voice through her back made her slow to take in his words. An instant later, the Highlander ’ s arm tightened around her waist, and she was slammed backward against his chest as the horse bolted