But Emeric remained planted in the muck, his brows furrowed as if he was trying to solve a riddle. “Anna,” he began, talking slowly. “Lily and Oskar aren’t at the castle.”
Anna’s heart sank. “But I thought...” she began, her words trailing off. “Where are they then? The address she gave me is around here somewhere.”
Emeric glanced at her and then away, scanning the landscape. “No, it isnae. They live in Edinburgh.”
Edinburgh? What? How could that be? Her trip—her random, unplanned trip—was starting to look like a disaster. An adventure, maybe, but still a disaster. She would have to trek back to the car—somehow—and pray she had enough fuel left to drive to that little hotel. All while covered from head to toe in mud. Fabulous. What a crappy end to a crappy day.
“Hang on,” she asked, as a thought struck her. “So why areyouhere?”
A quizzical smile played across his lips. “I’m going home.”
“Home? You mean...” She thought about this, trying to put it all together. “You mean...the castle?”
Emeric nodded. “Aye. The castle.”
Anna frowned at him, her brain turning over as she tried to make sense of this. “Youown the castle?”
He laughed at that, a pure sound that echoed in the surrounding stillness. “No, lass, I dinna own it. The castle belongs to Clan Mackintosh.”
“Clan...what?”
“Mackintosh,” he repeated patiently. “It’s the ancestral home of my family. We’ve been living there for generations.”
Wait. Just wait. This wasn’t making any sense. Why would Lily give her this address if she was in fact, living in Edinburgh? Anna sat down with an oomph and put her head in her hands. What was going on? She felt like Alice falling down the rabbit hole and ending up in some weird alternate reality.
“Lass?” Emeric asked softly. “Are ye all right?”
“Oh just fine,” Anna replied, not looking up. “I’m just trying to figure out whether I’m drunk or asleep. It has to be one of those.”
There was silence, broken only by the pattering of the rain on the leaves overhead as the edge of the storm front finally reached them. Emeric crouched beside her, his expression unreadable. “I dinna know how ye’ve ended up here, but I can offer ye a warm hearth and some food in yer belly. Why dinna ye come to the castle with me? At the very least ye can get cleaned up and warm. We can figure out the rest in the morning.”
Anna lifted her gaze from her muddy hands to meet his. His eyes were a deep green, flecked with gold and ringed with thick lashes that any woman would kill for.
“Provided ye’re not too drunk,” Emeric added with a teasing smile, “or asleep.”
Anna let out a breathy laugh, shaking her head. “All right,” she agreed, taking his extended hand.
Emeric hauled her up a little too quickly and she stumbled. Her hand flew to his chest for support and for a fleeting second, she felt the hard planes of his body underneath the wet linen shirt. Emeric steadied her with a hand on her waist, his touch warm even through the layers of damp clothing.
She swallowed hard, torn between pulling away or leaning in. But before she could make a decision, he was moving towards the horse that was sheltering under the thick foliage of a tree. It was a magnificent beast, its coat glistening wet in the fading light, steam rising from it into the cool air. Emeric approached with an unhurried ease, murmuring softly to the animal as he ran a reassuring hand down the sleek neck.
“I... I’ve never ridden a horse before,” she admitted, watching warily as he led the huge beast over.
“Ye havenae?” he asked, surprised. “Well dinna worry, Plover will take good care of ye. The quickest way out of the bog is if ye ride whilst I guide Plover.”
Anna nodded dumbly. “If you say so.”
“I do say so, lass.” He guided the animal closer, his hand never leaving the bridle. The horse—Plover—was massive and even with Emeric’s reassuring words, Anna felt a flutter of apprehension.
With his hands around her waist, he lifted her effortlessly into the saddle. The leather was slick and cold beneath her and she gasped slightly at the unexpectedsensation. Taking hold of the saddle horn tightly, she clung on for dear life.
Emeric smiled, his eyes twinkling with amusement at her clear discomfort. Was he finding this funny? “Ready? Then let’s get out of here.”
He took hold of Plover’s reins and clucked to the horse. Plover lurched into motion and Anna clutched at the saddle horn to keep from being dunked right back into the mud.
As they made their way steadily through the bog, ducking under low hanging willows, and trying to find the driest route, Anna couldn’t help looking at the man beside her. What were the chances that Emeric of all people—the man she’d been dreaming of every time she went on a date with someone else—would be the one to come to her aid in that bog?
The balance is out of kilter because ye are not where and when ye are supposed to be, Anna Webster. But now ye have a chance to change that.
