“Where did you get the horse?” she asked, trying to sound calmer than she felt.
“Father Martin agreed to let us borrow him. I’ll bring him back when we return from Tara.” Killian took the animal by the reins and held them out. “Hold him for a moment while I get food and water. If we ride quickly, we should arrive at the MacEgan holdings by nightfall.”
No, she was not getting on the horse. Her insides clenched at the very thought of it.
“We should not take Father Martin’s only horse when we do not need it. We can walk just as easily.”
He eyed her as if she’d lost her wits. Then he walked over to her and took her by the hand, placing the reins inside her palm. “Hold this.”
Her mind and body froze, her knees shaking. All she could think of was the horse rearing up and the sickening sound as her brother’s head struck the stone. The horse leaned closer, sniffing at her, and the moment she felt his warm breath, Taryn dropped the reins and fled toward the chapel. She didn’t care how cowardly she appeared—she simply had to run away.
When she reached the chapel, she leaned against the stone wall and sat down, burying her face in her knees. Her cheeks were burning with humiliation, and it hurt to breathe. Her heart pounded so fast, she felt as if she’d been running for an hour.
She knew Killian would pursue her, but she could not ride a horse. Not anymore.
But when she felt the shadow of his presence, he said nothing about her sudden flight. “Come here,” he said quietly.
“I’m not getting on that horse.” It was best to be perfectly clear about this. “I will ride in a wagon, if we must. But I will not ride on horseback.”
He said nothing but offered his hand. Her instinct warned her not to take it, but then again, she could not sit here all morning. They had to leave or risk her mother’s men finding them.
With great reluctance, she took his hand, and he helped her to stand. Then he returned to the horse and spent several minutes securing food and water to the animal. It seemed that he intended to take the gelding with them, though she was adamant about not riding.
Then he mounted the animal and rode the horse toward her. A sinking feeling caught her stomach. He wasn’t going to let her walk; that much was clear.
She stood her ground and faced him. “I said we don’t need the horse, MacDubh.”
“We do,a chara. And you’ve no reason to be afraid.”
He was wrong in that. She had watched her brother die in the accident. And no matter how he tried to convince her otherwise, she had no intention of going anywhere on horseback. She hurried her pace, even knowing he would likely catch up to her.
Closer he rode, and she pushed herself to run faster. But within seconds, he reached down and caught her by the waist, lifting her up with almost no effort at all. She stifled a shriek as he hauled her atop the horse.
The motion of the animal terrified her, and she fought Killian’s grasp. For a moment, the fear drowned her, until she was unable to stop her response. He was trying to subdue her, but the memories were so strong, she hardly knew what was happening.
In her memories, she heard her brother’s shouted warning. There was a moment of confusion when she’d watched the horse’s hooves rise up. Christopher had gripped the reins, but to no avail. He fell backward, his head striking a stone.
And then the blood. The haze of red haunted her still.
The horse reared up, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still. There was a curious moment of calm when the horse threw her off. Taryn felt herself falling and wondered if this was what her brother had known before his life had ended.
Instead, she hit the ground and rolled over. Pain reverberated through her, and for a moment, she couldn’t move. She staredup at the gray sky, startled to realize that she was alive. Seconds later, a furry face peered down at her.
It was the cat, Harold.
Taryn grimaced, but the animal sniffed at her face before walking on top of her with soft paws. Gingerly, she sat up, trying to move away from the feline. Then Killian came toward her, his face infuriated. “Why did you fight me? You were perfectly safe until you frightened our horse.”
She didn’t know whether to laugh or begin weeping. Of course, he didn’t know why she was afraid. Even if he did understand, she guessed that Killian MacDubh was not about to let her walk all the way to Laochre.
“I told you I didn’t want to go on horseback,” Taryn said meekly. She rubbed at her back, knowing she would be bruised for days.
Killian stared at her, and she felt even more self-conscious beneath his gaze. It was as if he thought her a foolish girl who couldn’t even ride a horse. And well, that was true, but she had her reasons.
Taryn rose to stand and regarded him. “I know what you think of me. But I cannot control the way I feel when I’m around animals.” She rubbed at her lower back, trying to ease the ache. “I don’t like being afraid, but it’s impossible for me to ride.”
It was so humiliating, feeling as if she became another person when the fears took hold. Killian moved in, and he stood before her. She tried to walk away from him, but he caught her hand. “What happened to you?”
She kept her gaze fixed upon the ground, wishing she could go back and stop all of the helpless feelings. Around this man, she was more aware of her weaknesses, and right now, she wanted to disappear.
