Her horse was a gift from Ruaridh, a gift that was bred and raised by him. In other words, his hard work won the match.
All of a sudden, she wondered if he had watched her. The track was far from the tents, and she had not seen him among the crowd. Callum had come to show support after she was handed her medal and mocked his sister, who came in fourth, before being pulled away by Logan. She could have asked Logan forRuaridh’s whereabouts, but he was quickly swept away by the masses.
Her eyes instinctively searched the crowd once more. To her surprise, shirtless men lined the fields.
She leaned into Sienna. “What is going on?”
She felt too scandalized to ask Grannie Ava. The idea of sharing space with underdressed men was unthinkable and improper. Being in the presence of anyone other than a friend in the same age group as her only added to her embarrassment. She would rather pretend Grannie Ava was not by her side and was not naughtily engaging in immoral behavior with a childhood friend.
Ironic, considering there was a certain man whose nudity was as commonplace as breathing.
Eagerness suddenly gripped her bones. Would Ruaridh join these men?
Suddenly, his nakedness wasn’t so ordinary.
Violet slowed her breathing when Sienna leaned in.
“Weight throw. It’s a traditional Scottish game.” Her eyes did not leave the field.
The tents were unpartitioned, and the ladies beside them were chattering loudly compared to them. A maid appeared with a tray of cool wine and some small mince pies which Violet gratefully received. cool wine and some small mince pies which Violet gratefully received.
“How is it played?”
“You see those weights over there.” Violet followed the tip of Sienna’s finger to where heavy stones lay in the grass. “Those are the weights. Each one has a chain attached and weighs about thirty-five stones. The task is for a man to lift one onto his shoulder, then toss it away from him as far as it can go. The winner is whose goes the furthest.”
Sienna went on to explain the points system and what angles were good or bad, and how it was the most anticipated event. While she spoke, she tried to animate the mechanics of the sport.
After a relatively accurate visualization, Violet decided it was an unnecessary event she would rather not watch. Until a thought crossed her mind.
If it was such a cherished sport, Ruaridh then had to participate.
“Why is nudity a requisite?”
Sienna shrugged, and Violet thought for a moment that was her only rationalization when a senile smile stretched her lips. “Because it’s entertaining.”
Violet tried to hide her own smile with an exasperated sigh. “Notwithstanding, it seems boring.”
“Believe me, it’s nae.”
“How interesting could a show of strength be?”
Before Sienna could respond, their eardrums suffered a beating by the ladies beside them when they suddenly erupted in shrill cheers.
Violet clapped her hands over her ears and looked around, on high alert. There was no sign of danger. They were not hunched in a way that showed they had been visited by any unexpected creature. The horror-stricken appearance she had expected was actually wide grins and exuberant waving.
Sienna spotted the cause of the outburst and scoffed, “Please, he isnae so impressive.”
That was when Violet saw a shirtless Callum standing at the edge of the field, waving at his admirers. When his eyes landed on their tent, he winked at his sister. Sienna gagged in response.
When he turned away, the cries resounded again. This time, Violet understood instantly, and she followed their gazes to his left side, where Ruaridh had a caber wedged against his shoulder and was pulling it towards Callum with no assistance.
His body glistened under the light of the afternoon sun. He looked even better than she had last seen him. His hard muscles were unyielding against the weight of the pole, and she couldn’t help but reminisce about the feel of them against her.
To think she had hated him when he had tossed her onto his shoulder like nothing more than a sack of potatoes and pressed her against those inviting ridges. She couldn’t imagine why she would have ever felt such an emotion. Maybe if he had stripped out of his clothes, she would have fought him less.
Heat spread through her chest and wrapped around her lungs like a cord, ridding her of the ability to breathe. Her heart fluttered as she watched him transfer the weight from his shoulder to Callum’s. She studied the muscles of his back while they were engrossed in conversation.
How had she felt that back beneath her touch and ever let him go? The fact that she had not thought to leave her mark on him vexed her.
