If the filthy dogs find a young and bonny thing likeye on this deserted island, they’ll all be thinking the same thing,lassie. They’ll knock each other down, racing to see which one ofthem can lay his hand on ye first. But do not let them touch ye,Tess. Ye fight them, child, ye hear? Better yet, go and hide and donot let any of them see ye in the first place.
Tess circled around, staying in the shadows andcrouching as she moved along the low stone wall that surrounded theruins of the priory. All the while, she kept an eye on the man’ssleeping form as she considered what she needed to take.
The door creaked a little as she pushed it open. Shelooked back toward the Highlander. He hadn’t stirred.
As soon as she had closed the door behind her, shestood in the dark and took off the dripping cloak. Feeling for thefamiliar peg, she hung her cloak and turned toward the steps. Afterso many hours in the cold, her knees protested as she tried toclimb the stairs, but she pushed herself on anyway.
Food. Dry clothes. Blankets. Flints. She wondered ifthe pile of seaweed and driftwood she’d gathered and stored in oneof the caves a year ago would still be there. When she reached thelanding, Tess saw there was some red glow left of the dying fire inthe hearth. The cauldron was hanging where she’d left it.
There was nothing that Tess wanted to do more thandry and warm herself first. In her rush to get to the fire, though,she slipped and nearly fell on some seashells that the Highlandermust have moved. Quickly regaining her balance, she made her waymore cautiously across the room.
The heat from the embers felt heavenly after herhours in the bitter wet and cold. She crouched on the hearth andadded some dried seaweed and a couple of small pieces of driftwoodthat were nearby. While she waited for the fire to kindle and cometo life, she pressed her hands to the sides of the cauldron andalmost sighed aloud with pleasure from its warmth.
“I shouldn’t eat any of that, if I were you.”
CHAPTER 2
The young woman sprang to her feet and whirledaround with the quickness of a cat. Colin stared at his own dagger,drawn and ready in her hand.
“I believe that dirk belongs to me,” he saidcalmly.
She waved the weapon at him in a motion that heunderstood meant that she wanted him to back away. He didn’t wanther any more frightened than she was, but he was as far away as hecould get. Sitting in the dim light against the far wall, he hadseen her enter, only to slip on some of the seashells thatcluttered the room. She had been lucky to not crack her head.
“Why don’t you put that weapon down.” He leanedcasually against the wall.
She raised her elbow a little, ready to strike, andtook a step toward the stairs.
Colin tore his gaze away from the dagger and studiedthe rest of her. She was the same woman that he had seen by thetidal pool. The same dark eyes sparkled in the growing firelight.But her face was stained with streaks of dirt, and in the dim lightof the room, all he could see was that she was young…well, youngerthan he was. Her dark hair was soaked and a loose braid lay on herback like a thick rope. The woolen dress that she had no doubt spunand woven and sewn herself was also dripping wet. She was a weething, all in all, and Colin knew he could overpower her if hereally wanted to. But despite the show of toughness, she wasshivering and pale. Colin frowned, knowing that because of himshe’d been forced to stay outside.
“I had no intention of frightening you.”
He raised both hands so she could see he was notarmed. She continued to inch toward the steps. Colin could see thatshe wasn’t too steady on her feet. He straightened from the wall.The continuing storm was whistling in through the slits of thewindows.
“Listen, you rescued me yourself. You know I waswashed ashore. Alone.” He kept his tone gentle. “You’ll surelycatch your death in this weather, dressed in those wetclothes.”
Her foot went out from beneath her as she slippedagain on the same damn shells, and Colin closed the distancebetween them. Before he could lend a hand to her, though, sherolled to her side and slashed at him with the dirk.
“Bloody hell,” he cursed, glancing down at the tornsleeve of his shirt where the dagger had sliced through. His tonereflected his rising temper. She’d barely missed cutting his flesh.“I told you I mean no harm.”
She was struggling to her feet, but he was throughtrying to help her. Taking one quick step, Colin kicked the daggerout of her hand. The weapon clattered loudly against the stonewall.
“But you cannot expect me to take it kindly whensomeone steals my dirk and uses it against me.” He grabbed the backof her dress and yanked her slight frame to her feet. She was aslight and helpless as a rag doll. He turned her around in his arm,so he could take a better look at her face. She hadn’t spoken aword. Maybe she didn’t understand what he was saying. “Now let’sstart from the beginning, lass.”
She kicked him hard on the shin.
“By the devil!” He tightened his grip on hershoulder. “I told you…”
She delivered a glancing jab to his face and triedto push away from him. Angry now, he twisted one of her arms behindher and pulled her roughly against his body. The dark eyes werespitting fire at him, and she looked like she’d bite him if she gotthe chance.
“Now listen, I don’t know what has you so…”
Her knee connected solidly and viciously with hisgroin area. He gasped for breath, and his hands released her.
As Colin tried to catch his breath, he saw her rundown the steps and heard the door bang open. Suddenly, he’d lostall interest in going after her. She was a witch, a devil, amadwoman.
Nonetheless, she had managed to drag him out of thewater, and he felt a pang of guilt.
Grimacing with pain, he forced himself upright andtook a step. Limping down the stairs, he spotted the leather cloakthat still hung on a peg. This was the same one she had beenwearing when he’d first seen her. He stepped outside. His fire wasstarting to burn lower. The bundle of blankets and sticks he’d usedto fool her were still against the wall. The storm continued tolash at the island, and he braced himself against the wind. Colinlet his gaze roam over the ruined buildings and the hills aroundhim. To his left, he saw a dark shadow move quickly over the crestof a hill.
