Page 14 of The Highlander’s Kilted Affair

“All right,” he said confidently. “Are ye ready?”

“I am,” Evelyn replied.

“Then, on three.”

Benedict counted down, and then, they were off. Evelyn had learned a technique that had worked for her many times before, and pushing her feet into the stirrups, she lifted herself off the saddle and leaned forward and down, bringing herself close to the horse’s mane.

With her hair streaming behind her, and the wind tugging at her frock, she pushed the beast as hard as she dared, feeling her legs burning with the effort. Too busy concentrating on pushing on ahead, Evelyn did not look back. She knew Benedict was behind her, but she did not know how far. Panting with the exertion, the tree line loomed ever closer, and with a final push, she pressed the horse as fast as she could.

The trees now towered above her, and for fear of not being able to stop, she slowed the beast down, and came to a halt just before them. Breathless from the effort, she turned to see Benedict arriving swiftly behind her. He was grinning from ear to ear, his expression a mixture of delight and amazement.

“My God, woman, ye can ride,” he chuckled, when he brought his horse to a standstill beside her own.

“Ye’re nae mad that I won,” Evelyn said.

“Nae at all,” he panted, still grinning. “It’s always a pleasure tae be positively surprised. I tell ye this, Evelyn, ye might look delicate and elegant, but ye ride like a mad soldier.”

Benedict jumped from his horse with ease, and approaching Evelyn, took her by the waist and gently lifted her down to the ground. Both of them were still out of breath, and for a moment, only stood there, gazing at each other. Benedict took a step toward her, and lifting his hand, he took something from her hair.

“Even nature is attracted tae ye,” he said softly, handing her the leaf he had plucked from her wild strands. “Is yer faither nae displeased that ye always wear yer hair down?”

Evelyn shook her head. “Me maither always wore her hair down. Me faither preferred it that way.”

A strange sadness washed over her at the mention of her mother. She had thought of her often on the journey to Gunn castle, but now she was there, it finally hit her that her mother would not be there to see her marry. It didn’t matter that it was an arranged marriage, or that she felt nothing for the man she was going to marry. She would still have liked her mother to be there to see it.

Shaking her head to rid the thoughts from her mind, Evelyn said, “Ye owe me an answer.”

Benedict shrugged and nodded. “That I dae. What is yer question?”

Without hesitation, Evelyn said, “Where is Benedict?”

Benedict’s eyes flew wide, and he took a step back, as though he had been struck. Clearly, he was surprised at her question, but Evelyn deduced he was not answering immediately because he was trying to form an answer. Eventually, he said, “Ye want tae ken where my braither is?”

He was deflecting, but she was determined that he was not going to ignore the answer she was making him give. “Yes, I’m curious, I hope that is nae rude?” she repeated.

“Well,” he said, clearly struggling, “Benedict is in a place he never imagined tae be. But he was needed, so he had tae obey his laird’s request.”

Evelyn tilted her head and looked at him, waiting for more.

“I cannae tell ye any more than that, Evelyn.”

Evelyn played with the necklace at her throat. He hadn’t lied to her, and she admired that fact. It was a rather convoluted answer, but, it was still the truth. It did make her wonder where Audor was, and why he had not simply told her and her father that he had to go away. Surely, that would have been the better option. But she did not know the man, and thus, could not understand his reasoning in having his brother stand in for him.

“That necklace must be important tae ye,” Benedict said. “Ye fiddle with it all the time. Who⁠—”

A scream echoed through the dense woods, making both of them jerk their heads and look toward where the sound had come from.

“Someone is in trouble,” Evelyn said.

Without hesitation, she rushed into the woods and headed toward the scream, jumping over small bushes, and avoiding trailing branches. By his panting and the noise he made breaking through the trees, Evelyn knew Benedict was right behind her.

The scream got louder, and she changed direction, her eyes searching ahead, trying to discover who it was that was in trouble. Less than a minute later, the scream came again, and Evelyn’s eyes flew wide at the sight before her.

“Och, my God. It is a child.”

Benedict and Evelyn came to a sudden halt beneath a tree. Above them, a small child of no more than five, hung precariously at a great height. Clearly terrified, the child was crying uncontrollably, which, to Evelyn, made the situation worse, given the only thing stopping him from falling was his tunic that had caught on a small branch above him.

“We have tae help him.”