AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Logan followed her gaze to the vista of woodland pastures topped by the craggy hills of the Trossachs. Flashes of blue in the glens hinted at the small lochs and streams that dotted this part of Scotland. In the distance, the setting sun glinted off the watery shield of Katrine, which they might have to cross to reach the safety of Donella’s ancestral home.
The loch was his back-up plan. If Alec failed to show by midafternoon tomorrow, he’d get Donella down to Katrine, find a boatman, and cross to Blairgal by water. It was risky, since it would involve going into one of the local villages, but it would also be the quickest way to get her home.
“Those years in the convent . . . I’d almost forgotten how beautiful it is here,” Donella dreamily added.
He studied her face, with its high, elegant cheekbones and proud nose, both softened by a whimsical splash of freckles. The lines were splendid, befitting an ancient Celtic princess. With her long neck and straight-backed posture, one might think she’d just stepped off the dance floor instead of trudging up a mountain path. Even the tousled hair and rumpled cap couldn’t detract from her natural beauty. In fact, he rather liked the effect. It made her seem almost raffish, like a tomboy, but one who, in an instant, could transform into a beautiful, graceful woman.
It was a silly thought that made his heart hurt like hell. Because in a way that made no sense at all, Donella had suddenly reminded him of his wife.
He stared out at the splendid view, forced to blink several times to clear his vision.
“Yes, it’s quite grand,” he said gruffly. “Nothing like the mountains around Loch Long, of course, but the Trossachs will do nicely.”
Donella made a derisive sound. “The Trossachs aremilesbetter than your part of Scotland. We have Loch Lomond, after all, and Rob Roy’s cave, and Ben Venue, and Loch Katrine—”
He held up a hand to stop her, stifling a chuckle. Castle Kinglas and Blairgal Castle were only a day’s ride from each other, and yet she displayed the bred-in-the-bone loyalty to hearth and home that typified the Scottish clansman or woman.
“You have them, but we have Loch Long,” he said.
“What’s so special about Loch Long?”
“It’s long.”
Donella laughed. It was the first, full-throated laugh he’d heard since meeting her, and it was warm and sweet and comforting, like a bowl of hot chocolate on a cold winter’s morning. He and his brothers had drunk the stuff by the jugful when they were lads. In those days, when their family had been happy and whole, life had seemed like a wonderful adventure just waiting to happen.
The sound of her laugh was entirely unexpected, and it eased the ache to his soul when he thought of his wife and all he’d lost with her passing.
“On that ridiculous note,” she said, rising and peering up the trail, “I suppose we’d best be on our way. How much longer, do you think?”
“Only about an hour to the top, and then a wee jog down to the crofter’s cottage. We’ll spend the night there and hopefully join up with Alec in the morning.”
“Are you sure he’ll be able to find us? Alasdair was away from home for over ten years. He might not be familiar with these parts.”
Logan picked up her bundle and handed it over. “I gave Foster very specific instructions.”
Donella nodded before starting up the trail, her limp more pronounced than before.
“Hold up, lass.”
She looked over her shoulder. “Yes?”
“I’m worried about that limp.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “It’s just a blister. I’ll be fine.”
Blisters were anything but fine. They could quickly go raw, or even get infected. Then they’d be in trouble.
He dropped his pack. “Sit down and take off your boot.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. As you’ve already noted, darkness is fast approaching, and we need to reach that cottage before nightfall.”
The prissy, almost-nun had returned. Bizarrely, he found her even more adorable when she was scolding him.
“You don’t have to prove your mettle to me, Miss Haddon. But it’s foolish for you to suffer if there’s something I can do about it.”
“My boots are too big, so they’re rubbing. I’ll soak my foot when we reach the cottage.”
Logan adopted a glower that sometimes caused women to shriek and men to wobble at the knees. “Take your damn boot off. I will not have you suffering, nor will I allow your foot to become infected.”
