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Graeme also kept the hut stocked with fuel, blankets, and other basics in case of emergencies. The weather changed quickly in the Highlands, and dangerously so in winter. The hut could serve as shelter for any crofter or shepherd caught out in the open.
His instincts told him, however, that Jeannie was not in there. “I think—”
A rumble of ominously loud thunder cut him off. Kathleen’s horse skittered a bit, but she quickly brought the mare under control.
“That’s getting too close for comfort,” she said as she peered at the storm clouds piling up over the loch.
“Aye, there’s no avoiding that mess now. That’s why I wanted you to remain at the house.”
They’d had a short but heated argument before beginning the search. After threatening to bash him over the head with a vase, Kathleen had marched off to the stables, leaving Grant with no choice but to lock her in her bedroom or go searching with her. Since he prided himself on both his logic and his sense of self-preservation, he’d chosen the second alternative.
Kathleen flashed him a scowl. “We’ve had this discussion.”
“Without effect.”
“Grant Kendrick, I will clobber you over the head if you don’t cease pestering me,” she threatened again, looking adorably fierce.
“Lass, I know you’re worried, but I’m fairly convinced at this point that one of the others has found Jeannie or she returned home on her own.”
They weren’t the only ones searching, of course. Davey and one of the grooms had headed out in the opposite direction, and Sabrina had sent one of the stable boys running for Graeme and Angus.
“For us, though,” he added, “that storm’s about to hit. Sowewill now be taking shelter in the blasted hut.”
The first drops of rain began to splatter in the dust and on their clothing. The rising wind kicked up dirt devils, and as if to hurry them along, a bolt of lightning shot across the sky, followed by growl of thunder.
Kathleen grimly nodded. “Lead on, sir.”
By the time they reached the hut, the loch frothed with whitecaps and a heavy curtain of rain swiftly approached across the water. Graeme dismounted then went to help Kathleen down from her horse. As she came gracefully into his arms, her glossy curls brushed against his cheeks. For a moment, when their bodies pressed together, he had to fight the overwhelming urge to capture her lush lips with his mouth.
As if in rebuke for his wandering thoughts, a gust of wind snatched off his hat.
Grant nudged Kathleen toward the cabin. “Inside with you, while I take care of the horses.”
She shielded her eyes from the wind. “Let me help.”
“No need. There’s a horse shed out back. It’ll only take me a few minutes.”
She seemed inclined to argue, but suddenly the wall of rain finally hit them with driving force.
“Go,” he barked.
Kathleen dashed up onto the small porch, wrenched the door open, and disappeared into the hut.
Grant led the increasingly skittish animals around to the back. The sturdy shed behind the hut was big enough for two horses or a pair of cattle. Thankfully, Graeme had recently restocked it with hay and blankets for just such an emergency.
Grant unsaddled the horses, gave each a quick rubdown, and got them settled as best he could.
As the rain poured down in sheets, he ran around the hut and took the steps in one leap. Kathleen, who’d obviously been watching for him, opened the door.
Grant swiped his dripping hair aside as he glanced around the hut. “No Jeannie.”
Kathleen unpinned her once-jaunty riding hat. “No.”
Clearly frustrated, she tossed the bedraggled hat onto the table in the center of the one-room hut. “I can only hope she’s home by now. Jeannie hates thunder and lightning.”
Grant took off his greatcoat and slung it on a hook by the door. “She probably saw the storm coming in and scurried back home to safety.”
Kathleen stared at him, her pewter-gray eyes as turbulent as the skies outside. “Do you truly think that, or are you just trying to make me feel better?”
