Chapter Five
Daniel was so sure of his choice of wife that he would have loved to invite Laird Munro into his solar right then and negotiate the betrothal agreement.
Lady Beth was everything a young lass was not supposed to be.
She rode a horse like a man, drank ale at the inn, also whisky if she was to be believed, and just now began to sing from memory one of the most popular tavern songs in Scotland.
But he knew if he pushed too hard too fast, she would find a way to completely step away.
He needed to convince her, but he had to work at it.
But then, anything worthwhile had to be won with hard work.
He’d learned that as a warrior. If he hadn’t had the training his da had insisted on, he would have been killed in one of the few battles in which he’d been involved.
Lady Beth made a quick exit from the room and he felt a tad let down since he’d intended to spend some time speaking with the lass and finding out what other outrageous things she was capable of.
*
The next morning Daniel headed to the stables just as Lady Beth was speaking with the stable master, her arms waving as she spoke.
“Is there a problem, lass?” he asked, knowing precisely what the issue was.
The lass turned to him, her hands on her hips. “Aye. Yer stablemaster said I couldna have a horse.”
He shook his head, attempting to look regretful. “’Tis true, lass. I told him no’ to let ye ride alone. As I said before, ’tis dangerous to be out there by yourself. Since ye are a guest in my home, ’tis my job to protect ye.”
She growled. “From what?”
He smiled at that remark and took the reins of his horse from the stablemaster and said, “Yerself.”
She scowled and he had to hold in his laughter. He’d given those instructions to his stablemaster because he wanted to make sure she couldn’t leave without him. Despite the fact that he wanted to ride with her, it was truly dangerous for a woman to be outside the castle walls unprotected.
Even though times were quiet right now, the Jacobites were beginning to rattle their swords, which caused a lot of stress among the clans.
He’d heard recently that some clan folk were either tossed from their clans or left on their own because of a division in politics. These men roamed the area, attacking men for their coin and women for what they could get from them, whether they agreed or not.
“I am taking a ride now, so we can go together.”
Instead of answering him, Lady Beth turned to the stablemaster. “May I have the same horse I had yesterday?”
She huffed when the man turned to him and looked for permission. “Aye, James, she can have the same horse. She had no trouble handling Tiger.”
Once they were both mounted, Daniel led them from the outer bailey, across the drawbridge and off to the hills and valleys. They rode for about an hour before he shouted to her to follow him.
He led them to an area with a pond.
They both dismounted, guided their horses to the water and rubbed them down with grass. Again Daniel was impressed with how Lady Beth immediately began the procedure, not waiting for him to take care of her horse as most lasses would.
He decided it was time to take a chance.
Once she was finished with the horse, she turned to him, brushing her hands off. He stood only about a foot away and said nothing, only studied her. She looked up at him with confusion. Before she could say anything, he cupped her face in his hands and lowered his head.
Her lips were as sweet and soft as he’d thought they would be. So far she hadn’t kicked him in uncomfortable places or bit his lips, so he took the kiss further, sliding his tongue along her lips until she opened. Warmth, sweetness, softness.
Tentatively, she touched her tongue to his. He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her plush body until he could feel her heart pounding against his chest. Unfortunately, she pushed him away and stood there, her breath coming in gasps. “Why did ye do that?”
Not sure himself since ’twas not planned he shrugged. “I doona ken. It just seemed like the thing to do.”
She touched her lips with her fingertip. “I think we should return to the keep.”
What he wanted to do was grab her again and kiss her until neither one of them could breathe, but he was certain this time he would get kicked or slapped in the face.
“Aye.” He moved to her and hoisted her onto Tiger, then mounted Atlas, turning to lead them back to the open fields.
They rode slower than before, not speaking to each other, but at least she wasn’t threatening to tell her da. Then again, she would not do that because he would demand they marry immediately.
After about another five minutes, he said, “Are ye all right, lass?” He couldn’t stand the silence.
She stared straight ahead. “Aye.”
He tried to think of something else to say, but couldn’t, so he remained silent.
“Ye see that hedge up ahead?” She finally spoke to him, and everything seemed normal.
“Aye. I see it.” He’d sailed over that shrub many times.
She looked at him with humor in her eyes. “Let’s jump over it.”
He shook his head. “I doona ken, lass. ’Tis an unfamiliar horse ye’er on, and that hedge is taller than it appears from here.”
“Are ye afraid, then?” she said with a smirk.
“Nay, I’ve done it dozens of times but I doona think ye should do it.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized he should not have said that. Lady Beth was not the type of lass to be told what to do.
Or what not to do.
She looked at him and grinned. He groaned when she kicked her horse’s sides and raced toward the hedge. He followed but purposely stayed back so as not to distract her. He frowned, not liking the way she was approaching the hedge.
He held his breath as she sailed over the hedge cleanly and landed on the other side. She turned the horse and started back over again. He didn’t think that was a good idea because the angle for the jump was off.
“Nay, doona try that!”
Either she didn’t hear him or chose to ignore him. She flew over the hedge, lost her balance and went flying from the animal’s back, landing in a heap, rolling a few feet before coming to a stop.
“Beth!!”