Chapter 3
Drake remained stiff in his saddle, where he perched precariously, as far back as was possible. Anything to keep his distance from Greer.
He’d caught sight of the way she looked at him when he suggested they share his destrier. Unease.
He was not ignorant to the ways many men treated women, especially the lasses of little means.
But most importantly, he was a brother, someone who had over time learned the inner thoughts of women, confessed to him by his sisters in moments where they sought his counsel.
In the years he had been their confidante, he had compiled that learning into a great list in his head to ensure he always demonstrated utmost respect when it came to women.
And in this case, that meant keeping his body from touching Greer’s.
He was glad she had joined them. The way she had eaten continued to play out in his mind, her hands shaking as she brought the food to her lips, her throat swallowing too fast despite the measured pace with which she chewed as if she could not consume the food quickly enough.
It troubled him to imagine her on the road, traveling without protection, hungry and without shelter.
For surely, if she could not afford food, then she certainly could not afford an inn for the night, which left her at the mercy of the elements and exposed to the possibility of attacks.
There were expenses for her care that he could gladly see to in an effort to assist her home safely.
She put up a strong front, of course, wielding a shield over her emotions to keep anyone from getting too close.
Save Bean, who gazed up at her with the undeniable twinkle of adoration.
But there was something vulnerable there within.
It was buried deep but appeared in subtle flashes in her eyes: a glint of wariness. It woke in him a need to protect her.
She was too slight despite her fiery spirit, her body unable to keep up with the strength of her determination.
Rage simmered through him when he thought back to the nobleman who had struck her. What would he have done if Drake had not run him off?
The sun was still high in the sky when Drake suggested they stop.
It was far earlier than when he ordinarily would have paused for a respite, but he suspected Greer was not used to riding for several hours on end.
A brief break would most likely do her good.
His back could use a reprieve as well if he were being honest. Holding himself rigid for so long left a jabbing pain in the lower area over his hips, and he couldn’t wait to walk it loose.
They located a spring before halting their steeds and sliding to the ground. Drake helped Greer from the horse, careful to touch only her hand and not reach for her waist, even when she stumbled slightly upon landing on unsteady legs.
She regained her balance and gazed up at him, her long-lashed green eyes beautiful and sunlit in the summer afternoon.
A smattering of light freckles dusted the bridge of her nose and the tops of her cheeks.
Her lower lip was fuller than the top one, and Drake was hit with the sudden urge to run his tongue along its plumpness—to sample the taste of her mouth.
He turned away abruptly and clenched his hand into a fist to squeeze away the unwanted desire. “I should gather wood.”
“Are we making camp here?” Bean asked.
Drake shook his head. “Nay, but there’s a good bit of tinder about,” he replied brusquely. “I’ll gather some now for tonight’s fire.”
Without waiting for Bean to reply, Drake strode off into the surrounding woods with intent. Too late, he realized he’d left his sword behind. He wouldn’t go back for it. Not now, when his temptation for Greer was so great.
He hadn’t known where that lash of desire had come from. The lass was appealing, aye, and triggered in him a need to protect. But that was as far as it ought to go. He shouldn’t have the urge to study her mouth, the desire to kiss her.
There was only one other time he had felt thus…with one other woman…
He drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes.
Immediately, Anice came to mind. Long, curling blonde hair, innocent blue eyes, her beauty otherworldly. And not meant to be his.
She was happily married, and he’d been glad to see her thus. She was a good woman who deserved only the best in life.
He only wished it hadn’t caused him so much pain.
His life had no room for romantic entanglements. Drake had long ago set aside his own happiness to see to his sisters and mother. And now that they were safe, he could ignore his longing for a family of his own a little longer, at least until he had earned the title of knight.
There would always be time for love later when he was ready. After all, wasn’t that how love was best found?
Greer stood rooted to the spot where she’d dismounted from Drake’s horse. He had been almost formal when he’d helped her down, but there was something in the way his gaze had lingered on her face. There was interest—enough that she thought for half a moment that he might kiss her.
The realization hadn’t been met with dread but with a little flutter in her stomach. A curious reaction, not one she normally had towards men. And a reaction she was not inclined to explore.
She was simply here to gain access to his sword and horse before fleeing to get to Mac faster.
She turned from the horse and found Bean staring at her, a slight flush coloring his cheeks.
“Ye’re no’ going with him?” she teased.
Bean looked after Drake with a frown.
“Ach, I was only jesting.” She winked at him and strode toward the narrow stream to splash the dust from her face. The water was cool against her gritty skin despite the otherwise warm day, and she breathed in the scent of damp, rich earth.
It would be far easier if Bean left, but she knew better than to be so obvious in her suggestions.
“In truth…” Bean pursed his lips. “I wasna going with him to gather wood, but I do have a need to wander from camp a bit. If ye dinna mind.”
He squirmed with his legs pressed together as his cheeks deepened to a mortified red.
“Nay.” Greer shook her head before his embarrassment could overwhelm him. “I dinna mind in the least.” She waved her hand. “Off with ye.”
He gave her a grateful smile, reminiscent of the ones Mac so often sent her way that the force of it struck her directly in the heart. Bean scampered off, wandering through the tightly packed trees until he was out of sight.
This was her chance.
She rushed from the stream to where the destrier was still strapped with the saddle holding Drake’s sword. He’d gone into the woods without it. She’d noticed it as soon as he’d left, half expecting him to come back to reclaim it.
This was all too easy. Nothing in her life had ever been easy.
She glanced about before scrambling onto the high back of the destrier. In one swift move, she could be gone with his bag, his sword and steed. She lifted the worn leather reins and clicked her tongue.
The horse didn’t move.
She tapped her heels to its sides.
Still, the horse didn’t move.
Wasn’t that the way of getting the beast to trot onward? By clicking one’s tongue and tapping their heels against the great velvety bellies?
She’d never owned a horse to know what to do. It looked simple enough, but the beast refused to abide by her commands.
Damn.
Sweat ran down her back, and urgency pressed at her. Drake and Bean would not be gone long. She didn’t have time to trifle with a stubborn horse.
Jumping down from the massive beast, she plucked Drake’s sheathed sword from the saddle. She moved to grab his bag and stopped. He had been kind to her. She couldn’t leave him with no coin, no food.
Leaving his bag in place, she hustled to Bean’s small horse, hopped on its back and clicked her tongue.
The petite, compliant animal strode forward without hesitation.
Granted, the beast wouldn’t fetch nearly the price a destrier would, but travel would be far faster, and whatever she could sell it for in Lochmaben would be beneficial. Every bit of coin would be needed.
She’d watched Drake’s movements guiding his own horse with a careful eye in the hours they’d ridden and applied the same motions now.
That she was able to navigate at all was most likely due to the mount’s gentleness and less to do with her own inadequate skill.
But she still managed to wind her way through the woods, not back the way they came or even in the direction they’d headed, but to the far right.
Her heels tapped the beast’s sides, and the pace quickened to a trot that jarred her where she bounced in the hard saddle. It would not take long for Drake and Bean to realize she’d gone, nor to realize what had been stolen. They would, of course, be chasing after her.
Sunlight dappled her path as she squeezed between trees whose slender trunks grew almost too close to one another. Perfect for a pony, but a deterrent for a destrier. Mayhap would save Drake from catching her as his horse could travel far faster than hers otherwise.
Seconds crawled into minutes as she waited for a shout behind her. It did not come.
The forest began to thin, and in the distance were several curling billows of smoke.
She had found what she’d been seeking: a village.
She could approach a blacksmith to sell the sword, then trade the pony and a bit of the coin for a faster horse and be on her way without Drake and the lad any wiser.
Guilt rose in her gullet, an unwanted emotion when she had so little choice in the matter. Its discomfort, however, was ebbed away by the mere thought of Mac, alone in a cell, dirty, hungry and scared. He was waiting for her rescue.
The poor were never well treated by their lords, especially not when they had been perceived as a criminal.
“Forgive me,” she said under her breath to the two from whom she’d been forced to steal, wishing the balmy summer breeze would carry her words back to those she had so wronged.
Before they could catch up with her, she urged the horse toward the village and prayed she might soon have Mac back home.