Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The following day dawned damp and misty, with no sign of an impending attack by Sinclair, much to Catriona’s relief.
In the morning, before luncheon, she helped Mairead in the infirmary.
Now that her ankle was improving and she could move about much more easily, she was able to do much more to assist the healer.
The work gave her a great deal of satisfaction…
and helped to keep her mind off Malcolm.
Because, as she frankly admitted to herself, her thoughts regarding him grew ever more confused and, therefore, troubling. Especially when she could not seem to get the enticing image of his brawny chest out of her mind when she had been trying to sleep the previous night.
However, Mairead would only allow her to work for a few hours before ordering her to go and rest. So, that afternoon, she found herself at a loose end.
Fortunately, after luncheon, the sun had hauled itself up into the sky.
Pale and wan though it was, being October, it nonetheless drew Catriona out into the fresh air, her first outing without her stick.
Experience told her that a little light exercise would further strengthen her ankle.
She pottered slowly around the garden, admiring the late flowering shrubs, especially the profusion of climbing roses in the walled section.
After an hour or so, she decided to go across to the stables and see the horses.
She had been wondering if the gray mare Malcolm had hired for her back in Craigmoor was still there or had been returned to the saddlery.
She had reason to be fond of the horse who had so swiftly carried her to safety in the last stage of her escape.
When she stepped inside the stables, breathing in the comforting scent of hay, she was pleasantly surprised to see Malcolm there, speaking quietly with one of the guards.
Her heart skipped at the sight of him. Stopping nearby to pet a shaggy brown pony, she caught the words “Sinclair riders” before the guard nodded, turned, and left.
Malcolm’s eye caught hers, and he came straight over to join her.
“Catriona, how many times must I tell ye, ye shouldnae be wanderin’ about alone like this?
’Tis nae safe,” he said, sounding only a little frustrated.
He leaned next to her on the wall of the stall while she continued rubbing the pony’s nose.
Immediately, she felt Malcolm’s warmth seeping into her, even through the thick burgundy cloak.
“How many times must I tell ye, Malcolm, I’m nae afraid?” she replied softly. The effects of his proximity were already manifesting, not only in heat coming off him that seemed to burn her skin, but also in the tingling down her side where he was closest to her.
Needing a little space in order to breathe, she kissed the pony’s nose and went over to another horse, a glossy, dark-coated mare.
“Well, ye’re a beauty, eh?” she said admiringly, laying a hand on the mare’s neck. It nodded a little skittishly, looking at her sideways. “Ye’re all right, darlin’, I’ll nae hurt ye,” she murmured, winning the horse over by scratching behind its ears.
Her breath caught when she felt Malcolm come up behind her, every nerve ending in her body thrilling to his closeness, feeling his magnetic force. She was sure he must hear the fast beating of her heart.
“She’s lovely,” she said, trying to focus on the mare, smoothing her hand down its velvety nose. “What’s her name?”
“Brianna. She’s four. I brought her a few months back at Dunbeath. Watch her, though, she startles easily. And if she’s nae happy, she tends tae bite.”
“Och, poor thing. Horses always have a good reason tae act like that. Mayhap she didnae have a good owner before or somethin’ scared her so much, she cannae forget it,” Catriona said, feeling sorry for the animal as she gently petted it.
When a loud shout came from outside, Brianna did indeed startle, the big, powerful horse shifting suddenly on her feet, threatening to knock Catriona over.
But she had no time to be afraid because two steely arms went around her and pulled her away.
She found herself firmly held within them, her face pressed against Malcolm’s chest.
“Easy now, lass,” he murmured, whether to her or Brianna Catriona was unsure.
But the vibration of his deep voice rumbling through her was both reassuring and exciting at the same time.
Brianna steadied too, and Catriona was released from Malcolm’s arms, feeling more than a little breathless as well as bereft of his strength and warmth.
“I’d like tae ride her if ye’ll let me,” she said, looking up at him hopefully.
He frowned. “I’m nae sure yet. Ye see how skittish she can be. I’ve only ridden her the once mesel’.”
“How was she?”
He chuckled. “Fast when ye allow it.”
“What’s she like with the other horses? Does she bite them as well?”
“I’ve had nay reports of it.”
“Hmmm. Well, she’s certainly beautiful. Mayhap she’ll settle down in time, once she feels secure.”
“Aye, that’s what I figured,” Malcolm agreed, to Catriona’s surprise, pulling an apple from his pocket and handing it to her. “Feed it tae her. If all else fails, a bit of bribery seldom goes amiss.”
Catriona laughed as she held out the apple to Brianna, who delicately snuffled it with her whiskery lips before devouring it with powerful crunches.
“Bribery definitely has its place,” she said, pleased to see Malcolm smiling too.
“Is the gray mare ye hired for me still here? She’s a good horse, that one,” Catriona asked, glancing around at the other horses.
Malcolm shook his head. “Aye, she is, but she went back tae the saddlery a few days ago along with the colt. I needed old Warrior back,” he said, referring to his favorite stallion, who had served them so well during the escape.
“He’s out in the field now, kickin’ up his heels, the devil,” he added with touching affection.
“Well, he surely deserves a rest. I’ll save him some sugar lumps,” Catriona said. “But och, ’tis a shame the gray mare’s gone. Mayhap ye’ll let me ride Brianna instead, eh?” she said cheekily, eliciting a deliciously warm chuckle from Malcom that made her insides melt.
Without even noticing it, they had gravitated closer to each other and were only jolted into awareness of their proximity when a stable boy came to work on another horse in the neighboring stall. He doffed his cap respectfully to them both.
As at the well the previous night, the interruption shattered the intimate mood between them.
They moved on from Brianna, soon becoming engrossed in discussing the various horses in the extensive stables.
When Warrior was brought in, she made a fuss of him and fed him the sugar lumps she had promised, which he heartily enjoyed.
Though she tried not to show it, Catriona was acutely disappointed when Malcolm told her he had business to attend to and steered her firmly to the door.
“Mayhap ye should go in and rest yer ankle fer while?” he suggested as they stepped out into the weak sunshine and made for the keep.
“Och, Malcolm, will ye never stop yer fussin’?” she asked, unable to help smiling despite the ache in her chest at the thought of leaving him. “I’ll rest later.”
He tutted, making her laugh. “So, what will ye dae?”
She shrugged a shoulder with false casualness. “I’ll find some way of amusin’ mesel’ fer an hour or two.”
His handsome brow darkened. “That sounds ominous. I suppose I’ll have tae trust ye tae be careful.”
It was not the response Catriona secretly craved, though she was unsure exactly what that was. In any case, the ache in her chest expanded.
As they crossed the courtyard, she reached for horses as a safe of topic of conversation. The lightly spoken words filled what would have otherwise been an awkward silence until they reached the steps to the keep, though for Catriona, they were heavy with things unspoken.
“Whatever ye get up tae, make sure tae stay inside the castle walls,” he gruffly instructed before leaving her by the doors.
“Aye, I will,” Catriona called softly after him, feeling forlorn as she watched his retreating back. Still, she could not help admiring his tall, powerful physique as he walked away.
Malcolm had not wanted to leave Catriona at all, which was exactly why he had made the decision to do so.
Now, as he donned his training gear and walked out into the yard, he felt ready for a good, hard sparring session to shake off some of the tension that gathered inside him every time he was near her.
Ewan was already there, supervising a group of trainees who were sparring with each other using a variety of different weapons.
Masculine shouts rang in the air, and the swinging blades of halberds, axes, and swords glinted in the weak sunlight.
When Ewan spotted Malcolm, he immediately broke off what he was doing and came to greet him with a grin and a brotherly slap on the shoulder.
“Where have ye been?” he asked, his eyes twinkling. “Let me guess what kept ye. Cat. We all saw ye walkin’ across the courtyard with her practically arm in arm earlier, so dinnae try tae deny it.”
“Away and boil yer head,” Malcolm told him in no uncertain terms.
“Och, so touchy!" Ewan teased, clearly enjoying himself, much to Malcolm’s chagrin. Switching to a more conspiratorial tone, his brother then hung an arm around his shoulders and wheedled in his ear, “Now, come on and tell me what ye were talkin’ tae her about that made her look at ye with such soft eyes. Whisperin’ sweet naethin’s intae her shell-like ear, were ye, eh?
” He chuckled before punching Malcolm’s arm and adding, “Ye sly dog.”
Looked at me with such soft eyes? Did she?