Page 27 of Highlander’s Mercenary Lass

Reluctantly, Andrew pulled away. But she was stationary like a statue in front of him. His feelings wild, Andrew leaned over.

"Grace," he said, wishing her scent was not in his hair. "Grace, lass. It's a long journey to the Duncan lands. Come on, we must go."

For most of the way, they were silent. Grace just could not find the words, and by the look of him, Andrew could not either. But somewhere inside him, she could see Andrew was blindsided too. It seemed that he hadn't expected her to be the girl he was searching for.

But not half as much as she didn’t!

To say she was in shock was an understatement. Even Grace’s legs felt numb as she clambered atop Sparkle, and it took a very long time to stop her heart from thumping.

In an instant, her world had been turned upside down. Everything she had thought she had known was suddenly false, and although she had questions, part of her just wanted to run away.

Which was exactly what she did. They just ran with Andrew by her side and the wind in her hair. The weather, which had turned from cold to hot, suddenly became fresh again, but this time Grace did not mind.

All in all, she needed the freshness to knock the madness away. Her mind felt so clouded, and it was only with the vigorous ride that it finally began to empty. Grabbing the reins tighter, Grace bade her exhausted animal to go faster, but there was only so far she could go.

“Grace,” murmured Andrew, as he saw her horse struggle to keep up. Of course, the pace was no object for Blackwell; he was built for speed. But Grace’s white mare was a more moderate prospect.

But Grace didn’t listen. She did not even seem to hear. Instead, she pushed the poor mare further on until somewhere in the valley between the two clans, she could take no more.

“Grace!” Andrew called out as Sparkle’s nostrils flared; the horse rose up into the air and almost turned Grace loose in the process.

“Grace!” Andrew yelled again, watching aghast as Grace flew into the air. Somehow, Grace clung on and narrowly avoided being upended from the capricious white mare.

"Come on, slow down. Now!" said Andrew, once she had steadied the mare. Grace did not need any more invitation. Grateful for the distraction, she slowed to a stop before dismounting the white mare.

"Och, lassie, sort yerself out," she muttered, petting the white mare on the nose. She was speaking to the horse, but she might have been talking about herself.

Gently, Andrew came over and put an arm around her. Instantly, his warm scent enveloped her. The sensation of his touch tingled and fizzed on Grace's skin. She liked this. Slowly, it struck her that she did not want this moment to stop. Andrew's touch was calming, and she longed to stroke his smooth cheek as he came alongside her.

The bristles from his chin rubbed tantalizingly as he drew near. He leaned in, inspecting her closely, and Grace found herself staring unexpectedly into his shining green eyes.

Now, they were close enough to kiss; that thought replayed in her mind until she could think no other thing. The urge was so overwhelming that she was forced to turn away, ashamed.

Grace pulled away and returned to her horse. A bit longer, and she would have had to kiss him. Just the thought of his lips over hers sent a thrill burning through her. She wanted him so badly and without any apparent warning.

"Alright?" said Andrew cautiously, as she reached for the reins to her horse. Sparkle had settled down, eventually, and was calming down by munching a handful of oats that Andrew had handed her.

Once Sparkle had settled, Grace mounted her and looked at Andrew. Together, their eyes drifted off into the horizon. But it was hard to see much, and Grace found her eyes wandering toward Andrew.

"Long way still?" she asked quizzically.

"Aye, it's still a way off," conceded Andrew. "I mean, I could probably reach it afore sunrise if I traveled all night, but..." He bit his lip. Here, he looked at Grace.

"Ye saying I held ye back?" flashed Grace, her eyes scrutinizing him. Now Andrew was on the spot.

"Well, um...ah, aye," he deliberated. Then he looked at Grace dead in the eyes. For a moment, there was a pause, then burst out laughing.

"Och, the look on yer face, laddie," she said, rocking from side to side with mirth. Now Andrew looked confused. "Och, dinnae fash, lad. I've seen yer stallion, in a rush tae be off... there's no way my wee mare can be a match for him."

Andrew relaxed a little but still looked unsure. "Aye, we'll nae make it afore dawn. Nae that I would want a lass like ye tae be traveling through the night." He smiled at her slowly. "E'en wi' a strapping muckle lad like me tae protect ye!"

His smile lingered there, drawing her in. Grace felt a twinge of something starting from the base of her spine and working its way gradually down. A warm tingle spread around her abdomen, making her blush suddenly.

"Well, um...what are ye suggesting then?" Grace said. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she tried to take them back. "Och, I mean..."

Now her cheeks really did redden. Without meaning to, she had sounded far more forward than she had meant to.

"I mean, what do ye suggest we do about tonight?" she said, trying to rephrase it. Despite her best efforts to detangle the situation, she got the impression that she had only dug herself in deeper. And Andrew's green eyes twinkled with unbridled amusement.