Juliana knew that they would reach a village soon, and help would be sent for the coachmen. She could not delay that part, but the longer she delayed their ride to the village, the more time that she would be able to spend with Andrew.
“I’ll find us a place tae stop,” said Andrew.
“Tell me some more about your father,” said Juliana as they rode. She could see the mix of emotions on Andrew’s face whenever his father was mentioned. He was both happy and sad at the same time.
“There’s not much tae tell. He was a simple man with simple pleasures. His father before him was a blacksmith, and he went intae the same line of work. It must’ve been in my blood too, as that’s what I was trained in. From the minute that I could wield a hammer, I wanted tae be in there with him, shapin’ metal, creatin’ somethin’, bringin’ life tae inanimate materials. It just felt like who I was.”
“You never knew your mother?” asked Juliana.
“She died soon after I was born,” said Andrew with sadness. “I never got a chance tae know who she was. I’ve tried rememberin’ her, tried thinkin’ about lookin’ up at her when I was a bairn, but I cannae ever see her face. My father did not talk about her much other than to tell me that she was a beautiful and kind woman. I think that he tried tae forget all about her. Maybe it was easier that way.”
“It cannot have been easy for either of you.”
“At least we had each other.” He remembered his father fondly. “He was my best friend in life too.”
“Then it must have been twice as hard to lose him,” said Juliana.
“I knew that he had been sick for a while, but I never imagined that it was as bad as it was. He had worked in the shop that mornin’. I can still picture him raisin’ the hammer and beatin’ down on the hot metal as if he were the healthiest man in the world.”
“I am sorry,” said Juliana.
“Aye, it would seem that there was nothin’ that could be done. It was just his time tae go. When it happens tae me, I only hope that it is as quick and painless,” said Andrew.
Juliana was aghast. “Do not even talk about such things. You are going to live a long and happy life, I can just tell.”
“Aye, I hope that ye are right, especially the happy part,” said Andrew.
Once more, Juliana could not tell if Andrew was talking about her or not. The thought of a happy life with the man before her made her spirits rise in excitement. The only thing that kept her going toward her new life was the thought of her family, and how the union with the Laird would mean happiness for more than just herself.
Everything seemed so far away now. They had only traveled a few days, but life in Gordontrent was a distant memory, one that she did not think she would revisit. She breathed in the crisp air of the Highlands and sighed.
“Ye will live a long, happy life too,” said Andrew, sensing her discomfort at the situation.
“I hope that I will,” was all that Juliana could muster.
The conversation fell away once more, and the ride descended into silence, but a joyful silence between two people who could share in that and not feel uncomfortable. The wind rushed by as the two of them rode with each other through the colors of the surrounding land.
They rode for another mile or so before Andrew pulled up and stopped his horse. Juliana pulled up beside him and looked out at the view before her.
“Loch Levett,” said Andrew.
She looked out at the lake before her and almost cried. She did not think that the Highlands could be any more beautiful than they were, but here was the proof.
The mountains stood in the distance, at the far end of the lake, a monument of green and purple. Trees sprouted near the base of the mountain, giant trees that did not move in the wind. To the right of the lake was a large forest, climbing a little before descending on the other side. On the opposite bank of the lake, a large field sprawled as far as the eye could see, wild and unkempt.
The sun was directly above the great mountain, beating down and warming Juliana. Of course, there was more than just the sun that was warming her inside. There was the feeling that grew every time Andrew was near to her. It was a spark of joy inside, floating around, and it threatened to explode like a volcano.
The sunlight also glistened on the water, a large flat expanse that barely moved in the gentle breeze. Each glistening point looked like a diamond, floating for a fleeting moment on the top of the crystal clear water only to disappear and be replaced in a new spot a moment later.
The entire scene was magnified by the reflection that the lake gave. The mountains, the trees, the colors, the blue sky, the sun hanging high, it was all spectacular, and the lake reflected the spectacle right in front of Juliana. She could do nothing else but sit there on her horse and hope that it would last forever.
Is this my new home?
Andrew was the first to move. He nudged his horse and trotted forward toward the lake and away from the road. Juliana had another look around, and she was sure that there was no one else for miles around. They were the only two people in the world or, at least, it felt like that.
She followed Andrew soon after, guiding her horse through the thick grasses and reeds below. When she caught up to Andrew, he was dismounting his horse under a tree and tying the horse to one of the low-hanging branches. There were pink flowers hanging delicately from the branches, and she was sure that it would give birth to fruit of some sort soon.
“I’ll start a fire,” said Andrew.
Juliana watched as he expertly manipulated the flint and steel to create a spark that jumped from the end of the stone to the small pile of dry kindling below. Andrew blew on it, and it did not take long for a small flame to appear.
Smaller twigs were placed on top and, when they caught fire, larger branches were placed on those. There were a few larger dead branches lying around, and Andrew snapped them in his big hands, reserving them for when the fire was a raging orange. Juliana could feel the warmth coming from it.
“I’ll be back soon,” said Andrew. “I’ll find us some lunch.”
“Please do not be long.” Juliana looked around with a wary gaze.
“Dinnae worry, I won’t be long, and I’ll stay close. If ye need me, just shout.”
“I will,” said Juliana.
She watched Andrew take his hunting equipment from his bag, and walk off into the woods. She crouched down by the fire and rubbed her hands together. She hoped that he would return soon, and they could eat together and perhaps talk some more.
The sun rose higher in the sky, and the warmth of the sun combined with the heat from the fire soon made Juliana step back from the bright flames and look toward the lake. It was fresh and alluring, especially now that the day had warmed up. Even looking at the fire made her want to sweat.
Juliana did not know if it was her new-found sense of freedom, which drew her to the lake, but, at that moment, she wanted nothing more than to swim in it. She looked back toward the forest for any sign of Andrew, but all that she could see was the darkness within the trees.
Her father had hunted back in Gordontrent, and he was often gone all day, though Juliana expected that Andrew would be back sooner than that. Her father usually returned with deer, and she would be surprised if Andrew did the same. She knew that she had a bit of time, but did not know how much.
She thought of her upcoming life with the Laird and the life that she had left behind. The journey to the Highlands in the carriage had come with some freedom, but she had not truly felt free until she had been riding with Andrew, the two of them on horseback.
This may be the last time that I get to do exactly what I want. If I want to swim in the lake, then I should, and who is going to stop me?
Juliana walked to the edge of the lake. She took off her shoes and dipped her feet in the water, feeling the coolness on her toes. It was refreshing, especially after the ride, and the time by the fire. She watched the small ripples move out from the edge of the lake to the main
part beyond. The stones were hard under her feet, but she did not care. The more time that she spent in nature, the more she felt she was made to be out here. She did not want to live in a castle, nor even visit a village again. If Andrew could hunt, then they could live in the wilderness by themselves forever.
Juliana shook the thought from her mind, much as she had shaken her previous thoughts. She was here to save her family, and she would do that. Before then, she would enjoy her freedom, every second of it.
She looked around once more, finding herself completely alone, before taking off her blouse and skirt. She stood on the edge of the lake in her chemise, the soft material hanging down almost to her knees. She felt a slight chill in the air as the breeze stirred around her, but it was not enough to stop her from going in.
One step at a time, and do not stop.
Juliana walked out into the lake. The stones below hurt her feet less and less as she ventured farther out, and she could feel the cold creeping up her as she waded deeper. As the water rose above her waist, she took the plunge and dived out into the lake. She had swam a few times before, and kicked her feet under the water a few times before resurfacing.
The coldness bit at her cheeks for a moment, and Juliana held her breath while swimming with her eyes wide open. The lake was clear, but she could not see the bottom of the lake anymore. She surfaced and gasped in the air. She knew that the water was cold, but she could not feel it, the exhilarating feelings running through her were compensating for anything else that she might be feeling.
She swam as far as she could toward the center of the lake, only turning when she felt her arms begin to tire. She tread water for a while, not knowing exactly how deep the lake was, but imagined that it went down forever. Something tickled her feet, and she watched a school of fish swim past her before darting the opposite way and becoming lost from sight.
The view had been magnificent from the shore, the reflection in the water, but she was in that reflection now and felt as if she were a part of nature. The water held her in its grasp, and for a moment, she forgot about her promised life, and even about Andrew. She did not need anyone or anything else, she only needed to be true to herself.
Juliana swam back to the shore. She had been in the water long enough and felt the chill starting to seep into her bones. Her muscles relished the exercise after sitting on a horse for a large part of the day. When she got close to the shore, she took a look toward the trees before standing back up on the hard stones.
Her hair clung to her with its wetness. The chemise did the same, clinging to every curve that she had. The water dripped from her as she walked back onto dry land. She looked down at herself, shivering a little, the shape of her breasts and hips showing for all to see. She was just glad that no one was there to see her come out of the water.
When she got back to the fire, she welcomed it this time. She was shivering more now, and crouched down on the grass to warm herself by the fire, and dry out her undergarments. She thought about it one more time. She had been glad that no one was there to see her get out of the water.
That was not true. There was one person that she wished was there to see her, and to swim with her too. More than anything, she longed to be in Andrew’s arms.
7
The Hunter
Andrew stalked through the forest. He knew that the stop had been an excuse to spend more time with Juliana. It was only an hour or two more to the nearest village, but he needed more time with her, and no one would question him stopping to provide her with some food. As long as she was safe, that would be all that the Laird would care about.
But what dae I care about?
Andrew had admired the way that she had handled the horse. It was true that he did not know much about English lassies, especially ones that came from homes like she had with a full staff to look after her, and a family rich enough to give her whatever she wanted. He did not think her stupid, far from it, but he had expected to have to give her some lessons when it came to riding a horse.
At the very least, he had hoped she would be a slow rider, and they would have more time to talk with each other, but she was fast, almost faster than he was, and he had had to speed up to see just how fast she could ride. He had been impressed with the results. She had been so adept at riding that he had to fabricate an excuse to stop. It was fortunate to stumble across so majestic a loch.
He had forgotten that the loch was there, but had some memories of coming here as a child with his father, and knew that there were rabbits in the forest and plenty of them. A rabbit should be enough to get them to the next village, not that it mattered. It was more about the time together than the food.
Juliana isnae like any other person that I know. She’s one of the kindest people that I’ve met. But me time with her will come tae an end.
Andrew quietened his step as he ventured farther and farther into the forest. The woods became darker as he hunted. He found a good spot to stop, he was close to the top of the small hill in the middle of the wooded area, and he unpacked his hunting equipment.
He had some basic traps that he baited and left close to some rabbit holes. He unsheathed his small knife and crept into a thicket. He crouched down, and he waited. If there was one thing to be said about him, it was that he was a man of patience. He would wait there for as long as it took to catch them some lunch.
The more he sat and crouched, the more he daydreamed, and he could not stop himself from daydreaming about Juliana. No matter how he thought about her, she was more complete in every way than any other woman he had ever met.
She was considerate, there was no doubting that. On his way down to retrieve her for the Laird, he had expected someone more uptight and condescending. He knew that she came from nobility and that her family had money. When he had seen how beautiful she was, that idea had only grown. She had been timid at first, but Andrew knew that she would show her character sooner or later.
Andrew almost let out a chuckle as he remembered their first meeting. She had thought that he was the Laird, and that made him want to laugh. He had never thought of himself as anything more than he was, nor had anyone else thought him so. No one, save for Juliana.
Now, as he got to know the lass more, he started to feel that he could be better. He could see it in her eyes. She held him in high regard when no one else had. She made him want to be better, not to settle for anything less.
He wished that he did not wish for more with her.
And her beauty! He had been told by someone, a long time ago, that first impressions count for a lot. The moment he saw Juliana, he had been astounded by her beauty. And, the more that he got to know her, the more beautiful she became.
He loved her long dark hair, her rich ruby lips, the breathtaking beauty in her face, and the curves of her body. She had worn long dresses that ruffled out at the waist, but he still noticed the slight curves below and went so far as to imagine what they looked like. When he had caught her in the carriage, he had placed his hands on her waist and felt the softness in her body.
He could not believe that she had been brought up in a stately home. She seemed so at home in the Highlands. He knew that she found beauty here, and had been pleasantly surprised at her reaction to the Highlands, especially Loch Levett. It felt as if he was sharing a piece of his soul with her.
A rabbit popped its head up out of its home, and Andrew waited with bated breath. The rabbit wandered toward the trap that he had set and sniffed at the bait, but it did not take it. Andrew watched as another rabbit popped up after it and took the same path, sniffing at the food that had been laid in the trap, but, once again, it left it and went foraging off in search of something else.
Andrew thought about going after the two rabbits but decided to wait instead. He needed a little time to clear his head, and he had not been away for long. There was no one around for miles, and they were far enough away from the road that Juliana would be safe.
His patience paid off, and a few mi
nutes later, another rabbit came wandering from somewhere else. Andrew waited once again, hoping that the trap would save him the trouble of killing a rabbit, but it was not to be. It was when the fourth rabbit did not take the bait, that Andrew had to take matters into his own hands.
The bait must have been old as the rabbits were not biting, and were almost laughing at him as they walked up to the bait, and turned their noses up at it. Andrew watched the fourth rabbit turn its back on him, and he crept from his hiding place until he was almost within arm’s reach.
With a lunge forward, Andrew grasped for the rabbit. He came up empty-handed, and the rabbit took off, running away from the now-prone Highlander, but not into the undergrowth. Andrew knew that he should wait for the next rabbit to come out, but his patience had worn thin, and he wanted to be back by Juliana’s side.
Consumed By The Lost Highlander (Steamy Scottish Historical Romance) Page 7
