The Highlander’s Hellion

by Eliza Knight

  After a few more minutes of observing Greer attempt to coax her wild hound into submission, Roderick stuck his fingers between his lips and blew a piercing whistle.

  Everyone stopped. Including the dog.

  Everyone turned to stare at him, but the only gaze he paid attention to was shrouded by black fur, and completely awestruck by him.

  “Come,” he demanded of the hound.

  Jewel, with her tongue flapping out of the side of her mouth, jogged over to him, all too keen to comply. She sat before him, appearing innocent and eager, as though she’d not just moments before been tearing through the great hall on some mighty jaunt.

  Greer, too, hurried forward, face flushed, eyes as wild as her dog. “Jewel, that was verra naughty.”

  Jewel cocked her head as though being called naughty was quite interesting.

  “What caused all that?” he asked Greer, though he was staring down into the droopy brown eyes of the dog that appeared to be the epitome of innocence.

  “There was a cat…” Greer trailed off, her flush deepening. “Just outside my chamber, and Jewel gave chase.”

  Roderick narrowed his gaze. “I saw no cat. Perhaps your Jewel is simply mad.”

  Greer’s mouth fell open in outrage, and she took a step in front of the dog as if to protect her. “I assure ye, sir, there was a cat.”

  “Where is it?” He glanced around, confirming there was definitely no feline present.

  “Well, it disappeared, of course. But then Jewel saw a shadow. And from there, ye must now what happened.”

  “Enlighten me.”

  Greer wrung her hands in front of her. “Why, every moving thing became that cat, and Jewel was bent on seeing the feline destroyed.” Now her lip started to quiver, but he was pretty certain it was more the beginning of a laugh than nerves.

  Still, he thought this was a good opportunity to coach the lass, as she clearly did not have a good handle on her animal. “Ye must learn to whistle. That seemed to catch your fiend’s attention.”

  “I have tried to learn to whistle. It is simply not a skill I possess. And she’s not a fiend,” Greer rebuked, seeming to forget momentarily just what had transpired.

  Roderick peered exaggeratingly around the great hall at the servants and guards who rubbed at their aching bones, at the upturned chairs, and the rushes that stood in piles when they had been neatly spread on the floor. “I beg to differ.”

  “Well,” Greer conceded, obviously trying to hide her smile, “she’s not normally so…chaotic.”

  Roderick chuckled. “Would ye say the same about yourself?”

  Greer crossed her arms over her chest, the smile gone now. “Were we not supposed to leave?”

  “Changing the subject doesna change what happened here.”

  She marched away from him and starting righting the chairs and benches. “Fine. I’ll just tidy up, and then we can be on our way.”

  The servants rushed to aid her in righting furniture and smoothing rushes, and Roderick could only watch in fascination. They were all laughing now, recounting the unruly incident. Even Greer’s frown had turned into a smile.

  Roderick glanced down at Jewel, who stared up at him with eyes full of admiration. “Ye certainly know how to make an entrance, do ye nae?”

  The hound let out a bark of agreement.

  “Behave yourself on the ship.”

  “I’m not taking her on the ship.” Jon crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head vigorously. “Not in this lifetime.”

  “I can quickly put ye into the afterlife then,” Roderick countered with brows raised in challenge. “The dog goes on the ship. She is proof we have Greer and that the Sutherlands should trust ye when ye arrive.”

  Jon grumbled under his breath, shoulders slumping.

  “What’s this I hear that ye’re sending Jewel on a ship?” Greer now stood before him, arms crossed and tapping her foot. “I thought we agreed ye’d escort me on land.”

  “I did. But Jewel is nae ye.”

  “I dinna want her on a ship, either.”

  “She’ll be fine. Ye know she will.”

  Greer looked ready to argue, the blue surrounding her pupils deepening. Shoulders squared, she grew an inch taller as she straightened her spine. Roderick reached forward and pressed the tip of his finger to her lips, feeling the warmth and softness, and trying to ignore the tempting sensations.

  “I’ll not be argued with, lass.”

  She pressed her lips together and then made a snapping motion with her teeth. He was quick enough to pull away before she bit off the tip of his finger.

  “Your antics might work at home, but I’m not accustomed to disorder, and I’ll nae have it.”

  “Ye can put the brute away, I know how to follow directions.”

  “The brute?” Dark eyebrows slanted down.

  “Yeah, the other side of ye.” She had the audacity to poke him in the chest.

  “What?” Heat started in his belly, rising up his chest. If the lass weren’t careful, he’d lose his temper and send her home on her own. “Need I remind ye how we met?”

  She just rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers at the hound, walking out of the great hall toward the bailey.

  Roderick watched her go with confusion. She’d not countered him, and yet he felt like she’d won whatever argument they were having. It was damn mystifying.

  “She’s wearing your colors,” Jon noted, somehow managing to appear at his side as if out of nowhere.

  “She had no other clothes.”

  Jon grunted. “She’s wearing your colors and just went out into the bailey.”

  Still Roderick didn’t understand what his brother was getting at.

  “That’s a mighty statement she’ll be unintentionally making to the clan,” Jon coached. “The servants understand she had nothing to wear… but your people may not.”

  “Och!” Now Roderick understood. By her walking out to greet his clan wearing MacCulloch colors, she would be sending a message that she was to be their mistress. He raced after her, but it was too late. Greer was already descending the stairs, and everyone in the bailey had stopped what they were doing to stare after her.

  * * *

  ***

  * * *

  All signs of a storm had dissipated, save for the puddles in the bailey and the soaked coloring of the wooden stairs leading to the ramparts. Greer lifted the hem of her gown, having the distinct impression that everyone was watching her. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled, and all of her senses seemed suddenly heightened. She patted Jewel on the head and then glanced around to see that those in the bailey, men, women, and children, were indeed watching her.

  “My lady.” Roderick’s sharp voice called from behind her just as she descended the last step at the base of the keep stairs.

  “Aye?” she asked, turning slowly.

  The furrows of his brow had grown deeper, fiercer, and the blue of his eyes were even more startling with the sun shining overhead. He stood at the top of the steps as she envisioned a great god would stand on his pedestal. Normally, a thought like that would annoy her, for she very much believed men should not hold themselves so loftily above others. But seeing him from where she stood, the height of him, the impressive musculature of his legs, her breath was taken away.

  “Are ye prepared to return to your home?” He spoke very loudly in his deep brogue.

  And being that she was a little irritated with him for trying to boss her around inside, she returned his overly loud tone. “Aye, I am, and I suppose we want to announce it to the world?”

  How was it possible that his grimace could grow fiercer?

  “Your father will be expecting ye, and I’ve duties to return to here.”

  “Why are ye shouting? I’m right here.” She tossed her gaze heavenward, threw her arms up in the air, and then turned away from him and headed toward a large outbuilding she presumed was the stables.

  If she was going to have to ride
home over the next week or so with a man who drove her crazy, at least she could pick out her own horse.

  Roderick jogged up beside her, his foot hitting a puddle and causing mud to splatter on the hem of her plaid. “I wanted to send a message.”

  She stared pointedly at the mud, and he grumbled an apology.

  “What’s stopping ye from sending your message then, Grim?”

  He shifted his gaze away from her, seeming distracted now, or at least to be avoiding her question, or the truth of his answer. “Nay, not actually send a message, I meant I wanted to give my people the truth of our situation.”

  “Which is?” She continued walking in a straight path, not allowing him to stall her from picking out a horse.

  “That I’m taking ye home.”

  “I’m not certain ye needed to do that by shouting. Why could ye not just tell them?” They reached the door to the stables, but before she could open the door, he touched her elbow, sending a tremor of warmth through her.

  Every time he touched her, she felt that tremor. Was it because he’d been the one to put the warmth back into her body? How she wished she could remember what had happened. Right now, it was all a mystery. She’d been in the water ready to give up, and the next thing she knew, she’d been in his bed.

  “Ye’re wearing my plaid.” He thrust a hand in his dark hair, tunneling fingers through his mane in an obvious show of frustration.

  Greer glanced down at the gown she’d fashioned from his blanket and her mouth popped open. “I see.” Her bare toes peeked out from beneath the gown.

  “Ye’ve no shoes!” Roderick sounded horrified.

  “I lost them at sea. Well, discarded them, truly. And yours seemed a bit too big to borrow.” She tucked them back under the gown.

  “I’ll get ye some that fit. Or close enough. Ye canna ride barefoot.”

  Before she could answer, he was shouting again. “Does anyone have a pair of boots that Lady Greer could borrow? I’ll bring them back to ye when I return from Sutherland.”

  Three women stepped forward, lifting the hems of their gowns to show off worn leather boots.

  Greer could have cried at the kindness. First, their laird had saved her life and offered her a bountiful breakfast, then the servants had helped her to clean up after Jewel, and now they were offering her the shoes off their feet. Her throat tightened with emotion.

  “I couldna accept,” Greer said, placing her hand over her heart. “Though ye must know I am deeply grateful. I am so honored ye’d be willing to part with your boots.”

  “My lady, please, we want ye to take them. Pick one.” All three of them grinned at her as though it were nothing to take off their shoes for a total stranger.

  “Lady Greer, they will be compensated,” Roderick said, and then with a light touch to her elbow, he spoke more quietly so only she could hear. “They will think ye dinna value them if ye turn them down.”

  Greer was mesmerized by the way he was staring at her. Pleading, almost. He really cared about his people. And he had a point. Whomever she chose would be honored she wore their shoes, as silly as it sounded. And if she refused them altogether, they would feel like she didn’t think they were good enough. This would be a terrible thing to convey, since it was untrue.

  “All right.” She gifted Grim with a smile, taking in the relief in his gaze, and then turned to the women. “I will close my eyes, turn in a circle and point. Whoever my finger lands on, I will be grateful to borrow boots from.”

  Roderick raised a brow, his lip twitching in what she’d come to learn was his smile. He really was incredibly handsome…

  The women delighted in her turning it into a game. Greer closed her eyes as she promised and turned herself three times, until she felt a little unsteady on her feet. Then she pointed.

  “My lady,” one of them said with a giggle, “ye’re pointing at the steward.”

  “Oh,” Greer laughed and shifted her finger to the left.

  “That’s the stairs.”

  Again, she shifted.

  “The laird.”

  The laughs continued, and then she felt Roderick’s hands on her shoulders twisting her just slightly.

  “No cheating,” Greer said.

  He bent low, and whispered in her ear, “I never cheat.”

  Greer bit her lip, frissons of heat prickling her skin. She liked the sensation of his lips near her ear, his breath on her skin. Och, but he was a distraction! Clearing her head, Greer lifted her finger and pointed.

  Hearing a squeal from one of the lasses, she opened her eyes to see she’d chosen exactly the lass in middle.

  “My lady, an honor,” she said as she bent to untie her boots. “And please, I’ve a gown for ye, too.”

  “Thank ye, ever so much.” Greer spoke to the lass, but her gaze fell to the side where Grim stood beside her, filling her body with awareness.

  Chapter Six

  “So, Grim,”—he’d not instructed her yet to call him laird, and if he wasn’t going to do so, she much preferred his fitting moniker—“what is my first test of skill? I’m eager to see if I can live up to whatever expectations ye set. I imagine ye’ll have chosen three tests ye believe I will fail to meet, and I’d prefer to get them over with.”

  They’d been riding over the moors thick with green grasses and heather for the better part of an hour, and most of that stretch had been spent in silence. Every time she glanced over at him, he appeared to be deep in thought, ignoring her altogether as though he had the world’s problems to solve. He didn’t even speak to his men, who remained just as aloof.

  Already she missed Jewel. Even if her hound couldn’t actually talk back, she was an engaging conversationalist. And Grim, well, he seemed like he only wanted to scowl and brood.

  She hoped her dog was fairing well on the ship. Within the next hour or two, Jewel would be back on Sutherland land, home and safe.

  When he didn’t answer, she kept going. “Oh, I know, my first test of skill can be to see if I can get that frown off your face?”

  The muzzle of Grim’s horse inched forward, and she glanced to the side to see that he was subtly urging his mount to go faster. Was he trying to escape from her? Well, she wasn’t going to call him out on it, but she wasn’t going to let him get away with it, either.

  With each nudge he gave his horse, she did the same to the spritely mare she’d chosen to ride, and her horse was quite eager to keep in step with the massive warhorse. Nothing wrong with a friendly challenge.

  Greer found it hard to hide her smile. This was a fun little game. And one she’d played many times before with her brothers.

  They went faster and faster until her hair was flying behind her and she had to lean forward slightly over her horse to gain more speed. When she glanced to the side, she could see that the frown had completely left Grim’s face. Indeed, the twitch of his lip had gone into a full-on smile as they raced across the moors, their horses’ hooves clomping into the ground and churning up the freshly soaked earth. Flecks of grass and mud flicked up to splatter on their faces, but Greer didn’t care. She didn’t even stop to swipe them away. If one didn’t get dirty while racing, one wasn’t having enough fun.

  She’d forgotten how much she enjoyed it. The rolling hills passed them by in blurs, mile after mile of road gone behind them. The men followed but stayed well enough away to give them a bit of room. As she observed the smile on his face, he slowly turned to flash it at her, and Greer’s heart could have stopped right then and there.

  She’d thought him striking before, but to see him with that smile… It was a sight that could knock a woman right off her horse. And maybe that was the point, because she seemed to be holding on to the mare for dear life and completely forgotten how to ride. Her body shifted from one side to the other as though she’d never ridden before.

  When her horse leapt over a large rock jutting from the ground, Greer did tip backward, arms flailing, and she feared for a minute that she’d go end over e
nd, but Grim reached for her, his strong grasp on her hand tugging her back.

  He grabbed her reins and slowed them both to a stop.

  “Were ye trying to kill yourself?” he asked, the scowl returned.

  Greer laughed, much like she often did when presented with a challenge. “I won!”

  The men stopped a dozen feet away, averting their gazes as though she and Grim weren’t even there.

  “Nay, ye most definitely did not win.” His striking blue gaze locked on her.

  “Aye, but I did.” She pointed at him. “Ye smiled.”

  Grim scoffed, though she saw the telltale twitch of his lip. “That was not the test of skill.”

  “Was there a test of skill?”

  “To see if ye could ride? Aye.”

  “Canna every Highland woman ride?” She tried not to be put out.

  “Nay.” He shook his head. “Trust me.”

  “Well, then, I did pass, for I can ride.”

  “I’m not certain I would brag about such a thing when ye nearly fell off the horse just now.” He raised his brows as he observed her.

  “That was because of your smile.” Oh, dear heavens, had she really just admitted that? Her hands started to fly around her face as though waving around a lot might get rid of the words she’d just admitted. “I mean, I must be the first person to ever see such a thing.”

  There was a gleam in his eyes, and he pulled in a deep breath. “Your teasing is noted.”

  “Oh, come now, it is funny.” She bit her lip. “Are ye always so serious?”

  “In my position, one must always be serious.”

  “And in your position, one must also see the joy in life so ye can offer hope and joy to the people who look up to ye and trust ye.”

  He grunted.

  She tilted her head. “’Tis your duty to spread cheer.”

  “I think not.” He leaned back and stared her down as though he were trying to discover all of her secrets. “What fairy tales have they been feeding ye at Dunrobin?”