My Daring Highlander by Vonda Sinclair

for an answer.
    “Nay,” she finally confessed. “I am
thankful he saved your life.”
    “Did you tell him that?”
    “Not yet. But I will,” Patience
grumbled. “My concern is what happened after the
rescue.”
    “Do you honestly think I’d bed down
with a man outside while someone is trying to kidnap me or during a
horrendous storm?”
    “Well…nay, I suppose not.” Her aunt
shrugged. “But I don’t trust him. He could take advantage of you or
force you.”
    Seona shook her head. “Keegan is not
that type of man.”
    “What type of man is he… since you
know so much about him?”
    “Kind and protective. He risked his
life to save mine.”
    Her aunt lifted a brow. “Aye, well…
he’d best not get it into his head he has a chance with you. Your
father would never approve of him.”
    “I ken it.” But her father was daft,
valuing wealth and prestige over strength of character.
    “Get the maids in here to help me over
to the bed. I’m tired,” her aunt said.
    “Very well.” Seona strode to the door,
opened it and summoned the maids. After they helped Patience into
the bed, Seona took a sponge bath and changed into a clean
smock.
    While she was getting into one of the
four beds, Isobel arrived to spend the night inside the cottage
with them.
    Seona couldn’t sleep, nor
could she talk to Isobel about anything of importance with her aunt
and the maids so close. She felt safe enough within the stone walls
of the cottage, but she missed Keegan… maybe because she’d ridden
so close to him all day. The feel of his hard, strong body had
become familiar. Addictive. Would she be allowed to ride with him
again?
    ***
    Two days later, Keegan and the MacKay
party were finally drawing closer to Ullapool. He was still annoyed
that Seona’s aunt had insisted she ride a separate horse both days.
He had argued that Seona couldn’t ride her own untrustworthy one.
They’d compromised and Seona had temporarily switched horses with
one of the guards. Keegan didn’t like it but he had to live with
it. They’d been riding daylight to dark most every day, and
everyone was exhausted and short-tempered, especially Lady
Patience. ’Haps her injury added to her bad mood.
    He put her from his mind and thought
of someone more pleasant. He grinned, remembering how he had
enjoyed Seona riding with him for those few hours two days before.
Now, he simply rode close to her in the event something threatened
her safety. He relished the secret smiles she sent his way. But
they’d had no more opportunities for a moment alone or for
knife-fighting practice.
    It had to be around midday but the sky
was thickly overcast. The terrain turned from moorland to rough and
rocky as they approached the pass through the mountains. Most
everywhere he looked now, he saw gray granite and scrubby gorse
bushes.
    Something struck the ground
nearby. An arrow?
    “We’re being shot at!” Keegan glanced
up at the cliffs above them and saw a figure with a bow drawn.
“’Tis an ambush!” Keegan yelled, raising his targe and urging Curry
forward, between Seona and the outlaws. “Archers!”
    Their archers leapt to their feet and
took up positions. A few fired arrows up toward the
cliffs.
    Dirk dismounted and slapped his horse
on the rump. “Escort the women further along and take cover behind
those boulders,” he told Keegan.
    “I’ll protect them with my life,”
Keegan said.
    “I thank you, cousin.” Dirk directed
five more of the guards to help Keegan.
    Much as he’d love to be at the
forefront, fighting the knaves, Keegan knew protecting the women
was the main goal.
    “Haldane may come after you because
he’s wanting to kidnap Seona,” Dirk said.
    “Aye. That bastard,” Keegan muttered,
motioning for the women to precede him and head for cover. “Get
behind the boulders.” Once they were beyond the range of Haldane’s
archers, he and the guards helped them dismount.
    Keegan stood peering out, the women
and most of the horses