Devil of the Highlands (Devil of the Highlands #1)(17)
Author: Lynsay Sands

After she dangled there for several moments, trying to work it out, Evelinde’s muscles began to protest, and she let her legs drop and released the tree to stand on the forest floor again. She simply stood there, hands propped on her hips, glaring at the tree until Lady walked up next to her and nudged her in the shoulder. Evelinde immediately turned her scowl to the mare, knowing the creature probably wanted water after her run. She’d always taken Lady to the river by d’Aumesbery after her wild runs there. Unfortunately, while on first arriving at Donnachaidh they had crossed a river on the way through the valley, Evelinde had no idea where it was.

"I would take you for a drink if I could—" she began, then paused as an idea occurred to her. Smiling as the idea blossomed in her mind, Evelinde moved to the mare’s side and climbed back into the saddle.

"I promise do you help me get up this tree, I shall soon have you drinking water," Evelinde told the mare as she urged her closer to the tree she’d decided to climb, then added, "Hopefully in the stables of Donnachaidh."

Once Evelinde had got the mare as close as she could to the branch, she released her reins and patted her neck soothingly as she whispered, "Pray, do not move."

Straightening in the saddle, Evelinde grabbed the branch next to her and used it to steady herself as she climbed carefully to stand on the mare’s back.

Much to her relief, the mare stood perfectly still, and Evelinde was able to get herself to a standing position and simply step onto the branch of the tree. Unfortunately, her slippers were not made for such endeavors and had she not been holding on with both hands to the branch above, she surely would have slipped off.

"Thanks," Evelinde muttered to the mare when she finally felt stable enough to look around and saw that the horse had backed up several steps to get out of the way should she fall. "Nice to know I have your support in this endeavor to rescue us both."

Lady’s response was to bend her head to the ground and begin nosing at twigs on the dirt.

Shaking her head, Evelinde leaned against the trunk and held on with one hand while she lifted first one foot, then the other to remove her slippers, dropping each to the ground.

She felt much more confident after that and turned her attention to the serious business of climbing. It was something of a learning experience. Truly, Evelinde had never realized how difficult a task it would be. The branches grew out in all directions, some too close together, some too far apart to make it anything resembling easy. Still, determination pushed her on despite being scratched repeatedly, and scraping an elbow here, and a knee there, along the way.

Evelinde paused when she thought she must be halfway up the tree. She then glanced first up, then down, disappointed to realize that she wasn’t anywhere near halfway. It was then she decided that her brilliant idea had not been so brilliant after all.

Sighing, she examined the branches above, trying to decide which would be the best to reach for, and had just settled on one when the snap of a twig made her pause and glance around. Had she been climbing at the time, Evelinde probably would not have heard the small sound. However, she did hear it, and so did Lady she noted, as the mare did the same nervous sideways dance she had earlier and looked in the direction the sound had seemed to come from.

The earlier creeping sensation returning, Evelinde surveyed the trees surrounding them; but no matter how hard she squinted into the dim woods, she couldn’t see what had made the sound. After a moment, she reluctantly gave up and glanced back up the tree. If she could just get high enough to see which direction they had to go, they would soon be out of these woods.

Grinding her teeth together with determination, Evelinde started upward again and had climbed up to the next branch when something breezed past her and a soft thunk sounded to her left. Startled, Evelinde removed her left hand from the branch she held and started to turn to see what she’d heard, but the branch she stood on chose that moment to snap under her feet.

Crying out, Evelinde grabbed wildly with her free hand, her fingers catching at a very slim branch and holding on for dear life as she scrabbled to find purchase with her feet. Relief poured through her when she did, and she released a slow breath, and then hugged the tree, her cheek pressed against the rough surface as she waited for her heart to stop its mad thumping. Once it had, Evelinde glanced down toward Lady to see that the mare had moved back several more feet to get out of the way of the branch that had fallen and was now eyeing her with accusation.

"Do not look at me like that, this is all your fault," Evelinde muttered, then sighed and leaned her cheek against the tree again.

She would never enter these woods alone again, Evelinde silently vowed, then raised her head to glance up to the branch she’d grabbed hold of. Her heart, which had just slowed, now seemed to stop altogether as she realized she wasn’t holding on to a branch at all, but the shaft of an arrow.

Evelinde was so startled at this realization that she unthinkingly released it at once, leaving her only holding on to the original branch with one hand. Panic reared up in her, and she swiftly grabbed for another branch, relief roaring through her until she heard, "Wife?"

After briefly closing her eyes, Evelinde dropped her head forward to peer down. Sure enough, her husband had found her. The man was even now scrambling off his mount, which he’d stopped beside Lady.

Brilliant, she thought unhappily. Why did he always find her at her worst?

"What are ye doing, ye daft woman?" Cullen roared as he moved to stand beneath her under the tree.

Where have I heard that before? Evelinde wondered, then cleared her throat, and said, "Oh, nothing, my lord. Just enjoying an afternoon out."

"Yer hanging in a tree, wife," he growled. "By yer hands."

"I am letting my legs rest," she responded promptly, then moved her legs about until she brushed against a branch. Setting first one foot on it, then the other, she released a little sigh of relief.

"Get down here!"

He sounded furious, she noted, looking about to see which branch would be safest to step down to next.

"Just let go. I shall catch ye," he ordered.

"Nay. I climbed up and can climb right back down," Evelinde assured him, and proceeded to do just that. Not too quickly, mind. She wasn’t eager to face his wrath again and was hoping he would calm down did she give him time.

Evelinde had reached the last branch and dropped to sit on it, intending to push off and drop to the forest floor when she found herself caught in strong hands and eased to the ground instead.

"Thank you," she mumbled, as he set her on her feet.

"Yer welcome," Cullen growled, then snapped, "Now. What the devil did ye think ye were doing?"

Evelinde opened her mouth, closed it, cleared her throat, and said, "Climbing the tree."

"I could see that," he said impatiently. "Why?"

"Because I was lost," she admitted with disgust, and bent to collect her slippers before pushing past him to walk to Lady. "I thought I would climb a tree and see which direction the castle was in rather than wander these woods for the rest of my days like some stupid English ghost trapped in your bloody highlands."

A small silence followed her explanation, then Cullen cleared his throat, and said, "That was clever."

Evelinde stopped next to Lady and turned uncertainly, taking a step backward when she found that he’d followed. Peering up at him suspiciously, she asked, "It was?"

"Aye." Obviously he wasn’t going to elaborate on the compliment, but there was nothing in his expression suggesting he was being sarcastic or mocking her.

Biting her lip, she glanced to his mount and back, and asked. "Was it you I heard in the woods then?"

"Probably," he said with a shrug.

Evelinde scowled at the scare he’d given her. "Well, why the devil did you not just call out and let me know ’twas you rather than following and scaring the devil out of me?"

"Following ye?" His eyebrows rose. "I have no been following ye. I just came upon yer mare on me way back to the castle, then spotted ye in the tree as I reined in."

Evelinde frowned and glanced back up to where she thought she’d been perched in the tree. She could not see the arrow from the ground but knew it was there. Her gaze then shifted to his mount to see that there was no bow and arrow on the animal. Cullen also wasn’t holding one, she noted. Her husband hadn’t loosed the arrow. If it had been loosed at all today, she thought. It was wholly possible that the arrow had sat in the tree for years or longer, and the sound she’d heard had been another branch or even a bird’s nest falling from one of the upper branches as her climbing shook the tree.

Unfortunately, Evelinde hadn’t got a good look at the arrow and couldn’t say if it had looked weathered or not. She’d barely realized what it was before releasing it, then had been preoccupied trying not to fall.

"Why are ye in the woods?" Cullen asked.

"I thought to take Lady for a ride," Evelinde answered absently, her gaze now moving around the woods surrounding them, but there was no one there that she could see. Still, she turned to him, and said, "There was an arrow in the tree."

He shrugged. "There are probably many in these woods, arrows gone astray during a hunt."

"Aye," Evelinde muttered, but then felt it necessary to add. "I did not notice the arrow ere grabbing it while climbing."

Cullen smiled faintly. "I am not surprised. Come."

Evelinde’s eyes widened, but she didn’t protest when he grabbed Lady’s reins in one hand and her arm in the other and urged her over to his mount. He stopped there and released Lady to catch Evelinde by the waist, then paused before applying the pressure necessary to lift her. "How sore are ye still?"

"I am not sore at all. The bruises were mostly healed by the time we reached Donnachaidh. ‘Twas mostly my muscles bothering me then, but Biddy’s salve and your massage seem to have done the trick," Evelinde admitted, blushing as she recalled what had followed the massage.

Cullen nodded and lifted her onto his mount, then caught Lady’s reins again and mounted behind her. Evelinde expected that he’d return them to the castle then, so was somewhat startled when they broke out into a clearing beside a river.

"Ye’ll no want to wade here like ye did in England," he announced as he slid off his mount and helped her down. They walked to the riverside and peered at the water.

"Why?" Evelinde asked, her eyes moving over the clear water bubbling past.

"The water runs off the mountains and is cold."

"Oh," she said, but didn’t really mind. The clearing was small and the river narrower than the one at d’Aumesbery. There also was no waterfall here, but it was pretty just the same. It would be a nice spot to relax when she needed a moment to herself.

"Yer no to leave the castle alone in future," Cullen announced, turning her by the shoulders and reaching for the laces of her gown.

Evelinde reached for his hands, unsure what he was doing, but then paused and frowned as she realized what he’d said. She wasn’t to come here alone? Seeing her vision of peaceful moments alone slipping away, she forgot about what he was doing and lifted a frown to him to ask, "Why?"

"I like ye," Cullen announced, quickly undoing her laces and beginning to ease her gown off her shoulders.

"I cannot come here alone because you like me?" she asked with confusion, wondering a bit distractedly what he was doing and catching her gown to keep it from slipping off her arms.

"Nay, well aye," he corrected himself. "Ye canna come here alone because ’tis no safe… and I like ye," he added, giving up on her gown and raising his hands to begin unpinning her hair from the bun she’d place it in on the back of her head that morning.

"Why is it not safe? And what are you doing?" Evelinde asked, trying to swat his hands away from her hair.

"I like ye," he repeated.

Evelinde opened her mouth, then closed it again as his words sank in. He liked her. Her husband liked her. Well, that was just… She didn’t know how to feel or even what to think. And then his hands returned to trying to remove her gown, and she repeated, "What are you doing?"

"I like ye," was all he said, and it reminded her of his repeating that he was the Duncan the first day they’d met. She hadn’t understood what he’d meant then and no better understood him now. Obviously ‘I like ye’ was some code, but she hadn’t a clue for what, then he said, "I’ve told ye, now I’m going to show ye. Ye said ye wanted both, and so I shall give ye both."

Evelinde blinked as sudden understanding set in. He meant to—

"Here?" she gasped with amazement.

"Aye. Here, in our bed, on the fur before the fire… There are a lot of places I’ve imagined showing ye, and now that yer no sore, I can."

Evelinde’s eyes had widened at his words as she realized that while she’d been sitting about fearing he didn’t want her at all, he’d been sitting about imagining all these places to—

"You—"

"Wife," Cullen interrupted with a sigh. "Ye may think I speak too little, but ye tend to speak too much. Shut up and let me love ye."

Evelinde stilled at the order, then gasped as he suddenly gave up on her gown and bent to kiss her.

Shut up and let me love ye. The words rang in her ears, and she sighed as his lips urged hers apart, wishing that it was love. Heir husband liked her and enjoyed bedding her, but she didn’t think it was love… not on his part. As for her… Well, in truth, Evelinde was confused about her own feelings. She found the man exasperating, frustrating, considerate, attractive, sweet… and dear God when he kissed her with the hunger he was showing her now, he made her very toes curl. How could a man be so many conflicting things at once, she wondered, then gave up trying to think and slid her arms around his neck.

The man really was a very good kisser, Evelinde acknowledged as excitement began to build in her. She felt his hands return to her gown, but this time did not try to hamper his efforts to remove it, even lowering her arms so he could slide it off. When it dropped to pool around her feet, leaving her in nothing but her chemise, she slid her hands up over his chest, searching blindly for the pin that held his plaid in place. Evelinde managed to poke herself once with the tip as she struggled to undo it but finally got it loose. She sighed into his mouth as his plaid slid away, joining her gown on the ground.