Page 29 (1/2)

Anger flared in her pale eyes “You only say that because I would have beaten you”

He stiffened “No”

Her htened, but she made it smile “We shall see, Captain There is always another day”

So saying, she straightened her back proudly, tugged the reins froers, and put some space between them

“Are you ready, then?” she asked him There was a flicker in her eyes, an uncertainty, that had not been there before

Ithad been a ruse, a distraction, to take away his pain at returning home He disht up in the race as he

“Of course,” he said coldly, and she rode off at aHe did not watch the way her hips swayed in the saddle, or the long line of her legs in their tight trews He stared ahead, to the gray bridge and the avenue of yews, to the place he had loved and lost

Glen Dhui belonged to her now Once rim reminder

And so did he

Chapter 10

Glen Dhui Castle sat solid against the last faint glow of the sky With its rectangular base and stiff turrets and gables, it was more like a fortified home than a castle, but what it lacked in fairytale prettiness, it more than made up for in solidity and security There were many stories of raids by other clans upon Grant territory, of battles fought and enemies slain, and of womenfolk safe within these walls, while a ferocious foe waited outside

Gregor had been brought up on these tales

His throat felt dry This is no longer er mine Then why did it feel like holy as this house, elling with regret, with longing, but he would not let the emotion spill free

He dared not

The main door was open A pluht from the lantern she held Beside her hovered a lad as nearly as tall as she, his fair hair like a halo Gregor recognized the woman—it was Duncan Forbes’s sister, Alison The woman Malcolm Bain had planned to marry, until the 1715 Rebellion interrupted their drea since then, and as Gregor recalled, Alison had always had a fiery temper