Page 26 of Jack (Highland Outlaws #1)
B ella’s soul soared to the tops of the surrounding mountains. She breathed the fresh, crisp air and felt its elusive truth. It was untamed and unpredictable. And now, for the first time, so was she.
Nudging her horse in the flanks, she skirted around jagged rocks and climbed rugged, jutting slopes.
With courage in her heart, she watched storm clouds gather, clinging to the mountaintops.
A crack of lightning sliced the sky, unleashing torrents of heavy rain, but she did not shrink from the downpour.
She threw her head back and cried out as wild as any creature ever to cross mountain or moor.
Jack raced alongside her, adding to her sense of wonderment. Never had she felt so complete.
Glancing back, she looked to her father who was huddled beneath his cape, and yet, a smile stretched his face wide. Witnessing his irrepressible joy, her heart swelled. He had been delivered up from his grief. They were entering a new world, one far from pain.
After a while, the dark clouds scattered, releasing the sun’s warmth and light.
The road wound around craggy boulders and small forests of Scotch pine and then straightened, running alongside a large field left to fallow.
At its edge, they passed a blacksmith’s forge.
Black plumes of smoke coiled out from rooftop vents.
Further down, they came to a village green with a stone kirk at its center.
Few people milled about the sleepy hamlet, but those who were crossing the green or bringing wheat to the mill beyond the kirk stopped and stared at Bella.
“Yer clothes are too rich,” Jack said under his breath. “Yer da’s, too.”
She looked down at her sodden yet fine tunic with its intricate embroidery and golden threads. Bella scanned the village. “Where is the tailor?”
Jack chuckled. “There is no tailor, not for miles and miles. Bella, most people make their own clothes.”
She blushed while at the same time squaring her shoulders. “Then, I must learn.”
“I think that a fine idea,” Jack said approvingly. “But it does not solve our immediate problem. Yer tunic invites suspicion and makes ye memorable.”
“True,” she said, looking about. Then she spied a young woman with a basket of laundry in her arms passing between two huts. “Mayhap she will sell me one of her tunics.”
Jack shook his head. “Only a lady in trouble would pay coin for a humble tunic. We may as well leave a letter for Edward’s men to say we’ve passed through here.”
Bella hadn’t considered that paying for clothing would draw attention to herself.
She certainly had a great deal to learn about not being a lady.
Bella continued to watch the woman, trying to think of how she could get her hands on a simple tunic, when the obvious answer came to her.
She smiled as the woman disappeared from view.
Then she turned and looked at Jack. “Wait for me on the outskirts of the village.”
Jack and her father exchanged skeptical glances. “What are you planning to do?” David asked.
“Just go,” she urged. When neither man moved, she scowled.
“Fine, I will go.” She nudged her horse forward, following the path taken by the woman.
After a brief while, Bella spotted her near the edge of a field, laying clothing on top of tall grasses to dry.
Keeping back, Bella waited while the woman emptied her basket.
When the last piece was spread out along with the others, the woman stood and lifted her face to the sun.
Bella’s heart started to race when the girl turned, retreating back the way she’d come.
“Now,” she said to herself. Holding her breath, Bella slid from her horse and darted to the edge of the field.
As quickly as she could, she snatched a kirtle and tunic for herself and a pair of hose and a tunic for her father.
With a shaky hand, she dropped several coins on top of an apron spread out in the fleeting sunshine.
Her heart pounded as she ran back to her horse.
Shoving the items into her satchel, she pulled herself up into her saddle and made a dash for the road.
She rode hard. The wind whipped her hair back.
She knew that her actions were risky, but the prospect of being caught only added to the thrill of her adventure.
As she neared the outskirts of the village, she spotted Jack and her father waiting for her by the side of the road. They looked up as she approached.
“Let’s ride,” she shouted, passing them both.
“What did ye do?” Jack asked, bringing his horse alongside hers.
“I purchased some clothing, but don’t worry, I didn’t ask.”
He raised a brow at her. “Don’t ye mean to say that ye stole it?”
She grinned widely. “I believe I left her enough coin to buy the whole village, should she so desire. So, even though I didn’t ask, I’ll stand by my claim that the exchange was, indeed, a purchase.”
Jack laughed. The rich sound enveloped her. She reached across the space between them, and he stretched his hand out. Their fingertips touched, sending heat coursing through her body. She had never felt so alive.
After changing horses at the next small village, they continued their race.
The countryside was beautiful, lush with rolling hills painted in verdant spring colors.
But it was not the distant mountains or rolling moorland that kept drawing her gaze.
Jack’s rugged allure left her breathless and full of need.
A sweet ache was building inside her, an ache that brought both pleasure and pain.
It left her hungry for Jack’s touch. And no gentle caress would do.
She wanted to feel the strength of his hands on her body.
She wanted him to possess her, body and soul.
Every moment not spent in his arms was agony. And judging by the intense fire she glimpsed in his ebony gaze, he was growing as impatient as she to find accommodations for the night.
When the sun dipped below the horizon, they, at last, came upon another village. Leaving Bella and David at the edge of the village green, Jack went to speak with the proprietor of a bustling alehouse.
“Thank goodness,” David said, meeting Bella’s gaze. “For the first time in years, my limbs are filled with vigor. Still, I do not believe I am quite ready to sleep out of doors.”
“My thinking has been the same,” Bella claimed, although sleep was certainly not what she had on her mind. Still, she was not going to tell her father that Jack’s strong hands and broad shoulders had been the true occupants of her thoughts.
“Luck is on our side,” Jack said when he returned. “We’ve the last two rooms.”
A wave of relief passed over her father’s face the instant before his brows drew together with concern. “Prepare yourself, daughter. Our room is sure to offer little by way of comfort.”
Bella’s eyes flashed wide. The last thing she wanted was to share a room with her father.
Jack cleared his throat. “David, ye’re bedding down on yer own.”
Bella’s heart started to pound. She met Jack’s hot gaze.
“Where do you intend to sleep?” David asked Jack, and then his breath caught as his gaze darted between Jack and Bella. “Surely, you do not intend to share a room with my daughter.”
Jack drew back a step. “That is exactly my intention, but do not fash yerself. First, I plan to wed her.”
Bella’s heart raced. She could not draw breath.
The heat in his gaze gave way to tenderness. “That is...if ye’ll have me,” he said, his voice soft and low. He reached out and grazed the backs of his fingers down her cheek. “My Bella,” he whispered.
She threw her arms around his neck. “Nothing could make me happier.” But then, remembering her father, she stiffened and drew away. “Papa?” she said, her eyes pleading for him to understand her heart.
A scowl furrowed her father’s brow. In that moment, he was every bit Lord Redesdale; the relieved and spirited David had vanished.
“Of all the offensive, improper....” His voice trailed off.
He cast his gaze to the ground, expelling a long breath.
When he looked at her once more, his face had softened.
David had returned.
He stepped forward and cupped her cheek.
“It seems my new life demands I relinquish control, a daunting but not unwelcome task. I have no qualms with the match if this is where your heart lies. He has proved himself to be an intelligent man of great heart. More than that, he clearly loves you.” He turned his gaze to Jack.
“I could ask nothing more for my Bella.” Then his smile faded.
“Forgive me for saying so, but you do already have a lot of children.”
Bella laughed outright. “Jack’s lassies are not of his body, Papa. They are simply in his charge.” Once more, her father appeared confused. She pressed a kiss to his cheek. “They are orphans, exiled after the massacre. Jack saved them.”
Warmth flooded David’s gaze. “You are, indeed, a nobleman, Jack MacVie.” He smiled at Bella. “You have my blessing.”
Smiling, Jack swept her into his arms. She delighted in the way her body molded to his. “Bella,” he whispered against her lips. “I love ye.” His words set her heart to race harder than ever. “I love you too,” she replied, looking up at him with a smile.
Holding her close, Jack dipped his head to Bella’s father. “Thank ye, David. I swear on my life that I will cherish and honor yer daughter and protect her with all my strength.”
David nodded gravely. “I believe you.”
“And I will do everything in my power to make ye happy,” Jack vowed, his gaze locked with Bella’s. She did not doubt that he was a man of his word and that he would move heaven and earth for her. “And I vow the same,” she promised.