And now,I have to see him again. Lord, please give me strength.
After smoothingher hair and the fabric of her dress, she stepped out of the safety of her chambers. The Laird was standing next to her door, his eyes focused on the end of the corridor. His head turned at the sound of her feet against the stone.
Ryan smirkedwhen he saw her, scanning her newly clothed figure. His eyes lingered on her waist then on her chest. It seemed as though he didn’t even care if she caught him looking. Or perhaps, hewantedher to catch him.
A shiver ranthrough Margaret at the weight of his gaze, coupled with the memory of how his bare chest felt beneath her palms. He was warm and strong. She could still imagine the way his muscles twitched against her hands.
It doesn’t helpthat I was barely dressed myself. What would someone looking in have thought about that?
“Ye were quick,”he said seconds before she began squirming under his observation. “Didnae even have the chance to wonder if I should come check on ye.”
“That’s preciselywhy I changed so quickly,” she huffed, leveling him with a glare of her own to cover how flustered she felt. “I didn’t trust you to stay out here.”
That only seemedto deepen his amusement. Frustration joined the other feelings swirling inside her. This man was infuriating, and she couldn’t figure him out for the life of her.
Without saying another word,Ryan started walking down the corridor, not bothering to see if she was following. Margaret jogged to catch up with him, making note of the landmarks she passed on her way. She figured it was to her advantage to know the way out of the castle from her chambers.
“Could you slow down?”she huffed, picking up her dress so the hem wouldn’t trip her. “My legs aren’t as long as yours.”
“Ye can keep up,”he said, looking over his shoulder to fix her with that blasted smirk again. “Look, ye’re keepin’ up now.”
“I shouldn’t haveto run to walk next to you,” she argued, bringing her foot down hard. “Is this any way to treat the lady that’s to be your wife?”
That made Ryan stop.He turned, tilting his head to examine her. His stare was hard, and Margaret prepared herself for another argument. Instead, he nodded and let her catch up with him.
“Ach, I suppose yer right,”he said, looking down at her as they fell into step next to one another. “Forgive me, lassie. I’m nae used to havin’ someone so short walkin’ at me side.”
“You’re just tryingto rile me up,” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest and jerking her head away from him. “I won’t rise to your teasing.”
“Ye already have, Sassenach,”Ryan said, and Margaret didn’t even have to look at him to know that he was smirking. “And ye’ll continue to do so. Ye take everythin’ too seriously, ye ken?”
“Well,I can’t help my upbringing,” she said, smiling despite herself.
“And I cannae help mine,”he shot back.
“Then it seemsthat we’ll have to learn to get along,” Margaret quipped. “And you’ll need to learn to behave.”
“Careful there, Me Lady,”Ryan said. “I make the rules in this castle. I’ll behave how I please. Ye’re just going to have to learn to live with it.”
“Mm,”Margaret hummed. “We’ll see about that.”
“Aye. I suppose we will.”
The restof their walk went by in comfortable silence. Ryan’s steps slowed enough that she was able to keep up with him without jogging. She did admit that this pace was a bit too brisk for her, but it was better than it was at first.
When the twoof them reached the stables, she couldn’t help but admire the craftsmanship of the building. It may have only been a place to keep the working animals, but it might as well have been a guest house. The wood framing was artfully done, and the stones seemed to be laid with great care.
“Everything here is so beautiful,”she said as they approached a young man standing next to a black steed.
“Aye, it is.”
Ryan stepped forward,accepting the reins of the horse from the stable hand. He looked at Margaret, waiting for her to come over. Her brow furrowed as she glanced behind him.
“Where’s my horse?”she asked, sure that she must be missing something. “I can ride.”
“Just get on me horse,”he said. “There’s nae a horse ready for ye.”
“My Laird,I’d prefer to ride my own horse,” she insisted, fighting every urge to cross her arms over her chest like a child. “Will it really take that long to get another horse ready for me?”