Protected by the Laird by Eliza Knight

Author:Eliza Knight
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: 0
Published: 2016-11-21T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Six

It was a bloody damn good thing Douglas had told the men to ride on without him, that he’d catch up eventually. Alex could take charge and Gabriel, too, because no one needed to bear witness to him throttling this stubborn chit as soon as he pulled her in from the damned frozen loch.

What in bloody hell had possessed her to ride off as though the devil chased her? Through dunes! Over icy, unstable ground?

Fear, perhaps. He could understand if she’d been in mortal danger. But he’d only ever tried to keep her safe. To protect her.

“Grab hold of the rope.” Douglas had tossed her the long rope he always kept on his horse for various purposes, one of which was to tie up prisoners. “Tuck your hand through the loop, so that it acts as a brace on your wrist and then hold tight with both hands.”

The lass did as he instructed, her tiny hands pale and trembling.

“I’m going to pull. Ignore any sounds from the ice. Just keep your eyes on me.”

Annora locked her gaze on his. Fear, anger, doubt, everything she felt was clearly written all over her face. Plain as day, he watched her work to keep her emotions hidden and fail in the process.

The wind gusted, picking up speed, swirling sand and snow around his boots. They were likely in store for another storm. It wouldn’t be a Highland winter without frigid temperatures, frequent snow and ice blanketing the landscape. He only prayed he could get her to safety before the skies pelted the earth.

Inch by inch, Douglas steadily tugged the rope. Annora’s body eased over the frozen loch. The crack near her body grew wider with every inch and followed her, as though the water wanted to open up and swallow her whole.

“Almost there.” His low murmur was lost on the wind which blew in fierce gusts, bursts that were rough enough to cause his footing to waver.

When she was a foot from the edge, Douglas dropped the rope and bent low, hauling her up in his arms. Intense relief engulfed him, making his entire body shudder from the force of it. She was safe.

Annora wrapped herself around him, a deep shuddering sob escaping her as she buried her face in his shoulder. Douglas stilled the rebuke on his lips, unable to do anything but hold her close. He threaded his fingers in her thick, dark hair and breathed out his own sigh of relief that she’d not been killed.

“Promise me ye’ll not attempt to swim in a frozen loch again?” By making a jest of it, he hoped to set her at ease.

Annora gave a little laugh and wiped at the tears tracking down her cheeks. Lord, but she was beautiful, even in the setting sun. An overwhelming urge to kiss her gripped him and only by a thin thread was he able to hold it at bay.

“I promise,” she whispered, keeping her gaze on his chest.

Douglas gritted his teeth, forcing himself to concentrate on what they needed to do and not on what he wanted to do.

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