Medieval Highlands 01 - Highland Vengeance (41 page)

She gathered her skirts in her fists and ran at full tilt, determined to follow his trail. Bursting through the natural entryway, she skidded to a halt, looking in all directions for her quarry. Gulping in ragged breaths, she listened for the sound of footsteps crunching across the woodland floor, but heard naught. She’d lost him. Disheartened and winded, she sat down on a fallen log. “
Eeeek!
” she shrieked several seconds later, springing to her feet. Damn! She’d sat on an ant bed. Turning in circles as she shook out her skirts, she muttered one of her husband’s favorite expletives—and then immediately crossed herself.

A decidedly male snort came from up above her. Craning her neck, she dizzily looked up into the canopy of trees. ‘Tho she saw naught, she’d recognized the sound, and was now much too disgruntled to hold her tongue. “Where are you?” she called out. “I saw you; I know you exist, so stop your infernal hiding and be a man!”

He dropped to the ground in front of her and stood silently gazing at her with his feet apart and his arms akimbo and Jesslyn’s heart leapt into her throat. Towering a head and a half above her own rather tall stature, the dark behemoth blocked the light with his height and broad shoulders.
Naked
shoulders.
Oh. My. God.
All at once, she was painfully aware of her own vulnerability and backed away, moving—she prayed—towards the exit into the glen. “‘Twas very good meeting you, giant. I shall leave you to your…ummm…your…morn…ummm…” Morn what? Devouring? Mauling? Her foot snagged on the hem of her gown and she lost her balance. Before she could take her next breath, she was on her backside in an undignified heap.

He rushed forward and took hold of her hand, bringing her to her feet. “Leave me to my morn?” he said with a grin. “You’re as amusing as your son has said.”

Jesslyn jerked out of his grasp and turned to run.

He waylaid her with a hand on her shoulder. “Leave not, fair one, I pray you. After all, you did demand that I show myself to you, did you not?”

A
frisson
of awareness passed through her as she stood there, frozen in place. Confused and unnerved by the reaction, she forced herself to ignore it. But the gentleness in his touch and the deep, smooth timbre of his voice did give her pause. Mayhap she should find out more about him, now that he’d allowed himself to be seen. Was that not what they’d all been trying to do these past sennights: Find him and learn his purpose? She relaxed and allowed him to turn her around.

“Why do we not find a place to sit while we get to know each other?” he asked. She gave him a brief nod and he took her elbow and led her further into the wood to a hidden alcove behind a curtain of vines where a makeshift table and stools made from the cut trunks of pines were tucked.

He must not have been using this as his dwelling, Jesslyn mused as she watched him tie the vines back and allow the dim light of the forest to filter through. For, tho’ the cave was large enough for the two of them to move about, ‘twas not deep enough to use as a permanent shelter from the elements.

“What is your name? I feel odd calling you ‘giant’,” she asked.

He grinned, clearly amused by the epigram her son had contrived for him, and led her to the stool facing the opening of the cave, then motioned for her to take a seat before settling on the stool opposite hers and giving his reply. “I’m Bao Xiong. Call me Bao.”

“Bow? She-yohng?” Jesslyn hesitantly repeated, struggling with the strange name and wondering at its origin.

He nodded approval at her pronunciation. “And you are Jesslyn.”

“How did you know my name—and that Alleck is my son?” she asked in alarm, just now recalling his earlier words to her. Uneasy once more, she looked toward the entrance to gauge its distance in case she needed to make a hasty departure.

“Fear not, fair one. Your son is quite frank in his love for you and he shares his thoughts easily. He’s told me much of you, including your name. And ‘twas your interest in the boulder that convinced me that you were indeed the mother he’d described.”

Jesslyn calmed. “Why do you hide yourself in the forest? Why do you not let yourself be known? Are you a criminal?” She did not believe him to be, but wanted to hear his denial all the same.

“Aye, some might call me such.” Her jaw dropped open and he grinned. “But that is not why I hide in this wood. I hide while I wait…I wait while I explore…I,”—he shrugged as he swept his arms in a quick arc before crossing them over his chest—“I…explore while I prepare.”

Jesslyn threw her hands in the air. “What mean you by that puzzle? Are you dangerous to my son? To me? Do you wait in these woods, spying and planning some vicious attack on the Maclean holding?”

Leaning forward, he rested his forearms on his knees as he gave her a steady look. “Nay, of that you can be most certain. I hold no ill-will for the Macleans, nor do I have a desire to take their holding. My intentions are of a personal nature and involve my connection to the Laird of the Macleans, Daniel MacLaurin.”

‘Twas as her husband had told her in her dream, she realized all at once. “If your business concerns Daniel, why did you not present yourself when he spent those days searching for you in this very wood? Why continue this game?”

He sighed and lifted his gaze to the stone wall behind her, shaking his head as he replied, “The time is not right; he’s not ready to hear what I must tell him. Tho’ I grow anxious for this thing to be finished, ‘tis important that I not rush the event.”

Jesslyn studied her companion while his eyes were turned from her. He was truly beautiful. She’d been struggling to keep her gaze from his bare chest these past minutes while he answered her questions. He wore only a light woolen green cloth wrapped around his waist, held in place by a wide leather belt. Why did he not wear a shirt? Did he not understand the indecency of the attire? At least the cloth fell below his knees, covering the top laces of his leather boots, else his bare legs would be in open view as well. The man was massive. And extremely muscular—more so even than her husband had been, and he had been huge. An oddly shaped pinkish-tan scar made a raised pattern on his chest, just below his collarbone. The remainder of his skin was the color of Daniel’s
uisge beatha
, and just as smooth. A bit of black hair grew over the rock-like slabs of muscle above his brown nipples and trailed down between them over his hard, rippled abdomen and down inside his belt. Very fine black hairs lightly covered his forearms as well. He’d tied a portion of the hair on top of his head into a leather thong, leaving the remainder of the straight, black mass hanging down, the jagged edges sweeping over his shoulders and back. Something in the shape of his mouth and nose was familiar to her, but she was unable to place whose they looked like. And those unusually shaped eyes! The flecks of green in the deep brown reminded her of a large piece of granite she’d seen at a holy day festival when she was a young lass.

All at once, those dark granite eyes penetrated hers. Her breath caught in her throat.

“Now,
you
must answer a question—”

Did he expect her to reveal information about the Macleans? “Nay, I cannot betray my friends’ trust, I—”

“You mistake me, fair one, for I only desire to learn why you came to the wood in such a secret fashion this morn. I have no need, nor do I wish, your services as a spy.” He leaned back against the wall of the cave, relaxing on his stool as he gazed at her and awaited her reply.

Nervous at this stranger’s intent perusal, Jesslyn bolted from her seat and turned her back, pretending interest in the structure of the cave. “I came to the wood to find a waterfall. A waterfall I saw in a dream, actually.”

After several long moments passed without a response from her companion, Jesslyn turned, a brow raised in question. It lifted even higher and she felt herself blush when she saw his gaze leap from her breasts to her face. ‘Twas in his favor that his own cheeks turned ruddy as he cleared his throat and sat forward, resting his arms on his knees. “You look for a waterfall? I know of one; ‘tis on the other side of the wood. I can take you there, if you wish it.”

Jesslyn’s heart pounded. “There
is
a waterfall in this wood, then? Aye, I want you to lead me there.” Looking past his shoulder out of the cave’s opening, she saw that the sun was shining brightly now on the forest floor. She sighed, disappointed at the necessary delay. “But not this day. I fear I’ve stayed too long already. My son will be home from his friend’s cottage soon and I must be there to greet him or he will worry.”

After a moment, he rose and took her elbow to lead her back to the place where she’d entered earlier. “I beg you, tell no one of my presence.”

Jesslyn halted, only now realizing the difficulty of the situation. “How can I, in good conscience, keep this from Daniel? I shudder at the image of what he might do, were he to discover such deceit on my part.” Especially after her horrid behavior in the storage tower that had almost ruined his marriage.

“I vow that I will not make you keep this secret for very long. I swear, on the grave of my sweet mother, that I do not intend harm to any here, if that is your worry.”

“Nay, I have no such worry.”

The dark centers of his eyes expanded as his gaze fixed on the dark beauty mark next to her right eye. His fingers trailed down the exposed portion of her forearm in pursuit of her hand, which he then gave a gentle squeeze to. “I entreat you to stay silent, then. Should Daniel learn of your secrecy and be displeased, I will make it right. You have my oath.”

She pulled free of his hand and absently rubbed the gooseflesh his soft caress had raised on her flesh. Once more recalling the dream and her husband’s entreaty that she aid this man, she at last made her decision. With a quick nod, she said, “Aye, I shall keep your secret—but be prepared to hear my scolding. I want this out in the open as soon as is possible.” ‘Twas strange, but she trusted him to keep his word.

He smiled and took hold of her hand again—and for a reason she was not prepared to ponder at that moment, she allowed it—then he turned and walked with her in silence a moment. “I can meet you here on the morrow,” he said finally, “if that is convenient. But ready yourself to stay longer than you have this morn; ‘twill take some time to reach the fall.”

Jesslyn bit her lip and drew her brows together, working it out in her mind. After a short moment, she replied, “Aye. Aye, I can meet you on the morrow at morningtide. I shall take my son to visit Lady Maclean for the day; she and Daniel’s wife will keep him busy.” Jesslyn looked up at her escort. “But I must meet you a bit later, I must break my fast with my son before I take him to the keep.”

She stumbled over a small mound in the earth covered by falling leaves and yelped as she lost her balance and grabbed hold of his waist causing her breasts to press against his arm. Her cheeks flamed as he helped her to straighten.

“Pray pardon me,” was all she could think of to say. She was relieved when he did not make a jest or, worse, take her accidental stumble into him as an invitation to do more, instead only pressing the small of her back to guide her forward as he said, “So, you shall meet me by mid-morn on the morrow. I shall be waiting.” He halted and turned to face her when they came to the opening in the brush where she’d first entered. Bowing, he said, “Good day, fair Jesslyn.”

Jesslyn smiled at him. “Good day to you, giant.” She turned then and flew through the slight opening in the overhang of branches, her skirts catching the breeze as she traveled across the glen to her home.

*

This was an awkward and unwelcome twist in his plans, Bao thought, as he made his way back to his hidden lair. To be smitten so quickly by the mother of the lad he’d befriended against his better judgment was alarming and unacceptable. Befriending a lonely lad was not nearly as dangerous as becoming involved with the voluptuous and lovely mother. ‘Twould not do; he must fight this attraction and not give into it again, as he’d done today. There was no room in his plans, his life, for the widow and her son. He’d show her the waterfall and that would be the end of it. They’d not meet again until he was ready to make himself known to Daniel.

After climbing the tall pine that edged a limestone crag, he leapt from its trunk onto the top of the rock and allowed his feet to slide down the back side before grabbing a portion of the stone that jutted from the higher elevation on his right. The top of the rugged limestone was covered in blue-flowering woodland geranium which kept him from sliding off the outcropping. Finding the four-foot wide fissure between two natural walls of limestone, he walked between them, looking for the entrance to the cave he and his sister had been living in these past moons.

Almost at his destination, Bao turned his mind back to Jesslyn. She’d said she’d seen the waterfall in a dream. He’d seen
her
in a dream. Moons ago now, not long after he’d arrived here. She’d been swimming in the pool at the base of the fall. Her skin naked and gleaming from the reflection of the dappled light and the water. When he’d come through the copse of trees, she’d climbed the hidden steps next to the fall that led out of the pool and onto the bank, her hair in wet streams against her back and her enchantress’s body bared to his sight. She’d opened her arms and beckoned him to her. They’d made love. It had been the most intense and wonderful dream of his life. He’d conjured her in his thoughts many times ever since, but had not dreamed of her again. Until today, he’d believed her only an illusion, a product of his lonely and unchaste life.