Highland Destiny Read Online Free

curious to see what miracles ye can perform when all ye require is right at hand.”
    “What do ye mean?”
    “Ye will journey to Donncoill with us.”
    “Am I to be your prisoner then?”
    “Nay, my guest.”
    She opened her mouth to give him a firm, rude refusal, then pressed her lips together and swallowed the sharp words. This was not the time to be stubborn or contrary. She struggled to remind herself of the many advantages of joining her fate with that of Sir Balfour. He was at war with Sir Beaton just as she was, and, even though he had lost the battle today, he still had the men and arms to inflict some true and lasting harm to the laird of Dubhlinn. She would also have shelter and food while she plotted her revenge.
    There were some disadvantages, too, she mused with an inner grimace. Beaton had clearly done Sir Balfour a great harm. If he discovered the truth of her parentage, she could find herself in danger. There could also be trouble ahead for her if he discovered exactly why she was on the road to Dubhlinn. If she went with him she would have to deceive him, and every instinct she had told her that Sir Balfour Murray would not easily forgive deceit. Her plan to gain an ally was proving itself to be far from simple.
    As she studied him, one other possible complication presented itself. She recognized the look in his fine dark eyes. It was one she had seen far too often. He wanted her. What worried her was that she could feel herself responding to that, something she had never done before. This dark knight’s lust did not arouse the anger, disgust, and scorn other men’s had.
    Although that worried her, it also made her curious. He was undeniably handsome, but she had seen other men just as handsome. There was a lean strength to his tall body that any woman with eyes in her head had to appreciate. His face was a delight to look upon with high cheekbones, a long straight nose, and a firm jaw. His deep brown hair was thick and wavy, hanging to his broad shoulders, and faintly gleaming with red wherever the sunlight touched it. It was his eyes that truly drew her interest. They were a soft, rich brown, surrounded by surprisingly thick black lashes and set beneath faintly arced dark brows. A little unsettled by his steady gaze, she glanced at his mouth and quickly decided that was a dangerous place to look. He had a very nice mouth, the bottom lip slightly fuller than the top. She could all too easily imagine how it would feel to kiss him.
    She hastily turned away from him and picked up her small sack. “’Tis most kind of you to offer me shelter, but ’tis late spring and there are but a few short months of fine weather ahead. I cannae pause now. I must find my kinsmen ere I am forced to seek shelter from the ill weather of winter.”
    “If tending to Nigel takes too long, then ye can shelter at Donncoill.” He grabbed her by the arm and tugged her toward his horse. “Nigel is in great need of your skills.”
    “So, my laird, this isnae an invitation, but a command.”
    Balfour grabbed her around her tiny waist and set her in the saddle, musing fleetingly that she needed a few good meals, for she was not much heavier than some child. “It would make your stay at Donncoill more pleasant if ye would try to think of this as an invitation.”
    “Would it? I am nay sure I can tell myself such a large falsehood.”
    “Try.”
    He smiled at her and Maldie felt her breath quicken. His smile was alluring in its complete honesty. There was no guile or arrogance behind that crooked grin, just a simple amusement he was silently inviting her to share with him. It was not only his good looks that could prove a danger, she realized, but the man himself. It was beginning to look as if Sir Balfour Murray held a lot of those good qualities she had long ago decided no man could ever have. Maldie knew that could make it very hard to keep her secrets.
    She smiled faintly. “As ye wish, m’laird. And, when your brother