fine in that part of the grounds. I don’t need a guard. I’m not royalty.” Would this man listen?
“I will not repeat myself. You will do as I say.” He made a growling noise, clasping his horse’s reins, the conversation apparently over. “I don’t know what my sister was thinking bringing ye here.”
“Neither do I. Like any normal, sane person would want to travel from the luxuries of life in the twenty-first century to this hard, dirty, seventeenth century Scotland. If you think I’m any happier about this situation, you’re wrong.” Abby’s hands shook as adrenaline started to pump through her veins. Oh, the audacity of the man. “You’re an overbearing brute who I’d never consider marrying.”
“I don’t believe I ever offered.”
“And I’d never want you to. And it’s no secret that I don’t want to fall in line with your little plan to act as a lady, either, but to save your ass and keep a roof over my head, I will. So, if I have to compromise on this, you can compromise about me having a guard.”
He bared his teeth and she stepped back, not liking the savage look in his eye. “Verra well. I’ll give ye that one wish, but be warned, I don’t want ye this side of the castle. I may not get to ye in time, if ye disobey me.”
Abby nodded, satisfied with this small victory. “We have a deal.” She held out her hand for him to shake. He looked at it and did nothing.
“You will learn to fall in with my plans, lass, or I’ll walk you into that forest that you’re so fond of and remove you from this earth myself.”
The murderous glint in his eye said he would do as he stated should she push him too far. Anger thrummed through every pore of her body. In this case, she would have to succumb to him. She would allow the brute to win this battle, but he wouldn’t win the war. And if he wanted a sweet, delightful lady who would compliment his guests, he had another thing coming.
“I said I would. I’ll fall in line, like all your little soldier men, but if you think for one moment that I’m enjoying myself, or that I’ll go out of my way to please you and your guests, you can think again. I’d rather eat Haggis.” Abby stormed back toward the castle and left the overbearing Scot behind her. She kicked up some dirt and one of the delicate shoes ripped. She rolled her eyes. Typical.
The thought of having to sit beside him at meals and play the lady irked her. This wasn’t her time. To be kind to people who pulled her through time for their own nefarious means was wrong.
Chapter 5
Aedan ran a hand through his hair and mounted his horse. The obstinate woman from the future stormed toward the castle, and he took a moment to enjoy the view of her swaying hips and delectable rump as she did so.
Numerous curses, some words he’d never heard before, were coming from her mouth. Aedan shook his head. He couldn’t blame the wench for being angry and upset. Had his sister sent him forward in time he would’ve reacted the same, if not worse.
He kicked his horse into a canter, and coming up next to her, he scooped her up and sat her before him on the horse. She screamed a high-pitch squeal that made his ears ring and then she clutched his neck.
“Hush, before the horse bolts and we both end up on the ground. Consider this ye first lesson. How to shut up and listen.”
She glared at him, quite ferociously, and Aedan had an overwhelming urge to shock her further and cover her puckered mouth with his own. Her lips were red and succulent and her teeth where white and straight, much healthier than a lot of the women in this time. He contemplated a kiss, until the hellion slapped his face. Hard.
The action rendered him mute. His hand tightened about her waist, pulling her harder against his chest. She gasped, the color in her cheeks deepening to crimson. “I’ll allow ye that once, lass, but try it again and I’ll not be held accountable for me actions.”
She pushed at his chest without success. “You would hit a woman? Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
He chuckled and shrugged. “You’re jumping to conclusions. I would never mark a woman with me hand or anything else for that matter.” He smirked.