Devil of the Highlands Page 0,40

up. Curious, she turned her attention to the paddock itself, eyes widening with horror when she realized the men had either finished with baiting "poor old Angus" or forgone that fun altogether and moved on to riding bareback on a mad horse. Truly, the horse seemed crazed. It was bucking, twisting, and leaping about, doing everything in its power to unseat the man presently clinging to its back.

Evelinde had just decided the man on the beast's back must be as mad as the horse itself when the horse turned, and she realized the madman was her husband.

For one moment, Evelinde simply stood there clutching at the fence post, mouth agape with horror. Visions began dancing in her head of her husband flying off the beast and being trampled to death. The thought of being made a widow so soon after discovering the joys of marriage almost made her swoon. And then her husband did go flying through the air, tossed from the beast's back like so much rubbish.

A shriek of horror slipping from her lips, Evelinde immediately began to climb the fence. She was determined to get to her husband as quickly as she could. Her skirt had other ideas, however, and kept catching on the wood. Evelinde just tugged at it impatiently, nearly tumbling on her head as she threw herself into the paddock. She heard a rip, then she was free, tumbling to her belly on the ground.

Grunting at the impact, Evelinde pushed herself to her feet, grabbing at the overlarge skirt and holding it gathered in her hand as she charged across the paddock.

Despite the noise they were making, several of the men apparently heard her shriek her husband's name and turned to watch her rush across the paddock. The horror on their faces made her heart squeeze tight. Evelinde had not seen her husband land, but obviously it had not gone well, she realized, as the men began to shout at her.

Hoping he was not so badly injured he would not mend, Evelinde began trying to recall all Mildrede had taught her about healing as she ran. He probably had a broken bone or two… or more. Those would need setting. His head was her foremost concern, however, and she sent up a silent prayer that he'd protected his head as he fell. The man was just healing from his last fall from the horse. What was he thinking, getting on that mad beast? She would ask him that, Evelinde thought, just as soon as she judged him healthy enough she could give him hell without feeling bad about it.

The men's shouts had grown almost frantic, and they were gesturing and waving a bit wildly. Evelinde tried not to let her imagination tell her Cullen was injured beyond repair.

He couldn't be, she told herself. Surely, God would not be so cruel?

"Evelinde!"

Startled to recognize Cullen's voice, she pushed her worries away and looked more closely at the crowd on the other side of the fence. Her heart leapt with relief when she spotted Cullen pushing his way through the men who were now pressed up against the fence.

"Dammit woman, move!" Cullen roared, beginning to climb the fence to get to her.

Evelinde took in the fury on his face and suddenly wasn't at all certain she wished to see her husband after all. She had no idea what she'd done to cause his fury, but she was definitely sure she didn't want to see him until he'd had a chance to calm down.

It was as she whirled to head back the way she'd come that Evelinde spotted the bull. If her heart had leapt and her blood pounded when she'd seen Cullen thrown from the horse, it was nothing compared to her body's response when she saw mad Angus thundering down the paddock toward her.

Evelinde had never been a particularly physical person. It wasn't expected of a lady. She enjoyed riding and wading in the river, and that was about the extent of her physical activity as a rule, but being chased by a snorting bull was a wondrous motivator. Evelinde caught up her skirts and burst into a run toward her husband. She ran so fast her feet hardly seemed to touch the ground. In fact, she wouldn't have been surprised if someone told her they'd seen an angel swoop down from the skies and carry her those last thirty feet to the fence. Evelinde moved so fast she actually reached the fence before Cullen had finished