and that Roderick proved to be a fast runner who could more than keep up with her.
Soon they reached the stable, and she threw open the door.
“Pick one,” she said, already quickly finding the tack hung on the wall as her nimble fingers began to saddle one of the horses nearest the door.
“We are not stealing horses,” Roderick said, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at her.
“Roderick!” she exclaimed. “If we don’t take horses, then we shall be captured by these men, and I assure you, you do not want that.”
“Who are they?”
“I will tell you once we are on our way. Now pick a horse.”
“Who. Are. They.”
She let out a groan of frustration.
“They used to be part of my father’s gang,” she said hurriedly. “That’s all I have time to tell you now. We must be on our way.”
“I’m leaving payment for our borrowing the horses, and I will return them.”
“But that’s the only money we have!” she exclaimed.
Roderick shook his head. “I’m not stealing any horses.”
“Fine,” she said, as she willed him to count the coins faster.
“Hmm,” he said. “I’ve hardly much at all. Especially not to borrow two horses.”
“We’ll take but one, then, Roderick, let’s go.”
He finally nodded, leaving the coins on the top of the stall door before mounting behind her, as she had already saddled and mounted the horse while he had taken his time to count the coins.
“Are you ready then?” she asked, and, not knowing whether he nodded or not, she snapped the reins and sent the horse galloping out the stall door. As the doors burst open, they knocked over two men who stood in front of them, though they were up and giving chase as Gwen and Roderick galloped out of the yard and down the lane.
“I told you!” she yelled, turning her head slightly so Roderick could hear her words in the wind. “You were so bloody slow, you almost got us caught!”
“I don’t even know who we are running from!” he yelled back, and she turned her head, pretending she didn’t hear his words. For when he learned the truth, he would likely no longer want to accompany her, and she realized she had grown to rather enjoy his presence.
Finally, what seemed like hours but was likely minutes later, Roderick was grateful when she slowed the pace to the point where the wind no longer rushed through their ears, making it possible to talk.
“Do you think we could switch positions?” Roderick asked, already knowing the answer.
“No,” she said simply, and he looked around him, trying to determine exactly where they were as he gripped her tightly around the middle, balancing himself on the horse’s back behind the saddle. Soon enough he would have to walk, he knew, for the two of them would be too much weight for the horse, but he figured they should put some distance between them and their pursuers first.
“Will you at least let me guide you, then?” he asked, seeing the river in the distance. Based on where they’d started from, he had a rough idea of how far they were from his lands, as he knew this area well. Gwen hadn’t known the landscape of Scotland well enough to realize that the town where Doc grew up was about a day’s journey to his own home near Aldourie.
She gave a curt nod and allowed him to give her directions. As he pointed his finger the way they were to go, he brushed his arm against her shoulder, and she flinched a bit but didn’t shift back from him. It was heavenly torture sitting behind her. Her unbound hair brushed against the bare skin of his chest underneath his partially unbuttoned shirt. As they rode, he felt the tension slowly begin to seep out of her, and as much as he wanted to question her, he considered all that she had gone through in the past day.
“Are you all right, lass?” he asked her.
“Why does it seem as if you are forever asking me that question?” she asked, and it seemed he could detect a faint smile in her voice.
“Mayhap it is because we continue to find ourselves in rather extraordinary circumstances that would cause most ordinary women to have a difficult time of it.”
“Mayhap I am not ordinary,” she said with a mocking tone. “My life is one of running.”
“Mayhap you are right.” He laughed then, really, truly laughed, and finally, she joined in with a low chuckle of her