Finally, Luag was catching a break. There was a small river where Steam could drink, and then the road was wide open.

His luck changed, however. He had just remounted when Katherine came along. She didn't make a scene, didn't call out his name or call him husband and ask why he was deserting her.

No, she merely stood on the side of the road and gazed up into his eyes, defying him to leave her there.

He cursed.

But he reached out a hand and lifted her up to ride in front of him, even though she wore her small knapsack on her back. He would've put her behind him, except that his soldiering bag was tied there, along with provisions that had come with the horse.

She lifted her leg over Steam’s neck to ride astride, then nestled in front of him as if it were her right, curse the woman. Softly, for his ears only, she said what he'd been dreading. "I could na let ye desert me, ‘Husband’."

Feeling things he ought not feel, he spoke tersely. “Where dae ye think I gae, tae a market fair? I hae enough tae dae seeing tae my own hide. Certies I dinna need ye tae look after. I wull make ye regret cooming along. Och, aye, I wull.”

With that remark, he whipped the horse into a gallop that took them off the road and across a shortcut through the heather.

Her fear caused her to hold tightly to his legs on either side of her, pushing herself backward into him.

It made his mouth water, among other reactions she undoubtedly could feel.

Inwardly, he cursed his shortsightedness. He couldn't have her doing that. "If ye keep on that way, I wull insist we be marrit in truth, and then where wull ye be, hm?"

She instantly stopped herself from pressing into him, but she turned to give him a derisive look that would have made him jump off the horse if she could fight. Her spirit was what he most enjoyed about her, even more than her beauty and wit.

And then he heard his name from back on the road.

When he saw the source, he said to her, "Hold on. We hae been spotted by some o’ the Regent's men, and now we really dae hae tae run."

She gripped his legs, not pressing back into him.

But the horse’s run over the rough terrain jostled her so much, Luag took one hand off the reins and grabbed hold of her with his other arm, pulling her into him for all he was worth.

His words plainly on her mind, she kept stiffening against him in indignation at this and then relaxing when she forgot to be indignant. Over and over. Which made it difficult for him to concentrate on steering the horse through the trees at a run.

Steam agreeably jumped over hedges and ducked under branches, swirled around thickets and waded through a stream, all without the least complaint. Luag was proud of him.

Before Steam got too winded, they no longer heard hoofbeats behind them.

Luag dismounted and reached up to hand Katherine down.

But she turned her nose up at him and slid down on her own.

He walked Steam to let the horse cool down, then got his water skin down while letting the animal take a long drink from the river. After he had drank his fill, he held the skin out to Katherine.

But she was down on all fours, cupping water out of the river with her hand and trying to be dainty about it, but still getting quite a bit on herself.

Smirking, he rearranged the provisions a bit, got on the horse, and started it across the three-foot-deep river.

“Och, nay ye dinna,” she declared, running up and grabbing hold of his trew leg. “Back up and let me mount.”

He waited a beat.

She slapped his knee! “Now!”

It didn’t hurt, and he stifled a laugh as she climbed up, this time behind him.

She clung to his back as the horse splashed through the water. This was pleasant. This, he could handle.

But his thoughts soon turned to less pleasant things.

"We wull hae tae avoid the road from now on," he explained to her. "The Regent's men assume I am their enemy, and Donald's men ken me a traitor. We wull hae tae avoid all notice till we can enter Donald's camp and ask for him by name. My uncle is the only one who can safeguard us. We dinna belong anywhere."

Katherine was tempted to just relax into the warm feeling of sitting behind Luag on the horse and take what he said as the given reality. After all, what did she have to gain from taking initiative here? It wasn't as if anyone was going to award her a ‘top salesperson’ title in this time.

But she couldn't let his defeatist attitude prevail. "Whose fault is it we dinna belong anywhere? We left a perfectly good situation with oor friends. Let's turn aroond and go back. Gaun'ae Donald's camp is the worst idea I ever heard. What dae ye think is gaun'ae happen when we get there, they all ‘wull coome’ ye with open arms?"

By the tightening of his muscles, she knew he disagreed and was about to be stubborn again. She wasn't disappointed.

"Whose fault is it that 'tis us in this situation and na just me, hm? Ye left a perfectly safe situation with oor friends for nay good reason whatsoever. I, however, hae a verra good reason for going. I'm the only one who can get close enough tae my uncle tae dae any damage tae his plans."

She was breathing heavy now, she was so incensed at his pig-headedness. "I am here because there has tae be someone with some sense in their head on this journey. I am yer way oot in case things gae bad. What were ye gaun'ae dae with nary me in that case, just stand there and take the heat?"

His legs tightened around the horse and sped it up, as if he wanted to throttle her but couldn't spare his hands. Fool man. "And just what are ye gaun'ae dae aboot any heat? I hae kenned ye a year and hae na ever seen ye use any fighting skills. Just what good are ye as an aide on this journey?"

"Ye really dinna ken, dae ye?"

"No, I dinna ken. Else why would I be asking ye?"

"Jessica, Lauren, and I hae been talking aboot it off and on the past six months, if na the last year, and ye hae na ever taken an interest in what was sae consuming tae us?"

Steam started to go faster again, making Katherine grab Luag's waist and hold on for dear life.

Her anger flared to a new peak. He was doing this deliberately, looking for her to realize she was at his mercy. He was going to pay for this once they were done riding for the day, that much she knew. But for now, all she could do was hold on tight and hope Steam grew tired before she fell off.

Of course, his legs were gripping the horse so tight there was little chance of that. Did the man not know he was doing so? Obviously not. What did he have to be angry about?

He was the one being a fool.

She was just trying to stop him.

Hope won out. Before she could fall to her death, Luag slowed Steam down to a walk again.

"That was a foolish display," she told him, pounding on his back for good measure. "Ye told me yerself the horse must na run unless strictly necessary. Now tell me, was that strictly necessary?"

He didn't say anything.

She smiled in victory. "Dinna tell me I hae the famous witty Luag tongue-tied."

His hands shook just the tiniest bit on the reins, clenching in and out. But still, he said nothing.

"Ye can let go o’ the vice grip yer legs hae on the horse."

Instantly, his legs relaxed, and at the same time, he coughed, a dry cough that didn't have much convincing motivation behind it at all.

Her victory smile grew larger. Pity he couldn't see it.

His voice came to her resignedly, softly. "I hae always felt this way, ye ken."

What was he talking about? "What way?” He'd only known her a year, so he couldn't mean he'd felt like protecting her all this time.

His voice grew more urgent, as if letting out thoughts he'd held pent-up forever that were now flowing out over a broken dam that had been holding them back. "I hae always felt as if I did na belong, first at my uncle's house, and then even at my friends' house. There has always been the fear that I would be exiled, nay matter where I lived, ever since I can remember, really."

He'd never spoken to her so candidly. It did something to her, made her yearn for more. "How old were ye, when ye left yer uncle's house?"

He breathed in and out steadily for a few moments, not quite sighing, but breathing forcibly enough that she noticed his chest expanding, through both of their garments.

It made her think of jumping off the horse, but she didn't.

His voice was more sure now. "Uncle kenned I disagreed with his methods long afore I left his clan. I'm still na sure why he allowed me tae become a warrior under his trainers. As soon as I could achieve that, I did leave. Only now, years later, does it occur tae me how against his interest this was. Why did he allow me tae bide long enough tae learn all I did? Mayhap he cares enough for me as his nephew that he wull listen tae what I hae tae say now. I hae tae try tae save Scotland's natural beauty and avoid having oor lives filled with bloodshed and strife against those we should hold dear, oor kin."

She couldn't bring herself to apologize, but she did relax against him to show him she trusted him.

He stopped the horse. Ever so gently, he turned in the saddle, until their faces were inches apart and he was studying her mouth.

She couldn't let him kiss her. She would see him through this, but then she was going home. Grabbing the saddle, she brought up her leg between them and got off the horse.

He dismounted as well but put the horse between them so they couldn't see each other.

They walked this way in silence for a time before he spoke again, his voice genuinely puzzled and a little hurt, but not angry. "Why did ye come along then?"

She threw her arms up in the air and let them drop with a thwack against her sides. "I telt ye already. I came along tae get ye oot if things gae sour with yer uncle. Ye hae na idea what he is capable o’ now, all this time after ye left. Lauren telt me some sorry things aboot him. The man is a monster, I still canna believe ye are going tae him."

Just his eyes peered over the horse’s neck at her, and they were incredulous. "And I asked ye afore, what help could ye possibly be tae me on this journey?"

A snarl escaped her lips before she was able to control herself. The man was so aggravating, so willfully ignorant.

"Lauren's druid friend, Kelsey, shook hands with me afore Lauren’s druid dagger brought us here tae yer time,” she told him as patiently as she could under the circumstances, “sae Kelsey is able tae bring me intae her dreams, where I can ask her tae get help. Donald’s ex druid Roland was nice enough tae help us back here and all, but ye hae tae admit, Kelsey is oor best bet at escape."

She waited for him to acknowledge her offer in some way.

When it wasn't quickly forthcoming, she lost all patience. "Dinna ye ken? I am yer only hope!"

"Why would yer precious Kelsey help me?" Luag asked hotly. But there was hurt in his voice.

"Because I'm Lauren's friend, Kelsey is Lauren's friend, and ye are my friend."

"Am I really yer friend?"

"Two days ago, I would hae said no, but I hae coome all this way tae help ye, sae aye, I ken now ye are my friend."

He kicked a stick and it went skittering across the grass. "It does na matter. Even among my friends, I hae always been an ootsider. I never truly belong. Ye should na hae coome, Katherine. I will only let ye doon."

A voice came from the top of the hill beside them. "That may be, Luag, but we canna let ye run around loose sae near camp, now can we?"

Katherine looked up and saw two highlanders up on top of the hill. Even from a distance, they looked menacing. "If we get on Steam, we can get away from them," she whispered.

Luag held his hand up to stop her from getting on while he called up to the people on top of the hill. "I planned on gaun'ae yer camp anyway. Take me tae my uncle."