A Highlander's Home

Chapter 1

             
Her breathing came in short, rushed gasps as sweat dripped down her pale skin to soak into her
already
soiled collar.  Her long legs were strained and aching as she pushed them to move faster, faster, trying to outrun them.  No matter the pounding of her heart in her ears, they came faster than she could move her legs.  The stolen shoes on her slender feet were ill fitting and did nothing to increase her speed.  The nails on each hand were broken and cutting into her palms. 
Raine
Carson
was in trouble.

             
She glanced over her shoulder, taking the slightest moment to push her
waist-length
, tangled blonde hair out of her face.  They were nowhere to be seen.  But she had heard the leader.  He said he would not let her leave his camp alive.  She believed him.  She paused, not stopping completely but slowing slightly, to catch her breath.  They had not given up, had they?  She could not have possibly out run them.

             
Her legs ached, her lungs burned.  The air here was cold.  Colder than she had thought it would be.  In another time, she might have enjoyed the lush green fields that seemed to go on forever, the gray mist that seemed
to hover and slither
like ghost fingers as it made its
way over the countryside.  The sun shone brightly except for when the clouds moved in and cast a shadow over the land, as it had now.  The mist was cold, grey, leaving a wet residue on all it touched.  In another time, she would have appreciated the beauty. 

             
But right now, there was no time.  No appreciation to be had.  They were after her, and
the leader said he
would not let her go. 

             
She stopped.  Her breath was a cloud in her face as she grabbed her knees and tried to relax her tired muscles.  Dropping to her knees, she was partially hidden by the mist and the knee high greenery of the open field.  How had this happened
?
she wondered.  If she had not felt the sweat running down her scalp and turning her hair into a dirty blonde mess, if she had not felt the skin tear on her knees during one of the multiple falls she took in her flight, if she had not felt the fear rise up in her throat when she saw those
dark, evil
eyes staring at her, she would have thought this possibly a dream.  But not now.  Not here.  Not like this.

             
She stopped breathing.  Silence.  Her heartbeat had slowed to a dull thud in her ears
,
but she still heard the thunder. 
Hoof beats
.  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  This was not a dream, and she would not wake up in her small apartment snuggled in her warm bed.  She would not drink a hot cup of coffee and drive to the university where she taught history.  She would not do anything.  Except run.

             
The sun had crept out from behind the clouds that tried to smother it and was not helping in her escape.  She could see everything, the trees that loomed ahead, the open field she was running through, the few wild animals who watched curiously as she ran.  It also meant that
they
could see her.

             
Trees.  Trees!  She could run straight for the forest and hide, climb a tree, hide in a hole.  Something.  A quick glance over her shoulder again was all she needed.  Five large men with s
words
riding even larger horses, all with their eyes trained on her.  She recognized the blonde man as the leader.  He sat atop his horse as if it were nothing to run at break neck speed across rugged landscape holding an
excruciatingly
huge sword that he would no doubt use to run her through.

             
A small cry escaped her lips as she turned and exerted every bit of effort left in her body to head to the forest that might prove to be her only means of survival.  She passed the first tree and weaved her way through only a short bit.  She did not need to look over her shoulder to know that they followed.  She jumped
over
a fallen log
without skipping a step
.  She veered around a boulder, ducked under a low hanging branch, slid down a slight incline in the earth and still the thunder was right behind her.  They were shouting now to get her, find the woman, do not let her get to the edge.

             
Light peaked through the thickness of the canopy.  There seemed to be a clearing ahead of some sort.  The edge of what?  Maybe a town was near that edge
,
and they were afraid to go charging like mad men into civilization.  Perhaps she could enlist the help of the local
authorities
.  She
focused all of her waning willpower on forcing her tired legs to push forward a little longer.

             
The thunder had slowed and then, she noticed, came to an abrupt stop.  She did not look back.  Keep going, keep running, she told herself.  No matter what, do not stop, she thought.  The clearing was just ahead.  She could not help stealing a glance over her shoulder.  The men had stopped and were just staring at her with frowns on all of their faces.  She had made it.  She was safe.

             
Continuing to run, she did not notice that there were no more trees for her to navigate through.  The thick forest floor had turned to rough rubble.  Still she ran.  Suddenly, the rubble ended as quickly as the forest floor had.  She looked down to see her legs still running but nothing was under her feet anymore.  Her arms started to flail th
r
ough the air,
and she inhaled deeply to scream as she realized that she was going to fall
to her death by way of
the deep cavern she had inadvertently run
straight into.

             
“Would
ye
look at that?” the
burley
redhead
ed man
mumbled with awe.

             
The three Scotsmen standing at the opposite edge of the clearing did just that.  They stared.  The woman, wearing trousers of all things, was creating an
arc
in the air with her body.  It was as if she had aimed herself direct
ly at them.  None of them moved.
They
just stared at the woman wildly
hurdling
their way.

             
All heads turned simultaneously as she neared them.  Her green eyes were visible at that distance only because they were so wide, almost as wide as her mouth as it continued to let out a high pitched scream. 
The redhead
ed man
thought to suggest to his brother that he should perhaps move to the left just a smidgeon.  Before the thought had fully materialized, he heard
the noise
before he saw it.  The gut
wrenching
thud of two bodies clashing and the exhaling of breath as those bodies hit the ground.

             
“Are ye
alright then, Leith?” asked the red haired man, his brow furrowed.

             
Leith
MacGregor
lay
sprawled on his back,
his thick
arms outstretched on either side, both
of his long
legs askew.  His lun
gs were broken.  They had to be;
that was why he could not inhale. 
He blinked. 
He
couldn’t remember ever having
seen the forest from
this point of view before
. 

             
“Leith?”
the red-haired man
called
again
,
his voice nearing a yell
.

             
Leith’s
lungs suddenly decided to function
,
and he inhaled deeply.  He growled at the head that was lying on his shoulder.  Reaching one hand up and wrapping his fingers
angrily
in the long length of stringy hair, he jerked the head up to peer into the greenest eyes he had ever seen.  Intent on threatening the obviously mad woman for dislodging him from his steed
and trespassing on his land
, he
opened his mouth but
no words came forth.

             
She looked at him in wonder and fear.  How had she managed to span the distance of the gorge and land atop a great cushion of a man?  She was alive
,
and she had him to thank for it.  Looking into his dark blue eyes was disconcerting
,
but it was just the wonder at being alive and the fear that he would turn her over to…
them.

             
Them!
They were still after her.  These men were probably part of their clan and were just strategically placed on the other side of the valley as guards.

             
Fear replaced her wonder at her survival.  These men did not take thievery lightly, and in their eyes, she was indeed a thief. 
Bracing her hands on the wide expanse of shoulders beneath her, she brought her right knee up as hard as she could.  He instantly released his grip on her hair and rolled over, tossing her aside as he went. 
As he lay there groaning, s
he scrambled to her feet
preparing to speed off into the denseness of the forest again
and took all of one step w
hen she was running on air
. 
S
he was tossed upon a horse and staring at the ground
before she knew which way was up
.  She kicked and punched at the leather clad leg that was within her reach. 
The redheaded owner of that leg
did not even flinch.

             
“She got y
e
good on that one, eh?” the
redheaded
man holding
her down
remarked
to the oversized man who had cushioned her fall
. 

             
He slowly and carefully regained his balance
while growling and groaning
, gingerly rubbed his groin, and made his way to her.  She stilled.
  They were all still.
  She met his eyes.  Would he kill her now?

             
Thunder.  They were coming.  She had failed i
n her flight to escape them
.
She had made her flight from one band of
pursuers’
right into the hands of another.

             
The man she had landed upon stopped next to her head
,
but she did not bother to look at him.  He made no move to touch her, but stood with his legs spread apart and sighed deeply.  The man holding her captive on
her belly stiffened.

             
“Good day, C
ousin.” 

The blonde man. 
The tall one with those dark eyes. 
He was breathing hard and his voice was slightly shaky. 
She had only heard his voice a couple of times
as he was screaming orders to his men to seize her
, but she would recognize it anywhere.

             
“Cousin,” drawled the man standing next to her.  “Hunting again?”

             
The blonde man laughed.  “
Cousin
, y
ou
really shou
l
d work on that sense of humor of yours.”  He paused.  His voice turned icy.  “She stole something of mine
,
and I intend to receive payment for it.”

             
Leith casually leaned himself against her, using her shoulders as
a
resting spot.

“Who?”

             
She jumped as the echo of the blonde man’s voice surrounded her
as he screamed
, “
I want what is mine! 
That
woman
--”
he
almost spat the word – “stole my man’s clothing
,
and she will pay
for them
.”

             
The man holding her shifted.  She was suddenly drawn up to a sitting position in front of him, his arms around her waist like a vice. 

             
Leith leveled his gaze at her
,
and she stared back. 
It was true.  She had stolen the young boys extra set of clothes from his bag that had been tossed slightly away from the group
.
  But she had good reason.
 

             
“
Did
you steal his man’s clothing, lady?” Leith asked in a quiet voice that
she was sure
belied the emotions running underneath.
  His jaw was clenched and his lips slightly pursed.