Marti Talbotts Highlander Series 1 - Anna Rachel u Charlet

going to rest. Connor chose the first option, went to his cottage and collapsed into bed.

    At sunrise, the horse nudged Rachel awake. She splashed creek water on her face, drank and wondered if they had been going in circles . Was it the same creek as before? She noticed she wasn’t nearly as sore, except for her head, but even that didn’t hurt as much. Her mind was once again clear and her eyes saw things much better. She found a rock to stand on and when the horse got close enough, she grabbed his mane and swung onto his back. As if he knew she was injured, Threcher kept his pace at a slow walk.
    Again, she thought about Connor. She imagined herself in the door of his cottage, smiling when he came back from the hunt safe and sound. She considered how it would be when they sat near the hearth on a cold day with their arms around each other. Yes, they would talk. She would tell him all the latest gossip and he would tell her things he had seen in the woods, or conversations with members of the other clans.
    But most of all, she wanted him to love her and never let her go. The realization surprised her, but it was a horrible world outside their clan without him.

    When Connor woke up, it was late in the day and he hurried to the Keep to see if they had heard from Rachel. They had not.
    Kevin and Justin were again trying to figure out what the Fergusons were up to. “Do you think they will try to burn us out?” Justin asked.
    “I doubt it. They would have to come out of the trees to shoot high enough to get their arrows over the moat and the wall. Our lads could quickly cut them down.”
    Connor couldn’t concentrate on that now. All he could think about was where to look for Rachel next. Maybe she had gone farther south or farther north to avoid the Ferguson warriors. He left the Keep , got a ladder and leaned it against the wall near the hidden door. Then he climbed up to see if she might be trying to notify them somehow. A length of her plaid tied to a tree would let them know she was safe. He saw nothing.

    In the far distance, Rachel could see a line of trees and felt relieved. They hadn’t been going in a circle after all. She urged Threcher to go faster by tightening her knees and wondered if the horse actually knew the way home. “Two nights , maybe three,” she whispered. “They must be beside themselves with worry.”
    She couldn’t seem to help herself. She kept thinking about Connor and wondered if he was scouring the forest looking for her. She bet he was. He knew how to get out now and she didn’t t hink even Kevin could stop him.
    She remembered the first time she actually noticed Connor. He was in the meadow training with two other men , who repeatedly came at him at the same time. They used no weapons and they were practicing how to throw each other to the ground. Connor was a strong man, with a big chest and muscular arms who won far more often than he lost.
    When they finished, Connor leaned down and plucked a wild flower out of the ground. He walked straight for her, set the flower on top of her head and kept right on walking. She turned to watch him leave, but he never looked back and seemed to be laughing. Perturbed, she brushed the flower off and went the other direction.
    She wished she had that flower now.
    By late afternoon, she spotted another stream and said, “Stop.” Just as he had several times before, the horse obeyed. She slid down, walked to the stream, cupped her hands and drank. She was hungry, tired and needed to walk the stiffness out. Rachel loved riding, but didn’t often go and certainly had never ridden all day. When the horse finished drinking and came to her, she rubbed his nose, patted the side of his neck, grabbed his mane and swung back on.

    Connor found himself again sitting at the long table in the great hall with Kevin and Justin. He couldn’t seem to stay away in case something...anything indicated Rachel was still alive. He knew the other men had to be as worried as he was, but they didn’t show it. Catherin and Anna were not there.
    Connor folded his arms on the table and laid his head down. Was she dead? No, he was convinced he would feel it if she were. In their youth, Rachel was a skinny little thing and seemed to become a woman over night. He had little use for most of the young women who flirted and constantly asked him to do this or that for them. He remembered to be pleasant, but found their requests useless and sometimes disgusting.
    Then