Lass' Valor (The Pith Trilogy) by Kara Griffin Page A

his eyes. “Set ‘em free.”
    “Aye,
he deserves it. He did bring us this far and for that I’m thankful.” She went
to Ralph and removed her belongings. “You’ve been a big, brave boy. Thank you,
my friend.” She smacked his rump, and Ralph walked away slowly. Kate watched
him until he disappeared from her view. When she turned around, the warrior
stood right behind her. She bumped into him, and craned her neck to look at his
face. He was tall, and his smoky eyes looked back at her.
    Gray
eyes .
Still, she couldn’t tell what color his hair was. He couldn’t be the warrior of
her visions.
    She
wondered which uncle this was. Was it the one who had a heart, but didn’t want
anyone to know about it? Brendan MacKinnon? He had gray eyes. Was it a sign?
Kate shook her head, stepped backward and almost fell. He reached out to catch
her, his big hand settled on her waist and she hoped she wouldn’t swoon again.
    “Aye,
it’s going to be a rough ride home.”
    He
grumbled that statement, and Kate pretended not to hear it. Something about the
warrior struck her heart. She didn’t know why, but she felt oddly safe with
him. He seemed to shake himself, as if he’d been deep in thought. Goddess help
her, she didn’t think she could survive another few days with him, let alone
riding with him.
    “Lady
Kate, these are my men, Gil and Benjamin. I’ll introduce the rest later.”
    Kate
wondered why he hadn’t told her his name. She wanted to ask, but kept quiet. He
walked away without another word to her. The men waited for them, most sat upon
their steeds, including Bonnie, who happily talked to Gil in their language.
Gil, hmm, she thought.
    She
placed Trixie inside her satchel then folded the cover they had slept on. One
of the men came forward and took it from her. All was ready and she stood by,
not knowing what to do. The warrior rode to her on a huge white warhorse. Its
coat was pristine and unblemished, and appeared to be well cared for. The
warrior took pity on her and before she could make a fool of herself, he lifted
her around her waist and placed her in front of him.
    Kate
sat straight with her spine as unbending as a lance. She hadn’t ever been held
so inappropriately by a man before, even her father had let her have her own
mount to ride. With her eyes focused forward, she pretended that he wasn’t
there. Try as she might, she couldn’t. His presence couldn’t be overlooked by
anyone. She felt him shift his position, while she held on for dear life. He
whistled for the men to proceed.
    After
hours of riding, she thought her back would break from holding herself so
rigidly. If only she had time to meditate and calm her inner spirit. She felt
uneasy at not having completed her morning ritual, and her inner turmoil increased
with each mile.
    Kate
wasn’t sure if she should trust the warrior. She wondered what she would tell
Bonnie’s father about where she was kept and by whom. If she wanted to seek
justice for her father’s death then she couldn’t tell them Richard’s name. With
the medallion secure, she had to find a way to speak to King Henry and gain his
assurance to look into the matter. Now the only question was, how could she
avoid telling them her guardian’s name?

Chapter
Six
     
     
    Brendan’s
body became aware of her every movement. He wanted to pull her against him, but
it would only cause trouble. He had enough of a hard time with her sitting on
his lap. Aye, the last time a lass rode with him, he recalled feeling irked
about it because Isabel was meant to be his cousin, Douglas’ wife.
    Now,
here I am with a lass of my own.
    Where
had that absurd thought come from? She wasn’t his, nor had she shown the
slightest interest. Would that matter? Nay, he admitted, it wouldn’t.
    She
distracted him from his thoughts when she shifted her position. He held her
tightly, looking into her eyes, moving his mouth close to hers, just a scant
distance away from her soft looking lips. He waited