Highland Warrior Woman (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Becca van Read Free Book Online

smile she remembered the tantrum she had thrown when her father had first presented such a pair of boots to her. It had taken her father quite a while to convince her that she needed sturdy footwear for hunting. Though she had spent a lot of her time brooding and wishing she was more feminine, able to draw the eyes of the lads and men of the MacTavish clan, it was not meant to be. Now her long practice at ignoring her own femininity would serve her well.
    It was harder to open the heavy chamber door than she had expected, but she managed the feat without making any noise or causing herself any injury. Silently, she crept down the stairs and peered into the great hall before heading to the massive main doors to the keep. Her muscles strained, but she was able to pull one door open just enough for her to slip through and quietly pulled it closed behind her.
    Entering the stables, she kept her head lowered in case the stable master heard her. She saw no one, though, and she turned her attention to the destriers and smaller horses.
    “What are ye aboot?”
    Maeghan jumped with fright at the voice behind her. Glancing up from beneath her lowered lashes, she saw a young lad glaring at her with suspicion.
    “Laird Campbell has sent me on a task.” She spoke in a gruff, low voice. “I need to leave at once.”
    “I suppose ye be wanting me to saddle up for ye?”
    “Aye. Please.”
    “If ye weren’t so small and puny, I’d make ye do it yerself.” The lad grumbled but readied one of the smaller mares for her. She had been worried he would saddle one of the warriors’ warhorses. Even though she could ride, her old horse couldn’t hold a candle to the Campbells’ smallest mount.
    The lad turned to her when he was finished and cupped his hands to help give her a leg up. “Thank ye,” she said as she settled into the saddle.
    “Safe journey.”
    “Aye.” Maeghan didn’t look back as she rode the horse out of the stable. It was easy to fool a lad but would be much harder to trick the guards at the drawbridge. She kept her head down, trying to hide her face, and again told her lie in a gruff voice. Moments later, she was riding across the moat on the wood drawbridge. Though she wanted to look back, she didn’t dare.
    Maeghan rode for over an hour, careful not to push her horse too hard since it was still dark and she didn’t want to injure the beast. As the sky began to lighten and the eastern horizon blushed pink, she heard a horse blow and nicker somewhere ahead of her. Signaling with light pressure to the reins, she guided her mount into the trees.
    The rider passed without seeing her. There was a trail here in the woods, one that never took her too far from the road. This seemed the best way to avoid other travelers, so she kept to the path. She had been riding for quite a while when her normally quiet horse balked. Suddenly nervous, the mare began to prance. Shortening her grip on the reins, Maeghan tried to control and soothe the animal at the same time.
    Something rustled in the brush to her left. Though she tried to keep her eye on that spot, her finicky horse required all her attention. Grunting and squealing rent the air as a wild boar erupted from the bushes. Her horse reared and bolted.
    Maeghan clung to the saddle horn and the reins. She tried to bring the mare back under control, but she wasn’t strong enough. The mare darted through the trees, and she bent low over the horse’s neck. If a low-hanging branch didn’t pluck her from the saddle, it would be a miracle. There was nothing she could do but hang on for the ride.
    When the mare drew to a hard stop, Maeghan thought she would gain control of the animal once more. She sat up and saw the reason why the horse had checked its panicked flight. A grassy ravine opened ahead, far too steep to climb and too far to jump.
    The mare bucked. Maeghan went sailing over the horse’s head and flew through the air. She dropped past the ravine edge and closed her