Once Upon a Plaid by Mia Marlowe Read Free Book Online Page A

girth. The sight of his broad back sent a feminine thrill down her spine, but she tamped down the feeling. No good could come of mooning over her husband since she was determined he wouldn’t be hers much longer.
    “Nab set the lot of them to sweeping the solar this morning after breakfast to save the maids from having to do it. Somehow in the process, a great bucket of wash water was accidentally dumped on Ranulf. I know it wasna hot, but he complained so loudly, ye’d have thought he was a scalded cat.”
    Will chuckled. “Nab may not be a warrior, but he has his own ways of evening the score. Wish I’d seen it.”
    Katherine resisted the urge to ask where William had been. He might think his whereabouts mattered to her and that would never do.
    He fitted the halter over his mount’s head, then slid in the bit.
    “Are ye leaving?” she asked, wishing her voice hadn’t chosen that moment to break.
    “Would ye care if I did?”
    Of course, she’d care. She’d go to her grave loving this man, but if he wasn’t around for her to see, to hear, to simply breathe the same air, perhaps the ache in her chest would ease. “Ye do have things at home that require your attention.”
    “So do ye, but I dinna see ye packing to head back to Badenoch.”
    “Margaret needs me.”
    “So do I.” His dark eyes burned into hers. Then his intent expression was replaced by a grin. “And right now, I need ye to ride pillion. We canna go far on Greyfellow this day with all the snow, so he needs more of a load to get the same exercise.”
    Without waiting for her response, he put both hands on her waist and lifted her to sit on the padding behind his saddle. Then he climbed up into the saddle ahead of her, swinging his booted right foot over Greyfellow’s head. The gelding whickered at the indignity of such an unorthodox mounting.
    “But what about Angus?”
    “The wee fleabag will be fine here chasing mice till we return.”
    As if the matter were decided, Will dug his heels into the gelding’s sides and they were off at a trot. Katherine was forced to wrap her arms around William’s waist, lest she slide off the horse’s rump. They picked up speed as they shot through the portcullis and over the drawbridge.
    Will chirruped to the gelding, urging him to climb the hill that rushed up from the loch. Greyfellow’s great haunches bunched and flexed beneath Katherine with every lunge. Once they reached the tree line, they turned right to shadow the edge of the loch. The gelding sank into the powdery snow past his fetlocks, but Will urged him to more speed. Sprays of white fluttered around them with each pounding step.
    Katherine tightened her grip around William’s waist and pressed her cheek to his warm back. His heart hammered under her ear, thunderous and strong.
    He’d do anything for her. She knew that. The only trouble was there was nothing he could do about her barrenness. She sighed and held him tighter. He was the love of her life, but it wasn’t enough. It was selfish of her to cling to him. It was time she made a fresh break....
    But he was so strong and alive and wonderful. How many more times would she be able to hold him like this?
    Just when she was beginning to wish they could keep riding forever, moving as one, nothing to stop them, nothing to separate them, William reined in the horse. It danced in circles, still wanting to run.
    “Settle then, ye wicked beast,” he growled to the gelding. Greyfellow stopped fidgeting and stood still. “I’ll give ye your head when we turn back to the castle and ye can gallop your silly hooves off then.”
    Will threw one leg over the horse’s head and slid to the ground. He helped Katherine down, his hands lingering on her waist. After he hobbled the gelding, he took Kat’s hand and led her to the rocky promontory overlooking the loch.
    A biting wind lifted the bottom of Katherine’s cloak. She shivered but didn’t complain. The view was too lovely to spoil by