Embrace the Highland Warrior Read Online Free Page A

her?
    “Cody?” She stood still and listened, but there was only silence. It must have been a dead tree creaking. There it was again. “Cody, is that you?”
    A tree limb snapped close by, and she jumped. An animal out for a midnight snack , she thought, limping faster. She didn’t want to be that snack.
    Shay peeked behind her and saw a shadow dart across the path. It stood upright. Human. “Lach, if that’s you, knock it off.” Another whisper sent her scampering behind an oak. She flattened her back against the rough bark. Calm down, Shay. You’re in the woods. Animals live in the woods, and a lot of them are nocturnal .
    But animals didn’t whisper.
    She scurried from her hiding place at a fast hobble as leaves swirled angrily around her ankles and trees twisted in the wind. She heard another sound, like breathing. Or was it her? The moon had vanished, leaving the night black as she moved off the trail, taking a shortcut back to the house. She felt something closing in behind her, but was too frightened to turn. She ran faster, sweat beading her brow, drying in the wind that whipped at her like claws. A white owl swooped down, and a sharp pain shot through her arm as she dove to the ground. Screeching noises echoed around her in the darkness, like birds of prey fighting. Tearing at the dirt, she scrambled to her feet and ran. Branches clawed at her face and arms. A figure stepped onto the path in front of her, and she screamed as strong arms grabbed her.

Chapter 2
     
    “Shay?”
    She gripped Cody’s waist, trying to catch her breath. “You scared the daylights out of me. What are you doing here?” And where were you ten minutes ago?
    “I came to make sure you got home before the storm hit. You okay?”
    “I heard something and got spooked.” She should have stepped away, but she stayed a few seconds more, comforted by the solid feel of his body, his steady grip on her arms.
    “You? Spooked?”
    “This big white owl almost took my head off.”
    “I’ve spotted one around here, but they usually avoid people. Let’s hurry; it’s going to rain.” His hand dropped to her back, but after all the running, all she could manage was something between a drag and a hop. He turned the flashlight toward her feet. “Damn it, Shay. You’re still as hardheaded as a bloody ram. Why didn’t you tell me it hurt that much?”
    “It wasn’t that bad then.” Before her mad sprint through the woods. For the second time in one night, Cody scooped her up in his arms.
    “Put me down.” She hoped the request didn’t sound as halfhearted to his ears as it did to hers.
    “No,” he said, stepping over a fallen tree. “I do believe my lady lies about her ankle.”
    He was one to be accusing her of lies. She wanted to be irritated, but he was so darned warm, and she was cold and tired. “ My lady? ”
    “What? You thought I’d forgotten Lady Shay?” The lights from the airstrip behind Cody’s house came into view. Nina’s wasn’t much farther. “I didn’t forget. You made us play knights at least once a week.”
    “I got sick of always playing soldiers and spies. At least knights dressed fancy.”
    “You were never a proper damsel, anyway. You were too good at fighting and throwing knives.”
    It hadn’t helped her handle a real-life threat.
    Cody kept the conversation flowing as they continued toward the gate leading to Nina’s house. He carried Shay across the yard and inside the house, closing the door with one foot before mounting the stairs.
    “Thanks for checking on me. I’m just going to take a bath and snuggle up in bed.”
    He pushed her bedroom door open with his shoulder. “You got a man hiding in the closet?”
    “What?” She gave him a startled glance.
    “Last time I checked, it takes two to snuggle,” he said, gently depositing her in the adjoining bathroom.
    When had he last checked, she wondered, feeling a stabbing sensation in her chest. “A pillow works just as well.” And it