Highland Destiny Read Online Free PDF Page A

her neck to meet his eyes. For her taste, it was entirely too intimate.
    Connor sighed and tried a different tactic: sarcasm. "My Lady, I am exceedingly sorry," his mock bow was not lost on Mackenzie, "but as you can plainly see, there are nay extra horses. Now, seeing that there are highwaymen about, I shall ride with you to guarantee your safe passage." The false sincerity was not lost on her either. So Mackenzie turned 32
    away and put as much distance between them as the saddle would allow. His smirk became more pronounced as she glared at him over her shoulder one last time before turning stiffly forward and straightening her spine for what was proving to be an uncomfortable ride.
Mackenzie's bottom hurt from Connor dropping her rather unceremoniously on the ground earlier, and this hard ride didn't help either. She remembered saddles being more comfortable than this, but apparently feeling one's rear while riding was unimportant in this day and age. As she shifted in the saddle again, she brushed against Connor and felt that strange heat again. It was like nothing she'd ever felt before; like he ran a few degrees warmer than she did. She heard his swift intake of breath and assumed that he'd felt it too. Weird that she should feel such a magnetic pull towards this man who had actually just abducted her. It was too bad that she'd given up her dream theory, because this just seemed too much like a dream to pass as reality. A wry smile touched her lips as she thought that Jenna would be much more suited to this time-travel thing than she was.
    Mackenzie glanced down as his arm brushed hers and she saw blood. Actually she saw quite a lot of blood. It took her a second to realize that he was bleeding because she actually had stabbed him earlier. She hadn't just grazed him as she'd initially thought, but rather gouged him. She felt awful, she hadn't been in a fight since the fifth grade when Meredith Baker stole her My Little Ponies lunch box. She peeked up at Connor from the corner of her eyes, and noticed that his face gave nothing away; no hint of pain, not even a reaction to the 33
    fact that he was bleeding. She thought he'd make an excellent poker player.
"I'm, uh," Mackenzie cleared her throat and tried again,
    "I'm sorry I stabbed you." Connor didn't do more than look down at her, then his eyes flicked back out toward wherever they were riding. She continued a little nervously, "I didn't mean to hurt, well, I guess I did mean to, er, well, you were attacking me after all, and I didn't know who you were, and umm..." She stopped babbling, and took a deep breath. "I am sorry," she said softly and as sincerely as she could.
    "You defended yourself." This time he didn't even glance down at her.
    Connor didn't say much, she'd decided, and when he did, it was usually sarcastic or cryptic. This was neither. Was there
    —-dare she think it—- a hint of admiration in his tone?
    Figures , she thought, it was just like kindergarten: you punch a boy in the face, and he likes you. Except Connor didn't like her, he just respected the fact that she hadn't been a helpless victim, she guessed.
    "Does it hurt?"
    Connor's eyes rolled up towards the dark sky, "You talk too much."
    Mackenzie narrowed her eyes. So that was how it was going to be? Fine, two could play at that game . She straightened up and faced forward, trying to ignore all the havoc his proximity was wreaking on her already overloaded system. It was harder than she'd thought it would be since every movement of the horse brought their bodies into contact. They were riding at a hard gallop, and Mackenzie was 34
    tired from holding her muscles so stiffly in a vain effort to not touch Connor. Her whole body was exhausted from the entire ordeal. She had finally given up her dream theory for good.
This was real. There was no doubt in her mind that it was real. If it were a dream, she and Connor would be in a sunny meadow with nothing but the sun and a nice breeze for their