Page 23 of Only a Highlander Will Do

Graeme nodded, then turned his horse back to the warriors who had accompanied them. “Spread out. I want everyone to keep watch. The MacDonalds could be anywhere.”

Tormod led her towards the river. At the bank, they came to a pathway across the river made up of several large stones. He helped her across and then up the slight incline on the opposite side. Flat stones had been used to create steps up the hill, making the way much easier. Off in the distance, the sound of the water changed. A muted rushing sound filled the air. At the top of the rise, she saw three arms of rushing water plunging over a rocky crag into a shallow pool below, spraying a transparent, rainbow-hued mist onto the rocks.

He released her hand, then slid his fingers along her waist, holding tight and pulling her up against his hip. “You said you liked waterfalls so I wanted to show you these on our way to Glen Brittle. This is the first waterfall on the way to the Fairy Pools.”

His intimate touch sent a shiver racing over the surface of her skin, but she did not pull away. “It’s beautiful.” She drew in the scent of heather, forcing herself to relax and enjoy this moment. She’d had so few adventures in her life that it made this one special.

They watched the water spill over onto the rocks for several long moments before he finally said, “Come. There is a lot more magic ahead.” He released her waist and took her hand once more as they headed up another slope.

Fiona gladly allowed him to lead her as the sound of rushing water filled the air. When they came to the next waterfall, she gasped. A cascade of water tumbled straight down into a pool of crystal-blue water at its base. The sight was as beautiful as it was peaceful, beckoning those in its presence to enter its refreshing water.

“Would you like to go for a swim?” Tormod asked.

Once again he’d guessed the direction of her thoughts. “It is only mid-morning, and certainly not hot enough to necessitate our cooling down. Besides, we are hardly dressed for swimming.”

“You do swim then?”

“Of course. But not in my riding habit.”

He sat down on the shore and removed his boots, then stockings, until his feet were bare. He kept his sword in the scabbard at his side. “Then come wade in the pool with me. The waters are said to have restorative powers.”

Restorative powers? What she needed restored was her sense of equilibrium around him. Fiona watched as he got up and strode to the water, boldly walking into what must have been frigid water up to his calves.

“Come on in.” The slight breeze was playing with his hair, lifting wisps of dark spun silk and sending them across his face. He brushed them back with his hand before he waded deeper and bent to dip his head into the water. He came up laughing. “Oh how I’ve missed such simple pleasures.”

Fiona’s breath stilled in her lungs as she watched the water moisten his shirt, making it almost transparent. Beneath, she could see the muscles rippling with the motion of his hands. He raked his hands through his hair to remove a bright shower of excess droplets as he turned to her with a smile. “Take off your boots and give the water a try.”

She could only stare at him as his eyes commanded most of her attention. His usually dark eyes were filled with a sense of joy that reflected the sunlight and shimmered with flecks of gold. He smelled of the earth and water, and the effect was intoxicating. It reacted on her senses like a deep drink of honeyed ale.

Trying to break the effect, she stepped backwards until she came to a rock on which to sit. She clutched the hard surface beneath her hands as she drew in a steadying breath. “Why are they called the Fairy Pools?”

He shrugged. “No one really knows. Other than the fact that they are mystical, there really is no legend behind their name.”

She gazed at the bluish waters and the stone grotto surrounding the pool. “I could imagine fairies bathing here.”

He laughed. “I’m a MacLeod, and even though fairy lore runs in our blood, I sometimes have a hard time believing they exist, or if they do, that they are vindictive and mean.”

She gave him a calculated look. “What happened? Did you create a fairy ring and nothing happened?”

He scowled. “If you know so much about fairies then how does fairy magic work?”

“Fairies like gifts from the human world—especially shiny things that come from nature. Had you left something like that in the middle of your fairy ring, you would have seen something magical as a result.”

“I didn’t create a fairy ring. I—” He slapped his forearm, then his neck. Next he rubbed the tops of his thighs and dipped his hands in the water, splashing at an unseen foe. When that failed, he drew his sword.

Fiona startled, looking about her for an attacker. She saw nothing. “What are you doing?”

“Damnation!” He thrust his sword left then right. “How did I forget about the midges?”

Fiona could only stare at him open-mouthed as he tried to take down the almost unseeable flying pests with his weapon. When they continued to bite, he sheathed his sword and hurried out of the water. At the edge of the pool, he grabbed his boots and stockings before coming to her. “Come on. When you can’t fight them, it’s best to retreat.”

They raced up the pathway, him in his bare feet, until the midges subsided. Then he slowed to a more reasonable pace. “I’ve been gone five years and I absolutely put the threat of midges out of my mind.”

He looked at her and frowned. “How are the midges not biting you?”

She pulled out a sprig of rosemary from inside the fold of her jacket and broke off a stem, slipping it behind the brooch at his shoulder. “This will help. I never go near the water without rosemary. Since I didn’t know where today’s journey would take us, I came prepared.”

He smiled. “Then the next Fairy Pool will be much more enjoyable as a result.” She followed him up the path until they came to a stone arch that framed one of the most breathtaking scenes she’d ever seen in her life. With the black peaks of the Cuillins as a backdrop the sun-bathed golden rocks before her were covered in cascades of rushing water. Fiona tried to count them—perhaps thirteen separate waterfalls flowed down into a pool of unbelievably blue water. Late morning sunbeams exaggerated the brilliant greens of the leaves and ferns surrounding the pools, and perhaps even the water itself.