A Highlander For Christmas

Bonding with the Highlander

By the time we reached the cave and waterfall, my nose was numb, my legs and bum were sore, and I really wished I had a four-wheeler. I made a mental note to see if I had the funds. I was going to buy a four-wheeler, sure riding horses is fun, but the pain is not worth it.

The air was cool and smelled of damp wood, water, and wood smoke. Mack slid off his horse and led the horse over to the pool. Groaning, I slid off my horse and gave her a pat on the neck. She snorted at me and walked over to the pool.

"I'm sorry you had to leave your sister's wedding." Mack was adjusting his kilt and looked at me. I tried walking normally but all I could think of was the song "I got spurs that jingle jangle jingle". Mack was still smug, and I really wanted to slap that smug look off his face.

"Are you actually apologizing to me? I never thought I would have seen the day." Rolling my eyes, I stalked towards the cave and tried to ignore him and the pain in my legs. I was tired of being nice to him. He could leave for all I care.

"Sorry lass, I was just joking with ye. Come on don't be like this." My breath hitched as I looked around the cave. It was like a home carved into the stone of the cave. A fire pit was in the middle of the cave and blackened with soot from centuries past. Someone has been here recently. There were melted candles in the nooks and crannies and the cave still held the smell of coffee and meat.

"Someone has been here recently; do I have to worry about people trespassing on my property and squatting in the cave?" Mack pushed me behind him and looked around. Huffing a breath out, I pushed past him and went deeper into the cave. There were a few bedrolls that were hastily rolled up.

"She told me that she cleaned everything up. I apologize, lass, my sister Evie likes to come here and camp out with a few of her friends. Melinda used to let them come here and do their LARP thing. I breathed a sigh of relief. I was not thrilled with having people wander on the property, but Mack's sister sounded like someone I could hang out with.

"Not the sister that was getting married today?" He chuckled and bent down to pick up the bedrolls, his kilt started to hike up and I turned my back on him again and cleared my throat.

"Most Scottish men are naked under their kilts, it goes back to the old days, we still like to feel the wind on our tadger and baws." I blinked at the opening of the cave. Leaning back, I tilted my head back to look at him and he was grinning.

"Did you just make a joke?" He snorted and tossed a bedroll at me. Glancing out the opening of the cave he scowled.

"I will bring the horses in. It looks like we may have to hunker down here for a bit." Sleet started to fall, and the horses nickered in annoyance. I hurried out into the sleet with Mack and dragged the horses into the cave.

Mack stalked around the back of the cave and started cursing at himself about his sister being a scatterbrain and telling her to clean up after herself. I was shivering and could care less about his sister leaving stuff around. I wrapped myself in the bedroll and watched him try to make a fire.

"Do you know what you are doing Mack?" My teeth chattered and he shot me an annoyed look.

"Hand me more firewood, lass, before you turn into a popsicle." I dug through the wood and hauled it over to him. His white shirt was clinging to his torso and the man was ripped, he also had a few tattoos that he had been hiding from me as well.

"Stop gawking at me lass, if ye wish to see me without my shirt just ask. But if we do not get this fire going, we are both going to freeze." Huffing in annoyance again, I tossed the wood into the middle of the pit and grabbed more.

"Here I thought we were bonding, Mack. I was not gawking at you; I was actually gawking at your tattoos." I grabbed more wood and almost took a header into him as I tripped over a rock. He grabbed me and I was crushed against his chest and part of me was so very happy, especially since it seemed his kilt twitched where his tadger and baws were.

"Sit down lass, before ye get hurt." He managed to get the fire started and my teeth continued to chatter. He grabbed the other bedroll and draped it around my shoulders.

"Thank you." I reached my hands toward the heat and moaned in satisfaction. Mack was staring at me out of the corner of his eye.

"My sister practically pushed me out of the church and told me to come. She wants to meet ye by the way." I grunted around my chattering teeth, he moved closer to me, and I felt my body get warmer, but it had nothing to do with the fire.

"I think I would like your sister. But tell me, Mack, why do you hate me so much?" He sighed and ran a hand through his wet hair.

"I do not hate ye lass, come on let us conserve our energy and not talk about this." He rubbed his hands up and down my arms. I opened the bedroll and motioned for him to join me. He stared at me as if I grew another head.

"You are soaking wet too, come on just come under the blanket and stay warm until you dry off." He muttered something and scooted closer. I tensed up but I needed to not blow this moment. We were on shaky ground as it is and letting the horny slut that lurked under the surface loose.