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her waist. Definitely not a dream. There was a male hand resting on her thigh and holding the reins. That hand was burning through the wool of her cloak like a branding iron. The day before came rushing back; the castle tour, the first kidnapping, the second, Connor...Mackenzie turned to look at him and he was staring down at her. His lips twitched; he looked as if he was trying to keep from laughing at her. It was probably because he could feel her embarrassment at having fallen asleep in his arms. And one of those arms was wrapped around her, pulling her close against him, his hand splayed across her ribs. She could feel every single bump in the road, and she imagined he could feel her breasts with every one of those bumps. She had to break the silence.
    "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep." Nothing. "Where are we?"
    Connor told her that they'd stop to eat soon, but she really didn't mind if they had to ride for a while longer, she was really quite cozy. Woah, wait, what? Her thoughts were slightly incoherent as she scrambled to figure out where that 43
    traitor thought had come from. Just because she found him attractive didn't change the fact that he had kidnapped her, and he still hadn't told her why. What was it he wanted from her? Connor interrupted her scattered thoughts by asking how she had slept. Was he messing with her? He was! He'd smothered a smile, and that man knew, he knew how she had felt waking up curved so snugly into his body. She feigned indifference and answered him that she had slept well.
Mackenzie intended to ignore him, but after about thirty minutes, she saw a break in the trees and was stunned by the beauty of the lake. It was bordered by thick trees and jagged, snow-capped mountains. Farther out Mackenzie saw a beautiful ethereal sight; a tall grey and white stone castle surrounded by mists. It was hard to distinguish any details of the castle, the fog was too thick. She gasped audibly at the staggering beauty of it all. Being raised in the desert, this was unlike anything Mackenzie had ever experienced. The air smelled clean, and crisp, so unlike the dry, smoggy air back home. She had always found the desert beautiful, in its own way, but the lush greens of the Scottish Highlands were undeniably breathtaking. There were three lakes that met at a small island and it reminded her of where she'd spent her first night.
    The landscape was unspoiled by modern, well, by modern anything . It was magical. There was no other way to describe the view of this lake: it was magical. And Mackenzie no longer doubted the existence of magic in the world; not just the Lance Burton or Siegfried and Roy type of magic, but the real thing. She had no clue what other fairy magic existed, but her 44
    mind was now wide open after everything that she had recently been through.
Mackenzie noticed that during the night the previously warm air had dropped in temperature considerably. Grateful for the wool cloak, she pulled it closer to her neck, only to have it whisked out of her grip. Looking down at Connor, who had just dismounted, she watched him intricately twist his plaid over his shirt and leather pants. It hadn't been the cloak at all keeping her from freezing, but this rough Highland warrior had tucked her into his plaid so she wouldn't get cold.
    Strangely thoughtful of her kidnapper.
    And she felt it down into her bones as his hands had brushed her neck before tugging off the plaid.
    After being unnecessarily warned by Connor not to go too far, Mackenzie wandered to the meadow to look around. She dropped the cloak at the edge of the water, and washed her face and arms. The cold water felt refreshing to her overheated skin. She walked along the edge of the lake and marveled at the way the fog danced across the water, and idly wondered if the Loch Ness Monster swam in these waters.
    Mackenzie sighed as she pushed her hair behind her ear before the wind whipped it around her face. She had spent so long carefully