Her touch stunned him. Johanna sat back, folded her hands together, and smiled up at him.

He had to shake his head to clear his thoughts. Then he started over again.

"You have no idea of the dangers…"

She did it again. Damned if she didn't deliberately break his concentration by stroking the side of his neck. He grabbed hold of her hand before she could pull away.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Patting you."

He started to say something, then changed his mind. He stared at her a long minute, trying to understand what had come over her.

"Why?" he finally demanded, his expression wary.

"I wanted to show you affection, m'lord. Does my touch displease you?"

"No," he growled.

He grabbed hold of her chin with his hand and leaned down. His mouth covered hers in a long, hard kiss.

She melted against his side, put her arms around his neck, and clung to him as the kiss deepened.

Johanna didn't know how it happened; but when her husband finally pulled back, she was seated on his lap.

He held her close. She collapsed against his chest, let out a little sigh, and smiled with satisfaction.

She wanted to laugh. Dear God, it really worked. She had just proven a most important theory. Gabriel and his hound were actually very much alike. Her husband liked to bluster as much as his pet did.

"It is permitted for a wife to show her husband affection."

He was giving her his approval, she supposed. And Lord, did he sound arrogant. She leaned away from him so she could look up at him.

"Is it permitted for a husband to take his wife riding?"

"Of course. A husband can do anything he wishes to do."

So can a wife, she thought to herself. "Why are you always so serious, m'lord? 'Tis the truth you don't smile enough to suit me."

"I'm a warrior, Johanna."

From the look on his face she assumed he believed he'd given her a full and logical explanation.

He lifted her back on her mount. "You rarely smile," he remarked. "Why is that?"

"I'm a warrior's wife, m'lord."

She smiled after giving him her tart answer. He couldn't help but grin.

"You're very handsome when you smile, m'lord."

"But you dislike handsome men, remember?"

"I remember. I was trying to compliment you, sir."

"Why?"

She didn't answer him. "What were you doing up here all by yourself?"

She answered his question with one of her own. "Could you spare an hour and ride with me? I'm on a hunt to find a cave Auggie told me about. There's a treasure inside."

"And what is this treasure?"

She shook her head. "You'll have to help me find the cave first. Then I'll tell you what's inside. I know how busy you are, but surely one hour won't matter, will it?"

He frowned while he considered her request. He did have important duties set aside for today and they should come first, of course. Riding for sheer pleasure didn't make any sense at all to him. It wasn't… productive.

Yet the idea of spending a few minutes, and that was surely all he could spare, with his beautiful wife did appeal to him.

"You may lead the way, Johanna. I'll follow."

"Thank you, m'lord."

She looked overwhelmed with gratitude. His gentle little wife derived such joy from little pleasures. Gabriel suddenly felt like an ogre because he had taken time to consider her request.

Johanna wasn't about to give him time to change his mind. She wanted to get him away from his holding… and his responsibilities so that she could have a long talk in private with him. She grabbed the reins and goaded her mount into a full run down the hill.

She was a skilled rider. The realization surprised him. She seemed too delicate for any outdoor skills.

Gabriel was content to stay behind her until they reached the forest. Then he took over the lead.

They criss-crossed back and forth while they looked for the entrance to the cave. After an hour's search, Johanna was ready to give up. "Next time we must ask Auggie to ride with us. He'll point the way."

They broke through the trees and stopped in a narrow clearing next to the stream overlooking the valley.

"Are you ready to go back?" Gabriel asked.

"I wanted to talk to you first, m'lord, and if I weren't so hungry, I would beg you to stay here the rest of the day. It's so lovely. Do you notice how green and lush your valley is?" Her eyes sparkled with mischief when she added, "And to think you have such a mild climate all year long. I count myself fortunate each and every day. Aye, I do."

Gabriel found her enthusiasm refreshing. He'd never seen her in such a lighthearted mood before. It warmed his heart. God's truth, he was reluctant to leave, too.

"I can take care of satisfying your hunger, wife."

She turned to look at him. "Will you hunt for food?"

"Nay, I carry everything we'll need."

Gabriel dismounted, then assisted her to the ground. "You're too thin, Johanna. You barely weigh two stones."

She ignored his criticism. "Where is this food you boast of, husband? Will it appear like manna from the sky, do you suppose?"

He shook his head. She watched as he lifted the flap of his saddle and removed a flat metal plate. Behind the saddle was a bag tied with a string.

He motioned her to walk over to the clearing. He tied the reins of both their mounts to one of the branches before he joined her.

"Take off your plaid, Johanna. We'll use it for a blanket. Spread it on the ground near the pines."

"It probably isn't decent."

The sassy tone of her voice told him she didn't mind if she was decent or not. Her lighthearted mood puzzled him and made him determined to find out what had caused this change. Johanna was usually very reserved.

A few minutes later, she was seated on her plaid watching Gabriel prepare their food. He'd started a fire with peat and twigs, then placed the metal plate in the center of the flames. He then sprinkled oatmeal from the pouch into one cupped hand, added water he'd gathered from the stream, and quickly formed a thick oat cake. He dropped the mixture on the plate, and while it cooked, he made another.

The oatmeal cake tasted like baked sticks mixed with dust to Johanna, but because her husband had taken the time and trouble to prepare the food, she didn't let him know how horrid it tasted.

Gabriel thought the expression on her face while she nibbled on the oatmeal was comical. She made several trips to the stream for drinks of water to wash the food down, and she could only eat half the cake before she declared she was quite full.

"It was thoughtful of you to bring the food along," she remarked.

"Every warrior always carries his food on his back, Johanna." He sat down beside her, leaned back against the tree trunk, and added, "We take everything we need for a hunt or a war. Highlanders are self-sufficient. We don't have need for bread or wine or carts loaded down with pots and caldrons like the pampered English soldiers. Our plaids are our tents or our blankets, and what other food we want, we take from the land."

"Or steal from the other clans?"

"Yes."

"It's wrong to take without permission."

"It's our way," he explained once again.

"Do the other clans steal from you?"

"We don't have anything they would want."

"Do they all steal from each other?"

"Of course."

"It's most barbaric," she decided aloud. "Don't any of the lairds ever barter for what they need?"

"Some do," Gabriel answered. "Twice a year council meetings are held near the Moray Firth. Clans not feuding attend. I've heard there's a fair amount of bartering done then."

"You've heard? Then you've never attended any of these meetings?"

"No."

She waited for further explanation. He remained silent. "Haven't you been invited?"

She sounded incensed over the possible insult. "Every laird is invited, wife."