CHAPTER FIVE
May 1220, the day after the big race. Sara MacDougal rose early, dressing quickly in tight riding pants and a blouse and headed for the stables. She needed to ride alone to clear her mind from the previous day's happenings�� 
Yes, she had indeed won the race, but her father certainly wasn't pleased that Sara had danced with young Robert MacLaaran. Even thinking of the handsome Robert made her tingle all over. She shrugged off those thoughts and watched as the sleepy stable lad saddled her speckled mare, Molly.
She rode across the MacDougal farmlands, then down through the forest towards the lake. Sara loved to watch the early morning sunrise over Lake MacLaaran, another name that infuriated her father, Matthew. Laird Andrew MacLaaran had renamed everything since purchasing the land and building the huge castle on the hill.
Sara dismounted and let the mare graze in the meadow while she sat in her favorite spot, a fallen log near the edge of the forest. She was picking the petals off a daisy as her mind drifted, remembering the thrill of winning yesterdays race.
She knew she would have to find another way to win next year. Her opponents would surely be practicing the jump across the creek that she used to trick them yesterday. Her mare was quick and a great jumper with the light Sara aboard, but could not match the speed and strength of Robert's magnificent steed.
Just as she removed the last petal from the flower, she saw him ride out of the woods toward the lake. Robert reined in his horse when he saw the mare and began scanning the meadow. Sara rose from the log, dropped the remains of the flower and waved as his eyes found her�� 
Robert slipped out of the saddle, patted his horse's rump and sent him off to frolic with the mare. He walked over with a knowing smile. "Good morning, lass. I'll bet our parents wouldn't be pleased with this accidental meeting."
"Accidental, Robert? I often ride over here in the mornings to watch the sunrise, but this is the first time I've seen you here."
Robert laughed, "Aye, I'm not normally an early morning riser. The late nights with the gypsies requires a little extra sleep in the morning."
"So," Sara grinned back, "What did bring you here this morning? Looking for new routes for next year's race?"
"Dinnae think next year will be so easy, Sara. May I call Ye Sara?" His eyes went slowly over every inch of her body, down to her riding pants that clung tight to her marvelous stems, then back up over her perky breasts to finally meet her sparkling, deep, dark eyes.
Blushing furiously at the obvious inspection, Sara tried to change the subject. "Mornings are the most delightful part of the day, don't you agree?"
Robert couldn't resist teasing her a bit. "Actually, I prefer sunsets, especially in the company of a female companion."
Sara began walking toward where the horses were now grazing, having gone through the typical animal ritual of sniffing each other. The inference in Robert's comments were clear. She actually laughed when she compared what the horses had done to the game she and this man were now playing.
Robert followed behind her, his eyes watching her bottom in those extremely tight riding pants. He wanted her. Maybe it was the fact that she was untouchable territory, a female that his family wouldn't consider acceptable.
They stood by their horses, both gazing out over the lake as the sun finally cleared the horizon and the mists of ground fog began to fade away. Robert was the first to speak again. "You know that our parents would never accept this, even meeting as friends."
"Aye," Sara answered very softly, "but I'm sixteen now, old enough to be considered a lady. I can make my own decisions."
When she turned to face him, Robert drew her close, their bodies barely touching, and his lips found hers. The kiss was long, beginning as just a gentle touch, but quickly they were eating each other's mouths.
Sara was panting when she broke the kiss and removed his hand from where her tight fitting riding pants encased her bottom. "Sir, I'm not one of your gypsy girls. Please restrain yourself."
"My deepest apologies, M'Lady, but I do believe you enjoyed that just as much as I did."
"What we enjoy, and what's permissible are two entirely different things!" Her face flushed as she turned away, looking out over the lake to avoid staring at the obvious erection in his trousers.
"I understand," Robert sighed, knowing that she was the most attractive woman he had ever seen and possibly his soul mate for life. "I suggest that we take this a little slow, meet privately for a while, get to know each other, before arousing their suspicions."
"I agree. This could be something special, but we've really just met. It could also be infatuation. Maybe just the result of the race and our parents immediately reacting so negatively, forbidden fruit so to speak."
They kissed again, this time more controlled, then he helped her up on her mare and watched as she rode off heading for home. He made a mental decision to get to bed early that evening and start riding to the lake each morning from now on. He could explain that away easily, working harder to improve his riding skills for the future, something that his father would no doubt approve.
That evening, Robert asked Ellie to remain after she turned down his bed�. 
Ellie knew what her young master wanted and he seemed more anxious then ever. She slipped out of her dress and dropped to her knees quickly, helping Robert out of his clothing, his cock standing so proudly and erect.
She kissed the swollen head and took him in her mouth, but he stopped her this time for a change. Instead he laid her out face down on the bed, lifted her up on her knees and was inside her responding to a new urgency.
As they satisfied their rampant sexual desires that night, Robert fantasized it was Sara beneath him. He knew that was unfair, and as their wild releases eased, he actually kissed Ellie and told her just how special she was to him.
Ellie knew she could never be Robert's wife, content that he had made her his private mistress. She made sure that she took the potion daily that her gypsy friend provided, the potion that kept her from birthing a bastard child. She knew that the moment Laird Andrew knew she was pregnant, he would run her off.
Sara and Robert's morning meetings often turned into long hard rides together, a way of easing the growing passions in their loins. It was Robert that first broached the idea of a trip to Holywell and the Highlands Faire.
Sara realized that meant an overnight trip and knew her father would demand that she take an escort. After considerable debate, he finally agreed that her maid and a squire that cared for her mare would be adequate companions for this faire that Sara insisted on attending. Little did Matthew know, that the squire and maid were actually secret lovers, information that Sara and her maid privately shared.
Robert told his parents there were races at the Holywell Faire that he wished to enter and he would make the trip alone. Robert and Sara made the trip separately, but when Robert arrived he rented an entire floor in the Holywell Inn, four separate bedrooms, of course.
The meeting at dinner seemed so innocent, simply two friends and competitors in the races accidentally bumping into each other. Robert bought the dinner, making sure that Sara's squire and maid had plenty of wine and everyone coyly pretended to need an early rest after the long ride.
Robert waited in his room, listening at the door as the drunken squire made his way down the hall and into the maid's bedroom. Robert then slipped quietly down the hall and knocked lightly on Sara's door.
She opened it part way looking out with an evil little grin. "What do you want, sir?"
"A moment alone," he answered with a grin.
"Get IN here before somebody sees you," she giggled and closed the door behind him.
He brought a bottle of wine and they sat on the floor in front of the fire, because she refused to use the bed. They had agreed there still had to be limits, after all, she was a lady. They talked for hours, no longer feeling that they were out in the open where people might wander up and see them together.
The kisses were sweet and she allowed him more freedom, but each time he tried to unbutton her blouse she stopped him. As the wine disappeared, it was becoming more and more difficult to keep her lover at bay. She knew that if she let him touch her most private places, her resistance would fail and she feared he would see her as just another conquest.
It was when he whispered in her ear that he loved her and wanted her hand in marriage that Sara lost control. The first few buttons opened, like petals gently picked from a lovely flower. When his hand cupped her naked breast, she just whimpered and let him lower her to the soft rugs that covered the floor before the burning fireplace.
There are degrees to intimacy. She thought she knew them, but until now she hadn't fully comprehended how intense they could be. She shuddered when his beard brushed over her breasts. It was a primitive feeling, like the flash heat of a tree struck by lightning.
Too much wine, too little experience, and much too much love in her heart. When his hand slipped under her skirt and found her inner thigh, she tried once again to stop him, mumbling "Noooooooo" as she gripped his wrist to impede his progress.
But his lips found hers and his tongue slid inside her waiting mouth. His hand slipped higher, found the soft silk that protected her most secret garden and she was doomed. She panted as he moved between her thighs. There was that little moment of fear when she felt his manhood find her, then he was inside and the seduction was complete.
Sarah was no longer thinking, just enjoying his cock as it opened her inner being. She could feel her wet slippery walls try to clutch him, draw him in, and eventually suck every drop of his life creating seed inside her.
The second time that night, they were totally naked in bed. He was an excellent lover and brought her over the edge several times before taking her to the crest of the wave that left them both panting for breath.
There was no turning back now. They knew they were meant for each other, but how could they convince their families of that? The hatred between the two clans seemed insurmountable. They lay there until dawn, discussing what they might do. Do they simply tell their parents and demand a wedding? Or do they run off and live elsewhere?
Neither solution seemed possible and they finally agreed to keep their affair quiet until they had time to think. Maybe they could devise a plan, an agreement that might repair the damage created over the past twenty years.
To Be Continued