Chapter 103: Twenty-five.

Colt untangled herself further from Calum's arms, much to his clear dismay. She was trying her best not to snigger childishly at the sullen expression he was now wearing, but ultimately she was failing.

The comedy of the situation was nicely taking her mind off the reality of what could have happened to Elijah, had she and Calum followed through on their strong desires for one another, and rather than deal with more guilt on her shoulders, she went with it more than willingly. Her laughter, over powering her memories of hospital machines, and heart monitor bleeps, convincing Colt she must look like she was out of her mind.

Calum's eyebrow raised at Colt questioning her, "You find this, funny?"

He took in her stance, slightly hunched, with one hand pressed in at her stomach, while the other was over her mouth, her hazel eyes gleaming with merriment.

"No," she spluttered, the word barely audible through her giggles, "I find it, bloody hilarious."

Calum flapped his arms in defeat, "You're making me into a goddamn fool, Love," he stated half heartedly, with his head shaking in disbelief.

Still Colt couldn't stifle her laughter, as Solaris brought his head towards her again for attention. Despite her state, she still automatically lifted her hands to pet and scratch where the horse wanted her to, half hiding her face in his neck as she did so, but still sniggering away.

Calum sighed at the sight, "I can't believe I'm fucking jealous of a horse!" He complained, watching how comfortably she buried herself into the animal, and wishing she would seek him out that way. The way she sought out the horse for safety and comfort, while simultaneously offering it affection, drove his territorial side demented, and he was struggling to rein himself back in.

But, this reaction of Calum's only seemed to fuel Colt's laughter further, her face turning a delightful shade of pink, and her stomach slowly beginning to ache. She hazarded a glance at him, biting her lip to try and stop the laughs as she peeked over her shoulder from Solaris' neck. But, she only managed to mute them slightly, her body still convulsing with the suppressed laughs.

"Seriously, Woman, what's so funny?" Calum finally relented and asked her, unsure if he was even in on the joke now, or if he was the joke itself. Either way, as long as Colt was laughing he didn't mind really, but some information would be nice.

Attempting to take some deep breaths, to answer Calum, Colt managed to stagger her bouts of laughter enough to attempt to talk. But, when she seen the twinkle in her mate's eyes, and the half smirk playing on his lips, her body buckled, and she began yet another tirade of chuckles.

Calum couldn't hold it back any longer, her laughter was becoming too infectious, and he found he started grinning uncontrollably, before he broke out onto a small chuckle himself. Resulting in the two of them standing there, laughing uncontrollably with one another.

"What the hell?" Came the startled voice from the end of the stable block.

"Oh, Fuck!" Calum shouted, his laughs forgotten, as his hands shot down to cover his crotch, before he forced himself to shift quickly into his wildcat form.

This didn't help with Colt's hysteria in the slightest though, as Fiona the owner of the Welsh Section D mare, who happened to stay in the stable beside Solaris, stood with her eyes bulging out of her head, at Calum's nakedness and sudden transformation, before he slid around casually behind Colt's legs, then darted off.

"Am I interrupting something?" The forty-five year old mother of two, asked with a raised eyebrow, and an amused grin, now her mind and sense of humour had caught up with her, from the shock of a handsome, and fully naked young man in the stable yard.

Colt turned and buried her head into Solaris' neck, while she attempted to stifle her laughter and catch her breath, which was still wildly out of her control.

"Am I going to have to open a new bale of hay, now you two have been romping in it?" Fiona asked, her smirk turning to a laugh as she noticed Colt start to choke on her own laughs, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"What! Damn it, Fiona, No!" Colt spurted out, in shock. "We weren't 'romping' in anything!" She defended herself.

"Well, that's a shame. A man like that and you're still fully dressed? Colt Merrier, I am disappointed in you," Fiona teased her further.

"Stop it," Colt pleaded, suppressing the urge to growl at Fiona's admiration of her mate, "Nothing happened."

Fiona, only cackled louder at Colt's discomfort, "Oh, you're making this too easy. I'm guessing you are the infamous woman, young Mr Macgregor, has been searching for then?" She enquired.

Colt shifted on her feet uncomfortably, "I guess, I am," she said feeling shy.

"Don't worry, I'll get my pound of flesh, out of his embarrassment as well. Just you wait," she added with a wink, just as Calum re-entered the stable block, fully dressed this time.

"Sorry about that, Fiona, I was erm.." He drifted off, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, as he came to stand beside Colt, wrapping an arm around her shoulders for comfort.

"I could see what you were thinking quite clearly, Calum. You could have taken someone's eye out with that thing. Have you no shame?" She stated, blatantly pointing at his crotch, before adding, "The place will be full of children at any moment!" She scolded him, enjoying the embarrassment that was colouring his every movement, as he looked from the ground then to Colt, beseeching her for some kind of help.

Colt only smiled slyly, "I told you so," she smirked at him.

"I am sorry, Fiona," Calum spoke, trying not to awkwardly laugh like a school boy, "It most certainly won't ever happen again."

"I should think so! What would your mother say?" Fiona added for effect, loving the alarm on Calum's face. "Just you wait till I speak with her! In fact I might call her right now," she threatened, pulling out her phone.

Colt bit her lip, desperately trying to contain her laughter again, as reinforcing Fiona's point, the Allen sisters, two girls the ages of eight and ten, led their ponies in from the field, chatting away amongst themselves- none the wiser to the unfolding drama, at that very moment.

Calum's face lit up with alarm, "Please, don't call my mother, Fiona? I promise I will make it up to you," he offered, knowing this would be yet another experience he would never live down, thanks to his mate's inexplicable ability to overwhelm his common sense.

"Well, there's no real harm done I suppose," Fiona finally conceded, putting her phone away, and coming to the young man's rescue, "And, I suppose, the worst case scenario is, that you have given the yard manager an eyeful, when she checks the CCTV later," She smiled almost cruelly.

Calum's eyes bulged out of his head as he looked at Colt for confirmation, asking her, "This place has CCTV, Love?"

Colt nodded regretfully, even though her face was still smiling, "It does, it was installed two months ago, after a speight of farm theft incidents."

"Shit!" He answered, before smirking and turning to Fiona, "Did I at least look good?"

Fiona laughed loudly, this was the best fun she had had in ages, "A few lobsters should keep us both quiet dear, might even stop you from going viral," she blatantly blackmailed him, "And, you are looking knee wobblingly good, Calum, as always. I can see why this ones so happy," she nodded at Colt, whose face started to redden again, as Fiona began to walk past them to her mare's stable.

"Fiona!" Colt shrieked, making Calum laugh.

"Just let me know when to buy a hat, Colt," she threw in, then turning to Calum, "I'm so happy you found her, your mother will be thrilled as well," she stated warmly.

"Oh, gawd!" Colt moaned, turning back into Solaris' neck, to hide.

But it didn't last long, as Calum pulled her into his body to hide instead, his jealousy finally winning out, "You're bloody adorable when you blush, Love," he stated into her hair.

Colt sighed, allowing herself this moment of comfort, as Solaris went back to eat his hay, before she went to gather her belongings. She felt somewhat pleasantly confused, when Calum came and took her bag from her to carry it himself. Colt turned and kissed a returned and inquisitive Solaris goodbye while scratching his nose, and saying she would come see him in the morning. Before hesitantly she took Calum's out stretched hand and heading out to the car park.

"So you know Fiona?" She asked casually, as they made their way out.

"Yeah," he smiled, "She used to babysit me."

Colt smiled at the connections she was discovering. She must admit the clan rivalries aside, here everyone seemed to have some sort of a connection and a knowledge of one another. Like the community was it's own intricate tapestry of lives. Every thread, sharing a connection or a knot with another.

"So, you're back here tomorrow?" Calum asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Just to turn himself out and muck out the stable. I promised Iona, I would meet her for lunch, in town afterwards" Colt answered, ignoring the proprietary tensing of Calum's hand around her own.

Calum was annoyed, he knew his mate had a life, but he wanted her all to himself, he felt like he had lost time to make up for, and he suspected Colt was still keeping him at a distance, despite his smaller victories, like hand holding, or comforting hugs.

"Hmmm, well then tonight you're mine, Love," He exclaimed, matter of factly.

"Excuse me?" Colt spat back, as they neared her truck.

Calum laughed, "Relax, I'm talking about a date. I'll be at yours in an hour," he stated, leaving no room for a rebuttal, "Wear something waterproof," he added, pecking her on the cheek with a small kiss quickly, before he handed her her bag, and moved away to climb on his bike.

Calum noted with satisfaction, that her fingers were touching the spot he had kissed, despite her confused expression, before he turned on his engine and drove away.

Author's note: I forgot to put it last time, the answer to what Colt was thinking about can be found in chapter 22 of Determined. I hope you got some giggles out of this chapter as well as Colt? B x.