Page 11 of His Secret Highland Bride

“I’ll help ye,” she offered, rushing forward to bear his weight and steer him away from Robbie. She led the man to his bed, turning her head away when she needed to draw in a breath, for his stench made her ill. She continued on by grasping hold of one single fact: it wouldn’t be long now.

In fact, the Wallace retainers should have arrived by now. She’d counted out the days for the letter to get there. For the men to pack and ride to the MacPherson village. She’d sent off a second missive to ensure at least one of them made it to her father. Why hadn’t he sent for her?

At her uncle’s bed, she slipped out from under his arm, hoping he’d fall onto the sagging straw mattress, or close enough to it, and be out until the late morning. But, instead, he swayed toward her, his eyes a bit more focused than she’d expected.

“Ye are a bonny lass.”

She said nothing. She may have stopped breathing, as still as she stood. He wasn’t falling over; he was looking her over and was missing nothing from as slow as he was doing it. This was not good. She’d seen the way his gaze lingered on her breasts as she worked. It made her uncomfortable, but he’d never touched her. She’d made it clear she wouldn’t stand for such a thing. But now he was stepping closer.

“I need ye. I’ve gone too long without a woman’s touch.”

She shook her head. “No. You’re in your cups and not thinking straight. I’m here to help with the boys, nothing more.”

“You could be more. We’re not blood. I can take ye as my wife. Let me give you a try to see if you’ll do.”

She turned to flee the room, but he grabbed her hair with more strength than she thought he could manage in his state. He twisted it in his fist, and Lindsay cried out as her head—and her body with it—was pulled to the bed.

When she screamed, he smacked her across the face. As her mouth filled with the coppery taste of blood, she pushed him to the side enough that she could roll off the bed to the floor, hitting her head on something on her way down. Her skull throbbed, and light flared at the edges of her vision. But two swift kicks had her gasping for breath and pulled her from the tempting darkness.

Despite the spinning, when he reached down to pull her up again, she grabbed a piece of wood from the pile next to the small hearth and swung it with all her might.

Her uncle fell heavily to the floor, and Lindsay didn’t spare a second to see if she’d killed him. She ran from the house. She’d warned him she would only stay so long as he didn’t touch her. But now he had, and she had no other choice. She had to leave before something terrible happened.

Where could she go? She knew no one here. No one except for the man she’d just moments ago pledged to stay clear of to avoid getting too close. Regardless of what her heart thought of the matter, her feet took her in the direction of Shane’s cottage. Despite the struggle to see where she was going, she kept running until she stumbled and fell.

And there she stayed.

Chapter Five

Shane tossed for what felt like the hundredth time that night. He half expected to hear Ronan’s grumbling voice telling him to stop moving about like a fish out of water.

So often his brother had woken him from his nightmares of past battles and close calls. Of the evening they’d arrived back at camp to find Maria staring blankly up at the darkening sky. But tonight, Shane wasn’t haunted by the years spent at war. And there was no one there to save him. Had Ronan been there, he might have told his brother how badly he’d mucked things up with the raven-haired lass. Staying away from her wasn’t helping things as much as he’d hoped.

But being with her wasn’t an option. Not only was he not ready to love again, if he ever could, but he was the new laird, a man she already hated, and he was set to marry by arrangement. After his near mistake on the rock days earlier, he’d thought about her endlessly. Most often he wondered why he was so drawn to her when she was so different from his Maria. He didn’t know what to think it meant. And what did it matter? For somewhere there was a woman waiting to wed the new laird of the MacPherson clan.

He shifted in his bed again. The last three days had been difficult. Instead of facing the woman who tempted him, his only company was a small dog who had taken a spot in the corner of the room. “Do ye think I should have kissed her?” he asked his companion, who didn’t bother responding. “I was afraid if I kissed her, I’d have wanted more, and I couldn’t do that because I’m broken inside, as well as promised to someone else.”

It felt good to speak the truth to someone, even if that someone was a dog who seemed set on ignoring his late-night confessions. “I’m to marry someone my da chose for me with no mind to what I wanted, I’m sure. He would have seen to pick the bride who offered the most dowry. Probably a Campbell or a Wallace, I imagine.”

The dog finally responded with a sniff of sorts.

“Aye. I’m not pleased with the thought, either. Ye never met my wife. She was beautiful and full of spirit. She made me feel alive in a place surrounded constantly by death.” He let out a sigh. “You’ve seen Lindsay. She’s bonny and sweet. And talking with her is easy enough. I don’t feel as though I have to be more than who I am. She seems fine with me being a soldier. I could find peace and happiness with a woman like that. Yet, I’m to marry someone else and take on my duties as laird.”

As if she understood and wanted him to go to the castle that instant, Tre shot up from her resting spot and ran to the door, barking for the first time in his presence. Was she tired of hearing his ramblings? He couldn’t blame her.

Shane chuckled and shook his head at his silliness. “Do ye hear something out there that needs investigating?”

As soon as he opened the door, she shot out of the cottage. Her gray coat blended in with the darkness, but her shrill bark spoke of alarm. At the sound of Hades’s unrest in the small shelter behind the house, Shane slid the strap with his sword on his back and stepped outside. If someone thought to take his horse, they wouldn’t get very far.

Even if Shane didn’t stop them, Hades wouldn’t have it. He’d toss the thieves and return home.

But that was not the way Treun had gone. It sounded as if she was on the trail that led to the village.

“What is it, lass?” He came closer, then paused when he heard a whimper that had not come from the dog. Moving quickly now, he saw a lump on the ground. It was cloudy that night, but the moon gave enough light for him to see it was a person.

Not just a person but Lindsay.

He rolled her over, seeing blood at the corner of her mouth as well as her temple. The wetness glistened in the low light, even in her dark hair. Something darker than a shadow crossed her jaw.