A Lesson in Passion (23 page)

*
*
*

Dammit, dammit,
dammit
, Ginny kept repeating in her head as
she lay as still as stone by the fire. She had hoped to fall asleep
before Ian returned, but she was so hot and bothered at the moment,
sleep would allude her for hours. What was wrong with her? She had
told herself that she wouldn't sleep with him. So why, exactly, had
she teased him by taking half her clothes off? Why had she kissed
him back when he grabbed her? Why weren't they having sex right
now!

It was so dark beyond the firelight. They
camped near a grove of trees, and Ginny could barely make them out
in the darkness. The light of the stars twinkled against their
black backdrop. With so little surface light, you could see
millions of stars in the sky. Large clusters of stars that looked
like dust across a black floor. Ginny had only seen it like this
one other time, when she was at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff. As
spectacular as that was, it didn't hold a candle to this glorious
sight.

I just have to wait a little
longer
, she thought.
I just have to be patient. This story will come around and I
will get to have sex with Ian. Or someone just as spectacular. Only
a little longer now.

She smiled to herself in the dark,
even though she was uncomfortable, sore, hungry and tired. But, she
was somewhat clean.
Why couldn't we just
stay at the Hilton?
No matter which way she
turned, she couldn't get comfortable. No pillow, a thin blanket
that would never keep her warm and a long day on a horse were all
conspiring to keep her from slumber. The tears starting pooling in
her eyes. Now, on top of everything else, she was feeling sorry for
herself. Great!

As if on cue, Ian walked over to her prone
figure. He slowly lowered himself to lie down along side of her. He
used his arm to cushion his head and his other arm to drag her up
against his chest. He bundled up the top part of his kilt to make a
small pillow for her head. As he continued his ministrations, he
noticed the tears on her cheeks. His heart broke at her pain.
Finally, he realized his dilemma. He was in love with her. He
wanted her above all others and didn't know if he could marry the
MacDonald girl after all.

Ginny decided to enjoy this potential
last night with him. No matter what happened tomorrow, she could
pretend they had a relationship tonight. He was being so gentle and
caring. Right now, this was the best she could hope for. She turned
slowly and faced him. Placing her cold hands on his warm chest, she
slowly settled to sleep. Her last thoughts were of Ian, what he
meant to her and how she was going to prevent him from marrying
that other girl.

• * Chapter 20 *
  

Before dawn, Broderick and his group
set out for McKenna land. It was slow going in the dark, but worth
the extra few miles they could put behind them. Although on her own
horse, Elspeth made sure she was always next to Broderick. Whenever
he looked at her during supper the night before, she could feel
strange tingling sensations going through her body.

He was so big. His shoulders were probably as
wide as she was tall. His hands looked like they could crush stone
and his legs were like tree trunks. Even his head seemed oversized,
covered in jet black hair and scruffy cheeks. His eyes were gray,
like looming storm clouds over the countryside. Elspeth was certain
she had never seen a more magnificent man in all her
life.

“Are ya married, then, Broderick,”
she asked as they rode. She kept her voice quiet, so only he could
hear her.

“Nay,” was his only response. He
wanted to talk to her, learn more about her, but he was concerned
about their vulnerability. He hadn't been kidding when he said he
would protect her with his own life. He just wanted to make sure it
wasn't necessary.

Elspeth took no offense to his short answers.
She rather liked talking anyway. “Did ya know I am the only child
of the MacDonald laird? My ma, God bless her soul, died during
childbirth. My da was so in love with her that he never remarried,
even though it cost him an heir. My cousin, Arran, he is being
groomed to take my da's place.” Elspeth fell quiet for a moment,
looking to the rising sun thoughtfully.

Broderick, concerned by her sudden silence,
looked over at her. Her face was just as beautiful, but sad.
Normally, he would just ignore it and continue with silence. But,
for her, he needed to make her feel better. “Are ya
unwell?”

Elspeth looked up at him, her eyes brimming
with unshed tears. “I will miss my da.”

Broderick didn't know what to say to that. It
was always tough on women when marrying. They had to leave the only
homes they'd ever known and sometimes live with virtual strangers.
There was only one thing he could do for her. “Anytime ya want to
visit, I will take ya. Ya only need to get permission from the
laird.”

“Really! Thank ya, Broderick. Yar
the sweetest man I have ever met, except for my da.”

Broderick looked uncomfortable with the
attention. His feelings were getting stronger for her and soon she
would be married to his laird. He needed to distance himself or
risk breaking his own heart. It seemed such a crazy notion, since
he was not known to have such feelings.

He meant to say something curt and ride up
ahead so she couldn't speak to him anymore. Instead he said, “My
pleasure,” and continued to ride next to her. Elspeth picked up
where she left off, speaking about her clan and her friends and her
family. Every word she spoke was like an angel speaking to him,
every look a gift.

Broderick couldn't be sure, but he knew that
he was in serious trouble of falling head over heels in love with
this girl.

*
*
*

Ian rose early to continue the journey to the
MacDonald land. The more Ginny thought about it, the more she
realized that her being miserable was unacceptable. She was a grown
woman, from a very different century, millennium even, and she was
getting herself caught up in a romance novel. It wasn't anything
short of ridiculous and even somewhat embarrassing. For all the
hemming and hawing she did about reading the damn books in the
first place, now she was actually pouting over her mega-hunk's
impending marriage. Crazy was the perfect word for her
situation.

The day was turning glorious. The sun was
rising and there were no clouds to indicate rain. The azure blue
sky was flawless and was offset quite nicely by the rolling green
hills. The further they went, the more rocky the terrain. The air
was fresh after the recent rains, and filled with the scents of
nature: grass, dew, and wildflowers. She smiled just at the sight
of such glory.

They had ridden in silence since they started
off and Ginny knew it was time to put an end to it. She turned her
head to look up at him. His face, beautiful and serious, was
staring at the horizon. He didn't seem like he was in the mood for
conversation, like a prisoner being led to the hangman's noose. It
occurred to Ginny how apropos that analogy was.

Ginny decided to be subtle, “How are you
feeling?”

Ian hrumphed and continued their journey in
silence. “Really, Ian... How are you?”

He looked down at her face, read the
expression and smiled a small, tentative smile. “I will do what is
best for my clan, Ginny. No more, no less.”

“Yes, that is important. Especially
with war looming over you. It's a shame it doesn't coincide with
what you want, huh?” She made the statement lightly, even smiled a
little as well, but he heard the bitterness it
contained.

“Aye, tis a shame.” Ian lowered his
head and began to nuzzle in Ginny's hair. She smelled good to him,
like roses and campfires. He had decided that he would do one thing
for himself. If he couldn't wed the woman he wanted, he would have
her anyway. If they did not meet up with Broderick today, tonight,
he would take her. She would offer no resistance, not once she was
convinced of the pleasure he would give her.

He didn't even know what the MacDonald girl
looked like. It didn't matter. Ginny would be his lover and she
would give him sons. His wife would learn to live with this and he
didn't really care anyway. He would marry the MacDonald girl for
the alliance, but Ginny would be the love of his life. It was the
only way he could survive.

His silence was deafening to Ginny. She had
decided earlier that what Lady Chatham would want should matter to
her. That her feelings were important. Now, Ginny thought that idea
was stupid. This was make believe, a fairy tale as such. Ian never
existed in history, she didn't travel back in time, so what
difference did it make. She was simply re-writing a story, written
by some woman in the 21st century, in the hopes of making some
money at her craft.

Ginny was tired of holding back. She was tired
of letting this happen on its own. Now she was going to take over
and take what she wanted. Like from the beginning, she figured
there were no consequences when she picked up the knife sheathed to
her ankle and threw it that big, ugly guy. This was her body
now!

With that in mind, Ginny had every
intention of seducing Ian tonight. No consequences, no regrets.
Tonight would be the night, provided the guy didn't marry someone
else instead.

• * Chapter 21 *
  

They rode through the day, stopping
for an extended time so Elspeth could refresh herself. The men
stood around, eating the rations given to them by the MacDonald
laird. Broderick kept a close watch on where Elspeth disappeared
into the trees. When she didn't return, he went looking for her.
Entering the woods, first he called out her name. When she didn't
respond, he became frantic, running around trying to find
her.

He found her, alone and unharmed, staring into
space, deep in her own thoughts. He breathed a sigh of relief.
“Elspeth. What is wrong?”

She turned so quickly, she nearly fell over.
Broderick was right there to keep her upright. The first thing she
noticed was his strong arms around her. Just as she was beginning
to enjoy the feeling, he moved away.

“I am sorry to intrude on yar
privacy. I was worried when ya dinna return.”

“I am sorry. I got caught up in my
own thoughts. I dinna mean to make ya worry.” She smiled at him
with a dazzling smile that took his breath away.

Grumbling under his breath, he turned to leave
her. “I will wait for ya in the...” he never finished his sentence.
One of the men called out the alarm.

Grabbing her arm, Broderick dragged Elspeth
back to the clearing. One of the McKennas, a warrior named Cameron,
turned to Broderick and pointed to the north. There was a large
group of men on horseback. Broderick knew they were too close to
outrun them. “We need to make our stand here.”

“Aye,” Cameron agreed. “What should
we do with the lady?”

Broderick thought about this for only a second
and turned to her. “Ya will go into the trees and find somewhere to
hide. Ya must no' come out unless ya hear my voice. Aye?” His look
intense, she was almost frightened of him... almost.

“Aye,” she agreed and ran into the
woods.

The strangers began riding their horses toward
their group. Broderick took point, not bothering to get back on his
horse. He needed to be able to get to Elspeth if it became
necessary. Broderick met the group with his legs apart and his hand
on his sword. He recognized the plaids they wore:
Sinclair.

The leader of the Sinclairs dismounted and
stood before Broderick. The men were almost evenly matched in size.
The Sinclair leader smiled at Broderick, perhaps trying to look
friendly, but Broderick wasn't falling for it. Nothing was said for
some time, while both groups sized each other up.

“Yar on Sinclair land. I dinna
remember ya asking permission,” the Sinclair soldier stated, still
smiling.

“This is no' yar land. We are
riding along the border of MacGregor land,” Broderick kept his
voice even, somewhat bored. He didn't want to provoke a fight, not
when he needed to keep Elspeth safe.

“Perhaps. What are ya doing here?
Pretty far from home, McKenna.”

“I am bringing something back from
the MacDonalds. Not that it is any of yar concern.” Broderick could
feel it before it happened. The sudden tension, the looks in their
eyes. They were planning to fight and there was nothing he could
say to stop it.

Elspeth had run, but she didn't hide. She was
watching the exchange, trying to ascertain if they were there for
her. She wouldn't let Broderick die for her. If the Sinclairs
wanted her, she would come out and give herself up.

Suddenly, the Sinclairs pulled their swords
and charged. Broderick was ready, pulling his sword at the same
time and running toward the leader. The other McKennas and
MacDonalds joined the melee. The once pleasant day was now filled
with the sounds of clashing swords, battle crys and screams of
agony.

Elspeth watched in awe as Broderick fought.
His giant, muscular body seemed to be made to swing a sword. He was
almost elegant, like a ballet dancer, moving each way to avoid a
killing blow. Her heart raced, her mind spun and she shook slightly
watching the grizzly scene.