Mysty McPartland (17 page)

With a group of ten men, he and Quinn spent the morning hunting. They felled three fine bucks to show for their morning efforts. They were just heading home, when an arrow out of nowhere found its mark in his wide shoulder.

Chaos reigned, but within seconds, Quinn took control. He sent a party of five men to scout the area and the other five to surround their laird and rode for home.

As they neared Rieph’s home, Quinn noticed lady Trista standing on the battlement. It was her dark hair flying unbound in the wind like a banner that had caught his eye.

W
hen they came soaring through the gates, she was waiting in the bailey for them, her beautiful face drained of color. Dismounting and with the aid of Gabe, they lifted the near unconscious Rieph from his horse.

When she saw her husband being assisted, she moved over to stand close to him. At once she noticed the arrow in his left shoulder and bought a hand up to her mouth to stifle her cry. Within a heartbeat, squaring her shoulders, she issued orders in a commanding voice, which sent every one running to do her bidding.

Once off his stallion, Rieph spied his wife's small pale face and when she started commanding like any laird, he tried to grin. “I think that someone dinnae like me, sweet.”

Gasping loudly, she searched his face and saw how much agony he was in and how he was trying to hide it from her. “It is no joking matter, husband. Now take him upstairs before the fool loses any more blood.”

Unable to help himself he chuckled at her snappy reply but when they moved him, grimaced and with determination and strength fought the blackness that kept trying to engulf him.

Once Quinn and Gabe laid him on the bed, she pushed them aside and studied her husband’s injury. “One of you will have to pull out the arrow. It hasn’t gone all the way through so there’s only one wound we have to contend with.”

“Ye
hold him down, Gabe, and I’ll pull out the arrow.” Quinn said moving over to grasp the shaft and when Gabe held Rieph down, he pulled it free.

While they were removing the arrow, she quickly gathered the things she would need to tend her husband. She could not bear to watch the suffering he would go through when they removed the barb from his body. She was not in the least surprised that through the whole ordeal he never uttered a sound.

Now that they’d finished with the task, she ordered that they strip him naked and when they finished they covered him to the waist with the sheet. Gently as she could, she washed the wound and couldn’t look at his face knowing that if she saw how much agony he just suffered through, she would start to cry.

Only after
stitching and wrapping the wound did she turn her gaze to his and she gave a soft sob when she saw his blue eyes full of torment. She could see something else there as well, but she could not name what it was.

He had fought hard not to make a sound when the arrow was tugged free and as he watched his wife as she tended his injury and through his agony, he could see just how much she cared for him. Somehow, that made the pain bearable. When she finished and looked at him for the first time, his heart thundered in his chest.

When
he heard her soft cry, with his good arm, he reached out and drew her down so that she now lay on his good shoulder. “Hush, sweet, everything will be all right.”

****

By late evening, Rieph ran a slight fever and Trista sat by his side caring for him throughout the night. Early the next morning, he opened his eyes and noticed his wife sitting by the bed dozing. He knew that she must have been up all night tending him. Reaching out, he grasped her hand and when her eyes flew open and smiled weakly at her. “Come and lie down, sweet. Ye must be exhausted.”

At the touch on her hand, her lashes lifted. When she saw the clear gaze of her husband’s eyes, knew that he no longer suffered from fever. Just to be assured though, she touched his brow and sent up a silent prayer of gratitude. Satisfied that his skin was cool, she did as he asked. She laid down beside him making sure not to jolt him.

She lay on her side facing him. “Do you need anything, Rieph?”

He watched her from lowered lids; he was pleased when she didn’t hesitate in joining him on the bed. He wondered if she would do what he requested next. “Aye, I do. I would like ye to come closer to me. I would like to feel ye pressed against me.”

A frown on her brow, she bit her bottom lip trying to decide if she should do what he asked. Quickly, she came to a decision and with a slight nod, she wiggled across the mattress and lie with her body touching his.

More than pleased, he sighed, closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The longer she watched him as he slept, the more she knew that she could no longer deny her love for him. She didn’t bother to stop the tears that flowed down her cheeks realizing just how close she nearly came to losing him.

What
if it had happened? How would she feel with what lay between them? She did not think she would ever forgive herself if she lost him without letting him know that she forgave him.

S
he realized days ago that she had, but was at a loss of how to let him know. Now though, she would find away. And with hope, they could find some way to have peace between them and hopefully, it would heal the rift between him and his clan.

Surprised she’d fallen asleep, she opened her eyes and blinked, she realized that her head rested on her husband’s uninjured shoulder. Her leg was thrown over his thigh, a blush heated her face when she became aware that Rieph’s hand was cupping her breast. It ached and the nipple pebbled into a tight bud. Biting her bottom lip, she tried to decide what to do so that he would not wake and find her like this.

He was aware the instant she roused from sleep and heard the change in her breathing. He wondered how long she would lay there before she moved away. A small grin of satisfaction tipped the corners of his mouth, squeezed her breast gently, he felt her stiffen and heard her barely audible moan. Moving slightly, he nuzzled the top of her head as his hand once again squeezed the handful of soft flesh. “I have sorely missed ye, sweet.” His voice came out low and husky, he closed his eyes and breathed in her sweet scent.

His soft spoken admission made her heart race, she gazed up at him shyly. As she did so, her breast pressed further in the palm and both of them groaned. She was about to remove her leg from his thigh when his arm tightened around her and his hand left her breast to sit over her ribs.

Her objective was easily read in her eyes and he had no intentions of letting her go just yet. He tightened his hold on her, ignored the pain it caused him. “Please, sweet, dinnae leave, stay with me. Let me hold ye for just a wee while longer?”

At his soft plea, she laid her head back down and lay quietly in his embrace.

Thrilled, letting out his breath, he was content and closed his eyes. It felt so good holding his wife and having her snuggled up against him. It had been so long since he felt this way and he did not want it to end.

It was a glorious feeling being held in her husband’s embrace after so long. She lay quietly snuggled up against him wanting to enjoy every minute of it. When she heard his even breathing, knew that he once more had fallen asleep. As time slipped by and morning deepened she let out a heavy disappointed sigh knowing she couldn’t lie here forever.

S
he needed to go down and reassure the clan that their laird would be alright. Also, bring him some food, knowing that he hadn’t eaten since yesterday and with a reluctant sigh, moved out of his embrace and slipped off the bed. With one last glance of reassurance that he still slept, she gathered some clean clothes and went into the bathing room.

****

She finished speaking to the clan and after a quiet word with Quinn, Trista carried a laden tray upstairs. When she entered the chamber, she felt Rieph’s heated gaze on her. Her cheeks warmed with a blush and she smiled as she moved over to the bed. It wasn’t hard to see that he wasn’t a happy man. In fact he looked down right disgruntled. Her own smile died as she stared at him worriedly.

Disappointed at waking up and finding his wife not beside him Rieph at first panicked but grudgingly, he realized that he was being ridiculous. When she finally returned to the bedchamber, he glared at her irritably. “Where have ye been, lass? I expected ye to be here when I woke.”

Sighing over his annoyance, she placed the tray on the table by the bed. “I needed to speak to the clan and I thought you might be hungry. Now let me help you sit up and you can have something to eat.”

Surprised at her no-nonsense attitude, he raised his brows and without a word did as he was told. In fact he enjoyed her fussing over him very much.

Four days after the attempt on Rieph’s life, Trista was ready to pull either her hair out or her husbands. He acted like a spoiled child, sulky when she left him and demanding when she stayed with him. And now while she bathed him, he kept telling her she was missing spots.

In
the end her patience ran out, she straightened up and threw the wet soapy cloth in his face. “If I am doing such a damn poor job of it, my Laird, you can damn well do it yourself.”

Abruptly she spun on her heels and left him; she ignored his loud bellowing and continued down the stairs and through the hall. Ignoring the wide eyed stares she received from the clan, she went out through the large door.

O
n the steps, she breathed in the cool air deeply and grinned widely.
Ha, that should teach him
. Hopefully, when she returned he would cease acting so aggravatingly. She shrugged her shoulders; if he didn’t behave she would just walk out again.

Not feeling a twinge of guilt s
he knew that he was now strong enough to take care of himself. She decided it would be a good time to take some food to David and Elli. Going around to the kitchen, she went inside and found the room empty.

Quickly
, she filled a sack with some provisions and left. And while she walked towards the village was completely unaware that someone was watching her with interest.

Relieved after seeing that all was well with the couple,
she was felt more at ease and decided that this might be the perfect opportunity talk Quinn or Gabe into going riding. Just maybe they could do a little fishing. She would welcome the peace and quiet of sitting in the sunlight by the stream.

****

Rieph, unprepared for his wife’s action, was shocked when the wet cloth hit him in the face. He swung his head around to scowl his displeasure at her. Too late, all he saw was the stiff back of the lass walking out the door. He bellowed for her to come back, but she ignored him and he yelled for her until he went nearly hoarse.

Damn cold hearted woman, he frowned mayhap he’d pushed her too far and suddenly he chuckled. Climbing out of the bath, his shoulder hardly bothered him and he knew that it was time for him to resume his duty as laird. He needed to find out who tried to kill him.

Already
, he and Quinn talked it over and even though the men did not find any trace of the culprit. They both held deep suspicions that it could only be McGovern. The man hated him enough to try something as low as this.

For a few moments, he stood at the windows with a towel wrapped around his hips. When his wife came in to view, he watched her carefully. He also noticed that she carried a heavy sack. He wondered what might be inside and just where she intended going.

S
he was definitely keeping something from him and he grew determined to find out what she was trying to hide. He would just have to keep a close eye on her and when she went off on one of her disappearing acts, he would follow.

He dressed with haste and d
ecided to go down for the evening meal. He sat at the table with Quinn and Gabe waiting for his wife to join them. Seeing her come in, he watched her cross the hall stopping to talk and smile to every one she passed.

T
he sound of her laughter washed over him, causing his groin to ache and his shaft to spring to life. Cursing under his breath, he never noticed the smiles that Quinn and Gabe sent his way.

Finally, reaching her husband and his friends, Trista gave them all a bright, happy smile as she sat down.

From lowered lids, he eyed his wife, an unhappy expression on his face. “’Tis a cruel thing ye did to me, lass, leaving ye poor injured husband sitting in the bath.” He whispered in her ear.

Tinkling laughter filled the great room and all eyes turned to their laird and his wife. It seemed to the clan that everything was at last all right between the couple and the tension left the hall as the clan relaxed and enjoyed their meal.

Unable to prevent the soft groan that escaped his lips at his wife’s laughter and gazed at her up turned face. Letting her see the deep hunger that lay in his own eyes.

Her humor slowly died and she licked her lips when she saw the searing heat in her husband’s gaze. Unable to prevent it, her own body caught fire, the blood heated in her veins and pooled between her thighs. Her breathing ragged and she forced herself to look away. She glanced back when his large hand landed on her thigh and swallowed.

When witnessing the passion flare in her grey eyes he wanted to pick up his wife and carry her up stairs. Instead, he placed a hand on the top of her leg and whispered in her ear. “Dinnae look at me like that, sweet. Now be a good lass and eat ye dinner.”