Rebel Kiss: A Historical Romance Novel (Scottish Rebels Book 1) (3 page)

“That bracelet was
all that I had left of my family,” she seethed, eyebrows now knit together in
anger, “And you lost it!” she said accusingly, her voice wringing with anger. 
She used her hands to push off from Rowan’s chest and began to swim away.  The
crest of a rather large wave dumped on top of her and she coughed, scrambling
to regain control of the situation and keep her head above water.

Rowan swam after
her fluidly, glancing over his shoulder at his brothers to make sure that they
were still safe.  Rowan was now less than ten strokes away from the safety of
the mast, but his iron clad conscience had forced him to swim after the daft
young woman.  He had known her for only a matter or moments and yet their brief
acquaintance had exasperated him. 

Catching her
handily, Rowan grabbed her about her middle and pulled her up close to his
body.  Rowan was a competent swimmer and he fought off her protests easily.

“Stop fighting me
or ye’ll drown!” Rowan yelled at her as she thrashed against the water.  “I can
tell that yer no a strong swimmer.  Let me help ye,” he offered as she
struggled, pushing against him.

“I’m fine, you
oaf!  Let me go!” she protested, kicking in an effort to free herself from
Rowan’s embrace.

“I’m not going tae
let ye drown, sae ye might as well give up fightin.’ I’m a fair bit stronger
than ye!”

“We’ll see about
that!” she challenged, using her arms to try to wriggle out of Rowan’s grasp.

“Alright, drown if
that’s what ye want.  I’m sorry about yer bracelet,” Rowan said sincerely as he
relented and let her go.  Rowan’s eyes scanned the water.  The waves had almost
died down completely as the storm had continued its path up the coast.  Perhaps
now that the swelling waves had subsided, the young woman would stand a chance
at survival.

“I’m still mad at
you for that,” she said, stopping and facing Rowan.  “You have no idea of how
much that bracelet meant to me,” she said, eyes welling up with tears.

“Mayhap I can make
it up tae ye?” Rowan offered tentatively.  He hated it when a woman started to
cry.  “Perhaps ye could come with me over tae where my brothers are?  Mayhap we
can help ye.”

The girl stared at
him, her hazel eyes red from crying or the salt water.   Rowan could see her
defenses melting.  From the look on her face, he knew that she was alone.

She pondered his
suggestion as if she had all the time in the world to make a decision.  A look
of surrender or possibly defeat spread across her face. “Alright, I’ll go with
you,” she said begrudgingly, bobbing up and down with the rhythm of the ocean. 
“Will you help me swim?” she gritted out between clenched teeth.

“Aye,” Rowan said,
offering his hand.  She placed her hand in his and he pulled her against his
chest.  She settled herself against him trustingly and allowed him to pull her
towards his brothers.  The seas had calmed significantly and Rowan was thankful
that it was now easier to navigate the waves.  Rowan deftly swam up to his
brothers, still holding the lass tightly against his chest.  Still not trusting
her ability to swim by herself, Rowan unwrapped her arms from around his
shoulders and fitted her hands around the security of the mast.  He waited for
her to take a firm hold on the mast, only releasing his grip on her waist when
he was sure that she had a hold of the slippery mast.

Rowan grabbed onto
the mast and let his head fall forward against the safety of the floating
wood.  It was slick and cold against his forehead.  He closed his eyes and
forced his breathing to return to normal.  His muscles burned fiercely.  Rowan
allowed his legs to hang slack beneath the security of the mast.  Going after
the girl had been risky and fool-hearted.

He could have been
killed.

Waves lapped
lazily at the side of the mast.

“Are ye alright,
Malcolm?” Rowan asked his little brother, his cheek still pressed against the
mast.  The look of panic was still fresh on the Malcolm’s face. 

“Aye.  Just
wishin’ that we were on dry land,” Malcolm said, chuckling slightly as his head
bobbed above the gentle waves.

“This is…” Rowan
trailed off as he tried to introduce the young lady to his brothers.  He
realized that he didn’t even know her name.

“Anna,” the young
woman interjected, reaching out to hold on to Rowan’s shoulder for support as
she tightened her arm about the mast.  “Anna Stanton.”

Anna rested her
cheek against the wet mast and held onto the slippery beam for dear life.  The
swim had exhausted her.  Her legs burned from exertion, her muscles trembling
beneath the surface of the cool water.

“Nice tae meet ye,
Anna.  I’m Malcolm, and this is my brother Quinn,” Malcolm said, nodding
towards his oldest brother.  “He wanted tae go down with the ship, sae doona
expect much conversation out of him.”

Anna’s eyes darted
between the brothers, a look of concern flashing across her face.  She wondered
why Quinn would have wanted to go down with the ship.  Quinn looked angry and
made no effort at casual niceties.

“And who is he?”
Anna asked as she craned her neck towards her savior, her hand still wrapped
tightly around his biceps.

“Why that’s
Rowan,” explained Malcolm.  “Was he sae rude as no tae introduce himself?”

“I was busy trying
tae save her from drowning.  There was no time for introductions,” Rowan said,
annoyance thick in his voice.

“Mam would be most
displeased with ye brother, I ken that she taught ye how tae behave around
womenfolk,” Malcolm chided, some of the fear dissipating from his green eyes. 
He rested his chin atop the mast and smiled slightly as he goaded his brother.

“It’s quite
alright, Malcolm.  I can see that your brother needs to learn some manners.  He
already forced me to strip out of my dress.”

“He what?” Malcolm
and Quinn asked in simultaneous disbelief, eyes focused now intently on their
brother.

“Aye…I did ask her
to strip out of her dress, but only because she was drowning in it.  She was all
tangled in the skirts and I thought that she might be able tae swim better
without it…” Rowan trailed off, seeing that his reasoning was falling upon deaf
ears.

Malcolm shook his
head in dismay.  “Ye really asked her tae take off her dress?”

“Aye, I had to!”
Rowan exclaimed in defense.

“Anna, I’d like
tae apologize for my brother’s rudeness,” Quinn offered with a hint of a
smile.  “I’m sure that the stress of this adventure has caused him to lose all
rational thought.”

“It’s quite
alright.  I mean, I
can
swim better without it,” Anna said, eyes darting
back towards Rowan.

“Still, it’s
absolutely deplorable that Rowan would disgrace ye in such a way, askin’ ye tae
take yer clothes off.  This being a life or death situation and all Rowan could
think of was how tae get ye out of yer gown!”  Malcolm exclaimed in mock
disbelief, eyes taunting his brother.

Anna looked over
her shoulder at Rowan, who shrugged in a gesture of innocence.  Surely he had
not just been thinking about how to get her out of her gown and had been truly
seeking to help her chances of surviving this ordeal. 

Having grown up in
England, Anna had been taught to be wary of their Scottish neighbors to the
north.  She had heard of their brutal ways and their heathen nature.  English
forces were at war with the Scots now and from what Anna had heard the English
were in the final stages of quelling the Scottish uprising against the Crown. 

Despite all of
this, there was something about these brothers, Rowan included, that caused
Anna to trust them.

“We should start
moving towards the shore.  Ye can see it in the distance if ye look,” Rowan
said, seeking to change the subject and remove some of the heat that his
brothers had been placing on him. 

“Aye, the storm
has died down.  We might be able tae make it before nightfall if the current is
strong,” Quinn surmised, hoping to use the swells from the last waves of the
storm to propel them towards the shore.

“If we make it tae
shore, will we be free?”  Malcolm asked, raising a hand to his brow as he
looked towards the land far in the distance.

“Aye, we will.  This
has worked out better than we might have hoped,” Rowan said.  Anna glanced at
him and he looked away, setting his eyes on the shoreline.  He slipped a
protective arm around Anna’s waist and began kicking towards land.

Anna’s heart sank
because she knew that freedom was not an option for herself.  Her next thought
was about her safety.  She felt Rowan’s arm strong about her waist as his
powerful legs kicked them towards the shore.  A feeling of dread settled in her
stomach.

What were these
Scotsmen running from?

Chapter Three

The setting sun
loomed low in the sky as Malcolm and Quinn reached the shore.  Hues of orange
and red stained the evening sky, taking the warmth of the sun beneath the far
away horizon.

Rowan helped Anna
from the water and set her onto her feet. 

“Ye can lean
against me if ye need tae,” he whispered against her wet hair. 

Anna’s knees
wobbled from the exertion of the long swim to shore.  She licked her lips
experimentally, tasting residual salt that the ocean had left upon her skin.  Her
throat was dry and ached for fresh water.  Anna threaded her arm through
Rowan’s proffered elbow and reluctantly let him guide her to the sanctuary of
the beach.  She was not used to accepting help from chivalrous strangers.

Rowan’s exhausted
muscles trembled as his waterlogged boots trudged through the sand. He forced
his body to remain strong for a few more paces, willing himself not to let Anna
fall.

“We made it! 
We’re alive
and
we’re free!” Malcolm screamed at the top of his lungs as
he rolled in the sand.

Quinn crawled from
the water and sat in the sand, brushing his shoulder length chestnut hair back
from his face and resting his head wearily on his knees.  Rowan and Anna walked
slowly over to Quinn and sat down beside him in the sand. 

“Do you think that
we are the only ones who survived?” Anna asked, her voice raspy and dry from
the salt water.  She rung out her wet hair and tied it in a knot at the nape of
her neck, looking out over the ocean at the setting sun.  A breeze rose up from
the cool water, sending gooseflesh rippling over Anna’s wet skin.

“Surely not,”
replied Rowan as he squinted into the last light of the sun before it dropped
below the horizon.  He scanned the waves, looking for movement in the sea. 
“All good sailors ken how tae swim.  Mayhap the current took them further down
the beach.”  Rowan glanced over at Anna.  She sat rigid as a board staring
blankly out at the ocean.  Her feet were tucked demurely beneath the shredded
fabric of her chemise.

As if feeling his
gaze burn over her skin, Anna looked at him, her hazel eyes bright beneath her
thick black.  She blushed and looked back at the ocean.

“Were ye traveling
with someone?” Rowan ventured cautiously, suddenly feeling insensitive for
assuming that the lass had been traveling alone.  Mayhap she had lost someone
in the shipwreck and he had not found the common decency to ask until now.

“No,” Anna whispered,
eyes still fixed on the calm, rolling waves of the Atlantic. 

Rowan returned his
gaze to the waves crashing against the beach, expecting Anna to elaborate on
her situation.  The air was humid in a way that he had never experienced,
making him feel as though his tattered clothes would never dry.  Anna’s eyes
were fixed on the horizon.  A look of longing had overtaken her pretty face. 
She chewed on her lower lip absentmindedly but remained silent.

 Rowan toyed with
the coarse sand of the beach, making a small pile of it between his legs.  He
threaded his fingers through the sand and stole another glance at Anna.  She
was perplexing indeed.  She was so small and fragile, but with such an air of
confidence about her that Rowan knew there was more to Anna Stanton than what
met the eye.  His gaze flashed over her body, which was thin and lithe.  He
couldn’t help but notice how the thin fabric of her chemise clung to her full
breasts and flat stomach. 

“Do ye have any
notion of where we might be?”  Quinn broke the silence as he looked over at his
brother, who he caught in the act of blatantly appraising Anna.  “I ken that we
were supposed tae arrive in Williamsburg, but I think that the storm took us
off course.”

“I do not think
this is Williamsburg,” replied Anna.  “From what I have been told, Williamsburg is much colder than this.  Look at these trees,” she said, eyes drifting
upwards towards the unfamiliar palm trees.

“I believe we’re
further south,” added Rowan.  “Perhaps this is not even the mainland.  Could be
an island, ken?”

“Wherever we are,
we need tae find shelter for the night.  It’s getting dark,” said Quinn, ever
the practical one of the three brothers.  “Malcolm!” he shouted down the beach
at his brother who was already exploring in the last light of the day. 

Malcolm trotted
obediently back up the beach and joined his companions as they stood up,
brushing the remnants of sand from their clothes.  Anna was suddenly aware of
just how little the thin linen of her shift left to the imagination.  The ocean
breeze had chilled her damp body to the bone and not only was her body covered
with gooseflesh, her nipples stood in erect peaks from the chill.  Anna crossed
her arms defensively across her breasts and felt the flush of color stain her
face.

Seeing her
anxiousness, Rowan rucked his damp shirt up over his head and tossed it at
Anna.  “There’s my penance for askin’ ye tae strip out of yer gown,” he said as
he trudged towards the trees, leaving Anna standing alone in the twilight on
the beach.

..ooOoo..

“What’s a lass
like yerself doing all alone on a ship tae the New World?”  Malcolm asked,
breaking the silence as full darkness shrouded the beach.  The sounds of
insects and creatures of the night thrummed in the forest behind him and
Malcolm pulled his sodden shirt tighter about his body.

“How do you know
that I was traveling alone?”  Anna asked, knowing that Malcolm had not been
privy to her earlier confession.

“I doona ken.  If
ye had been traveling with someone, ye would probably be upset that they hadna
survived the shipwreck,” Malcolm said, toying with some sea grass to keep his
fingers occupied.

“I was traveling
to Williamsburg,” Anna revealed, smiling nervously as she wrapped Rowan’s shirt
more closely about herself and then crossed her arms over her chest.  She had
answered Malcolm’s question, but her eyes were focused upon Rowan, who sat with
his back to the dense growth of trees.  Anna dared not speak the truth aloud. 
She was coming to America to marry a man that she had never met.

  A chill was
rising in the humid air and Anna wondered how Rowan sat across from her
shirtless, seemingly unfazed by the cold.  She noticed just how muscular his
tan, work hardened body was.  His trousers were slung low on his hips,
accentuating his toned abdominal muscles.  Rowan was no doubt a handsome man;
his angular jaw was now dusted with a day’s growth of stubble, lending him a
rugged look.  His jaw length chestnut hair had curled slightly from the ocean
and fell in loose masses about his shoulders. 

As Anna watched
Rowan, she was intrigued by how his movements combined grace and controlled
power.  He sat reclined against the base of a tree, toying with a pile of sand
that he had built next to his leg.  His fingers were masculine and yet somehow
graceful.  Anna felt a dull ache growing inside of her.  It was a feeling that
she had never experienced before, as if a fire was kindling deep within her. 
In proper London society, she had never seen a man with his shirt off, not even
her own father.  Anna marveled at how Rowan’s muscles moved fluidly beneath his
tanned skin and how comfortable he seemed with his nakedness.  She wondered
what it would feel like to touch him.

“What brings ye
tae Williamsburg?” Malcolm prodded, snapping Anna’s focus back to the
conversation.

Anna smiled shyly,
hoping that Malcolm had not noticed her frank appraisal of his brother. 

“It is quite
complicated,” Anna said bashfully.  Being a practical young woman, the folly of
her impending nuptials was not lost upon her.  Having not even told her mother
of the foolhardy plan to come to America and marry Lieutenant Jonathan Arbor,
Anna was certainly not prepared to tell the Murray brothers about her
betrothal.  “I have family in Williamsburg,” Anna lied, shifting her gaze from
Rowan back to Malcolm, her fingers playing in the sand in an effort to hide
both her nervousness about the topic and her embarrassment at the feelings that
watching Rowan had stirred within her. 

“Have ye any plans
once ye reunite with yer family?” Malcolm asked, leaning back against a fallen
tree.

“I suppose that I
wish for a fresh start,” Anna said hopefully.  “I want to build a life here. 
Perhaps I shall marry and eventually start a family of my own.”  Fear welled up
inside of Anna and she quickly pushed the unwelcome feelings away.  It was true
that she had dreamed of marrying, but never had she imagined that the truth of
her nuptials would be so bleak.  She knew very little about Jonathan Arbor.  When
Meriwether Murdock had brokered her betrothal to Arbor, he had told her only that
her betrothed was a wealthy lieutenant in the King’s army.  Anna knew that
Arbor was a few years her senior and that he resided in Williamsburg.  But
beyond that, she knew nothing of the man that she would soon marry.

Anna chewed on her
bottom lip.  She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin atop
them as she hugged her legs close to her body.  Anna had tried not to think of
Jonathan Arbor.  As of yet, he did not seem real.  It was as if he was a
figment of her imagination, a character in some alternate reality.

All too soon, Jonathan
Arbor would become real.  And that fact terrified Anna.  Was she truly ready to
marry a man, to give herself bodily to a man that had purchased her like a
brood mare?

Pushing her
troublesome thoughts aside, Anna glanced towards Malcolm.  The boy’s eyelids
were heavy as he looked up into the night sky.  A full moon lit up the night
sky, casting shadows of light over the empty beach.  Anna watched quietly as
sleep overtook the boy’s face.  Malcolm’s eyes bobbed closed and his breathing
slowed as he drifted off into peaceful slumber.

“Anna?” Rowan
whispered from where he sat reclined against the base of a palm tree.

“Yes?” Anna
responded, lifting her head from her knees and turning towards the sound of
Rowan’s voice.

“I have something
that I’d like tae show ye,” Rowan said into the darkness.  “Will ye come here a
moment?”

Without
responding, Anna rose from her position next to Malcolm and walked over towards
where Rowan sat.  The light from the full moon lit her path, causing the sand
to appear a very subtle shade of blue.

Anna settled down
on her knees next to Rowan.  “Malcolm has lost his fight,” she whispered
quietly, shrouding her voice so as not to wake Malcolm.  “I do believe that
this is the first time that I have heard him be quiet,” Anna snickered as she
looked at Malcolm’s sleeping form.  She had a soft spot for the youngest Murray already.

“Aye,” Rowan
smiled as he watched his little brother in the moonlight.  “He’s a good lad. 
Mam always said that Malcolm was blessed with the gift of mindless chatter,”
Rowan chuckled.  “The lad has a good heart.”

Turning his
attention back to Anna, Rowan smiled lopsidedly and took her hand in his.

Anna was startled
by Rowan’s touch but did not move to retract her hand.  Rowan’s hand was warm
upon her skin, calloused from years of manual labor.  His touch was gentle and
made the cadence of Anna’s heartbeat increase.  She had never held hands with a
man.

“Close yer eyes,”
Rowan whispered.

“Whatever for?”
Anna asked skeptically.

“Just do it,
lass.  I’ll no harm ye, Anna.  Please close yer eyes.”

Anna did as Rowan
asked.  She felt him turn her hand over in his and open her fingers so that her
palm was open and facing upwards.  Rowan placed something small in her palm and
closed her fingers around it.

“Alright, ye may
open them,” he whispered, his hand still cradling hers in the moonlight.

Anna opened her
eyes.  Using her other hand, she lifted a golden necklace out of the palm of
her hand.  The chain was dainty and fragile and on it hung a large fresh water
pearl.

“It was my
mother’s,” Rowan said softly, his eyes watching Anna as she admired the
necklace.

“I cannot take
this,” Anna said, lifting the chain with her fingers and offering it back to
Rowan.

“I’ve nae need for
it, Anna,” Rowan said.  “And it is retribution for the loss of yer bracelet.  I
feel terrible that ye lost it when I helped ye out of yer gown.”

“It wasn’t your
fault,” Anna protested, her eyes searching Rowan’s face.  “You were only trying
to help.  I apologize for being so angry,” Anna said remorsefully, knowing that
she must have sounded horrific when she berated Rowan for the loss of her
jewelry.  It was true that the bracelet was her last gift from her parents, but
it had been a small price to pay for her life.  Rowan had saved her life.

“Apology accepted,”
Rowan said as he raked his hand through his hair.  “I still want ye tae keep
the necklace,” he said, his eyes lingering on Anna’s face.  She looked so
beautiful in the moonlight.  Rowan was suddenly sure that Anna was the sort of
woman that had absolutely no inkling of how she affected men.

“But it was your
mother’s,” Anna protested.  Her eyes fell down to the necklace.  She admired it
in the moonlight, touched by Rowan’s kind gesture.  Her fingers skimmed over
the soft white pearl.

“And she would want
ye tae have it,” Rowan said.  “I’ve no use for such a thing and perhaps it will
remind ye of the life that ye left behind.  It is one small bauble that
traveled here with us from the other side of the world.”

“How did you
manage not to lose it in the shipwreck?” Anna asked, her fingers toying with
the fragile chain of the necklace.

“I had it sewn
intae my sock,” Rowan chuckled.  “Here, lass.  Let me help ye put it on,” he
said, leaning forward and taking the necklace gently out of Anna’s grasp.

Anna lifted her
hair off of her shoulders and exposed her neck to Rowan.  He undid the tiny
clasp of the chain and looped it around Anna’s neck.