Taming the Wild Highlander 04 (14 page)

"
Your father has had men searching for you when we couldna find you, lass," Kipper said, riding beside them. "We came across them earlier yesterday morn and told them we had lost you during a storm."

Edana
stiffened in Angus's arms, and he assumed she was worried what her father would say about her leaving her home as she did. Angus noted Keary and his men continued to follow them, keeping their distance.

"
Where is your horse?" her father's guard asked.

"
Oh, Kipper, the Laird of Lockton has got her."

"
Mayhap your father can bargain for her and have her returned to you."

"
Keary wishes me for a bride," she said.

The man
's brows rose. "Does he now?"

"
She already has a husband," Angus said, not liking how the man sounded. As if it was a good thing Keary wished her for his wife.

Kipper
glanced at Angus and smiled. "Two offers at once? Things are looking up for you, lass. Your da will no' have much to say in what you do now. Your husband will."

Edana glanced up at Angus.
"Do you hear him, Angus?" She wasn't smiling, but the eagerness in her voice said she was much intrigued with the notion.

He wondered then if she t
hought he would easily do her bidding without his objection. Much more so than her da. "Aye, lass."

It seemed he had a wife, and he still hoped neither her father
nor James would want to kill him over it.

They soon came upon a
green-eyed lass waiting in the woods who smiled with obvious relief. "Edana, oh thank the Lord you are safe."

"
It seems the lass had two offers of marriage since we lost her during the storm," Kipper said, "and she has accepted one of them."

"
Two offers? When you have never been offered for before?" Una said, grinning. "Who is the lucky man?"

No offers ever?
Angus banked his expression, but Edana's face had flushed as if she'd taken in too much of the sun. He thought again about her unusual abilities and how a husband could be a danger to her if he had known of them too late and feared her and wished to get rid of her—expediently. Maybe she had offers, but concerned for her welfare, her father had said no to them.

"
I am Angus MacNeill," he said to Una.

Una
's face brightened. "He is the one you talked about. The one…" She paused as she studied Edana's face—her furrowed brow that said drop the subject—at once.

Angus was more than intrigued. What had Edana said about him?

Then Una smiled again. "You will have to tell me all about it later, Edana."

Edana wished she hadn
't looked back at Angus to see how he had reacted to learning about her little white lie—and now he had seen how red faced she was. In truth, though she had tried to tell herself it didn't matter that not one man had offered for her hand, it bothered her more than she'd like to admit.

Did Una have to tell on her? Next, she
'd tell Angus that Edana had never even been kissed! Another flush of heat invaded her as she thought about lying nearly naked with Angus that first night. And sleeping two more nights wrapped in his arms, though she had worn all her clothes. She had still felt his manhood pressed against her backside, suggesting her body forced his to react in such a manner. Gratified she could make a man feel something for her, she would treasure those nights forever—no matter how scandalous such behavior had been if anybody, not of their small party, had learned of it.

Gunnolf warned them,
"Keary and his men are following us."

Her heart gave a little skip and
Edana glanced back.

Th
ey were trailing them at a distance. "What do you think they mean to do?" Edana asked, her heart rate speeding up. She thought Keary would have given her up when he realized she had somewhat of an escort and that she didn't intend to wed him no matter what.

Before anyone could answer, she said,
"Nay, he canna believe he can convince my da I would still marry him." She paused, then added, "He canna think to steal me away when we take a rest, can he?"

Angus tightened his hold on her, comforting her to an extent, but she still worried. What if Keary and his
men planned to kill her escort?

He couldn
't. Both James and her da would want Keary and his men's heads.

A worse notion came to her. What if her da believed he would have a greater advantage if he wed her to Keary? Angus was but James
's younger brother. He didn't own a title or properties.

She rubbed he
r arms as the ghostly chilling mist descended upon them.

Lady Allison glanced over Niall
's shoulder to see her half-brother Keary riding after them. Allison appeared anxious. Her brother had to be furious with her for helping them all steal away from Lockton Castle.

Angus didn
't know what to say to allay Edana's fears. He knew Keary's doggedly following them was not a good sign. But if Keary took her by force, Angus imagined her father would not be pleased with Keary. Even if he did make a better husband as far as alliances went. Truth was, the Clan MacNeill had many more men they could call upon and James would do it, too, if Angus asked it of him.

He wished her maid had not let on in front of everyone that Edana had never received an offer of marriage. He had felt her stiffen a little at the maid
's words and immediately, without thinking even, he had leaned over and kissed Edana's cheek. He was fairly certain why she had not been asked and it all had to do with her fae-like abilities. If she had ended up with the wrong man, he might have her drowned as a witch.

He was curious about
what Edana had thought of him that the maid let slip. More than curious. "Is it true what your maid said?"

"
Una? She is mistaken," Edana said. "Many suitors have approached my da for my hand in marriage."

"
Aye," he said, not sure he believed her. "But that isna what I meant."

She glanced over her shoulder at him.
"What then?"

She knew what he was intrigued
about. She couldn't give him that wide-eyed innocent look and pretend she didn't know. "What Una said about you thinking of me?"

Edana
's face blossomed anew with color, and she quickly turned away from him. He chuckled. She could not deny it.

"
Was it about when we saw each other in our youth?" It must have been. They had not seen each other until now.

She remained quiet. He pressed her back against his chest, encouraging her to relax.
"Tell me."

"
There is naught to tell."

"
You thought me a handsome lad? Wished I would kiss you?"

He shouldn
't have mentioned such. With her settled against him, he knew she had to be well aware of how much her soft body incited his. Any talk of kissing or anything further than that was getting him worked up all the more.

When she didn
't respond, Angus said, "I wanted to kiss you."

She was so still, he thought she wasn
't breathing.

"
Oh, aye," he said. "My brothers all gave me the devil when we returned home, saying I was bewitched by the fair maiden and so speechless, I could only stare dumbly and not say a word on my behalf."

She chuckled.
"I…thought you believed me…odd."

"
Beautiful. Different from the other lassies, aye. But that was some of why I was so drawn to you. The smiles you bestowed on your loved ones I wish you had bestowed on me."

She frowned at him.
"I thought you believed me a foolish young girl."

"
Nay. You made me smile."

"
I made you laugh at me."

"
Never. Your smiles rendered every day inside and outside the castle bright and sunny. Then when you saw me watching, you hid that beautiful smile away."

"
You were afraid of me."

"
Nay, no' afraid."

"
You were," she insisted.

He chuckled.
"A mon doesna tell a lass he is interested in that he fears she might reject him."

"
Reject you?" she asked, her tone disbelieving.

"
Aye. What if I had tried to speak with you and you dismissed me, or…ran away."

Sh
e didn't say anything but he needed to know what she would have done.

"
Aye, lass?"

"
I dinna know. I might…I might have kissed you."

He grinned.
"My brothers were right then," he said on a heavy sigh. "I should have spoken with you."

"
I am no' saying I would have kissed you, but…"

"
You wanted to. My brothers said it would be my loss if I didna speak to you. And then I was off with my brothers to fight and there was never any time to return there."

"
Or any desire," Edana said, sounding a little disappointed.

"
Nay, 'tis no' true." But what was true—he feared she'd truly bewitched him. And she had. Only now he believed it was not due to her fae abilities, but what he saw in her—the kindness and sweetness that was Edana. Not all wild Highlander as he had thought.

When they stopped for the night, Keary and his men camped also in the distance
. Angus halfway expected Keary to attempt to seek an audience with her father before Angus had a chance to return her home. But it appeared that wasn't his ploy.

Angus
watched as she laid her blankets on the ground next to Una's, when he desired to be the one warming Edana tonight instead. He took first watch, observing Keary's camp, the men either sitting or huddled near the fire, sleeping, while his own companions rested. Footsteps approached from behind and he turned.

Edana.
He smiled at her as he rose from the log he'd been sitting on. "Can you no' sleep, lass?"

She joined him and shook her head.
"I worry about what Keary will try to pull."

"
I am certain he intends to ride in with us and ask for your hand in marriage. Does he know about your ability?"

"
Nay, no' that I believe."

That would be the point Angus
would make with Edana's father if he even considered marrying her off to Keary. "Would you like to sit with me a spell?"

"
Aye. I will be right back."

He worried she had some business she needed to take care of
and he would have to have one of the men guard while he watched over her, but she stalked back to Una.

Gunnolf raised his head off his blanket to see the matter, then looked back at Angus when the lass carried
her blankets to where he stood. Gunnolf shook his head as if to say Angus had lost his heart to the lass.

Angus smiled at him.

Before she could spread out her blankets next to him, he was doing the honors. "So you are going to guard with me tonight?" he asked, smiling.

"
Nay. But if I am close to you, I know you will be better able to protect me."

"
Aye, but you told me you had fought off two men as big as me, so I may need your help as well."

She patted her leg.
"I have my dirk now that you have that man's sword. I will protect you if need be."

His eyes shifted from her leg and met her gaze.
"Did you still want that kiss?" He did. Ever since he'd laid eyes on her at the shieling, her damp chemise clinging to her breasts and hips and legs, when he'd awakened to find her resting heavily against his staff, when he thought he was about to be married to her in the kirk, when he rode with her, and when he slept with her the last two nights. Aye, the thought of kissing her was ever present in his thoughts.

"
We are married," she said, sounding hopeful that he would kiss her, mayhap agree that they were truly married and the notion was no longer a ruse.

He leaned down then, cupping her chilled cheeks in his hands and brushed his lips over hers. She took in a deep brea
th as if he'd startled her. He meant to pull back, knowing he'd have to go slow with an innocent maid who had never had one offer of marriage—he didn't believe—when she clasped her arms around his back, lifted her face to his, and licked his mouth.

H
e was stunned. But her reaction to his chaste kiss was all that it took to press his mouth more firmly on hers. She melted against him, all soft feminine curves, and he was reminded just how well the lass fit with his body. And how much he would like to take this further.