A lass such as Maggie was poison to a man such as he.
No woman was worth his life. Not now, not ever.
Not even Maggie.
Fourteen
They traveled through the night, and well into the next day before they finally stopped for a rest.
While the men led the horses to the side of the makeshift camp to rub them down, Maggie prepared a light meal of what was left of their bread and cheese.
The entire morning had passed in silence, though whether from stress or fatigue she wasn’t sure. Braden had been strangely distant to her all day, which was odd given how gentle he’d been while she slept in his arms.
Several times in the night, she had jerked awake to find his arms surrounding her with warmth, and one time in particular, she had felt him leaning his cheek against the top of her head while he cupped her face gently with one hand. She’d felt so safe then, so strangely wanted.
But from the moment she had awakened completely and he had stopped to let her ride her own horse, she had sensed a wall between them. Almost as if he had shut himself completely off from her.
Maggie didn’t like that feeling. Not one little bit.
What does it matter? By tomorrow, one way or the other, all this will be over.
Suddenly, pain struck her dead in the chest. Aye, this journey would end on the morrow.
Tomorrow they could all be dead.
Her, Sin and Braden.
Maggie went cold as the reality of it came crashing down on her, and she set her food aside. Robby MacDouglas was every bit as likely to kill her as he was to listen to her. More so in fact.
It was a sobering thought, and for the first time since she had started this journey, the full reality of it hit her. This could very well be her last day on earth.
Struggling to breathe, she looked around as if seeing the world for the very first time. She saw the beauty of the pines and oaks, of all the trees, surrounding her. The way their grey and brown barks contrasted with the lush, green forest. She felt the crispness of the grass beneath her as she sat cross-legged on the ground. Heard the gentle lullaby of the birds and insects as they moved around her. She smelled the bright sunshine that warmed her skin, the dew on the heather.
The world was a truly beautiful place.
Dear Lord, she didn’t want to die. Not yet. Not while she had so much left to do!
Unbidden, a thousand wishes whirled through her mind simultaneously. All the things she had wanted to do in her life but never had the chance. She’d wanted to see Ireland just once, to go south and visit Hadrian’s Wall. She’d wanted to watch her children and grandchildren frolic across her yard as they hunted for dragon treasure and teased each other.
She’d looked forward to watching Anghus’s infant son grow to manhood, teaching him to ride and pick berries. She’d even wanted to see Ian find a good lass and marry.
So many things she’d wanted to do, had always looked forward to doing.
Now, her time for doing it might very well be up.
And then her gaze fell to Braden as he freed her horse to graze and started rubbing down his own. He lifted one strong hand up to brush a dark lock of hair from his damp brow.
Maggie froze. Of all the things she had wanted in her life, he was the one thing she regretted most not having. All the dreams she had dreamed of him, all the pretend kisses she had given her pillow—all that came rushing back to her.
And then, she made a decision.
After all these years of living her life for others, there was one selfish act that she wanted.
If she did die on the morrow, there was one last thing she wanted to do. One regret she didn’t want to have.
Braden left the horses to graze. He had started back toward Maggie when he noticed Sin sitting propped against a tree. He took two steps toward his brother before he realized Sin was sound asleep.
Smiling at the unusual event, Braden shook his head. So, his brother was human after all. There were times when even he had doubts.
