Page 9 of Her Forbidden Highlander Husband

The maid had been kind enough to allow Evelyn to see her daughter in secret over the last three and a half years. And Evelyn claimed every chance to sneak away to the village for a few stolen hours with her daughter.

While Gwennie was clean and fed, she was one of many mouths to feed, and it was clear by the way the girl clung to Evelyn at the end of the visits that Gwennie didn’t get much attention or love.

Each time she had to leave her child it was as if she’d left another chunk of her heart in that cottage. But now, thanks to Liam, Gwennie was snuggled up to her in the saddle, and they’d never be parted again.

She’d apologize to Liam for deceiving him, but she had no regrets. Had she stayed with her father, he would’ve sent her off to the Morgans alone. His ruse to pass her off as a virgin bride would fail if anyone knew of Gwennie.

Evelyn had done the right thing, even if it felt wrong at the moment. If she’d told Liam the truth and he’d refused to marry her, she’d have but a few short months left before the Morgans came to claim her. Then she’d never see her child again. That was something she couldn’t bear the thought of.

She turned in the saddle to see Liam was following and let out a breath of worry she’d been holding. He hadn’t changed his mind. At least not yet.

It was clear from his frown he wasn’t happy with her, but would his anger prove dangerous for her or her daughter? She didn’t know him well. The boy she’d met had been kind, but what if this man was different?

When the castle was no longer within view, he nudged his horse and caught up to her. “Does Gwendolyn have a father who will miss her?” he asked from his place next to her.

“She has no father.” She turned to look at him. “Cameron MacKinlay sent him to hell where he came from. Not that I’m sure which one it had been.”

She saw Liam swallow and nod. She had no idea what he was thinking. He met her gaze and gave another nod. “Are you able to pick up the pace so we can put some distance between us and your father?”

She pressed her lips together, so grateful he wasn’t yelling at her, but instead moving forward with their escape. She’d been wrong to doubt him.

“Aye,” Evelyn answered before leaning closer to her daughter. “Gwennie, can you hold onto this very hard so we can go faster?” she asked as she pulled a sash from her waist and tied her daughter to her.

Gwennie gave a nod and squeezed her tiny fingers around the loop in the saddle.

“Hold on tight. We’re going to race.” Evelyn kept Daria, her mare, at a canter until the bindings were tested and then guided her horse into a gallop. She wasn’t surprised to hear her daughter’s giggles in the wind mixed with her own laughter.

They were free to be together. Yes, she had a husband she didn’t know what to do with, but she’d deal with that later. For now, she and her daughter were safe.

Chapter Six

It was nearly impossible for Liam to hold onto his anger when he could hear the two of them laughing ahead of him. He kept up but stayed behind, guarding her—them—from anyone who might give chase from the castle.

He was glad for the hours they rode, for it gave him time to come to peace with their new situation. He’d dreamed of having a family one day, children he could love in a way he’d never had except from strangers.

After he’d calmed from the shock of Evelyn’s secret, he saw this as an opportunity to repay those strangers by loving another child who needed him. He’d be a father—a good father—to Evelyn’s daughter.

It hadn’t been in question. He’d never mistreat a child or even be angry. Gwennie hadn’t lied to him. He’d never take out any frustrations on her.

Now that he’d given it more time, he could even see why Evelyn had kept the truth from him. She no doubt feared he’d change his mind if he’d known before they were wed. If anything, her lack of faith in him bothered him more than finding out she had a child. Hadn’t he proven himself years ago when he’d assisted her home?

When they finally stopped for the night, he reached for the little girl to help her down. But he couldn’t lift her from the horse with Evelyn grasping her so fiercely.

“No. Don’t touch her,” she said, her voice a bit frantic.

He pulled his hands away, surprised by her reaction. “I was just helping you both down.”

“We don’t need help.” It was clear by the way she struggled that wasn’t true, but he kept his distance. With a look of confusion, he backed away farther, allowing her to handle the situation herself.

“Thank you,” she said once they were both down.

Gwennie was nearly asleep so Liam quickly grabbed a blanket and spread it out in the area they would sleep so Evelyn could lay her down. He took another blanket from her pack and held it out so she could cover the girl.

“I’ll make a fire and set a few traps, so we’ll have food in the morning. When I come back, I’d like to talk with ye a bit.”

She nodded and brushed Gwennie’s hair from her face.

Liam collected branches and dried leaves to start the fire then added in a pile of bigger sticks and finally a large chunk of timber that would burn for a while.