Page 15 of His Secret Highland Bride

“You arrived about this time the night before.” She’d slept through the day. In his bed.

Even now, she could smell the scent of him on the bedclothes. Leather, woodsmoke, and the forest where he seemed to spend much of his time.

“Did your uncle do this to you, lass?” he asked, his jaw tense.

What would he do if she told him what happened? A small part of her wanted to see her uncle punished for what he’d done, but not at the cost of Shane’s life. If he killed her uncle, he’d pay the price at the end of a rope.

“Do you promise you’ll not do anything foolish if I tell ye?”

That made a smile pull up on one side of his mouth.

“Aye. I’m not one to be foolish. And I guessed it was him, for the little ones wouldn’t cause this much damage.”

She nodded and remembered poor Robbie. “The boys aren’t monsters. They haven’t been given the chance to be raised with love. I’m worried about them alone with him. Robbie was hurt as well.”

“You see to healing. I’ll take care of the rest. Now tell me what happened.”

“He was drunk. But this is nothing compared to what it could have been. He plans to wed me so he has…a wife.” She swallowed, remembering the vulgar way Randall had said he wanted a wife to warm his bed. “And someone to care for the children.”

Though that would never come to pass, the thought still frightened her. Even if her father didn’t send for her or offer her a reprieve from marrying, she would surely take her chances at the castle before ever allowing her uncle to touch her.

Shane frowned and paced about the room a few times before he came to sit on the bed. His weight on the mattress caused her to roll toward him. “I have something to say to ye, and I want you to sleep on it and give me your answer in the morning.”

She waited silently as he seemed to struggle with this question.

“I think ye should marry me, Lindsay.”

She shook her groggy head. “Marry you?” she asked, wanting to be sure she’d understood correctly.

“Aye. If we married, you would be protected from your uncle. You’d not need to toil away in his cottage. Instead, you would stay here with me.” He paused and ran a hand over the bristle of his chin. “Or wherever else I may go.”

She wanted to ask him about that last part. Where was he thinking to go? But he distracted her by speaking again.

“Don’t answer right now. Go back to sleep and let your mind work things out while ye rest. You’ll have your answer in the morning, and we can’t act on anything tonight anyway.” He tucked the blanket around her and winked. She heard his heavy footsteps as he crossed the room and saw his shadow as he settled back on the floor.

“Rest well, lass.”

That was easy for him to say. She had much to think about. She ran her fingers through Tre’s coarse fur and pondered what to do. How did she want to answer his question? That was the problem. What she wanted to do didn’t align with what she ought to do.

He was offering her yet a third option. To not marry the laird or go home. She could stay here with a kind man she’d come to admire. Her father had promised her to the new MacPherson laird. Her sire wouldn’t be pleased to find her married to a soldier. He’d be angry for sure. And after she’d already broken a previous marriage contract. Would he ever speak to her again? Would she be disowned? But would that matter? She wouldn’t see her parents if she married the MacPherson laird anyway. Still, the thought of displeasing her father didn’t sit well with her. She’d been nothing but a disappointment. Marrying the laird might make him look upon her with pride.

What was she willing to sacrifice for only the chance to win the man’s approval? Surely not the rest of her life, her happiness, her heart. Marrying Shane would mean she wouldn’t have to marry the MacPherson laird. She’d have Shane instead. She’d know his touch and finally understand what happens between men and women in the night. And maybe, most importantly, she’d be shown by a man she cared for. A kind, gentle man with intriguing eyes and a naughty grin, despite the shadows and secrets. Would he ever trust her enough to tell her what still caused him so much pain?

She thought through the things she wanted and didn’t want. She didn’t want to ever see her uncle again. That was first and foremost. She didn’t want to marry the laird. She realized she’d made the man to be a monster in her mind. She didn’t know what he might look like, but his younger brother, the war chief, was called Beast because of his large size, scarred face, and constant sneer. She shivered and then winced when doing so pulled at her sore ribs. Recognizing the things she didn’t want, she focused on the things she did and only had one answer. Shane.

With her mind made up, she drifted off to sleep but was woken a short time later by someone calling for help. She sat up too quickly, thinking she needed to help Robbie, but as the pain faded, she recalled where she was. In Shane’s home. It was Shane calling for help. Was he dreaming of fighting the French, or was his nightmare filled with the flames from his childhood? Either way, she wanted to help him.

“Maria! God, no! Please. Maria.” Her earlier fear turned to soul-shattering agony as she wondered who Maria was.

Struggling with the stiffness of her sore body, she managed to get to her feet, but when she reached the place where Shane slept on the floor, she couldn’t bend over to wake him. A plan came quickly as she went to the small larder and claimed a piece of dried meat. Waving it in front of the dog, she carried it over and dropped it on Shane’s bare chest, where Treun jumped on him to snatch it up. When the treat was gone, she licked the place it had been, which roused Shane from his bad dream.

“What—?”

“You were having a night terror, and I used her to help wake you.”

He closed his eyes a moment while petting the dog. “I guess I should warn you, it is common for me to call out while I’m sleeping. Something to consider as you think over my earlier offer.”

She wanted to tell him she’d already made up her mind, but she wasn’t sure either of them was awake enough for serious conversation. Instead, she shuffled back to the bed and held in a whimper as she pulled herself up on the mattress.