Perhaps if he asked fifty or a hundred more times, she might finally say yes.
They separated, and Creighton greeted his patrols and put them on alert that there was a small group coming from the north, and while he didn’t know for certain their intentions, he wanted them prepared for hostile actions.
When he returned to the keep, he found Walter waiting for him. His third-in-command was a good man, happily married with a babe on the way, which was why he was left in charge rather than Clement or Andrew.
“I saw a lass. Is she yer bride?”
“Not yet, but I am still working on it. Anything to report?”
“Nay. The borders have been quiet. I did receive yer message and added men to the patrols. Andrew says we may be expecting trouble.”
“Aye. I have already alerted the patrols. If my source is correct, they wilnae be here for three days’ time, assuming they are riding hard. Get some sleep, and ye can let me know everything that has happened tomorrow.”
Walter nodded. “Aye, Laird. ‘Tis good to have ye back.”
“‘Tis good to be back. There is nothing quite like home.”
He strode toward his chambers, and when he opened the door and found it empty, he was immediately disappointed, but Kylie wouldn’t dare ask to share his bed. He checked the chamber next to him, and sure enough, she was in bed but not sleeping.
“Did ye have a bath?” he asked her. “I know that yer muscles are aching.”
“Aye, and the bath was lovely, but I am restless and worried. I am so tired that I thought I would sleep in minutes.”
“‘Tis all right. I am here.” Undressing, he slipped into bed with her and placed a hand on her back. It was knotted and tight under his touch, so he rubbed until she began to relax.
“This is nice,” she sighed. “I almost wish that I could marry ye.”
“Ye can.”
“My mother warned me.”
“Warned ye of what?”
But instead of an explanation, there was only a soft snore.
Kylie woke up in an unfamiliar room. The full light of the afternoon filtered through, and she stumbled out of bed, confused. Then, she detected Creighton’s fading lingering scent, and it all came back. She was in Armstrong Keep, and they were waiting for Godfrey to arrive.
She’d slept away the morning, but from the way her body ached, she knew that she’d needed to sleep. Strange, but she’d felt safe last night.
Safe and loved.
Scowling, she pushed the thought away. Now was not the time to grow soft. Yes, the memories she had of Creighton’s bed would remain with her, and she knew that her heart belonged to him, but it didn’t change anything. After this business with Erksine was finished, it would finally be time to leave. She’d already interrupted too much of Creighton’s life. He was supposed to return with a wife, and instead, he’d returned with her.
No doubt the Armstrongs would be confused, especially when they realized the lass he’d brought with him had an enemy bearing down on them.
How had this turned into such a tangled mess?
After dressing, she opened the door only to run straight into a woman on the other side. “Oh!” Blinking, Kylie stopped short and couldn’t help but stare.
The woman was striking with soft sun-kissed skin and shiny brown tresses wrapped artfully around her head. One look at her, and Kylie knew that there was no way she was Scottish. She was too soft and too sweet.
“Good morning,” she said in a high-brow English accent. “My name is Lindsey. Laird Armstrong has asked me to keep you company today if you wish.”
Kylie just stared at her. What in the world was Creighton doing searching for a wife when he had this beauty right under his nose? “Uh...all right.”
“I have been helping Creighton run the keep while he searched for a wife, so I’ll be happy to assist you in anything that you need.”
Alarm set in, and Kylie shook her head. “Oh, no, I think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding. I amnae here as Creighton’s bride. We arenae wed. He is only offering me protection.”
Lindsey just raised an eyebrow and smiled placatingly. “In any case, while you are here, you can assist me and learn your way around...while you are being protected, of course.”
With a sigh, Kylie followed her. “How did ye come to be here?”
“I was affianced to Creighton’s older brother,” Lindsey said softly. “We were to be wed just a week before he was killed. I could not return to my family, so Creighton was kind enough to give me a home here.”
But not kind enough to marry her himself. Kylie’s heart broke just a little for the lass. “I am sorry to hear that. I had heard that he was a great laird.”
“I suppose that is true, but I did not know him well. What is Creighton protecting you from?”
She’d changed the subject quickly, a sign that she no longer wanted to discuss the Armstrong brothers. Kylie understood and filled her in on what she knew.
“That is odd,” Lindsey said thoughtfully. “Even odder that Creighton would offer to help you. He has been closed off recently.” There was a different gleam in her eye this time when she looked at Kylie, but Kylie tried to ignore it. Whatever everyone thought, it didn’t matter.
When it was safe, she would leave.
23
It took too much of the day to catch up on everything that had happened while Creighton was gone even though it was clear that everything had run smoothly. By the time he was ready to do a ride around the border to check for Erksine’s men, it was late afternoon. At the rate he was going, he would miss dinner, and he wouldn’t see Kylie again until after she was already asleep.
Not that it matters, he reminded himself in irritation. She wilnae have me.
Maybe he was still hoping that once she got settled into his keep and explored his lands, she would realize that she belonged here. He needed someone with her strength but who also had a big heart.
He needed her.
Lindsey would help her settle in. She’d always hated the role he’d thrust her in, running his household, when she wasn’t a mistress. The clan hadn’t turned their backs on her, but they hadn’t understood why his brother had brought her here to marry her in the first place, and now they mostly felt pity for her.
She hated that.
“Laird.” Andrew joined him and nodded. “I’d like to join ye on the patrol.”
“Always welcome to have ye,” Creighton said distractedly as he mounted his stallion. “Hurry. As is, we wilnae return before sundown.”
It was only after they were on their way that Creighton noticed the tension in Andrew. “Something on yer mind?” Was he still upset that Creighton had bedded Kylie? He seemed upset but not jealous that Kylie had refused to marry him.
“Ye told Lindsey to keep an eye on Kylie.”
He’d forgotten Andrew’s feelings toward the lass. Why he wouldn’t make a move, Creighton still didn’t understand. “I did. Kylie has made friends wherever she has been recently, and Lindsey needs a friend. I think they will be good for each other. Lindsey needs someone who won’t still see her as an outsider, and Kylie will want someone who won’t ask her a hundred questions about me.”
The man was on the other horse was quiet, and Creighton gritted his teeth. Sometimes he thought he was going to have to order Andrew to talk to Lindsey, but he was no matchmaker.
“Is there a problem, Andrew?” Creighton finally asked.
“When Kylie becomes yer wife, what will become of Lindsey?”
Ah, that was the crux of the problem. As of right now, Lindsey had the freedom of living in the keep. Creighton hated to have an unwed woman living there, but she had no family here to live with, and she hadn’t wanted to stay with strangers.
Since she’d come without a chaperone, it was commonly believed that his brother had already bedded her, although she never spoke about it. At least here in the keep, he could keep an eye on her and protect her.
“As of right now
, Kylie has no intentions of becoming my wife,” Creighton said carefully. “But if she did, I dinnae know how she would feel about another unwed woman living in the keep. Plus, ‘tis time for Lindsey to decide what she wants to do next. She can’t stay here forever.”
He had no intentions of kicking Lindsey out, of course, but from the concern on Andrew’s face, he knew he’d said the right words. If Andrew thought Lindsey might be in danger of losing her home, he might finally step up and talk to the lass.
Maybe even marry her if she returned his feelings.
“Kylie will marry ye,” Andrew said thoughtfully. “I dinnae think she would turn Lindsey out.”
No, but given all she’s learned from the matchmaking wives she’s recently spent time with, she might have a few ideas of how to push the couple together finally.
“Women are fickle creatures,” was all Creighton said as he scanned the horizon. There was no campfire smoke as far as the eye could see indicating that anyone was camping nearby for the night. He still didn’t expect Erksine to show for a couple of days, but he would check every evening to make certain that he wasn’t caught unaware.
They spread out in opposite directions to cut their time in half, and Creighton was pleased with the time they made when they returned back to the keep. They were halfway there when a small group of guards caught up with them.
“What is it?” Creighton demanded.
“‘Tis the lass Lindsey and the one ye brought back. Kylie. They were attacked.”
“Attacked?” Creighton grew cold at the thought, and urged his stallion into a gallop as he raced back to the keep.
Kylie groaned and opened her eyes. She was in an unfamiliar bed, and she wasn’t alone. Lindsey was sitting on the edge, her jaw bruising and swelling. From the cold cloth in her hands, it looked like she’d been taking care of her.
“My head,” she grumbled as she sat up and gently touched the back of her head. A knot was already swelling and tender to the touch. She remembered heading to the woods with Lindsey to gather some herbs for the kitchen. There was pain and then nothing. “What happened? Are ye all right?”
Before Lindsey could answer, the door to the chamber burst open, and Creighton raced in with a dozen men behind him. Immediately, Kylie and Lindsey recoiled. The rage was written all over his face.
“What happened?” he demanded. “Are ye all right? Tell me who did this!”
When neither of them answered, he widened his eyes just a little and relaxed. Kylie tried to ignore the other men and offered him a smile. “It appears that we are both fine. Is it necessary to have all these men with ye?”
Creighton turned as if realizing that he’d been followed for the first time. “Go. See if the men found anything.”
They all filed out with the exception of Andrew and Creighton. The guard’s gaze was focused on Lindsey, and Kylie turned her head curiously to look at her new friend.
She was steadfastly ignoring him.
“We were in the woods to gather some herbs. We’d separated for only a moment when I heard something behind me. I turned around, but he must have hit me on the head because I don’t remember anything.”
“I was only a few feet away, but I was behind a grove of bushes, so I don’t believe the attacker knew that I was there,” Lindsey explained. “When I came around to see what was happening, there was a cloaked figure standing over Kylie with something in his hand. I ran to her, and he punched me in the face and fled. All I saw was that he wore a pair of trousers and a cloak. He wore a hood, so I can tell you nothing of his face. He didn’t move quickly, but I didn’t chase after him.”
“Of course ye didnae,” Andrew snapped. “He could have killed ye.”
Lindsey drew up and thrust her chin out, and Kylie glared at him. “Lindsey may vera well have rescued me,” she reminded him.
“I didn’t want to leave Kylie there, so I shouted for help. Luckily, we were right on the edge, and there were plenty of farmers out who came racing to our aid,” Lindsey finished. “I am sorry that I couldn’t be of more help.”
Creighton’s eyes narrowed. “There is a traitor in our midst. I want the word to spread that when I find them, banishment will be too good. They will be executed, and I wilnae stop until I’ve spoken to every last Armstrong—”
“Or,” Kylie interrupted, seeing the darkness gathering in Creighton’s expression, “perhaps an Erksine is already here, having slipped in undetected. Simply because they are sending a group doesn’t mean that they intend to play by the rules. After all, why would an Armstrong wish to hurt me? I only just arrived. I would wager most of them dinnae even know that I am here.”
Closing his eyes, Creighton let out his breath. “Can ye walk? Andrew, prepare a cart. I wish Kylie returned to her chambers.”
They weren’t in the keep? That made sense. Someone had opened up their home so she could rest. “I can walk,” she insisted. “I wilnae be carried by some cart.”
“You have not even gotten out of bed,” Lindsey pointed out. “How do you know that you can walk?”
She had a point. Shooting her new friend a pointed look, she rose and slipped off the bed. Her head still ached, but she could stand and move. “All fine. I just need to wash the blood off me, and I will be ready in time for dinner.”
Lindsey glanced out the window. “You have missed dinner, but I’ll see that a tray is brought up to you from the kitchens.”
“Nay,” Andrew said tightly. “Ye need to rest. I will see to the meals.” He reached out, and for a moment, Kylie thought he was going to touch Lindsey. The whole room grew silent, and he dropped his hands and scowled as he backed up.
He and Creighton both kept a hand on the hilt of their weapons as they walked back in tense silence. Kylie was worried about Creighton but also about Lindsey. Already, someone else had gotten hurt because of her, and she’d only been on Armstrong lands for a day. How long until someone else was hurt?
Before they separated, she apologized to Lindsey, who only gave her a confused look before she was whisked away. Before long, a warm bath was prepared for her, and she’d just eased herself in it when the door opened and Creighton strode through.
Immediately, she brought her arms to cover herself in the water and glared at him.
“Sweet lass, I have seen every inch of ye naked,” he told her as he closed the door behind him and began to undress.
“That doesnae give ye leave to come into my room without even knocking.” She watched him with interest. “What are ye doing?”
“Helping ye. There is blood in yer hair and on the back of yer neck.” Despite the action, he seemed to have no kind of seduction in mind as he stripped off his clothes and motioned for her to move in the tub.
Slowly, she pulled herself forward, and he settled in behind her. After everything they had done, this probably seemed natural to him, but it felt very intimate to her. Tense, she wondered what he was supposed to do, but his hands eased her back onto his chest as he stretched out his legs around her and used the pitcher to pour the water over her head.
As it ran over the cut, she winced and shuddered. “Sorry. Perhaps I should get a lass to do this.”
“Nay.” He was not a gentle man, but he was trying to be gentle with her, and she wanted to experience it. “I like this.”
After a pause, he began to run his hands through her hair. “Kylie, I had promised to protect ye, and instead, ye were attacked on my lands the first day that ye are here.”
“This is not yer fault. If it had been an Armstrong, I am certain that Lindsey would have recognized something about them.”
“She said there was a hood over his face.”
“Aye, but she might have recognized his cloak or boots. Maybe the weapon or the way he walked. When Godfrey gets here, perhaps we will finally get some answers.”
“Ye wilnae go with him.”
Guilt ravaged her. Of course, he already knew what she’d been thinking. Hadn’t she already promised that she wouldn’t
do anything so foolish? But the laird’s son wouldn’t be coming himself if he just wanted Kylie dead, and people were getting hurt.
“I want to hear what he has to say,” she said softly and closed her eyes as he massaged her scalp. His hands felt good, whether he was pleasuring her or soothing her.
“Kylie, am I hurting ye?”
“Nay. It feels good.”
They bathed in silence as Creighton ran his hands over her body to wash her. It wasn’t meant to turn her on, but she shuddered anyway when his touch ran over her breasts, and she could feel him harden beneath her.
“Kylie.” This time, her name was a sigh when he kissed the side of her neck. “I believe ye are finished. Out with ye so we can get ye dry and eat.”
His voice and mannerisms were quiet, but there was a heat in his eyes, and she knew the night wasn’t over yet.
24
Creighton ate and watched her eat, but his hunger had nothing to do with food. The idea that she’d nearly been taken from him, again, made him want to possess her even more.
“Marry me,” he told her quietly. “Before the Erksine men get here. Tonight. In the morning. Marry me, and let me protect ye.”
Pausing, her biscuit midway to her mouth, Kylie closed her eyes as pain swept over her face. “Creighton...”
“Damnation, what do ye want from me? I will be faithful. I will protect and cherish ye. Anything that ye want, if it is in my power to give, I will give it.” Furious now, he nearly flung his plate aside, but he stood instead and began to pace. “Do ye want me to tell ye that I love ye? Is that what ye want to hear?”
She pushed her plate away and stared at him. “If ye did, ye wouldnae question whether I want to hear it or not.”
“That isnae true, Kylie, but people that I love are always taken from me.”
“And maybe I’m worried that the people I love will hurt me.” Her eyes pleaded with him. “Is what we have now really so bad?”
Highlander’s Elusive Bride: A Scottish Medieval Historical Romance Page 13
