by Diane Darcy
“I’ll come with ye.”
Startled, she met his gaze. “But I thought you said …”
“I’ll not be pressing ye for intimacy until ye’re ready for it, but I am yer husband, and I’ll be sleepin’ beside ye.”
Frozen, her mouth slightly parted, she continued to stare at him as she considered.
Finally, she simply said, “Do you need to get anything from the guesthouse?” She glanced at the rain pounding the window. “Or, if you’d rather, I have an extra toothbrush upstairs.”
He stood, and held out a hand to her. “That’ll be fine, lass.”
Calum followed Mandy up the stairs.
They went down the hallway and into a large bedroom.
He was relieved to see the huge bed centered against one wall. It would do very well for the two of them.
There was a desk with a computer, cozy rugs, and frilly feminine curtains.
When he glanced at Mandy, her face was pink, and he politely looked away, taking in the bookshelf, closet, and comfortable looking chair.
His wife liked to read, something else he’d just learned about her.
“Excuse me,” she said, and gathering a few things, went into the bathroom and shut the door.
He glanced around, eager to learn more about his new bride.
There was a dresser and mirror with a padded stool in front of it. A jewelry box, female fripperies strewn about.
A hairbrush, a lamp, and a bowl with rings in it.
The room smelled wonderful, like Mandy herself, a hint of vanilla and spice.
He glanced at the bed again, and couldn’t deny the anticipation he felt to know he’d be sliding beneath the covers with her soon.
She came out of the bathroom and handed him something. “There’s a toothbrush, it’s still in the package, unused.”
She was blushing again, and her nervousness made him want to reach out, cup her cheek, and assure her everything would be fine.
But he supposed he had some nerves of his own, because he didn’t quite dare, simply saying, “Thank ye,” as he moved past her into the bathroom.
He quickly did what he needed to do, using the facilities, washing himself up, and cleansing his teeth.
He removed his clothes, keeping on his underthings so as not to shock his new bride.
His anticipation grew.
He opened the bathroom door, shut off the light and, as Mandy had turned on a small light near the bed, crossed the distance and pulled back the covers on the side she hadn’t claimed for herself.
She waited for him to get in bed and then turned off the light.
The room was plunged into darkness, the rain and wind still sounding outside, turning the room, the bed, into a cozy haven.
He slowly relaxed into the pillow.
He could feel her next to him in the darkness.
“Good night,” she said.
He longed to pull her close, considered that he might want to start as he meant to go on, but thought that he’d perhaps pushed her enough by insisting that she share her bed.
“Good night, lass.”
Now that she was his, he could be patient.
And she was his.
He suddenly felt the relief of it. He’d not been able to save Eleanor all those years before, but he’d saved Mandy and her babe.
They carried his name, and nothing could change that now.
He smiled in the darkness, and turned onto his side facing his bride.
They’d get used to each other soon enough.
They now had all the time in the world.
Chapter 12
When Mandy woke up the next morning, something was different.
She immediately realized she wasn’t alone, that her arm was draped over a muscular chest, her legs pressed against a large, masculine one.
Last night’s events flitted into her mind and she sucked in a breath almost unable to believe she’d somehow ended up married.
Something she’d sworn she’d never do.
It hadn’t been very hard to talk her into it though, had it?
She waited for a sense of regret or panic to show up, but it didn’t.
Curled up against Calum the way she was, listening to his deep breathing, she found she didn’t have the desire to move away, let alone instigate divorce proceedings.
He had an arm wrapped around her in sleep, clutching her closely, and she didn’t move, unwilling to give up the embrace.
She never had this before, this sense of closeness, rightness, and he was so warm!
Her baby kicked, startling Calum awake.
Mandy froze, and when the baby kicked again, and she saw Calum’s look of surprise, and wonder, she giggled.
Calum smiled, and her giggle became a laugh. “I guess someone is trying to tell you good morning.”
Calum’s grip on her tightened, and she found herself laying her head on his chest once more, relaxing into him.
She drew in a breath and let it out slowly, enjoying his arm around her and the feeling of closeness, intimacy.
Calum lay slightly tense, and perhaps she was being fanciful, but she had the impression he wanted to turn and pull her into his arms but didn’t quite dare.
She soaked up his warmth for a moment longer, and then moved away, turning onto her back and breaking the contact.
He moved his arm out from under her and turned to his side facing her. “Good morrow.”
“Good morning.”
She knew she should get up, but found she wanted to prolong the moment. She turned to smile at him. “Did you sleep well?”
“For the most part. I’ve no’ shared a bed before, so twas a new experience for me. A verra pleasant one.”
She smiled. “I doubt that. These days I’m a restless sleeper.”
“That ye are, and ye cling like a Highland thistle, but I found I liked it verra much.”
“Verra much?” She teased, her good mood expanding.
“Aye.”
His smug tone left her in no doubt that he was telling the truth and, apparently, she liked sleeping with her husband verra much as well.
Her husband. That was so strange and yet wonderful at the same time.
The baby was moving around, pressing against her bladder, so she didn’t have much choice but to get up and take care of business.
With a disappointed sigh, she threw back the covers and headed to the bathroom. When she came out again Calum was up, had put his jeans on and traded her places.
It felt slightly awkward, but she wasn’t unhappy to have him there, in her space.
She put on her robe and slippers and then waited, indecisive. Did she wait for him? Or go downstairs and get breakfast started?
As she was wavering, Calum came out of the bathroom and when he saw her, smiled and pulled her into his arms for a hug.
Something within her softened, melted for him. Well, that had been worth waiting for.
He just seemed so happy that his feelings spiked her own, leaving her grinning and clinging.
She really could get used to this.
After a moment she pulled away and moved to open the bedroom door. “I’d better get breakfast started.”
He followed her down the stairs and as she gathered eggs, potatoes, and sausage he sat at the table, a silent, tempting presence that drew her like a magnet.
She heard a car pull up outside and figured it was Joe, ready to get started for the day.
She glanced at Calum. “How do you like your eggs?”
She fought the urge to laugh. Shouldn’t she know such a thing about her own husband?
No doubt over the next little while she’d be asking all sorts of questions a wife ought to know about her spouse.
“Any way ye wish tae cook them is fine with me.”
She turned to look at him. “Yes, but how do you like them?”
“Scrambled. I doonae care for a soft, running yoke.”
“Good to know,” she said, and strangely enough a s
pike of happiness darted through her to know one specific thing about her husband. He liked his eggs scrambled.
“I do, too,” she said, giving him a soft smile. “Is there anything else you want to know about me?”
“Aye, lass. The man last night, Wyatt. What was he tae ye, and why were yer heads so close together?”
She gave Calum a long glance, surprised by the question, but mostly by the underlying steel in his voice. But, since she did want them both to get to know each other better, she answered the question. “Years ago, we were an item. I don’t see him much anymore, and when I do, I always sort of cringe when I think back to the feelings I had for him.” She gave a little shrug. “But, we were both young, and he wasn’t quite the jerk back then that he is today. When I went away to college, he ended up getting a girl pregnant here in town, and that was that.”
She started cracking eggs into a bowl. “As to why our heads were so close together, well, he asked me a question and I was trying to hear him. If we looked intimate in any way, I assure you that was not the case. I was very relieved when you showed up.”
She finished cracking eggs and gave the the potatoes a stir, congratulating herself on calming her new husband when he asked, “So, he’s not the father of yer babe?”
She turned to gape at him. “Not for all the money in the world.”
He gave a nod, seeming relieved by her answer.
She poured the eggs into a hot pan and gave everything a stir again, decided he had the right to know, and finally said, “Calum, I was artificially inseminated. This baby doesn’t have any father but you.”
She kept her back to him for a few minutes, letting him absorb the information, and then turned off all of the burners and dished up a couple of plates of food.
She turned to the table and slid a plate in front of him, set one across from him for herself, and got silverware and juice for them both. When she seated herself, she finally met his gaze.
“I doonae know what that means, lass, ye’ll have tae explain it tae me.”
Mandy stared at him not knowing what to say. Sometimes, she wondered about Scotland. Calum’s education seem to be lacking on some points.
And was this really a conversation to have over food?
“How about we eat, and I’ll explain it to you after breakfast.”
Calum nodded, and picked up his fork. He took a bite, chewed and swallowed before announcing, “Delicious.”
Warmth spread through her at his pronouncement.
Their first meal as a married couple was a success.
For some reason that made her verra happy.
“Nae.”
Calum stood from his chair in an abrupt movement, looking at her computer screen, at her, back to the screen, and then turning away to look out the kitchen window. He ran a hand through his hair. “Nae. I’ve naught heard of any such thing,” he said.
She could feel embarrassed heat rising in her cheeks. She’d tried to explain artificial insemination to him, and had finally resorted to a YouTube explanation that used stick figures and a matter of fact woman’s voice explaining the procedure.
“It’s actually quite common,” Mandy said. “They don’t do this in Scotland?”
“Nae, I assure ye they do no’.”
“Are you sure? Because …” She stopped, at a loss for words. She was really getting a different impression of Scotland from being around Calum. “I’m pretty sure they do, but maybe you’ve just never heard of it.”
“Nae.”
He was making her feel like a freak, which in turn started to make her angry. She snapped her computer shut. “Look, whatever. I was just trying to explain to you why you don’t ever need to worry about running into the father of my child.”
“But there is a father out there, somewhere.”
“I guess, there is. But he doesn’t have any rights to my child, and never will. I have a picture of him …” she trailed off.
She suddenly didn’t want to show him the picture. The fact that the guy looked so much like Calum still sort of freaked her out.
From his reaction to her explanation, she certainly wasn’t going to ask him again if he’d ever, well, visited a clinic himself.
He turned to look at her again, and was visibly calmer now. She now worried he’d ask to see the picture, so she was quick to say, “I’ll just get these dishes cleaned up.”
She rose, and started putting dishes in the sink, and in the dishwasher.
She could feel Calum behind her, watching her, until finally he said, “I’ll just go see what plans Joe has made for us today. Mayhap I’ll see ye later for the midday meal?”
She didn’t turn around. “That sounds fine. Don’t forget we have the church social later today.” She glanced at him, suddenly feeling unsure of herself. “Unless you don’t want to go?”
“I do, actually. Joe has told me about it, and it sounds like a fine time.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later?”
She’d started washing dishes when he moved forward, put his hands on her hips, and bent down to kiss her cheek.
Heat shot through her body.
He gave her a quick, affectionate nuzzle, pressing his cheek to hers, and then he was gone.
It took her a moment to realize she’d stopped doing the dishes in favor of reliving the event.
Heart thudding, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
Her new husband was dangerously attractive.
She felt like she should be telling herself to watch her step, and to be careful, but all she could think was that she was looking forward to the fall.
Calum had a lot to think about. He almost hadn’t believed Mandy earlier when she’d explained how her child had come to be.
The ground was muddy today after the rain from the night before, and colder than it had been in recent days. But he was glad to be outside. Working with Joe was giving him plenty of time to think. Too much time?
He wasn’t sure how he felt, except he was a bit angry.
At Mandy, and also at himself.
At her because she’d done this on purpose.
She’d meant to have this babe without benefit of a father or husband. It hadn’t been a moment of passion that led to a poor choice. Having a baby had been the choice!
And while he’d been able to understand getting carried away by passion, this … this decision of hers confused and even angered him.
“You okay?” Joe asked, as he moved up beside him, grabbed a bale of hay and threw it on the back of the truck. “You seem a bit off today.”
“All is well.”
He hadn’t told Joe yet that he was now a married man, and he wasn’t trying to hide the fact, but with Mandy’s revelation earlier about the babe, he’d had a lot to sort out.
Joe jumped up in the truck to kick a bale into place. “Okay, it’s just that you seem awfully quiet.”
Quiet, because he was angry at himself too. “Just a lot tae think about.”
Maybe he didn’t like the fact that his rescue of Mandy seemed tarnished somehow. She hadn’t needed him after all, had she? He hadn’t listened to her when she’d told him things were different now, and that a babe born out of wedlock didn’t carry the shame it once had.
Though he didn’t see how that could be the case, obviously it must be, else Mandy would be incredibly selfish, and he didn’t believe that.
She was sweet, kind, and he had every indication that she’d be a good mother.
But what mother thought that a father’s role was insignificant?
He was confused and truly having a hard time squaring what he knew of Mandy to her actions.
Or, was he the selfish one? Mayhap he just didn’t like that his heroic deed was unnecessary. Unwanted. That after years of regret, of being incapable of acting with honor, he’d grabbed at the chance with both hands, and pressured Mandy to marry him.
Why had she married him?
Would she come to regret it? Was she already?
Calum grabbed another bale and loaded it onto the back of the truck, ignoring Joe’s searching gaze. The man was going to think him inflicted with melancholy.
Calum took a moment to look out over one of the fields as he caught his breath.
He may have gotten the situation wrong, he may have pressured her into marrying him, and things just might be different these days than they used to be.
He wasn’t sure what was what, but he did know he’d made vows to Mandy before God.
Things might be muddled in this new time, but he refused to be. He knew who he was.
He knew what he’d done in making his vows.
And he knew that Mandy was his wife and the babe she carried was his bairn.
“Joe, have ye ever heard of artificial insemination?”
“Of course. Red usually helps me with that but with you here, you can do the honors this time. We’ve got a couple of months before we have to worry about it.”
Calum was reaching down for another bale and instead, straightened to throw an appalled look at his new friend as shock and not a little bit of horror enveloped him. “Och, man, what did ye say?”
Joe laughed at his expression. “You’re not getting out of it. The last cows gave birth in April, so you just missed that. Our conception percentage is always really high, like 98%, thanks to nutritional management. But the goal is always 100%. We don’t do it for all of them but, some of the cows have a hard time conceiving, and so we get out the old turkey baster and figure it out.”
Joe laughed again, as Calum stood stock still and tried to decipher his meaning.
“We’ll be breeding again in June. Going to some cattle shows in the fall.” He chuckled, watching Calum’s expression. “Fun, fun.”
Calum just shook his head and turned away.
Cows. Joe was talking about cows. And after what he’d learned earlier, he definitely understood the concept, but decided he didn’t want to talk about it.
He just wished he hadn’t brought it up.
“Oh, yeah.” Joe was up in the back of the truck again. “I used to work on a pig farm, a couple of years back. That’s something I never want to do again, I can tell you that. We did it all the time there, but not so much here on the ranch.”
