by Jenna Stone
“I doona ken if they’re looking for her or not. I was too busy saving her life and delivering her baby tae ask her,” Quinn said sarcastically, pulling the leather tie from his shoulder length chestnut hair and rebinding the unruly masses at the base of his neck. “I doona ken much about her, Rowan.”
“We need tae ask her. Let her rest awhile and then we need tae make sure that it’s safe for her tae be here,” Rowan warned, always protective of his wife’s safety. “I’ll no have Anna put in jeopardy over this.”
“Aye, I agree. We’ll let her rest awhile and then ask her. She’s had a hard day. A right braw lass she was,” Quinn said approvingly, his lips curling into a smile as he thought about how brave Sarah had been. She had nearly died.
“I want my bed back,” Rowan said sternly, standing from his seat next to the fire and moving directly in front of its heat so that he could warm his back. “I’ll no have Anna sleeping on the floor, not in her condition.”
Quinn noticed the scars that spanned Rowan’s back and rage boiled within him. Each place that the Englishman’s whip had split Rowan’s skin had healed into a thick, corded scar. The scars spanned his little brother’s back, interlacing with each other into a wicked web. Rowan’s back was an ever present reminder of the suffering that the English had brought the Murray family.
Quinn vowed silently that Murdock would die for what he had done to his family. Murdock would pay for what he had done to Mairi. Quinn would avenge all of the wrongs that the English had brought against those that he loved. He forced Murdock from his thoughts and brought his mind back to the conversation.
“Ye can have yer bed,” Quinn muttered as he looked away from his brother. “I’ll take her to my cabin,” Quinn said, pushing out of the rocker and standing next to his brother. “Thank ye for yer help,” he said, clapping Rowan soundly on the back.
..ooOoo..
“Quinn?” Sarah said hesitantly, sensing that although he was quiet he was not asleep.
“Aye?”
“I wanted to talk to you about the baby. Could you come over here?” she invited, feeling nervous in Quinn’s presence for the first time.
She heard his bare feet pad across the wooden floor boards of the small cabin. He had been laying on his brother Malcolm’s small cot on the far side of the room, opting to give Sarah and the baby his own, larger bed. Malcolm was in town purchasing supplies for winter and was expected back at the farm any day.
Quinn’s eyes widened with surprise when he saw that Sarah was feeding the baby. Her swollen breast was exposed and Quinn was immediately infuriated with himself for looking at her. Just the sight of her beautiful breast, even serving the purpose of feeding her baby had aroused him. Sarah was a beautiful woman and it had been a long time since Quinn had been with a woman. To see such a beautiful woman, engorged breast bared, lying in his bed was too much.
“Does this bother you?” Sarah asked innocently, glancing down at her suckling daughter.
“No,” Quinn lied, and did his best to lean casually against the wall of the cabin.
“I think she’s done anyway,” Sarah smiled down at the baby, who had fallen into a milk induced slumber. She released the baby from her breast and tugged the fabric of her nightshirt to cover her exposed nipple.
For a fleeting instant, Quinn had seen the entirety of Sarah’s beautiful full breast, complete with a rosy upturned nipple. His manhood pulsed in his pants and he gritted his teeth. Sarah’s breasts were swollen with milk, their skin taught, her nipples up thrust. The firelight danced over her olive skin, making her glow radiantly in the darkness of the small cabin.
Christ, Quinn. She’s just had a baby! He scolded himself for coveting Sarah’s body and thanked the Lord that she had covered herself.
“I want you to name her,” Sarah burst out, suddenly shy about her request. “You’re the reason that she survived and I want you to name her.”
Quinn’s gray eyes were wide with disbelief.
“Sarah…I canna do that! She’s yer daughter. Ye should be the one tae name her.”
“Really. I want you to name her. Neither one of us would be here if you hadn’t found us. You saved out lives,” Sarah whispered, tears welling in her eyes as she thought of how close she had been, how close her precious daughter had been to death.
“I canna do that,” Quinn said softly, eyes searching Sarah’s. She was a beautiful woman, with her black hair falling loosely about her, standing out in sharp contrast to the linen of her shirt as it fell in masses down to her waist.
Her eyebrows knit together in a scowl as she regarded Quinn.
“I want you to name her,” Sarah insisted, her tone challenging Quinn. Her eyes scanned over his massive frame as he leaned casually against the log wall of the cabin. Clad only in linen pants, his physique was something to behold. The muscles of his chest were well defined from hard work and Sarah had to make a conscious effort to tear her eyes away from Quinn Murray.
“Won’t her father want a say in what her name is?” Quinn challenged back.
“No.”
“Do ye ken who her father is?” Quinn asked boldly, unable to imagine a man who would not be interested in the welfare of this beautiful child or her beautiful mother.
“Of course I know who her father is!” Sarah snapped, insulted. “I’m not a whore if that’s what you are implying.”
“That’s not what I meant! I just thought that if ye were all alone…”
“It’s just that I don’t plan to see her father again. I was running from him when you found me in the forest.”
“Was he cruel to ye?” Quinn asked anger evident in his tone.
“He’d take her away from me,” Sarah whispered, looking protectively down at her sweet daughter who was sleeping contently at her breast.
“No if I have anything tae do with it,” Quinn warned protectively, shaking his head at the prospect of any man, the baby’s father or not, trying to take away Sarah’s baby.
“I can’t go back,” Sarah whispered, eyes flashing to Quinn’s. “Will you help us?” she asked desperately.
Quinn nodded in response, apprehension settling deep in the pit of his stomach. If there was anything that he hated, it was a woman being mistreated. No one would dare to touch Sarah or her child as long as they were under his protection. He only hoped that keeping her here would be safe. The savages were known to attack when provoked and he hoped that they wouldn’t be able to track Sarah to the Murray farm.
Rowan will kill me.
“Her name should be Mairi. Ye should name her Mairi,” Quinn whispered. It felt as though a knife twisted in his heart when he said her name aloud.
“I like that,” Sarah smiled, cuddling her daughter closer. “Mairi,” she said softly.
Quinn turned abruptly and walked away, leaving Sarah alone in the firelight.
..ooOoo..
“She canna stay here!” Rowan thundered, pacing back and forth as he fumed at his brother.
“Sae ye expect me tae cast her out? Shall I go tell her now? Tell her tae take the babe and get on her way?” Quinn asked sarcastically as he brought the axe down swiftly and split the log before him into two. He bent and placed another piece of wood on the stump before him, gritted his teeth in annoyance with his brother and swung the axe handily. He had always found chopping wood a good way to relieve frustration.
“I doona ken what tae do with her, but she canna stay here. If they come looking for her, I’ll no have Anna put in danger,” Rowan glowered, stopping his pacing and crossing his arms as he regarded Quinn.
“We’ll give her a couple of days tae get on her feet again and then I’ll figure out what tae do with her,” Quinn said, lowering the axe and wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his forearm. “Malcolm should be home in the next few days. Maybe ye can take Anna intae town for awhile until we ken that it’s safe here.”
“We doona have time for that! Winter is all but upon us and there’s sae much that still needs done
. We canna afford tae be wastin’ what precious time we have left ferrying back and forth tae town. Anna shouldna be traveling besides.”
“I’m no casting her out, Rowan,” Quinn said firmly. “She can stay as long as she needs.”
“Christ, Quinn,” Rowan said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Do ye no see how dangerous having her here is tae us? We’ve avoided the savages until now and tae harbor one of their women here could bring them right tae our front door!”
Quinn did not respond. The crack of the axe striking through the splitting wood resounded through the valley. He leaned the axe against the large tree stump used for splitting wood and bent to gather the wood that he had split. He tossed the smaller pieces into the wood pile next to the house and placed another large round of wood onto the stump for cutting.
“Quinn! Will ye no stop and listen to me?” Rowan said, now angry. He reached out and grabbed Quinn harshly by his shoulder.
Quinn shrugged out of his reach and glared at his younger brother.
“She can stay as long as she needs,” he thundered, tossing down the axe and walking briskly back towards his cabin.
Rowan stood alone by the woodpile, dumbfounded by his brother’s recklessness. As infuriated as he was at Quinn, he couldn’t help but notice that this was the first time that Quinn had cared deeply about something in a long time. It was good to see some fight put back into his brother. Maybe the old Quinn was coming back.
Chapter Three
“Quinn!” Sarah called out into the darkness of the cabin. Her chest shook from the frantic rhythm of her breathing and her heart thundered erratically in her chest.
“Aye? What’s amiss, lass?” Quinn asked worriedly, bridging the distance between them in mere seconds. “Ouch!” he yelped, having stubbed his big toe against the wooden crate that Mairi slept in next to his bed. “Christ, that hurt!” he exclaimed and his hand settled on Mairi, who had been jostled into wakefulness when he had accidentally kicked her impromptu crib.
Mairi began to whimper and Quinn’s large hand rested steady on her chest in response, enveloping her with his touch. He rocked her softly from side-to-side until she quieted and drifted back to sleep. Quinn had taken to the baby immediately and Sarah was surprised by how at ease he was around Mairi.
“Shh…it’s alright princess,” he cooed, causing Sarah’s heart to melt.
Sarah couldn’t help the smile that spread over her face. “Princess?” she asked, heart bursting with emotion as she watched this giant man, her savior, speak so sweetly to her daughter.
“Aye. She’s a princess tae me,” Quinn said shyly, his face turning crimson in the dim light. Ever so carefully, he removed his hand from Mairi, who had fallen back into her peaceful slumber. Assured that she was asleep, he lowered himself to sit on the bed next to Sarah.
“What’s wrong, lass?” he asked, eyes searching her face in the dimly-lit room. The fire had nearly burned out and it was the middle of the night.
He was surprised to see that Sarah had been crying.
“I’m better now,” she whispered, reaching up to wipe the tears from her face with the back of her hand. Involuntarily, she began to chuckle as Quinn rubbed his stubbed toe. He was doing his best to remain stoic, but winced, giving Sarah the indicator that he really had hurt himself. “Are you alright?”
“Fine. Grace wasna a virtue that I was blessed with,” he said, smiling as he reached down and looked at his smarting big toe.
“Would you mind lying down next to me?” Sarah asked, eyes flitting up to meet Quinn’s. She knew that what she was asking was improper, but she didn’t care. Quinn would bring her comfort. He had been like a talisman in this ordeal, calm and steady, grounding her and protecting her.
In answer, Quinn crawled across her and settled himself beside her on the bed. Sarah turned towards him and rested her cheek against his bare chest. Quinn fitted his arms around her and they held each other for a moment in silence. Holding Sarah felt so right even though he had only met the lass days before. Having bonded over Mairi’s birth, it felt like he had known Sarah for much longer. Quinn knew that he should not indulge his desire to touch her, to hold her, but he was not strong enough to push her away.
“Are ye scared of Mairi’s father?” Quinn asked, absentmindedly brushing Sarah’s silky black hair.
“Yes,” she whispered, as the tears began to flow once again. She was embarrassed as her tears ran onto Quinn’s chest, betraying her effort to remain strong. “I’m so sorry that I brought you and your family into this,” Sarah confessed earnestly. “I know that I should go back, that I should not stay here, but Quinn, I feel so safe when I’m here with you that I haven’t been able to force myself to leave.”
“Ye doona need tae leave, Sarah,” he whispered, consoling her. “I’ll not have ye takin’ Mairi intae danger. We’ll figure something out.”
“Thank you.”
“Will he come looking for you?” Quinn asked, concern evident in his voice.
“I think so,” Sarah said, lifting her face from Quinn’s chest and wiping away her tears. “He won’t care that I’ve left, but I’m afraid that he wants Mairi.”
“When he comes after her, will he try tae hurt my family?” Quinn asked the question that had been weighing heavily on his mind. He could not allow Anna and his brothers to be put in jeopardy.
“Not if he can avoid it. The Cherokee are generally peaceful unless provoked,” she said as she snuggled closer and inhaled Quinn’s masculine scent. Touching him calmed her.
“Harboring his errant wife and newborn daughter is not provocation?”
“I’m not his wife,” Sarah said, knitting her eyebrows into a scowl as she thought of Mairi’s father.
“What is his name?” Quinn asked, needing to know.
“Adahy,” Sarah responded, hatred evident in her voice. “He wants to take Mairi and give her to his wife. She hasn’t been able to have children. Adahy forced me…he took me so that he could give his wife a baby,” Sarah revealed. Fresh tears welled in her eyes as she thought about Adahy.
Rage boiled within Quinn. His heart ached when he thought of what Sarah had endured at the hands of this bastard. What it must have been like for her to feel the child growing within her belly, knowing that it would be taken from her upon its birth and given to another woman. Quinn now understood why Sarah had fled from the man who had fathered Mairi. He wanted to kill this man. He wanted to choke the very life from his body as penance for what he had done to sweet Sarah.
Quinn pulled Sarah against his chest and stroked her back in reassurance.
“It’ll be alright. I’ve got ye now. I’ve got the both of ye. I’ll not let him take Mairi. Sleep now,” he whispered as he tenderly stroked Sarah’s hair.
“He torments me when I sleep,” Sarah revealed. “That’s why I called out for you in the first place. I dreamed that he came in the night and stole Mairi.”
..ooOoo..
Quinn held Sarah against his chest and watched her sleep. The peaceful rise and fall of her breathing was mesmerizing. Her dark lashes rested on her cheeks and she looked so innocent, so beautiful as she slept. He wanted nothing more than to hold her like this, to enjoy her slight weight against his side. Her skin was so soft against his and her soft, feminine smell aroused him despite his best intentions.
Quinn Murray prided himself in being a simple man, a man that did not want for much. He was perfectly happy sleeping under a blanket of stars. Being that he wasn’t much of a cook, a simple meal of bread and ale was enough for him. He was not used to wanting things. This being said, when he did find something that he wanted, nothing would stop him from getting it.
At the moment, he found himself wanting Sarah. The feelings that the lass had stirred within him were perplexing. He had known her but a few short days and yet there was an inexplicable pull, something that drew him towards her. Yes, he wanted her, wanted her badly. And herein lay the problem: he wasn’t quite sure what to do about the fact that he wan
ted her.
Quinn had simply never anticipated that he would feel this way about a woman again.
Was it her quiet dignity? How brave she had been during childbirth? Her green-brown eyes captivated him and when Sarah gifted him with a look from those blazing eyes, his heart was set afire with the wanting of her. Her olive skin was so smooth beneath his fingers, simply touching her aroused him. Perhaps it was that she and the babe needed him?
Admitting that he was attracted to Sarah had opened the first hole in his wall of defenses. Quinn had always wanted this. He had always wanted a woman to love, a woman to call his own. He had wanted someone to build a home with, someone to come home to. He wanted someone to carry his bairns and someone to love them with as they grew.
When Mairi was killed, Quinn had thought that these dreams had died with her. He had been wrong.
Sarah had kindled the tentative rebirth of these dreams. Quinn wanted to protect her, to hold her and love her. He wanted to build a life with her and it terrified him. If she was taken from him, he could not bear going through that torture again. And thus, he had shielded his heart from her and the babe. But, Sarah was relentless. She effortlessly chipped away at his defenses with her tender, trusting smile and Lord above, when she laughed, Quinn had never felt happier.
Quinn dared to believe that Sarah wanted him back. His heart was alight with dreams that he had long thought were dead and he hoped that wishful thinking was not causing him to see something with Sarah that wasn’t there.
..ooOoo..
Malcolm Murray returned home in the earliest hours of the morning, having ridden through the night just to enjoy sleeping in his own bed. He opened the door to the small cabin that he shared with his brother Quinn and quietly slipped inside, being careful not to wake his brother.
“Christ!” he exclaimed as he tripped over a wooden crate that was sitting on the floor, blocking the pathway to his cot by the fire. His shin cracked against the rim of the box and he rubbed it briskly, hopping on one leg in an effort to nurse his wound.
