Could that be so? he thought, walking away. She was so intent on finding her da that at times she didn’t see reason. He was used to commanding and taking orders, having had to do both over the years, along with his brothers. However, Charlotte wasn’t, and Donald could very well be right. If he didn’t let her have her way, she could possibly be stubbornly unforgiving.
His thoughts were interrupted by a couple of men with questions, which he took time to answer, but he was impatient to get to Charlotte. She had hurried off, Odin following her, and he knew she went to seek solitude so that she might shed her tears in private.
That she would be crying was bad enough, but that she should be crying alone broke his heart. His arms should be around her, comforting her, easing her worries, letting her know he was there for her and hopefully always would be.
In their short time together, he was already thinking of always. He could promise her nothing, and yet he was thinking of forever with her. He must be in love, for his thoughts were not those of a sane man.
He was relieved when he bid the last man farewell and hurried away from the chaotic village and into the woods. It was easier following Odin’s tracks than hers, his steps heavy where hers were light and sometimes barely detectable.
They had wandered farther than he had expected, though he understood why when he found them. Odin was busy drinking from a rippling stream, and Charlotte was busy trying to scrub the caked mud from her hair.
She turned in a flash when Odin looked up. Her freshly washed face dripped with water, and her eyes ran with tears. He spread his arms out to her as he walked toward her, and she bounced up, ran, and flung herself into them. He no sooner had her snug in his arms than he scooped her up and walked to sit near the stream, resting her comfortably in his lap. Odin sat beside them, giving Charlotte’s hand a comforting lick.
“My da is hurting this very moment, and there is nothing I can do for him,” she said between sobs, her face pressed against his chest and her hands gripping his shirt.
“You are doing something; you search for him, and he knows it,” Bryce said, his heart aching with every tear she spilled.
“I should have found him by now.”
“You will find him,” he insisted. “At least you know that he does not doubt you will come for him. You have heard this from someone who shared captivity with your da. You know that while he may be injured, he still does well. You know he waits for you and will wait as long as necessary with the same determination to survive as your determination to find him.”
Her sobs grew weak, and though she lifted teary eyes to him, she no longer shed tears.
“Seeing Donald—” She shook her head, unable to finish.
Bryce finished for her. “Donald reminded you of your da, and it made you worry and miss him all the more.”
She nodded, a couple of tears trickling from her eyes and her teeth biting at her lower lip, no doubt to stop it from trembling.
“I promise you we’ll find your da,” Bryce said with such a strong conviction that it brought a smile to Charlotte’s face.
“You have been kind and good to me,” she said softly. “I am very glad we have fallen in love.”
Her boldness never stopped surprising him. He had yet to tell her that he loved her; still, she was so sure of his love. It did not bother her in the least that he had not spoken the words, but it bothered him. He should tell her and be done with it.
There was no difficulty in speaking the truth, yet he found it difficult to admit his love. There was so much standing in their way, and he worried—even though he wanted forever with her, would he have it?
She pressed her fingers to his lips. “I may not hear it from you, but I see it in your eyes. It shines bold and bright, fills me with warmth, and settles comfortably around me. “I am happy that you love me so very much.”
How did she do that? How did she articulate what he felt?
She felt the same.
The thought struck him like a punch to the face. His love for Charlotte completely amazed him. Love completely astonished him. And to realize that she felt the same insanely wonderful thing for him made him love her all the more.
He needed her to know that she was right in what she saw, and so he showed her the only way he presently could—he kissed her. It was sweet and innocent. Light and soft. He did not want to make demands of her. He simply wanted to confirm what they both knew, that they were in love.
It didn’t take long for the kiss to turn passionate and their bodies to flicker with desire. Neither dared let their hands roam. They simply fed on the kiss, or the kiss fed them; whatever way it was, it didn’t end until their hunger was somewhat appeased.
Their lips parted reluctantly, Charlotte tucking her head beneath his chin to rest her cheek on his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head, her hair still damp. And there they remained while their labored breathing slowed and their desire for each other dissipated, much too gradually.
Bryce knew they should get moving, but he didn’t want to let go of her, didn’t want this moment with her to end.
“We should leave,” she said, though she sounded not at all enthused.
“Yes, we should,” he agreed.
“I don’t want to.”
“Neither do I,” he admitted.
She eased herself out of his arms, and he unwillingly let her go.
She stood looking down at him. “We must make our way to Glen Loran.”
Bryce pushed to his feet and turned away from her for a moment, running his fingers through his hair, then rubbing his chin before turning around again. “What do we do if we come upon this prison? How do we penetrate its forces? How do we fight against its many guards?”
“If we hurry and stop dallying, we could reach my da before he is locked away, making for a more successful rescue.”
“And if we don’t reach him, what then?” Bryce asked, not wishing to discourage her but hoping she would see reason. “Old John wasn’t only adamant but fearful when he told us that no one escapes that prison.”
“He did,” Charlotte said. “There is an entrance; therefore, there is an egress.”
“But not a safe one. It will take planning and more men, and we still have to find where this prison is located.”
“If we get moving, we could possibly find my da before all that is necessary,” she said.
He grabbed her bundle off the ground and flung it over his shoulder to carry for her. “We will continue to search for your da, but if we turn up nothing soon, we return to my home and formulate a plan before proceeding any farther.”
He waited, expecting her to argue with him.
She didn’t. She picked up her bow and cache of arrows, then yanked her bundle off his shoulder to swing over her own. She walked off without a word, Odin trotting right beside her.
Bryce shook his head. This was going to be a challenge, and he had a nagging suspicion that he would wind up having to forcibly carry her home.
Chapter 26
They had to avoid two small troops of soldiers, had to forgo a campfire, and had to rely on their bodies’ heat to keep them warm throughout the night. Though Charlotte had hoped for adequate shelter where they could make love without worry of the weather, it was not to be.
They rose with the sun, and it was another day of constant walking and remaining alert, with little time to spare for conversation or to steal a kiss. With signs that soldiers lingered in the area, they remained vigilant. It continued such for three endless days.
Charlotte found no messages from her da and, worse, the few people they met along the way hadn’t come across soldiers with prisoners. It was as if her da had simply disappeared.
And so the argument began on the fourth day.
“We go home, gather help, and devise a plan,” Bryce said, as they took to the road once more.
Her da had often reminded her of her stubborn nature; she was aware that it could interfere with making rational decisions. And Br
yce’s decision made sense. However, her guilt over not having saved her da from the soldiers coupled with not being able to find him turned her more obstinate than ever.
“I won’t give up,” she said, stepping past Bryce to walk several feet ahead of him.
“I’m not asking you to,” he said, catching up with her in two easy strides.
She was glad she would never need to run from him, for he would certainly catch her in no time, his long, powerful legs more than a match for her short, thin ones. No matter how many times, out of sheer annoyance that she strode past him, he was at her side in an instant.
She almost smiled, for in a sense it was a good thing to know. He would always be there beside her. And while she was accustomed to spending much time alone, she found that she rather favored his presence. Actually, her heart sank at the mere thought of his not being beside her.
“Be reasonable,” he said. “We do not retreat. We regroup and build strength to fortify victory.”
“I know it makes sense, but . . .” She shook her head letting her words trail off, fighting the thoughts of how her da must be suffering.
Bryce grabbed hold of her arm, stopping them both. “I know how helpless you must feel, but think about how your da would respond to this situation. After time spent searching for you, would he continue or stop and reconsider?”
Of course, he was right, but that didn’t matter; she felt that she had failed her da, and nothing he said would take that pain away.
He ran a finger beneath her chin and gave a lift. She hadn’t even realized her head had drooped.
“You carry too heavy a burden. Stop struggling with it and let me lift it off you.”
He didn’t let her answer; he leaned down and kissed her.
She had never known something to be so welcoming. She needed this kiss from him as much as she needed to breathe. And though normally and instinctively her arms would shoot around his neck to pull him closer, this time they didn’t. This time she simply stood there and welcomed his kiss.
It wasn’t a demanding kiss that would ignite their passion. It was a kiss that asked for nothing but gave everything. It was a kiss of love.
Slowly, Charlotte’s arms wound up around his neck as he eased her up against him. She lingered in his nourishing kiss, and, for a moment, all her worries slipped away. There was just Bryce and her, and their love.
When the kiss finally ended, she didn’t want to open her eyes and once again be thrust back into her worries. She would much rather have remained in his arms, where her concerns dissipated, and she felt safe. It would be nice to think that she could live like that forever, but it wasn’t possible. She had responsibilities; she had a mission just like he did. And soon, his mission would separate them. And then what would she do?
Do not be afraid to depend on yourself.
Her da had taught her that, and it had helped her face many a difficult time with strength. This time would be no different.
“I will let you help with my burden, but I will carry it,” she said.
He grinned and gave her cheek a quick kiss. “You can be impossible.”
“I beg to differ,” she said. “I do what reason dictates.”
“Then reason instructs us to go home.”
“That would depend on how one reasons it,” she argued.
And so the argument continued until they came to a fork in the road, a point in their travels where one road would take them home and the other would again have them searching for her da’s trail.
It pained Charlotte to think they would separate, but she wasn’t ready to give up on her da or drop her burden completely on Bryce. He had enough of his own concerns to worry about, she needn’t add to them.
“Tell me you will be reasonable and do as I suggest,” he said.
“Tell me you will let me do what I must?”
“I thought you would say that,” Bryce said with a nod and a firm set to his jaw.
She realized too late his intention, and, besides, it would be a useless endeavor to try to outrun him. She was scooped up and flung over his shoulder so fast that everything around her spun.
Odin gave a protesting bark, but a sharp command from Bryce quieted him.
“You leave me no choice,” he said, and walked with her slung over his shoulder like a sack of grain.
She debated fighting him, pummeling his back and kicking to get free. After giving it some thought, it didn’t strike her as the best course of action. She could wait until he grew tired of carrying her, but she didn’t believe she was a heavy burden to him and, therefore, he would not tire easily. By the time he did release her, they would be a distance away, and it would take her time to return to this spot.
“If you were reasonable, you would see that what I propose is our best course of action,” he said, walking along, as if carrying her in such a fashion was a common occurrence. “I do understand your misgivings with it. But your da has proven that he is well able to survive until you find him.”
“You’re right.”
“Finally, you admit it,” he said on a laugh. “Then we can be done with this nonsense, and you will come home willingly with me?”
“You would assume so and yet you ask me if that is what I will do.” She waited and when an answer wasn’t forthcoming, she said, “We both know the true reason for my refusal to cooperate.”
He continued to remain silent.
“I will say what you refuse to admit. You take me home and expect me to stay there.”
“You’ll be safe there.”
“I’ll be a prisoner.”
“You certainly will not be a prisoner,” he said sternly.
“I will join you then on the mission to rescue my da?”
“It is not necessary. I will see him safely returned to you.”
It was her turn to be silent. He might think as he wished; she would make plans of her own.
“Your silence tells me that I will not be able to trust you when it comes to allowing me to rescue your da.”
She saw no reason to lie when he already suspected her intentions. “You’re right again.”
“I will not waste time arguing this point with you. We will settle it once home.”
“Good,” she said. “Then there is room for debate, and I will sway you to my cause.”
Bryce laughed. “You can try.”
“I can succeed.”
“And how will you do that?” he asked.
“I will make you see just how strong love can be, so that you will know that there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to rescue you if you were in the same position.” She poked him in the back. “And don’t bother to warn me about putting myself at risk for you. I would fight the devil himself to see you safe.”
He laughed again. “I have no doubt the devil would surrender posthaste just to be rid of you.”
She gave him another poke, harder this time. “Make fun all you want, but one day you may be grateful for my tenaciousness.”
“There is one place I’d welcome your resolute nature.”
She waited to hear where that was, but instead felt his hand stroke her backside. She was about to snap at him when a familiar tingle rippled through her. She silently cursed his magic touch. And it had to be magic for her to respond so quickly. She couldn’t say when she had first noticed it, or perhaps it had been like that from the first, and she hadn’t quite understood it. All she knew was that his touch sent pleasant tingles through her.
Her response surprised her, though she meant it. “Put me down, and I’ll show you just how determined I can be at making love.”
She smiled when his steps faltered, knowing her remark had affected him just as potently as his touch had affected her.
“Be careful what you ask for,” he warned. “You may just get it.”
“I want it,” she said. “I want you.”
“Not a good time or place.”
“It hasn’t been for the last few days, and I grow eager to make lov
e again.”
His hand stopped stroking her. “When we get home—”
“How long before we reach your home?”
“Two or three days.”
“Too long,” she complained.
“We can’t take a chance with soldiers spotted so frequently in the area.”
“Don’t you wish to make love before we reach your home? And what will your parents think of me when you take me to your bed? I like the privacy of only the two of us knowing what we share.”
He stopped and swung her down off his shoulder and onto her feet. “My mum will assume I found the perfect woman to be my wife, and my da will not comment, leaving the decision mine. And you and I will do as we please regardless of opinions.”
What pleased them was to enjoy each other while they could, then they would return to their respective missions. It was what followed those missions that had her more curious than worried. She didn’t believe that, given how much they loved each other, they would ever part. But life as she had sadly discovered was unpredictable and did not always bring equals amounts of joy and sorrow. So there was no foreseeing what the future held; therefore, it was best they enjoyed and savored the time they had together.
“Now who’s being stubborn?” She smiled. “We are more alike than we think.”
He shook his head, grinned, and grabbed hold of her hand and began walking again. “We are different.”
“Not as much as you think,” she said. “And there is no reason to hold my hand. I will not run. I will go home with you.”
“I like holding your hand.”
She laughed. “Perhaps, but that is not why you hold it now.”
“Give me your word you won’t run?”
“I have said I wouldn’t. Isn’t that enough?” She hoped it was, for she didn’t want to believe that he thought her a liar.
He released her hand, and she smiled.
“Now about shelter for the night,” she said.
“We had best find something suitable, for I cannot wait any longer to make love to you.”
Her smile spread, and, remarkably, the tingles returned without his touching her. “How wonderful it would be to come across an abandoned cottage. Not that I wish to benefit from someone’s misfortune.”
A Warrior's Promise Page 20
