Page 21 of Love Me Forever (Highland Duo #2)

T hey left at dawn. Blair had advised that the journey would take but a day.

She had not realized she had been that close to home.

When she had left on her journey, her mind had been too occupied with the news of her husband’s death to give attention to how far they had traveled.

She had not thought herself that close to home, but all the while she was but a day’s journey away.

She rode with Royce comfortably settled in front of him and cuddled close to his warmth. The day was cloudy, the air crisp, and the silence heavy around them.

“The men are quiet,” she said, wondering over their silence.

While there was rarely constant conversation on a journey, a word here or there was often heard along with laughter. But today there was nothing, only the stillness of the surrounding land and the sounds of the winter woods. And she noticed that the men’s eyes strayed often to

Royce.

“They pay attention to their surroundings, as they should,” Royce said, sounding like a leader of men.

“But they have not spoken a word since we left early this morning. That seems unusual to me.”

“They do their duty,” Royce insisted.

“My brother’s men are well trained to observe and to fight when necessary. They are good men, but it troubles me that they stare at you so blatantly. They know the horrors of battle. They know that they could suffer as you have, so why then do they so rudely keep their eyes on you?”

He offered a reason that she would find acceptable. “They care for you and do not know me. They wish to make certain that nothing happens to you.”

His response did not appease her. “That is no excuse for rudeness. They see me happy with you. They see you treat me with respect. Your scars tell them you fought bravely and victoriously. What else need they know?”

“How do you know I fought victoriously?”

She shrugged. “You would have it no other way.”

He laughed and all around him turned their heads to look. “You have come to know me well.”

She rested her head on his shoulder. “Aye, that I have, and I like what I have found.”

“What have you found?” He hugged her close to him, the scent of her filling his nostrils. She smelled of the sweet-scented herbs she worked with and the earthy smell of the twigs that she fashioned into baskets.

Her response was quick. “A man I can trust and love.”

“You can always trust me, Brianna, you must remember that. Promise me that you will.”

He seemed anxious that she agree,

and his body tensed. She wished for him not to worry and offered him assurance.

“Do not concern yourself, for my trust in you is unconditional.”

He kissed her forehead. “Good. This pleases me, but I must admit that part of me is upset.”

“Why?” She raised her head off his shoulder, concerned that he was feeling troubled.

He sighed, shook his head, and admitted, “I thought it was my looks that won your heart.”

She smiled and poked him in the chest. “Your looks captured my immediate attention.”

He ran a tender finger down her cheek. “I had not meant to frighten you.”

She tugged at his braid. “I frightened myself, and besides, I have told you I care not for looks.”

She focused on his face for the first time in days and noticed that his wounds were healing nicely. She could also see that beyond his scars there appeared good-looking features and the thought that he might be more handsome than she had considered made her tense.

“What is wrong?” he was quick to ask when her body grew taut against him.

She would not admit her fears; she could not, for she would sound foolish. Why would any woman turn down a handsome man? She had hundreds of reasons and yet not many that would sound sane to others; therefore, she would keep her thoughts to herself.

‘Tell me,” he said firmly.

“Nothing is wrong.” She returned her head to rest on his shoulder, thinking it would bring his questioning to a close.

He would not be denied. “You tell me you trust me, and then you will not tell me what troubles you when obviously something does.” He gave her waist a gentle squeeze. “This is trusting me?”

He was right, but she remained reluctant. “My thought was silly and unimportant.”

“Your thoughts are important to me. Tell me.”

She raised her head and smiled. “You are relentless.”

He grinned. “Determined.”

She hesitated.

“Would you not tell me the same? Would you not wish to know what troubled me so that you could help ease my concern? Is that not what two people in love do for each other?”

She placed a hand to his chest. “You continue to teach me much about love that I did not know.”

“You knew,” he insisted. “You were denied what you deserved, but no more. You will have all you deserve, for I will make certain of it.”

“You are good to me.” She sounded as though she could not believe her own words.

“And you are good to me, another trait of two people in love.”

She whispered, as if revealing a secret. “We must be very much in love, then.”

He leaned down closer to her face. “Very much.”

She giggled with delight when he brushed several kisses across her face.

“Now tell me what troubled you.”

“I thought you had forgotten.”

He playfully poked her in the side. ‘Trying to divert my attention, were you?”

She grabbed for his playful hand and took a firm hold of it. “I thought I had been successful.”

“I do not wish to see you troubled and will do anything in my power to prevent it or help you through it.” He eased his hand from her grasp and laced his fingers with hers.

She held on to him as he did with her. “I am so very glad the heavens sent you to me.”

“Fate works in strange ways. To question it would be foolish; to accept it would be wise. I accept us without question.”

“You forever say things to me that make me realize how truly blessed I am that you love me.”

“Remember that.” His words were firm.

“You say that often to me, but how can I forget it?”

“Just remember—promise me you will remember how deeply I love you.”

She gripped his hand as tightly as her meager strength would allow. “I have told you I would and I give you my word that I will.”

“Good.” He seemed satisfied. “Now again, what troubled you?”

“It is no longer of importance.”

“It is to me. Tell me.”

To argue the issue was futile, so she surrendered. “Looking upon you I realized that beneath your scars that heal lays a handsome man.”

“The one scar is deep and will remain with me forever. I will never be handsome again.”

Brianna suddenly felt selfish. She had not given thought to how his facial scars would make him feel. He would never look as he once did; he was changed forever and yet he was whom he had always been; a good and kind man.

“But then you care not for handsome men, so perhaps I should be grateful for my scars.”

“Nay.” She was quick to argue, her hand going to cup his face. “I am foolish. I think because I had a handsome husband who was deceitful that all handsome men deceive. You have taught me different, I must remember it.”

Royce kissed the palm of her hand. “I do not deceive nor will I ever deceive you. You have my word on that.”

She smiled. “Then I have no worries.”

“Good, then we can concentrate on planning a wedding.”

“You have yet to ask my permission.”

He laughed and the men once again cautiously glanced his way. “It is your brother’s permission I must seek.”

She placed her hand in her lap and, sounding like a petulant child, said, “He will ask me if I wish to wed you.”

“What will you tell him?” He kept a smile on his face, for he enjoyed teasing her.

“That you have yet to ask me.”

“He will allow you this decision?”

“I will not wed unless I wish to wed,” she said adamantly.

His hand was quick to grab her chin and gently squeeze her cheeks so that she looked to make funny faces at him. “Do you wish to wed me?”

“Is that how you intend to ask me?”

He ran gentle fingers over her lips and down her neck. “Nay, it is not, and besides, I already know your answer.”

“So then you think it unnecessary to ask me?”

His hand trailed down to her breast, which he gave a slow squeeze, and he tenderly pinched her nipple, which instantly hardened between his fingers.

She was grateful that her fur wrap kept his intimate touch private, and she lingered in the exquisite pleasure of the moment.

He whispered near her ear. “Marry me, Brianna, for life would not be worth living without you.”

She felt tears well in her eyes. She had not thought to hear those words ever, and she most definitely did not expect to hear them spoken with such love. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she answered, “Aye, I will wed you, Royce, for I cannot bear to think of a day spent without you.”

He kissed her tears away and then kissed her with a hungry gentleness. “We will wed immediately.”

She nodded enthusiastically, knowing full well that they would not be sharing a bed until vows were exchanged. “Immediately.”

They took their time, knowing by day’s end they would reach her home. The weather remained cloudy and Brianna was grateful it did not rain. She was already beginning to feel the effects of riding for several hours. Her lower back began to pain her. It was the one lingering result of the accident.

She did not wish to complain; she was as eager as the men to return home. She missed her brother, sister-in-law, her friend Anne, and her nephew Duncan, and she was eager for them all to meet Royce. It would be a good reunion.

First, however, she would need to recover from the pain she would certainly suffer if she continued on in this fashion. She attempted to adjust her bottom in front of Royce without making it too obvious that she was uncomfortable.

It did not work.

“Something pains you?”

She was truthful. “Aye, my back.”

She need say no more; none could ignore his demanding voice. “We stop now!”

To her surprise, Blair and the men did as he commanded, though Blair approached them as Royce helped her to dismount.

“Brianna needs to rest,” Royce said before Blair could speak. “Her back has yet to fully heal from the accident.”

She intended to inform them both that a short rest would be sufficient, but when she took all her weight herself, Royce having let go of her waist, the pain shot through her lower back and she almost collapsed.

Blair slid off his horse, but Royce already had his arms around her.

Blair appeared concerned. “I had not realized she was not sufficiently recovered.”

“I am fine,” Brianna insisted, keeping her hand firmly on Royce’s arm.

“You are having difficulty standing on your own—that is not fine,” Blair all but snapped at her. “You should have told me. We could have waited at least a few days.” He turned to Royce. “My apologies for not listening to you, I should have remembered how stubborn she can be.”

“I am not stubborn,” she insisted emphatically.

“She is determined,” Royce said with a smile.

Blair had to laugh. “You know her well. Then you know that she will tell you when she has rested enough for the journey to continue.”

“That decision will be mine,” Royce informed him in a tone that advised he would not have it any other way.

Blair laughed again and walked away.

“I can decide for myself,” Brianna said, the pain beginning to ease and feeling a bit of her hard-won freedom vanish before her eyes.

“I have no doubt that you can. Do you wish to sit?”

“Nay,” she said with a shake of her head. “The hard ground will only serve to aggravate the pain. I wish to walk some.”

“It will not pain you to do so?”

She was honest. “At first, but the walking will eventually ease it.”

He supported much of her weight as they walked slowly along the worn path the horses traveled.

“If you have no doubt that I can decide for myself, why, then, would you decide for me?”

“Because I wish to protect you.”

“From whom?”

He eased his hold on her as her steps became stronger. “Yourself.”

She stopped and glared at him, ready to battle, when suddenly she changed her mind. “You truly cannot bear to see me suffer, can you?”

“I would suffer all your pain if I could.”

She stepped forward to slip her arms around his waist and lay her head to his chest. “I am so blessed to have you love me.”

His arms circled her, making certain most of her weight rested against him. “You may not feel that way in a few years. You may grow tired of me.”

“Never,” she said with conviction. “I will take joy in you waking by my side each morning and great pleasure in falling asleep in your arms every night.”

“I will remind you of these words one day.”

“You will not need to. I will cherish our time together and look forward to every moment I spend with you.”

He lifted her chin with a gentle finger so that their eyes could meet. “It is I who am blessed to have you.”

She smiled. “We will do well together. I am sure of it.”

“Aye, we will, for I am sure as well.”

They kissed, lingering for several moments, and then walked down the path and off into the woods, where they kissed and touched and wished they were back at the cottage.

After Royce was certain that she was feeling better, they returned to the horses.

Blair suggested that they could camp for the night if Brianna did not feel up to continuing the journey.

Brianna insisted that she wished to arrive home this evening, that she was anxious to see her family and have them meet Royce.

Blair nodded, looked to Royce, and ordered his men to mount their horses.

Several hours later, as dusk covered the land, they arrived at the clan Cameron keep.

As the horses approached the village surrounding the keep, Royce whispered in her ear, “Remember.”