Finally, they reached the village, and Ainsley dragged them through the ribbon shop and a dressmaker’s. Agnes wanted to yawn with boredom as Ainsley then pointed at the chemist’s shop. As she passed by an adorable cottage, in front of it, a young woman pulled a baby’s cradle into the lane. She looked too young to be married, let alone old enough to be done with a cradle, but she was clearly getting rid of it.
“Excuse me,” she called, quickening her pace toward the woman. “Are you disposing of this cradle?”
“I am,” the girl beamed, looking both excited and relieved. “I’ve no need of it, and I was hoping to bring it to the market to find a buyer.”
“I’ll purchase it from you if you’d be so inclined,” Agnes grinned. It had been well-worn, but she was sure she could make it shine like new.
The woman returned her grin, happiness lighting her eyes. “That would be wonderful. It was my sister’s. With my parents gone, we could use the funds…”
“That’s enough,” a man barked from the doorway. “They don’t need to hear about our problems.”
A chill ran down Agnes’s spine. His voice was harsh, and their situation sounded as though it might be dire.
The girl cleared her throat. “I’ve a lovely canopy that can be hung from it if ye’d like to buy that as well.”
“Oh, I would,” Agnes exclaimed, trying to push aside her ill feelings. The girl rushed inside to get it, and Agnes took a deep breath.
Keiran came up next to her. “What’s this?” he asked.
For whatever reason, Keiran’s presence made her feel so much better. She told herself that anyone would have eased her worry, but somehow she trusted Keiran with her safety. He’d protect her now no matter what happened. It was a realization that made her breath catch as she looked at man standing by her side.
“Clarissa doesn’t have one yet. I thought I could clean and polish this one for next to her bed. I doubt they’ll hire a wet nurse.” Agnes touched the spindles on the side, thinking of the sweet babies who had lain in it before.
“It’s a good idea.” He grunted, his voice a little rough, but his face was soft. As he touched the cradle too, he moved in close to her, and she could feel the heat of his body, his breath tickling her cheek. Her heart pounded. She desperately wanted to look back into his eyes, to see what he was thinking, but she didn’t dare. It was too intimate.
The girl came back out. “Here is the canopy and a blanket.” She handed the folded pieces to Agnes. “May the cradle bring ye both good fortune with yer bairns.”
Agnes made to correct her. To say it was for her cousin and not her and Keiran. But a young man had stepped from the house too. His gaze piercing into them both in a way that made her clutch her hands together.
“Let them move on,” he commanded again, and Agnes knew this was who had chastised the girl before. He was younger than she expected, but there was a hardness about him and a rough look in his eyes that spoke of hard times or a hard man.
Keiran noticed too and he straightened, putting his arm around her as he assessed the young man. Slowly, he answered, “I’ll be back to pick it up this afternoon.”
Agnes blushed for at least the third time that morning. He was going to let this woman think they were married and having a baby. Something inside her melted at the thought. She warmed and ached. It was so strange because she should have worried about the odd look of the other fellow, but she felt so safe with Keiran there.
Ainsley came up behind them. “What are we doing?”
“Getting a cradle,” Kerain answered, but he didn’t move away, nor did he take his gaze off the other man. In fact, his hand tightened at her waist. She was so glad he was there, protecting her, but the fact that he was clearly worried deepened her own.
She paid the woman, acutely aware of Keiran’s touch and the eyes of the other man. She wanted to ask who he was, but she didn’t dare. So instead she carefully wrapped up the linens. Her fingers trembled as she worked, but Keiran didn’t back up, for which she was grateful. Though she had the urge to bury her face in his shoulder. As the young man took two steps closer to them, Keiran tucked her slightly behind his body.
“What will ye do with those?” Ainsley tried again, looking from one person to the other. Agnes didn’t blame her. There was something in the air, like before a storm. It crackled with a feeling she couldn’t name.
She cleared her throat. “I’ll wash and repair them, if they need it.” She gave the young woman a forced smile. “Thank you.”
A baby cried from within the house, and the young man stepped inside. Agnes let out a sigh of relief as the girl followed.
Keiran finally removed his hand from her waist and grabbed the cradle to tuck it to the side of the lane so it wasn’t in the way until he could return for it. “It’s a fine idea, buying them a cradle.”
Ainsley shrugged. “We could have purchased a new one.”
Agnes swallowed. “You’re likely right, but I like tinkering with things. It keeps me busy.”
“No shame in that,” Keiran replied. “Let’s head back. I’ll have to return with a carriage.”
Agnes nodded, groaning to herself at the thought of the horse ride back. She missed his heat, the feel of his hands. She wished she could ride with him.
She wished she could stop thinking such thoughts, but he was tempting if nothing else. She supposed that was the appeal of a rogue.
They made their way back to the public barn and collected their horses. The groom at the stable helped Ainsley mount while Keiran approached to aid her.
Agnes very carefully tucked the blankets into her saddle bag as he reached her side. “Thank you,” she gave him a smile as he threaded his fingers for her to step in.
“Ye’re welcome, lass.” As her hands came to his shoulders the heat once again curled in her belly. This time, she couldn’t blame unease like she had at the little cottage. It was Keiran causing these feelings. She said a silent prayer to get her body under control.
Which was likely why she failed to see the mouse as it skittered past her mount. As her horse bucked, she was nearly unseated. Clutching at the reins, she tried to hang on, but she was falling and she braced herself for impact.
Strong hands caught her as she did, Keiran pulling her against his body. Her arms wrapped around his neck even as her mare took off at a gallop back toward the woods and likely the estate.
He held her close again. His breath tickled her ear as he whispered, “Are ye hurt, lass?”
“No, only frightened.” She swallowed. “I’ll have to rent a mount, I suppose, but I spent my pin money on the cradle.”
“Ye’ll ride back with me,” he said as his hands tightened around her waist.
She pulled back to look at him then, but their embrace was so intimate, any thoughts of what she was about to say flew from her head. All she could do was stare at his lips, praying he’d kiss her again.
Hadn’t she just been praying for something else? But she couldn’t think of what it was as he mounted his horse all the while holding her close. His strength surprised her, as did the feel of his thighs and something else entirely as he settled her on his lap.
Her legs hung off to one side and her arms were slipped around his neck. One of his hands grabbed the reins, the other rested on her hip.
It made her shiver in the best way. “I didn’t know you were so strong,” she said before she could think it through.
He gave a small chuckle. “It’s the only upside to pushing cannons.”
She tilted her head back then. “Was it awful?”
He kicked the horse forward, Ainsley falling in step next to him. “Thank ye for askin’. Most of it was, some of it wasn’t.” He cleared his throat. “Ewan is my brother now, and will be for life after what we went through.”
“Tell me about the bad parts.” Clarissa had told her she should ask. It seemed as good a time as any. Actually, it seemed like the best time to ask. There was an intimacy to their touch and comfor
t she could provide. And honestly, she needed the distraction from the butterflies flitting around in her stomach. The feel of his body against hers was making her flush with heat.
And Keiran had now saved her twice.
While he clearly said what was on his mind, good or bad, he also protected her when she needed it. And wasn’t that the real reason she’d wanted to marry a gentleman to begin with? She needed a man who would keep them safe and not expose them to the cruelties of the world.
“I dunnae think I should.” He looked at her then, and she could see the pain. The ache that made her hurt more deeply than she thought possible.
Her arms tightened around his neck as her voice dropped so Ainsley couldn’t hear. “Why didn’t you want to sleep in the common room at the inn? I know it was because of the war but was it something specific or just a general feeling of unease?”
She heard him swallow, she was sure of it. “I was attacked in my sleep. A fellow soldier tried to steal my grandfather’s pocket watch, but he near took my life too. If I hadn’t woken up in time he would have.”
Foolish, foolish girl, she chanted to herself. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”
“Don’t say that, Agnes,” he answered quickly. “I don’t want yer pity or yer comfort. I’m not the man fer ye. Don’t forget it.”
Chapter Five
Keiran’s teeth had been gritted since he’d left the estate. First because Ainsley was irritating the hell out of him with her incessant chatter. And Agnes, she was tempting him beyond what a man could take. Her lovely curves were pressed against him as her arms were threaded around his neck. And damn it all to hell if she wasn’t so sweet and understanding that it made a man ache.
He could lose himself in her. He wondered, for a moment, what he’d return as if he did. Would it be better? Somehow, he had a feeling it would. The real question was, what would it do to her? Sweet innocent Agnes did not deserve to know how deep the world could cut. He knew he’d hurt her but it was nothing compared to the darkness he held inside.
As her delightful scent wrapped around him, he was losing his ability to think clearly. To reason out all the carefully constructed reasons why he should stay away from her.
Iverness Estate loomed ahead of them, and Keiran breathed a sigh of relief. If Agnes were on this horse any longer, he’d likely keep riding. Take her with him to his own home and straight to his bed.
He felt his manhood twitch. He’d been trying to keep the thoughts at bay, but her curves were pressing into him in the most delightful way. He looked down at her and knew she felt it too, as her eyes rounded.
She didn’t, however, shy away as he’d expected she might. Instead, he felt her undulate her hips against him. He grew harder and his breath seized in his chest. Ainsley had started prattling again, though he barely noticed now.
He tightened his hand on Agnes’s hip. He’d meant to hold her still, but instead pressed her closer. She made the tiniest sound of enjoyment, somewhere between a coo and a mewl. That small sound set him to blaze.
“Agnes,” he gasped roughly, keeping his voice quiet.
She moved again, her hips swirling, pressing, grinding her softness into his hardness. She might be an innocent, but she was no prude. Keiran had the sudden thought that he’d give years of his life to lie with her.
It was a damn good thing he hadn’t known this when they’d been at the inn together. They’d be married now for sure.
They could be married tonight.
He was losing his mind. The press of her hips was making him near mad, and he kicked his horse a little faster, now sure he would bypass Iverness and head straight to Lockeheart, his home.
“There ye are,” Ewan called from the barn.
Bloody hell and damnation, Keiran cursed to himself as Agnes froze on his lap. A look of absolute horror crossing her face.
“We’ll discuss this later,” he managed to mutter before Ewan began racing toward them.
“Agnes’s mare came back without her, we were worried.” Ewan’s voice grew louder with each word.
As Keiran quickly explained, Agnes practically hid her face in his shirt. She was surely embarrassed. And after he doused himself in icy water, he’d tell her why she didn’t need to be.
But right now, if he tried to talk to her, they’d end up galloping off into the sunset.
Ewan helped her down and, even knowing that Ewan was in love with her cousin, he felt a stab of jealousy as he watched Ewan grab her waist, her delicate hands resting on his shoulders.
Taking several deep breaths, he swung himself off the horse as well and then stepped next to Agnes.
He only realized he was glaring when Ewan’s eyebrows rose up. Without meaning to, he’d placed his hand on Agnes’s back. For a moment, he considered dropping it, but that seemed far worse, like he was admitting he’d done something wrong. And besides, he liked touching her.
“How was yer outing in the village?” Ewan asked, giving a benign, knowing smile. Ewan was his best friend, but Keiran would have liked to wipe that smile off his lips.
Ainsley made a face at both of them, her irritation apparent. Ainsley was a woman who liked to be the center of attention. He doubted she had any real feeling for him, she simply wanted to be noticed. While, he didn’t hold it against her, he wasn’t a man to indulge such needs, even if Agnes wasn’t completely distracting him. “It was fine. I thought the village would be bigger.” Then she flounced off toward the house.
“I’ve got to return for a few things they purchased,” Keiran replied without really answering the question Ewan had asked. He couldn’t talk about it. “May I use yer carriage?”
“Of course,” Ewan answered sounding amused. He likely thought it funny that Keiran was now attending ladies’ needs. Let him laugh. He was only doing it for Agnes. It was getting harder to deny her anything. “What did they buy?”
Keiran couldn’t very well tell him, so he continued to glare at his friend.
Agnes cleared her throat. “I bought a new trunk. Mine has become terribly worn form the trip. Keiran is going to retrieve for me.” Keiran raised his brow as he looked over at her. She was a terrible liar. Her voice shook as she said the words.
Ewan’s quizzical look disappeared, and despite Agnes’s poor attempt at covering her tracks, he seemed to accept it. “Of course. Why didn’t ye just say so?” he asked Keiran, slapping him on the back. “I’ll have them bring it ’round.”
Ewan turned to inform the groom that he needed the carriage, leaving Agnes and Keiran alone.
“Ye didn’t have to give him an explanation, lass.” Keiran grumped as soon as Ewan was gone.
She shrugged. “It seemed easier.”
He couldn’t deny her logic. In fact, lots of things seemed easier with Agnes there.
He leaned down to deliver his next words softly for her ears alone. “I’ll put the cradle in the barn so ye can work on it?”
“Perfect.” She glanced up at him to give him a smile of gratitude. “Thank you.”
But with her face tipped up to him like that and his hand on her back, he wanted to do far more than return her smile. He wanted to touch his lips to hers again. He wanted to lay her in the softly undulating grass and then slide her skirt up her legs….
Her scent had been curled around him the entire ride back from the village. So inviting, so much like the home he hadn’t had in years.
He allowed his head to drift toward her, but rather than kiss her, he rested his forehead against hers. “Ye’re welcome.”
A throat cleared to his right. “Agnes, would you like me to escort ye back to the house?” Ewan had that grin again. Like he knew exactly what was happening.
“Yes, please,” she said as she slipped out of Keiran’s grasp.
That feeling returned. The one where he wanted to carry her away and keep her all for himself. “Damnation,” he muttered, but Ewan heard him.
With a wink, the bloody arse put his hand at the small of Agnes’s back
as he escorted her to the house.
Agnes took a deep breath trying clear her mind. Keiran’s proximity all afternoon had her vibrating with a delicious tension. She looked back to see Keiran glaring at them. “I think I just upset Keiran, but I’m not rightly sure how.”
Ewan chuckled patting her back. “Not to worry, lass. It’s me he’s upset with. And I intend to poke him a bit more before I’m done.”
“Poke him about what?” she asked. He couldn’t think that Keiran was jealous? She remembered his hand on her back and the way he’d glared at Ewan. If it were another man, she might think he was, but not Keiran. Mostly because he was always pushing her away.
Ewan seemed to grow more amused. “It will all become clear in time.”
She wanted to ask more about Keiran and what his feelings really were, but before she could, Ewan changed the subject.
“Did I tell ye that I’m giving Clarissa’s parents a plot of land to build a house.” He winked at her. “It was Clarissa’s idea. With her in Scotland, they want to spend more time here. Why not give them a place of their own?”
“It’s a marvelous idea.” Agnes was so glad for her cousin. Clarissa had found a wonderful husband who cared deeply for her happiness and would always care for her. A small twinge made her grimace. She hoped she could find the same.
But rather than think of husbands, she could only see Keiran. He’d kissed her, pressed his forehead to hers, held her close. Then there was the exchange on the back of the horse. Their touch had been…exciting. Did he want to court her? He’d clearly stated that he wouldn’t, yet his touch spoke of something else.
What kind of husband would he be? The one who offered to return and pick up the cradle or the man who refused to sleep in the common room, near ruining her reputation? Though his explanation seemed reasonable enough. She sighed to herself. He was so confusing.
She spent the rest of the afternoon with Clarissa, reading to her, rubbing her back, telling her about her day. She left out many of the details, like the way Keiran had touched her. She didn’t know why, other than she wanted to sort things out in her own mind before she talked to someone else. Her feelings for Keiran were shifting, and she didn’t completely understand why. As she rubbed Clarissa’s back, she fell silent, trying to find clarity. Before long, her cousin fell asleep.
A Scot's Surrender: Scottish Historical Romance (A Laird to Love Book 3) Page 4