Stealing the Bride

by Mary Wine

  If she shaved the man, she’d be leaning over him, which would place her breasts mere inches from his nose. She snorted. Maybe that was his plan all along.

  She stood up and caught sight of herself in her mirror. Without her corset, her breasts hung freely beneath the thin linen of her chemise. She could even see the ghost of her nipples through the worn fabric. New chemises were stiff until they had been worn for several months and washed over and over. She never slept in them until they were softened by time and use.

  Would Hayden enjoy being so close to her breasts?

  Her cheeks heated with a blush but her lips curled up with wicked enjoyment. She certainly would not be confessing that thought to Father Simon Peter.

  But would he?

  Picking up her under bodice, she walked to the mirror while shrugging into it. Her breasts hung like tear drops and the nipples were small little roses. Some of the other women had larger brown nipples, and she’d heard that such was a sign of better, richer milk.

  But what did a man like?

  She began to lace the front of the corset closed. Her breasts rose up, the tops swelling above the gently curving edge of the stiff garment. The corset kept her breasts from bouncing, sometimes painfully, while she attended to the chores that kept life comfortable.

  The mirror showed her the plump swells and she leaned forward to see what Hayden might see if she agreed to shave him. Her eyes widened, but more shocking was the thought that crossed her mind.

  She wanted to know if he would stare at her breasts.

  With a short hiss, Elspeth turned around and finished dressing. Her skirts had dried well overnight but they would not remain that way for long. She lifted the bar that kept the shutters closed against the wind, and opened them. Bright spring sunlight filled her chamber and the breeze carried the scent of new blossoms. Nae, her skirts would not be remaining dry today. Such sun would be needed to dry the washing.

  Hurrying to finish, she tucked her hair into a linen cap to keep it from getting in the way while she worked. It rained often in Scotland, which meant you did the washing when there was a bright morning, or risked losing your costly sheets to rot when there was no way to dry them. There would already be many women down by the river.

  She pulled the sheets off her own bed and hugged them tightly while heading to the kitchen. She tossed the sheets into a large basket that was mostly full of aprons and other things that need washing. Several baskets were missing, telling her that her fellow Leask women were all thinking the same thing. Searching the top of the long table that stood near the hearth, she scrapped together a swift meal with what was available. There was still hot cereal sitting in a large pot that hung over the coals in the hearth. Fresh spring honey was standing in a pottery jar, and when she drizzled it on top of the cereal, the sweet scent made her smile.

  It also drew a rumble from her empty belly. She hadn’t eaten last night. Her mind had been too full to worry about her belly. Full of thoughts of Hayden Monroe. It was frustrating but at the same time fascinating. She’d never met a man who drew her interest so completely.

  Well, Hayden Monroe would have to wait. She was no princess or daughter of some laird who could keep an army of maids in his pay. There were chores to do and she agreed with her mother—a woman, even one who was high-born, should know every task that was needed to run a house. That way, she would not find herself being cheated by lazy maids or greedy merchants.

  Grabbing her basket, she headed to the river.

  The rain had filled the river to near bursting. It churned and roared while rushing down from the hills of the highlands. The current was dangerously strong, and the women scrubbing their laundry on the shore snapped their fingers at the children to warn them away from the water. Later in the season when there was not so much snow melting, the little ones would be allowed to scamper along the rocky banks. Today, they were banished up onto the banks where flowers and new spring grass were transforming the land.

  “Someone missed mass this morning.”

  It was Birkita that spoke. She shot a gleeful smirk toward Elspeth. “Father Simon Peter was asking after ye.”

  Elspeth pouted, gaining a round of laughter from the other women. Every one of them had spent their share of time dealing with Father Simon Peter when the priest came looking for them.

  “Well, I suppose the man needs to feel as though he’s shepherding his flock.”

  “No doubt he feels ye need to know he’s watchful.” Birkita laughed again as she swung what she’d been washing in a wide circle by one end. Water sailed out while she swung it.

  “I’ve no doubt of that man’s devotion.”

  The women laughed again, but they all began to work instead of talk. The afternoon would bring time to enjoy one another’s company, once the washing was finished and everything was laid out in the sun.

  For now, Elspeth listened to the roar of the river and the slap of the water as she worked each dirty item over a flat rock. Dipping, scrubbing, and dabbing with some of the soap she’d made during the icy winter months. The water chilled her fingers because it had been snow only a day or two ago up in the highlands, but the sun was warm, keeping her back hot. Some of the women sang soft tunes that kept time with the washing.

  Elspeth suddenly realized that everything had gone quiet around her. She lifted her head to look into the eyes that had kept her company most of the night. Hayden Monroe was even more powerful looking by bright daylight. He stood at the top of the bank, watching her with an unreadable expression. Birkita shot her a smirk before she and the other women found reasons to move farther down the bank, some of them climbing up the slope and disappearing altogether.

  Hayden closed the gap between them, the pleats of his kilt swaying with each step. He had the garment belted securely around his waist, with the tail of the tartan pulled up and over his shoulder. A solid gold broach held it to the fabric of his jerkin, the Monroe crest clearly evident on it—one ram and a falcon that spoke of noble blood. But in spite of such a costly piece of finery, he wore only a knitted cap on his head, tipped to the side like any Leask man.

  “I didna expect to find ye doing common chores, Elspeth.”

  “Why not? If ye wanted to meet that sort of girl, take yerself up to McDonald land. His sisters are pampered, I hear. They keep their hands soft as spring flower petals while the maids do the working. I am a Leask daughter and proud of being strong enough to do my share.”

  He chuckled at her. “Ye have a passionate temperament, Elspeth Leask. Father Simon Peter was kind enough to speak with me this morning about his fears that ye are being allowed to stray from the narrow path.”

  Elspeth rolled her eyes. “Well, I’ll be facing him later. At least I’ll have raw fingers to testify that I spent the day doing something he’d approve of.”

  Hayden captured one of her hands before she realized his intention. Warm and hard, his hand closed around hers with surprising gentleness. He raised her hand to study her fingers before he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss against the back of her hand. So simple and so often done in greeting, but Elspeth felt this kiss a hundred times more than any other. She tugged her hand away instantly, her face exploding with color. He released her or she never would have succeeded. Something flickered in his eyes that warned her he was not happy with her rejection.

  “Ye enjoyed my kiss last night, Elspeth, so do nae be saying in the bright light of day that ye care naught for me.”

  Her fingers tingled, that single soft kiss sending sensation up her arm and down her body. She might be surprised by how quickly her flesh responded to his but she was not a liar.

  “I said nothing.”

  “Only jerked away from me like I burned ye by kissing yer hand.”

  “It did burn.” Her hand rose to cover her lips but too late. The admission had already escaped, exposing her internal dilemma. Hayden’s expression transformed instantly, becoming one of hunger. She stared at it as he reached out to capture her hand
yet again. This time, he gently rubbed each finger, chasing the chill from them with his own body heat.

  “Did it now, lass? Well, I think we’ll have to explore that.”

  Her belly tightened with excitement. A crazy jolt of anticipation ripped through her. No part of her remained untouched. It licked over her skin, awakening hundreds of spots that begged for a touch from the hand holding hers. Behind her corset her nipples became hard points that stabbed into the stiff garment containing them. Her breath froze in her throat and her lower lip felt dry. She ran her tongue over it and stopped when Hayden’s gaze dropped to the path her tongue took. Hunger danced in his eyes, driving her excitement up another notch.

  “Enough, I’ve work to do.” Her tone was husky and foreign sounding. She swallowed, forcing down the lump that had somehow become lodged in her throat.

  “Aye, I agree with that. Which is why I sought ye out, Elspeth.”

  She looked back at him to see him hiding behind an expressionless mask once again, but there was a challenge lurking in his eyes that warned her he was making ready to test her again. Her chin rose and her hands landed on top of her hips, pushing her elbows out. Hayden blinked and then tossed his head back and laughed.

  The toad.

  Wasn’t that just like a man? To find amusement in a woman standing up to him.

  “Get on with ye. I’ve tasks to see to.”

  She didn’t care if her tone was surly or if Father Simon Peter would demand a full ten decades of Hail Marys said in penance.

  Hayden lowered his face to stare at her. “Exactly what I wanted from ye, lass, to see to a task.” He reached up and ran his hand over his beard. “I have need of yer delicate hands to rid me of these whiskers so I can kiss ye without complaint. And take a good long time about it at that.”

  “I’ve never shaved a man.”

  Or discussed kissing one so plainly …

  He smiled at her but it was not a cheerful expression. It was full of wicked promise and that excitement warming her belly grew in response, spreading to her passage and the delicate folds of flesh hiding its entrance. No one had ever touched them but Hayden wanted to; she saw the intention burning in his eyes. It was dark and edged with promise. She shivered, her fingers tingling with the memory of just how gentle his hands could be, and then the folds of her sex tingled with longing to feel the same.

  “I’m happy to hear ye have never shaved a man.” There was arrogance in his tone that annoyed her. It was too confident, too sure of her will bending to his.

  “And I did nae say I would shave you.”

  One of his eyebrows rose. “Well now, lass, if ye are too timid to try me, just say so.”

  “I am not timid.”

  He stepped up closer and she caught the scent of his body. It was strange the way she noticed what he smelled like. It wasn’t a lack of washing that drew her attention to it. There was something very male that drew her interest. Like musk.

  “Yes ye are, Elspeth, and I admire ye for that, for ye have kept yer hands on yer chores and away from men. Not many can claim that even if they declare it loudly.”

  She knew exactly what he meant. There were many who knelt in the perfect display of Christian obedience, but they met with their lovers once the Mass was finished.

  Something behind him caught her eye. Elspeth looked between his arm and body, gasping when she realized that one of the younger children had ventured down to the water’s edge. Too young to know the danger of the roaring river, the little girl was hopping among the rocks with an innocent smile on her face, the cool water beckoning to her with the heat of the day at its strongest. The women were all too far away to prevent the babe from making it past them. No one was watching the river bank in deference to her and Hayden.

  “What is it?”

  Hayden turned in a tightly controlled motion, but Elspeth was already darting out into the water. The child looked up as she jumped farther into the current. The moment she landed in ankle-deep water, it tore at her skirts, dragging her down to her knees and onto her face. The surging waters began tumbling the child like a branch, over and over while the little girl began screeching in terror.

  “Elspeth, stop!”

  Hayden roared at her but the child’s cries were far more piercing. In the moments he’d taken to judge what was happening, Elspeth had run into the water with her skirts held high. The child kicked with all her might but the river was too strong, yanking her toward the rushing center that was foamy and white. Her white sleeves turned dark with mud, exposing the sinister nature of the flooded river. Elspeth threw herself toward the grasping hands, pushing hard against the muddy bottom of the river to launch herself after the girl.

  She felt the small fingers clawing at her. Fingernails carved deep grooves down her forearms but it was the dearest pain she had ever endured. The river ripped at her skirts, the heavy weight of the sodden wool allowing the water to pull her along more strongly than it had the child. There was no way to escape as well as hold on to the delicate body clutching at her.

  Women were screaming along the banks now, heads popping up from where they had walked up onto the banks. All of it was drowned out by the roar of the water. Elspeth kicked with every ounce of strength she had, but it was nothing compared to the pull of the water. Her feet lodged on a boulder for one moment, while the rushing current tore her skirt around the solid rock. Her thighs quivered, her strength threatening to fail her. Grabbing the child’s small waist, Elspeth lifted her into the air and threw her to Hayden. He was only a few feet away, but still on feet braced wide against the fury of the water. He caught the child in a grasp that made her scream again, but he did not keep her. He sent her flying back to the women on the bank. Elspeth gained one glimpse of the child wrapping her dirty sleeves around her mother’s neck. Relief surged through her in a thick wave one second before her legs crumpled and her body was sucked around the rock into the heart of the river.

  Chapter 3

  “Elspeth!”

  Hayden’s voice was drowned out as the white water that looked so pristine closed its jaws over her like a steel trap. The force of it threatened to crush her chest as she was forced down, down into the swirling tempest. It sent her crashing into rocks and fallen trees without mercy, dragging her away after hitting one, and into another. It was also bone-numbing cold. It felt like a thousand tiny daggers pricking at her. Each second seemed like an hour, the agony lasting forever. Her lungs began burning for breath but the current held her down, refusing to release her. All around her were hundreds of bubbles, making it impossible to determine which way was up.

  Strong arms wrapped around her, shocking her with how warm they were. Her head suddenly broke through the surface of the river, allowing her to suck in a breath. Hayden cursed next to her ear but his arms held her close while the river pulled them both along in its grasp.

  “There, lass. Do ye see the bend?”

  “No.” All she saw was the white tops of waves, the sunlight turning them golden. There was another blinding jolt of pain as they were smashed against a submerged boulder. Hayden grunted, his huge body jerking, but he found the strength in his legs to push off the rock, sending them precious feet away from the center of the river.

  “There is a bend in the river. If we make it to the shore, dig yer feet into the mud.”

  The roar of the water made it hard to understand him, but far worse was the chill. It was seeping into her mind, numbing her thoughts. He grunted as he shoved them off another rock and suddenly the shore didn’t seem so far away. Elspeth kicked, pushing her feet against anything solid. Every muscle ached, resisting her demands that they work. She sucked in as much water as air, coughing when the water burned her lungs.

  But the shore got closer. Hayden shoved her toward it, his body pushing hers toward the promise of safety. She felt the water turning and trying to suck her skirts along with it but Hayden refused to allow it. He dug his feet into the muddy bottom and growled while forcing them both
out of the grip of the current.

  They landed on their bellies like newly netted fish. Elspeth found that she lacked the strength to do anything but lie on the sand and pull deep breaths into her starving lungs. Her entire body quivered and the tiny pebbles that made up the shore poked into her face.

  “I can nae believe ye took that sort of chance with yer life.”

  Hayden sat up, his chest heaving with the effort of trying to get them out of the water.

  “You were too far behind me. The current would have taken that babe before ye got a hand on her.”

  He growled at her. The sound annoyed her, restoring enough of her strength to lift her head. “And do nae ye growl at me, Hayden Monroe.”

  He snorted and lifted one hand to point a finger at her. “What I’d like to do is give ye a spanking for acting so foolishly.”

  Elspeth felt her eyes widen with rage. She sat all the way up, staggering when she attempted to stand, but her anger gave her the strength to keep her feet beneath her.

  “You will not spank me!”

  Hayden rose up beside her, dwarfing her with his greater height. “If I thought ye weren’t so chilled by that damned water, I would.” His nostrils actually flared. “For ye’re lucky to still be alive.”

  He clasped the sides of her head and kissed her. Hard and demanding, his mouth claimed hers in a kiss that held all of the tension of the last few minutes. Elspeth was suddenly desperate to return his kiss. She reached for him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her body up against his. Hayden rocked back on his heels but held her steady while his mouth continued the hard kiss. He seemed to be seeking reassurance that she was alive, and she wanted to confirm the same. His hand slipped around to cup the back of her head while the tip of his tongue traced a path along her lower lip and into her mouth.