by Mia Pride
“Mayhap we should just… do as she wishes?” Brennain asked. Aye, he could not deny that sharing a bed with Morna and her daughter, as if they were a family, did something strange to his heart. He never thought he would want a child and he found he quite liked Glennis calling him Papa. But, strangely, he found his motives purely innocent. He was not trying to simply manipulate himself into Morna’s bed. He only wished to make the wee lass happy.
“Absolutely not,” Morna huffed. Elsbeth watched with a smirk but stayed silent. She certainly was not the same women who spat venom at him when he first arrived at Miathi. Before, she would scowl and curse if he even came within a stone’s throw of her daughter. Now that he had forcibly removed them from their home, the woman seemed to adore him. He could not make any sense of it, but he decided it was better than the alternative.
Glennis continued to wail in protest as they made their way toward the vacant hut set aside for traveling warriors of Tuathal’s, but he simply held the wee lass and made silly faces and noises until she gave in and began to giggle once more. “Pa… pa funny.”
He leaned into her ear and said softly, “I am not your papa sweet, wee lass.” She made a spitting sound that he could only decipher as dislike at his comment, but it was the truth and she should not believe such a thing, in case her mama never gave him the chance he so craved to make it a reality.
Reaching a round hut with a pointy thatched roof, it was indistinguishable from any of the other huts in the village, except for the lavender bush that grew up against the left side of the door. This time of year, it always smelled sweet and reminded him of his mother, who so loved lavender and creating herbal soaps for her people.
Taking a deep breath of the sweet air near the door, he pushed it open and stepped into the black, freezing room. Glennis shivered in his arms and he wanted to protect her with his warmth, but he needed to make the fire and Morna still wore his cloak. “Here, take her for a moment while I light the hearth.” Morna silently took her daughter, who did her best to cling to him like sap on a tree, grabbing at his hair painfully before Morna pried her wee fists away.
Soon, the fire was lit, and it illuminated the room. He could see the three familiar straw mattresses set onto old wooden frames, piled with furs. There was a chest at the end of each bed filled with clean linens and woolen blankets and served as a place for them to store their personal effects.
“Choose your beds,” he said distractedly while he piled some cushions and pillows near the hearth where he would hopefully find his rest for the night. Morna chose the bed furthest from the door so Glennis would not have to feel a draft all night, and Elsbeth chose the one against the opposite wall. He turned his back so the women could disrobe and be comfortable in only their night clothes. He remembered what Morna looked like in naught but her nightdress. He had felt her slim body beneath the thin linen fabric when he carried her away only the night before. It felt like a lifetime ago. So much had changed yet nothing had gone as he had expected. Had he been so arrogant to expect Morna to thank him for stealing her away from her big, bad husband and melt into his arms, begging him to take her? He scoffed at himself and poked absently at the fire.
“Is all well?” she asked, as she slipped beneath the covers.
Chancing a glance over his shoulder, he forced a smile at her and nodded. “I am fine, thank you. Only thinking.”
She was silent for a moment, then said, “Good night, then,” as she wrapped an arm around Glennis and rolled away from him to face the wall.
“Good night.” Rolling toward the fire, he laid on his side and watched the flames flicker as they glowed blue, orange, and red. The warmth was comforting and the cold earthen floor beneath him was nothing worse than he had slept on before. On any regular night, he knew sleep would be a steady and swift comfort, but he was not sure at all if he would sleep tonight with so much on his mind and the lass who had tormented his dreams for years, wearing naught but a sheer linen nightdress only steps behind him. With a low groan, he closed his eyes and decided that if he could not touch her, he could at least imagine doing so in his dreams.
* * * *
Dragging her hand along the edge of the bed, she sought out Glennis’s wee, warm body, but all she felt was the cold mattress. Awaking with a start, Morna gasped and bolted upright, her eyes struggling to adjust to the dim light of the unfamiliar room as only small embers continued to glow in the hearth.
Looking around, it took her a moment to remember where she was. This was Eblani, a very large tuath they had stopped to rest in before heading to Ráth Mór. She was safe… but where was Glennis? Planting her feet on the ground beside the bed, she rubbed her eyes to clear them of sleep. Then, she saw them.
She could not know when, but at some point in the night Glennis must have climbed out of her bed and sought Brennain’s attention. Her daughter lay folded up snuggly in the man’s arms, a blanket covering her wee body. She looked so much smaller nestled into his large frame, and something inside Morna melted beyond repair. How her daughter sought the love of a father. It broke her heart that she had never felt that love from Caleb. She was only one year old, but her instinct was strong.
A small smile rested on Brennain’s serene face as he slept peacefully beside her daughter. Even in his sleep, he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen and his masculinity was undeniable. Though he slept fully clothed, she could easily see his thigh muscles through his trousers and the large muscles of his arms straining against his tunic. Watching him and Glennis together, knowing how much Glennis loved him and how amazing he had been in return, made her stomach flutter as if a thousand butterflies flapped their wings.
Deciding not to wake them, having no idea what time of day it was, she looked around the room to see Reaghan asleep on the other side of the hearth while both Nola and her mother lay asleep in the other beds. She yawned and decided she could use a little more sleep. If the men still slept, it must not even be dawn. She rolled over, pulled a warm fur over her body and stretched out, decidedly enjoying the sudden freedom to move in her bed without Glennis whapping her in the face or kicking her in the stomach.
She closed her eyes and was certain she fell back asleep, but in what felt like mere moments, a hand was silently shaking her awake. Popping her eyes open, she saw her mother hovering over her with a steaming mug of tea, signaling with her other hand to follow her to the other side of the room. Carefully sitting up and accepting the sweet-smelling drink, she stood and stretched, slowly following her mother, realizing everyone else still slept and that her mother had tended to the fire.
Elsbeth sat down at a bench near the kiln and Morna sat down beside her, blowing the steam as it rose from the warm mug.
“Glennis sure loves Brennain, aye?” Her mother said with a raised brow as she sipped her own tea.
Morna’s ire piqued slightly. She did not care for her mother’s sudden acceptance of Brennain now that she herself was rather angry with the man. Her mother was always very contrary. “Only because she is too young to understand that he kidnapped her,” Morna mumbled, taking her first sip of tea and enjoying the sweet taste of honey on her tongue.
“Och, aye?” her mother responded. “And, when will ye be wise enough to see the truth of this situation, lassie?”
“Excuse me, Mother?” Was she being insulted?
“Oh, I am ‘Mother’ now, am I? Here I thought I was always ‘Ma’.”
“You became ‘Mother’ when you started taking his side… after he kidnapped all of us. I am pleased Glennis is attracted to his energy… just like every other cursed lassie in the world apparently, but that does not change his true nature or his actions.”
“Let me ask ye a question, mo leanbh. What would ye be doing right now if ye were still in Miathi and Brennain had left once more for Ériu without ye?”
Morna rolled her eyes and took another sip. “Sleeping, Ma. I would be sleeping.”
“Ye are a stubborn lass, do ye know it? Ye would be cryin
g like ye did so often before, stuck under Caleb’s constant threats to steal Glennis away if ye did not do his every bidding, and he would likely leave once again very soon after. When will ye wake up and see that Brennain did not steal ye away, lass… he rescued ye. He is offering ye a better future and one for Glennis where she will have a real man to care for her.
“So that is what this comes down to once more, aye? Another man who will hopefully care for me and Glennis? You forced me to marry Caleb for the same purpose and look how that turned out. You suppose I should marry another man right away, solely for his protection?” She felt herself becoming overly agitated and forced her hands not to shake. She cared very much for Brennain, loved him deeply if she were being honest, but she would never marry another man simply for his protection, and certainly not one she could not trust to be loyal.
Her mother shook her head sadly. “Nay, Daughter. I forced Caleb on ye and I am sorry for it. He never did want a wife or child, that is obvious. But can ye not see the true nature of the man laying on the floor with yer wee child? Look at them.” Her mother gestured toward the fire and Morna risked another glance at a sight that would surely soften her resolve to stay angry.
“Yer daughter has fine instincts. She never did take to Caleb the way she took to Brennain. Mayhap ye should trust in her the way ye wish me to trust in ye.” Elsbeth raised a gray brow and made a tsk sound. “’Tis clear as day the man loves ye, Morna. So what if he enjoyed his time as a free man while he could. He has asked ye to marry him lass, and by the way he looks at ye, I can promise ye he will never look at another lass again. I found last night’s encounter hilarious. The serving lass eyeing him familiarly while he broke into a sweat with his arm around yer shoulder. If only ye could have seen the man’s face,” she whispered with a chuckle. “He is terrified he will lose ye. This is yer chance to be happy, my love. Take it before it is gone, for a man like him will never come again.”
With those words, her mother stood up from the bench and Morna heard the joints in her mother’s knees pop as she stretched out. She had done a lot of walking the day before and though Brennain and been kind enough to offer to wait with her while Reaghan went ahead to get the cart, her mother stubbornly refused the help, and now she was certainly paying for it. Still, Brennain had been kind and thoughtful… for a man who had kidnapped them.
Rescue. Her mother’s words spun through her mind. He had rescued them. He had, had he not? With the dissolution of her marriage to Caleb, he could take Glennis away from her at any time and he would have had the right to do so. While this was true, it still made her feel used and somehow manipulated by being taken unwillingly rather than being asked to join him. Mayhap she could accept that his proposal of marriage was genuine if he had sweetly explained his love for her and asked her to go away with him. Instead, it all felt very forced and she wondered if he mentioned marriage only to try to make right his very large wrong. Until she knew for certain that he truly loved her and would be loyal, she would not agree to the marriage. However, heeding her mother’s words and taking into account how much her daughter loved the man, Morna decided to open up her heart… but only slightly. She would never survive another heartbreak caused by this man.
She had no idea what she, Glennis, and her mother would do if she turned Brennain away in the end. Where would they live? The only people she knew in all Ériu were in Ráth Mór, but could she remain there if she rejected Brennain? His entire family lived there and he would one day take a wife and have children. That thought made her feel ill, but she could not make her decision based on fear. If she decided to be with him forever, it would be for love, not protection.
Brennain stirred in his sleep and Morna watched him with rapture, the way his black hair curled just at the nape of his neck, the way his green eyes glittered with delight when he awoke to find Glennis beside him, the way his muscles bunched when he stretched. Gods, he was pure male and her core ached for him despite her caution. She had to admit that she would enjoy feeling his hands all over her if given the chance, marriage or nay.
“Who is this wee lassie stealing my body heat?” he said in a low, false angry voice as he tickled her side. Glennis squealed in delight and cooed, wriggling all over the cushions. She was rather certain Brennain had no idea she was watching him interact with her daughter, which made him all the more endearing to her. Without trying to impress anyone, Brennain was simply fantastic with Glennis.
“Pa… pa!” Glennis shrieked, and grabbed at his nose.
He just laughed and shook his head. “Not yet, sweet dove. Only if your mama will have me.”
Morna’s heart beat fiercely against her chest and she knew her mother was standing in the corner of the room smirking at her smugly, but she did not care. His words melted her all over and made her ache even more for him.
Just then, Glennis’s soft blue eyes found hers across the room and she clapped her hands loudly and shouted, “Mama!” Brennain turned to look over his shoulder, his hair mussed from sleep and his bright eyes connecting with hers. A grin so genuine that she was certain she would collapse had she not already been sitting, spread across his face. She flushed red and raised her mug in a greeting, sipping slowly to try to hide her obvious emotion.
Glennis continued to chant her name, reaching for her as she pulled herself up to a stand and used Brennain’s hip to steady herself. “Mama… Mama! Seep?”
Morna laughed and walked over, sitting down beside them and tweaked Glennis’s cheek. “Aye, Mama slept. I am awake now. Can you say, ‘awake’?”
“Yake!” Glennis shrieked, in an attempt to repeat the word. She was so loud she caused Nola to stir and rub her eyes. Reaghan was already awake, but still lying on the ground as he watched Brennain interact with Glennis with a raised brow. Apparently, it was an odd sight even for his companion. Mayhap Brennain truly did treat them differently than others, after all.
Brennain tilted his head back and laughed as he ran his fingers through the short bouncy curls all over Glennnis’s head. “She is something else, is she not?” he chuckled.
“Aye, that she is.” Their gazes locked and she let a small smile show. She was not ready to give him more than that at this moment, but he did deserve at least a little encouragement, without her appearing overeager. In truth, she did want him to woo her, to really earn her trust so she could decide if being with him was wise, and if it went beyond the physical for him. She already knew he owned her heart. She also knew they would be so good in bed together that they may very well burn the place down when… or if, it ever happened. But she wanted more than attraction on his end. She needed to know he was as madly in love with her as she was with him.
“How did you sleep, love?” he asked Morna, and reached out to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. She wanted to balk and correct him that she was not his love, but would that not defeat the purpose of allowing him to show his feelings? If he wished to call her that, she would simply allow it and try not to read too much into it.
“Aye, I slept rather well, until I awoke and found Glennis missing.”
He put his hands up in protest and smiled. “I had nothing to do with it, I assure you. This wee bonny lass has a mind all her own. You must know this.”
“Aye, that I do.” She conceded with a smile. “What is the plan for the day?”
Brennain looked her up and down with his mesmerizing gaze, as if the plans he had in mind were much too sinister to say aloud. When Glennis began to crawl toward Elsbeth, Brennain stood up and pulled Morna up with him, putting his body between hers and everyone else. He leaned down and brushed his lips along her ear, causing her to quiver with need. “Mayhap first you should get dressed,” he whispered softly, gripping her hip with one hand. She gasped, suddenly realizing she was still in her nightdress. Curse it! She had been so transfixed by him that she had not even given it a thought. “Do not misunderstand me, love. I would enjoy seeing you in much, much less, but I do not wish my companion over there to see more of you
than necessary, lest I need to cut off his bollocks.” His words were so soft, yet possessive and she could not help but shiver and lean closer, placing her head on his chest and closing her eyes.
She really was so drawn to him. It was as if she were a flower and he the sun. Morna could not help but open and bloom, flourish and feel whole when she was near him. Moving toward her satchel, Morna was pleased when Brennain followed, still guarding her body. Peeking over his shoulder, she was glad to see that Reaghan was paying no attention, instead speaking kindly to Nola and her mother while they all packed up and prepared to depart. She pulled out a long yellow dress and slipped it carefully over her body before clipping a bronze belt around her slim waist.
“I love this color on you, Morna.” Brennain touched the sleeve, then grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. “You shine brighter than any ray of sunlight. It is as if you are the sun, itself.”
“There you go with those words of yours again, Mac Greine,” she sighed. “Do be careful what you say to me, if you do not wish your intentions to be misunderstood.”
His eyes narrowed, and his brow furrowed as he pulled her to him once more, looking her in the eyes. “I believe I made my intentions for you perfectly clear. I intend to marry you. Did I not say you were mine?” he growled lowly and placed both hands on her face.
“I heard you. I just need to know why you wish to marry me. Out of obligation? To be a protector? Because you love Glennis? Because you feel ashamed of stealing me?”
He opened his mouth to answer, but he did not get a word out before Reaghan hollered across the room. “We must break our fast and be on our way if we wish to make good time.”
“Aye,” Brennain grumbled and let her go, but not before he leaned in and stole a quick kiss from her unsuspecting lips. “We are not done with this conversation, Morna. You are not an obligation and I shall never feel ashamed for what I did. Never.” He walked away, clearly feeling frustrated with the interruption of their conversation and she sighed loudly, desperate for a chance to truly work everything out between them and decide on her own terms what was best for her and Glennis. Though she already knew the answer in her heart, somehow her head refused to comply.