“As I’m sure you can see, I’m in very good hands.” Gasps and titters from the other ladies filled the barn as Gavin tugged Isla away.
A ripple of intense satisfaction coursed through her. Isla tried to keep from grinning. “I don’t think Lady Lila will be pleased with you.”
“I find I do not care.” He gave her a wink.
“Me either,” she giggled.
“I personally have grown tired of the Lady Lilas of the world. I admire women who ride horses and whisper to cows, and…”
She gave him a glowing smile, but then a stall caught her eye. A horse kicked hard at the sides. Down at the end, it had been removed from all the other animals. “I need a stool,” she whispered.
Isla gave a quick sweep of the situation, watching the other attendees. No one was anywhere near this animal, avoiding the stall. A resounding thud reverberated through the barn again, coming from the lone paddock.
Gavin dropped the stool in front of the gate and helped Isla up. Snickering sounded from just behind her, but this time, she completely ignored it. Her mind had moved away from herself and on to this animal.
Clearly male, his lines were stunning. But even with his eyes covered, he kicked wildly, neighing his discontent. Hermes had been worse, but he was a one-rider horse, not so much tamed and as allowing her to grace him on rides.
Isla smiled. That’s the way it was with some men. A woman shouldn’t attempt to control him, but rather she should join him in abandon.
Making a gentle clucking sound, soft and sweet, the kicking instantly stopped. A quiet whiny replaced the louder neighing as Isla reached out her hand. His long nose nuzzled it, and Isla watched him gently shift his weight. His legs were muscular perfection without a twitch or a twinge to hint at injury.
Unlike Hermes, this horse could be tamed. She sensed it. He would be like the wind for a rider of skill. He was the rare breed who was wild in a controllable way. His dapple-gray coat rippled under twitching muscles, but he continued to nuzzle her hand.
“You try to touch him but give him a nice treat first,” Isla whispered to Gavin. “No loud noises.”
Gavin searched around a found a sugar cube. He balanced one foot on Isla’s stool as he slowly peeked over the gate, holding out the cube. The horse danced up on his rear legs but Isla shushed him, and he settled and took the cube.
“Would Hermes take a cube from me?”
“Never,” she grinned.
A man sauntered up behind them. “A finer beast you’ll never meet.”
Isla turned and looked him up and down. “No one wants this horse and you know it.”
“It’s you!” the man exclaimed.
“Me,” said Isla, grinning. She loved this part. She had dealt with this seller before on behalf of her father. She always bested this particular merchant in negotiation. A fact that made him groan at the sight of her. Haggling might be one of her favorite activities, with the exception of riding.
“The last horse I sold you, you haggled me down to nothin’ and then the beast went on to be a champion.” He sneered.
“Then don’t sell me the horse. I’m sure you’ll find another buyer eventually.” Isla arched her eyebrows, crossing her arms over her chest.
His face turned a bright shade of red, and he took two steps closer, raising his arm to Isla.
10
TAMING A LAIRD’S WILD LADY
Gavin understood it clearly. Men threatened Isla physically because she challenged them, pushed them beyond their perceptions of women and the role they played. But as long as he breathed, no man would lay a finger on her. He swore it to himself, and he’d swear it to her too.
She wasn’t a large woman, in fact, she was quite petite, and while muscular and strong, she was no match for a man’s brute strength. He would protect her always.
Grabbing the man’s hand as he moved toward Isla, Gavin wrenched it down, behind the other man’s back. Then, pulling him close, he spoke between gritted teeth. “You’ll act like a gentleman or you’ll regret it.” Without warning, Gavin spun the man free again and he went crashing to the ground.
The truth was, those men were fools. Isla had skills beyond anyone he had ever met. It would be beyond folly to lock them away. It didn’t make him less of a man to honor her gifts, quite the opposite. In all ways, they would be stronger for it. Perhaps men felt unneeded by such a woman, but Isla needed him. In so many ways. His blood heated at the thought.
Standing up, the horse’s owner spit out a price and Isla began to haggle. Gavin listened in stunned silence as she negotiated the price for, what looked to be a prize stallion, down to the cost of a carriage hag. No wonder this man hated her.
Grinning as the negotiation finished, Gavin shook his head. His burden was lightening by the tick of his watch. If Isla simply broke the horse, which she would, they could resell it at an amazing profit. Marriage, which he had been avoiding for the past two years, had turned out to be the answer. How strange.
He paid the owner and made arrangements for the shipment of the beast. Isla nearly glowed with pleasure, and his blood, already hot, began to boil. Last night on the beach she had been stunning, but he had the sudden urge to see her face when she finished, to witness the rosy glow that would surely flush her cheeks.
He glanced around, everyone was busy. Tugging her hand, he pulled her toward the groom’s closet. He wouldn’t be able to finish anything today, but he at least wanted to taste the honey sweetness of her mouth.
Pulling her into the room, she let out a tiny protest, “Gavin, what if―”
But he didn’t give her a chance to finish. Crashing his mouth down on hers, he dipped his tongue into her mouth relishing the taste as she met him eagerly with a return thrust.
Groaning, he nudged her backward until she was pressed against the wall, then wrapped one of her legs around his waist as her hands dug into his back. Grabbing her buttocks, he lifted her until her other leg wrapped around him too. He’d crush the velvet of her habit and layers of clothing separated them, but her abandon in this moment was exactly what he needed.
The sound of the door creaking open, broke through the lusty haze that had penetrated his mind. Expecting to see Isla’s father or her brother, he braced himself for a fight.
To his surprise, skirts peeked through the doorway before Lila’s curls made an appearance. “I knew it,” she hissed. “She’ll be ruined for sure. Cavorting with a woman who isn’t even a lady. What would Emily think?”
Anger bubbled inside of him. “Cavorting? Isla is to be my wife.”
“Isla? What kind of a name is that? Scottish rubbish. Not that you’re aristocracy either, but you were married into it. You should be seeking better.”
Words flew from his mouth, rage filling his head. “She’s twice the woman you’ll ever be. I’ll be in the ground before I marry another lady like you.”
Lila gasped.
It wasn’t a gentlemanly statement to make, and he shouldn’t have said it, but it was satisfying none-the-less. Lila’s conviction she was superior to Isla made his blood boil.
“Gavin, that’s enough.” Isla’s quietly called him back from the ledge. “Lady Lila, I hope you will excuse us for a moment.”
“Hmph,” Lila sniffed as she closed the door again.
“Are you all right?” Isla touched his face, her fingers brushing down the rough skin.
He closed his eyes, enjoying the softness of her glove against his skin. He reached over and kissed the tips of her fingers. “I don’t like the way she treated you today. I was married to her sort… Lila thinks she is better than you, but I know the truth.”
“What is the truth?” Her breath caught as she spoke.
Gavin paused. He was revealing a great deal, but he found he couldn’t stop himself or didn’t care to. He didn’t feel the need to keep secrets or guard his feelings with her. “I spoke the truth to Lila. You are twice the woman she is. Kind, straightforward, giving, strong.”
Seeking hi
s lips, she pressed her mouth to his. This kiss wasn’t just passionate, it was filled with another emotion, deeper and more desperate.
Something inside him was shifting, but it was difficult to identify what it was.
Her lips broke away from his. “We should go before my family misses me.”
Giving a nod, he kissed her one more time and then backed away from the wall. Part of him didn’t want to let her go. Hell, he wanted to throw her over his shoulder and carry her back to Scotland right this very second. Instead, he stepped back and fluffed her skirts, trying to ease the wrinkles he’d put there.
“It’s fine. I always leave these events with wrinkled skirts. Too much time up against the gates.” Her voice full of laughter, Isla reached up to smooth his hair. Both the gesture and the words filled him with warmth, entirely separate from the heating of his blood before. Of course, she was always more concerned with looking at the horses than looking good.
Stepping out into the main area of the barn, Gavin tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and gave her appearance a quick assessment. Her lips were slightly swollen, her hair mussed a touch, but it added to her appeal. They crossed the barn and began strolling down the stalls. A large group was clustered around a horse, his owner loudly proclaiming his Arabian bloodlines. Isla craned her neck and peeked in. She gave Gavin a wink and a slight shake of her head to signal he wasn’t nearly as good as the horse they had purchased.
“What will you name him?” she asked.
Gavin looked down at her, his breath catching at her beauty. “I think that is for you to decide.”
Surprise and delight lit her eyes. “What about Promise?”
Of course, it was the perfect name. That horse represented the promise of their future together. “It’s perfect.”
As if Isla was reading his mind, she wrinkled her nose, murmuring, “Let’s hope I’m not wrong.”
“You won’t be, but even if you are, we have other promises, and I’m due to make you a few.”
“You’ve made plenty.” Her look was soft and warm as she gazed up at him.
Two things flitted through his mind. The first was that he wanted to tumble her in the hay right this very second, and he may sign over the entire keep to do it. The second was that he didn’t think he’d made her a single promise. In his experience, relationships were work, but in this one, he seemed only to benefit. “What have I promised you?”
She looked surprised. “To marry me.” She giggled as she spoke. “No small promise to be sure. To provide for me, though I promise to help as much as I can. To go into business with my often-difficult father, to name a few.”
“Well, none of those have felt like any work at all, so I promise to do a great deal more than that.”
“Isla,” her father called. “What did you think of the palomino everyone is fawning over?”
“Don’t bother, Papa. The only flesh worth buying, Gavin has already purchased.”
Her father made a face. “The next show, Isla purchases for me.” Then he continued down the stalls.
Gavin grinned. Isla deserved the praise a little jealousy brought and tingling lightness filled him at the thought of their future. Leaning down, he whispered, “Why didn’t he want you to come?”
Isla pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. “He didn’t want them to know I picked his horses, or perhaps it was that I appraised horse flesh at all.”
Gavin shook his head. “Unbelievable.” He understood why the Maddox family had done it, but it seemed ludicrous to hide what was best about Isla. “Is there any chance you can meet me tonight?”
Biting her lip, she nodded. “I’ll try.”
Gavin took a deep breath trying to slow himself down. Lust was bubbling out of control inside of him. Never had it been like this, but he consoled himself, once they were married, how would he be able to leave their bedroom? He paused on the word their… It sounded so right.
“What happened with my father last night?”
Gavin swallowed. Dealing with a belligerent father who accused Gavin of ruining his daughter had not been the highlight of his life. Even assuring Lord Maddox that he had not ruined her and he would marry her had gained him a lecture that lasted hours. He shuddered to think what might have been if had refused marriage. Not that it mattered now, but he was fairly certain the barrel of a musket in his face would have been involved. Isla came by her spunk naturally.
Strolling around the barn a final time, Gavin led Isla outside to the cooler, fresher air. Walking through a field, Isla brushed her hands along the tops of the wild flowers and then began to pick a bouquet.
Such a simple gesture, but it was one more instance where Isla was so at home outdoors. He couldn’t wait to take her back to Campbell Keep.
* * *
***
* * *
THE DAY PASSED with an agonizing slowness as Isla awaited the night. She did not hurry upstairs though as she had done the night before. Instead, lingering at the dinner table, she pretended to act as though she wanted the night to go on forever. It may have been her most deceptive act, and that alone was titillating.
When coupled with what she knew would happen, if she did in fact make it out of her room, well, it intoxicated her despite not drinking the wine being served.
As the last guests left the table, she made a show―not too obvious―of saying goodbye. The men would retire to the smoking room, and Gavin had already warned her that he would spend some time there. Not until late in the evening would they meet in the library.
She sat with the women, content for once, to listen to gossip and play games. As her sister-in-law retired, she left with her to check on the children.
* * *
PEEKING her head into John’s room, Isla watched as he tossed and turned. “John, are you all right?”
“I had a bad dream,” He called from under the covers, his breath caught as if he were trying not to cry.
“Oh, sweetheart, what was it about?” she walked in the room, closing the door behind her.
Sniffling, he sat up. “The river,” he cried.
“I understand that. I had a bad dream about it last night too.” She didn’t add that she had nearly drowned from it, it was only his father’s strength that had saved her. Memories of his strong arms wrapped around her made her catch her breath.
“You did?” His little voice sounded hopeful.
Lucky for them both, they had Gavin to see them through. She wished he were here then she could tell him so. “It’s scary. Would it help if I lay down with you?” She smoothed his hair back from his face.
“Yes, please.” He gave her a glowing smile.
Lying down, she snuggled him into her. “You go back to sleep now. It was just a dream.” Stroking his little arm as she softly sang.
* * *
“‘SLEEP MY CHILD, let peace attend thee, all through the night.
“‘Guardian angels, God will send thee, all through the night.
“‘Soft the drowsy hours are creeping
“‘Hill and vale in slumber steeping.
“‘I my loving vigil keeping, all through the night.’”
* * *
JOHN’S EYES grew drowsy as she continued the song until he finally fell asleep. Even then, she stroked his hair and kept humming the tune. Poor boy. He needed a mother, and with a sudden understanding, she realized it would be her. She had to work harder to give this boy the love he craved.
The door creaked open. Expecting the nanny, she didn’t turn. Instead she waved whomever it was back and then continued to snuggle John. Singing once again, he cuddled even closer in his sleep.
A shadow crossed over her and she turned quickly. She recognized Gavin at once, and sighed with relief. Then, starting to stand, his hand came down to stroke her hair. He moved to the other side of the bed and lay down on the other side of John. “What’s wrong?” he whispered.
“Bad dream,” she returned, starting to sing again when John stirred.<
br />
Gavin’s eyes never left her face and her cheeks heated as she sang. John settled back in and Gavin slipped out of the bed and came around the other side, pulling her up too.
They stood beside John’s bed and Isla tucked the covers up around the boy’s neck. Gavin wrapped his hand around her waist, pressing a gentle kiss to her head. A sense of peace filled her even as his touch excited her senses.
Taking her hand, Gavin led her toward the door, and Isla’s heart beat quickened. Softly, he closed the door behind them and then, pulling her down the hall, they ducked into an unused chamber. Gavin wrapped his arms around her, and pressing her close, kissed along her cheek to her ear. “Thank you for doing that for John.”
A little sigh escaped her lips as breath tickled the sensitive skin. “It occurred to me that by becoming your wife I will be his step-mother. He deserves someone who will love him, care for him.”
“Isla, I never dreamed you would give so much to me, let alone to my son.” Then his lips found hers and Isla was lost.
Now familiar tension built inside her as Gavin touched their lips together than spread hers apart to taste her with his tongue. Gasping for breath, Isla buried her fingers into his hair. Briefly, she didn’t know how far they might go, but it didn’t really matter. They would be married soon enough and a longing to be closer to him consumed her. Anticipation filled every part of her body ‘til she was near bursting from it.
11
TAMING A LAIRD’S WILD LADY
Gavin tried to calm his racing heart and his bulging manhood. The point of pulling Isla into the room had been to tell her it was best to wait, but then she had looked at him with those luminous eyes, talked about loving his son and all reason had left his brain.
Reaching back, he tried to remember a time he wanted something more than he wanted Isla in this moment, but could not think of a single instance.
Words he never dreamed he would speak crowded his mouth. If it weren’t for her tongue tangling with his, he would have spoken them, let them tumble from his lips. Instead, he plunged his hands into her silky tresses and pulled her closer.
Taming a Laird's Wild Lady: Taming the Heart Series Page 9