“I—”
“Do ye knew how dangerous it was for a lass to come riding here in the woods alone?” The laird was walking toward her now. As he walked forward, she would walk back. A step for a step. Until her back was one of the trees.
“Do ye know how I feared I would see yer corpse somewhere in these blasted woods—”
“But I am alive,” she reasoned. “I am well and alive. I just thought I would have a ride with one of your mares and—”
“That mare,” the laird shouted. He was almost face to face with Charlotte now. “That mare is an untamed beast! Ye could have been thrown off her back! She throws anyone who attempts to mount her. Yer lucky ye’r alive, lass.”
“I… Forgive me—”
The laird did not let her finish. He kissed her suddenly, passionately. It was as if it was their last kiss.
It might be, the laird thought. If she keeps scaring me like she just did.
“Ye just took ten years off me life for scarin’ me, lass. If ye want to go ridin’ tell me and I’ll accompany ye.”
“You were busy,” she said, all spiteful now after remembering what she saw this morn. “You were entertaining your betrothed.”
“Ye are me bride, lass. Me betrothed.”
She looked away, not wanting to hear any of his lies.
“Look at me, lass,” the laird said. Charlotte had no choice but to obey. “We will be wed tonight.”
*****
“Can I speak with ye, Con,” Everlinde asked as she entered his study. She looked beautiful as ever. Radiant.
“Nay, I have a lot of matters to attend to, lass.”
“I will be leavin’.”
At that, Connor looked up from the correspondence he was in the middle of writing. Maybe five years ago, he would have begged her not to leave. To stay in this castle with him.
But times had changed him.
“If that is what ye desire, lass, then I wish ye a safe trip. I will bid some of me men to accompany ye.”
“But what about what we talked last night?”
Aye, they talked after he returned from escorting Charlotte to her chamber. She wanted to make amends. She asked Connor if he could forgive her for all the sins she had done. And he did. He thought he never would. But after staring at her now, gone were his bitterness and anger. He just wished she would have a happy and fruitful life with Ahmed, his friend whom she ran off with.
She also wanted Connor to assist Ahmed to a war against the Tyrells. Apparently, they were being threatened of their lands. Without his help, Ahmed and his men would surely die. They were outnumbered, almost defeated.
“I will see what I can do.”
“He needs ye. Ye might still be angry at him, but ye still like him. Ye were brothers once. Please do not let him get killed. Please help him.”
“I said I will see what I can do, lass.”
“I shall go now. Ahmed might be looking for me. He did not know I would come here.”
“Aye, ye should. I will have ye escorted by me men.”
“She’s very beautiful, yer bride.”
“Aye, that she is.”
“When I left ye, I knew ye would find her someday. That person ye’d love. And ye found her. Hold on to her. She will make ye happy. I wish ye both be happy.”
Connor watched the girl he once loved leave for the second time. But now, there was no regret. No bitterness. He also wished her and Ahmed a long and happy life.
And he would hold on to Charlotte for all he was worth.
***
The keep was in chaos when Charlotte came down that evening. Everyone was busy doing their chores, preparing for the wedding. It seemed surreal. She would be wed tonight, to the person she loved. She should be happy. Yet, she was not.
She decided to talk to Connor then but when she neared the laird’s study, it opened and Everlinde came out. Again, she felt a pang of hurt and jealousy.
“Charlotte,” Everlinde greeted with a smile. When Charlotte did not return the greeting, she frowned. “Surely, yer not thinking that the laird and I—” Everlinde laughed. She was, of course, spot on.
“There is nothing between yer laird and me, I promise.”
“I do not care if you have.”
“That’s what a jealous bride says,” Everlinde teased. She then held Charlotte’s hand and pulled her toward one of the chambers.
“There is nothing between the laird and me,” Everlinde repeated, sitting Charlotte on one of the settees. “I am wed to another man and I love him dearly.”
Still, Charlotte did not speak. Everlinde sighed.
“Just so ye’d understand, I will tell ye my story,” she said. “Ye see, I am just a farmer’s daughter. And Connor was being groomed to be the laird someday. We were never meant to be. But still, he pursued me. And I said yes. He was very charming and romantic, strong and gentle. He was everything a girl of my status would just dream of.
“I thought he was just playin’ with me. Who am I, ye see? But when I humored him and said yes when he asked me to be his betrothed, his eyes shone happiness. That was when I knew I was in trouble.
“I loved him. I did. We were so happy. He did everything to make me happy. But, I realized I loved somebody else.”
“Ahmed?” Charlotte finally spoke and Everlinde smiled.
“Aye, Ahmed. He was Connor’s best friend. He trusted him with his life. And I fell in love with him. How horrible was I?”
Charlotte soothed Everlinde’s back, comforting her.
“That is the thing about love, you see? We cannot choose who to fall for,” Charlotte said, thinking of the laird.
“Aye. And believe me, Connor loves ye. Maybe even more than ye love him. I have never seen him this protective—”
“He feels pity for me. I was sold like a pig by my very own father—”
“Nay, not pity. As I was sayin’, I have never seen him this protective and happy with someone. Not even with me. He looks at ye a lot. Whenever ye are near, he couldna take his eyes off of ye. I can see the love in his eyes. Believe me, lass, he does love ye. I know because that is what I see in Ahmed’s eyes.”
Charlotte grew silent, mulling over what Everlinde said. The laird was a confusing man, yet he was never cruel to her. He listened to whatever she had to say. He laughed. He might get angry at times, but he smiled whenever he looked at her.
Was what Everlinde said true?
*****
“There ye are, lass. Come, we have many things to do,” Matilda said when she saw Charlotte with Everlinde as they were leaving the chamber. Pulling the lass by the arm, she led her to her chamber.
“I will see ye soon,” was Everlinde’s parting words. Somehow, they became friends. Everlinde was not the spiteful selfish woman Charlotte painted her to be. She was actually a good woman who happened to fall in love with another man.
“Take care,” Charlotte answered before she was whisked up the stairs and into her chamber.
“We have to fix ye up, lass. The priest is on his way to the keep now, I was told. Ye have to look beautiful for the laird,” Matilda said, winking at Charlotte. She felt her face heat at what the woman was saying.
“Ye know, Connor sent word to yer father a fortnight ago. He was askin’ yer father’s presence for yer wedding. He knows ye love for him to be here.”
“A fortnight?” she asked. He had yet to ask her to marry him. But if he sent the message long before he asked, that means…
“Aye. He had not asked ye yet because he was awaitin’ yer father’s reply.”
He had wanted to marry me even before what happened in the woods.
At that, she felt her heart soar, her love for the man becoming deeper by the hour. Everything would have been perfect had her father accepted the invitation.
She would have loved for her father to be present on her wedding day. It would be a dream come true for her. When she was young, she wished her father would look at her like the daughter she was, longing for his l
ove. When she grew older, she realized that was just that—a dream.
“I take it Father will not come?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“Aye. That is why the laird asked for me. He wanted me to stand by yer side. A proxy for yer family, he said.”
Matilda started combing her hair, twisting the strands this way and that. The curls were cascading freely down her shoulders and her back now.
“Ye know, the laird has talked to ye in great details. He said ye are the most beautiful girl he has ever seen. That he liked seeing yer hair just like this,” Matilda lovingly stroked Charlotte’s hair. “Falling freely down yer back. He liked yer smile and loved yer laugh. He said he would do everything just to make ye laugh. With him. For him.”
This time, Matilda stood. She went to an unopened parcel in the corner. Charlotte did not even notice it was there until now.
“This is yer wedding dress. It is made of silk and hand-woven by the best tailors in the city. The laird ordered this gown when ye first came ‘ere. I know, because he has admitted that to me when I saw this gown.”
With tears in her eyes, Charlotte lovingly held the gown to her bosom.
***
If someone told Connor that he would be married to an Englishwoman a year ago, he would have laughed his guts out and had the man killed. Even now, he could not believe that he was about to be wed. He has sworn off marriage and women to an extent.
But now, watching his bride walk down the stairs and come to him, he could not think of any other place but right here beside her, facing his people who were now to be her people as well.
“Ye really have bewitched me, lass,” he said, his heart thundering inside his body upon the sight of her.
“Yes, I did, Sire. And now ye are mine,” the lass teased, not knowing the trueness of her words. She was now his, heart, soul and body. And he was hers.
Facing the priest who cleared his throat to make his presence known, they held hands and smiled at one another.
“We are gathered here today to witness the union of these two souls…”
The priest’s words were lost when Connor looked into his bride’s eyes. He knew she can see the love written there, and he can see the same in her eyes. They had come a long and hard journey. But they found each other, and all their hardships seemed worth it.
“Charlotte, daughter of an Englishwoman whom I defeated in a gamble, I take ye as me wife. Ye had bewitched me the first time I laid eyes on ye, dirt and all,” the laird said, making their audience laugh. “Ye grew up with no love. But now, I will give ye me love ye would not ask it from anyone else.”
“Connor, laird of the highlands, you are arrogant and pompous,” Charlotte said, laughing. Connor frowned. The audience gasped. “At least, that was the man I saw that first day when you rode to meet me astride your mighty horse. But you were so handsome too. You proved to be a good man, a great man. And I have loved you ever since. You knew pain and betrayal, and I will do everything in my power to spare you from that kind of pain again.”
The people were silent after their vows, everyone afraid to break the sacred moment the two were sharing.
“Ye are now man and wife. Go forth and make some wee bairns. The keep has been waiting for a long time for the next laird,” the priest finally said and the people erupted into cheers. Connor was still looking into his wife’s eyes. Unable to stop himself, he kissed her passionately to the roaring cheer of the people.
“Ye ready for the bairns now, wife?” he asked when he finally let the lass breathe.
“Aye, husband. I certainly am.”
“I really do love ye, ye know?” The laird now carried his wife out of the hall and to the stairs. The people are now merry-making and no one would dare disturb them.
“I know. And I love you.”
*****
Connor laid his wife on their mating bed, looking into her eyes and seeing his future with her.
He was a lucky man, he thought. I have loved once, but I lost her. Now, I have loved again, and I would do anything for her to stay by me.
“I will never leave you,” Charlotte said, touching his face. He did not realize that he had uttered his thoughts. “I will never leave you,” she repeated.
“I hope. I fear that ye will,” he said, kissing her hands. “It will break me, lass.”
“I will never leave you,” she repeated again. Connor nodded, kissing her forehead. Then her eyes. Her cheeks. Her chin. Down to her throat.
He started to remove her clothes, and every part of her he unveiled, he kisses. Her breasts, the twin globes that were ripe for him, her navel, down to her feet. He worshipped her like she was a goddess. And her him. She also undressed him slowly, reverently. They made love, looking at each other, thinking that the other one was the most important person in their lives.
They made love passionately, slowly at first until they could not help their passion anymore. They lay together throughout the night, happy and satisfied. And the night after that. And all the nights after.
THE END
Another bonus story is on the next page.
Bonus Story 28 of 44
Interview with an Alien
Description
Gillian Johnson gets the ultimate sports interview. Running back Marcus London had agreed to an interview with her, and no ne else. She was the envy of sports reporters and drove out to his desert ranch nervous and excited to talk to the handsome football star.
The interview gets interrupted by an attack from the sky. Before she knows it Gillian, Marcus and his Butler, Kirkpatrick, are hiding in a bunker of extraordinary technology. She watches on a screen as the mansion and her car are completely destroyed. It was then that she discovered Marcus London’s big secret. He is an alien. As in from outer space sort of alien.
Gillian would have had an easier time dealing with the fact that the handsome man she desired was an alien, if they were not being attacked by other aliens. Soon she is transported to exotic locals on earth, one step ahead of the next attack!
*****The Big Chance
Gillian checked her reflection one last time before driving out for the interview. She felt she had to look both attractive as well as professional. She wore a blue pants suit with a white silk top underneath, highlighting her bust size without being obvious about it. It was her only tailored suit so it was made to fit her voluptuous size. She was a tall woman, five foot ten, with wide hips and large chest. Due to her height and other attributes, her chubby waist was not as noticeable and the suit helped, she thought.
Her blond hair was past her shoulders and she had it pinned up on the sides. A lot of journalists liked to tie it up or back completely but with her plump, heart-shaped face it looked better the way she had it. Her blue eyes were clear and bright and she used little make-up, glad she had a good complexion so she could get away with that. She hated make-up.
Satisfied, she gathered up her interview bag and went down to her car and began the drive out to the athlete’s ranch. She was still in shock she had been chosen for the job. Marcus London was the hottest running back in the NFL. Off season, he never did interviews and when he did, it was quick and fluff. She always put in for interviews with everybody, but her magazine was not Sports Illustrated. Athletes Monthly was a low key, more in-depth magazine and it was harder for them to get the big interviews. So when she got the call, she and her editor were over the moon.
Social media was going nuts, because he was not doing any other interviews. It was her big break and she intended to make the most of it. Out of all of the people who put in the request, she was picked and London’s manager had said she was his personal choice. No television networks or other magazines were getting a shot, just her, Gillian Johnson.
She pulled up to the ranch out in the middle of the desert and stopped at the gate. She rolled her window down and pressed the button on the gate box. The dry heat rolled into her air conditioned car. A green light blinked and the gate slowly opened for her. She d
rove her little Celica through the gates and followed the drive. Gillian took deep breaths to help her relax and not become too freaked out about the coming interview. It was hard because now she was on site and it was about to begin!
Gillian pulled up to the mansion where the steps went to the front door. She got out, grabbed her bag and as she did the front doors opened. A little man in a suit came out, smiled and waved, gesturing her up the steps. Even for early summer, it was hot out here in the Arizona desert, so going inside was a welcome idea. She shrugged her bag over her shoulder and went up the steps.
“Welcome, Miss Johnson. I am glad you could make it. Marcus is a huge fan of your work and if I may say so, I am as well. My name is Lawrence Kirkpatrick. I handle all of Mr. London’s appointments,” he said, offering his hand. She shook hands and went inside the huge place with him. It was the perfect cool temperature. Not too hot and not too cold, like the fairy tale, just right.
“It is good to meet you, Mr. Kirkpatrick. It is nice of you to say,” she responded.
“It is only the truth, my dear. This way, please. Mr. London is out back,” he advised and led Gillian down a wide hallway that appeared to pass through the center of the mansion.
“If I may say so Miss, your article on the dangers of concussions in the NFL was the first of the kind. Mr. London was very encouraged by it and believes you are the person who first brought it to light and made it something that people will discuss. He looks forward to talking about it with you,” Mr. Kirkpatrick told her.
“As do I. I am glad he liked it. Most people do not remember that I wrote that. I have come to find it amusing,” she told him.
Gillian was being honest. When the discussion became more mainstream, the credit was given to other, male, journalists. It had taken her awhile to get past being ignored like that. As she had told Kirkpatrick, these days she just thought it was amusing. Even more amusing was the fact that she was the one who got the extended interview with the reclusive running back. The hallway opened up into a wide living room area. The back wall was all glass with French doors in the exact middle. Beyond the doors was a long, covered patio and Marcus London sitting at a glass table.
THE HEALING HEART: Military and Pregnancy Romance Page 89