Her Accidental Highlander Husband (MacKinlay Clan)

by Allison B Hanson

  Using her arm she wiped a tear from her cheek and focused on the small part she could do to help the man she loved.

  Lachlan came into the room with a scowl. “How is he?” He directed his question to Kenna, who was handling the situation like a warrior.

  “The cut on his chest needs to be stitched. He’s lost a fair amount of blood.”

  “Check him over well. I saw him lying in the field, and before I could get to him I saw a horse run past. It may have stepped on him. I wasn’t close enough to know for sure.”

  At that, Mari gasped and came back to Cam’s side. She took his hand, hoping he wasn’t bleeding internally. Many times when a horse stepped on someone, the injury was not easily seen.

  Abagail added her own assessment. “A few ribs are broken. Nothing too bad. You stitch him, Kenna. You’ve a fine hand.”

  Mari turned away so as not to tell them to hurry. It didn’t matter how the stitches looked—the man was already covered with scars. They needed to stop the bleeding quickly. They needed to save him.

  How had she become so reliant on this man in such a short time? She’d not wanted to marry, yet now she couldn’t imagine the pain of losing her husband. So much had changed.

  “Mari, open the window so we can get fresh air,” Abagail said.

  She did as she was asked, feeling helpless. She wished she could take her husband’s care into her own hands. She knew a bit about healing, but unfortunately she’d been on the wrong end of it to do any good now. The few times the duke had allowed a doctor to be called, she’d been in too much pain to pay close attention to the practice.

  “Mari,” Cam whispered so low she thought she might have imagined it.

  When the other women looked at her expectantly, she hurried to his side. “I’m here.”

  “Sorry…promise…”

  It only took her a second to realize he was speaking of the promise she’d forced from him before he left.

  “Shh. Don’t worry. I knew what could happen. I made you say those words so I would feel better. It was wrong for me to ask it of you. Besides, you promised to come back, and you did come back.”

  He winked at her.

  “Save your strength.”

  “Stay,” he said, squeezing her hand.

  “Of course. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay as long as you need me.”

  “Always.”

  She smiled and kissed the back of his hand. “If that’s what you want, then fine. I shall stay forever.”

  His lips moved in the slightest hint of a smile.

  Moments later, guilt tugged at her heart as she recalled her words. She’d asked him to promise something out of his control, and now she’d just made the same kind of promise. She could be gone by morning if Sir Ridley returned with an order from the king.

  She shivered and squeezed Cam’s hand tighter.

  He asked about Liam, and Lachlan assured him the lad was fine. He seemed to relax…or maybe he’d lost consciousness for a moment.

  She squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back. “Did you at least take down the arse who did this to you?”

  That got a little more of a smile. “Aye,” he managed, then hissed when Kenna pushed her needle into his skin.

  “Hold tight, Cam. Let’s think of other things. Something nice, like…” She tried to think of something she could say in front of the others, but all their best memories were of the naughty variety.

  “Trees,” he whispered.

  Yes. They’d made love in the cover of the trees. She glanced over her shoulder to see a knowing grin on Kenna’s face and a raised brow from Abagail.

  “What about the first time we went for a ride by the river?” she said to him. “You told me I could tell you anything.”

  A grunt indicated either he remembered how she’d passed on his offer at first, or Kenna’s needle was not so gentle. Mari wasn’t sure which.

  “I’m glad you were the one standing in the field that day,” she whispered by his ear so only he could hear. “Please don’t leave me.”

  He opened his eyes to slits and then winked at her again. “Not today.”

  Those two words caused the breath she’d been holding to gust out of her in relief. After that, she kept him busy rambling about silly topics. She told him about London. About the strange animals she’d seen on display. He reached out and touched her cheek, and she was surprised to see he’d brushed a tear away. She wasn’t aware she’d been crying.

  She smiled. “They’re happy tears. I’m so glad you’ll be all right.”

  “There we go,” Kenna said when she’d finished and cleaned the wound with some foul salve.

  Mari briefly wondered if it were possible to make something that healed a person smell or taste better.

  “Aside from the gash, you have a few broken ribs,” Abagail told him. “Your shoulder is inflamed. And you have a nasty lump on your head. We’ll check it tomorrow after you’ve rested. You’ll have a devil of a headache, I wager. I made you some tea for it, but I doubt you’ll drink it, stubborn as you are,” Abagail complained. Clearly, she’d mended him more than just this once.

  “He’ll drink it. Won’t you, Cam?” Mari said. “Please?”

  He let out a breath and gave a slight nod.

  “Good for you,” Abagail said with a kind smile as she handed over the cup.

  Mari coaxed the tea down Cam’s throat and sighed in relief when he drifted to sleep.

  “While he rests, you should get your own sleep so you’ll be rested and able to help when he awakes and needs you,” Abagail instructed.

  Mari looked toward the window to find it was already dark. The day had rushed by while she cared for Cam. With a nod, she climbed into the bed next to him, careful not to get too close and hurt him.

  Kenna smiled and closed the chamber door.

  “I’ll be fine,” he said when they were alone.

  “I know. I feel like this was my fault. I shouldn’t have made you promise. It put an unfair burden on you. It won’t happen again.”

  He let out a breath. “Just know I’ll always do my best to come back to you, with or without a promise in place. Always.”

  “I do know. And I’ll trust in that.”

  She felt his lips on her forehead as a tear rolled down her cheek into her hair.

  All their promises were nothing but empty words. Wishes cast into the wind. Neither of them had any control over what their future held. They only had here and now.

  And time, at least for her, was running out.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Cam woke with his wife’s hand on his chest. He winced and moved it lower so it wasn’t resting on his freshly stitched wound. He knew she would feel awful to find it there when she awoke. The last thing he wanted to do was make her feel worse. She was already dealing with unnecessary guilt over the promise she’d forced from him.

  He’d worried about exactly such a thing. Just as he’d worried that having a wife or a family would cause him to be too cautious. But that hadn’t happened. In the heat of battle, he’d felt the same as he had in the past. His training had kicked in, and he’d moved from enemy to enemy, taking them down. It had been Liam’s predicament that caused his distraction. Not the promise he’d made to Mari.

  He reached out to brush a strand of hair from her face and felt a burn in his shoulder from the action. While certain uninjured parts of his anatomy wanted nothing more than to wake her with kisses and make love to her, the rest of his body gave a hearty nay to his plans.

  It was for the best. She was sleeping and needed her rest. She’d worried herself into exhaustion.

  He had to admit, it wasn’t as awful as he’d thought to have someone care that he came home alive and mostly in one piece.

  …

  Two weeks later, Mari ducked into Kenna’s solar an
d found her sitting in the sun with a book. “Please tell me you need help with the children,” Mari whispered frantically.

  Eyeing her skeptically, Kenna nodded. “All right. Will you please help me with my bairns, who are all sleeping peacefully?”

  Leave it to her sister to understand what was required without explanation.

  “Splendid. I’d be happy to help.” Mari made her rounds of the room, finding exactly what Kenna foretold. Wee Douglas was sleeping on the end of the settee, while Roddy had nearly scooted himself under the same piece of furniture. Baby Cameron was in his cradle, his lips moving as if dreaming of being nursed.

  Mari wasn’t actually needed, so she sat next to her sister and let out a breath.

  Since the day after the battle when Cam awoke and was told he needed to stay in bed, it had been clear the man was not one for sitting about doing nothing. He was miserable, and misery bred frustration…as well as out-and-out defiance. He’d grumbled and complained to the point she’d taken advantage of a lull to escape.

  “Cam’s not enjoying being waited on while he convalesces?” Kenna’s mouth pulled up in a mischievous smile.

  “No. He’s the worst patient. He told me to go on with my life and let him rot.”

  Kenna’s brows rose and she laughed. “So here you sit.”

  Mari couldn’t help but laugh as well. “Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t mind spending time with him in bed, but this has been beyond trying. I hope Abagail agrees to let him up and about when she comes to check on him. I’ll not survive another day of his restlessness.”

  Kenna frowned. “Oh, dear. I’m afraid Abagail was called away to the village. Thomas Hardy broke his arm.”

  Mari covered her face with her hands and bent over, muttering a prayer for sanity mingled with a few curses.

  “I’ll call the nurse to watch the boys, and I’ll tend to him myself,” Kenna offered.

  “I hate to take you away from your rest. You get so little time to yourself.”

  “I’ll be fine. Especially since you’ll owe me.” With a wink, Kenna left the room, and Mari followed after.

  When they entered Cam’s chamber, they found him sneaking back into bed.

  “What is this?” Mari scolded. “You’re supposed to be abed.”

  “Marian, I swear, if you don’t let me up, I’ll draw my sword and finish the job the damned McCurdy muddled.”

  She knew he was serious when he used her given name rather than his shorter version.

  “Kenna is here to take a look.” Mari pulled back the bandage so her sister could see how much he’d healed. The wound was clean and dry. No swelling or inflammation.

  Kenna nodded. “These stitches can be removed. But you’ll still need to mind your ribs. Don’t do too much.”

  “I won’t.”

  Mari refrained from rolling her eyes. The man would agree to anything just to be freed from his prison.

  To her surprise, he didn’t go running from the room as soon as Kenna finished and left them to get back to her children. Instead, he carefully washed himself with Mari’s help, then reached for her.

  “I’m sorry I’ve been so irritable. It’s just that I’ve wanted ye and could do nothing about it.”

  “I understand. It’s no fun being injured.” There had been many times she’d been unable to get out of bed after the duke showed his displeasure.

  Cam’s hands rested on her waist as he bent slightly and kissed her, once, twice, then deepened it into a real kiss. She felt the tug on her dress as he fumbled around to unfasten her gown.

  “What are you doing?” she asked in alarm. He didn’t answer, instead making his intentions clear with a kiss on her neck. “Kenna just said you weren’t to do too much.”

  “Aye, and I agreed. I’m not planning to do too much.” He smiled devilishly, and she placed her hands on his bare chest high enough not to touch his wound or his still-healing ribs. “I plan to do just enough,” he assured her as he took her mouth in a deep kiss.

  …

  Cam had been miserable all the days he was confined to bed. He knew his wife wouldn’t lie with him until he was all better. Her nursing, touching, and leaning over him had driven him wild with unrelenting lust. Now that he was able to move a bit without the tug of the stitches, he was ready to make up for the days they’d lost.

  “You can’t possibly think to—”

  “Och, I’m thinking it. I’ve been thinking it for the past week or more.” He rested a palm on her breast, feeling her nipple harden and her breath catch. “I’m done thinking, Mari. I plan to do something about it.”

  She didn’t bark at him to be cautious of his wounds. Instead, she stood on tiptoe and nipped at his jaw when he was out of reach. The quickness with which she’d changed tactics made him smile. His wife had missed his touch as well.

  “You promise we’ll stop if you have any pain,” she said, relenting.

  “The only thing causing me pain at the moment is my cock, the way it aches for wanting ye.” He hadn’t redressed from his wash, so his cock lurched against her, proving his words true.

  “I did vow to nurse you back to health,” she teased, taking him in hand.

  “Aye. You did.”

  “I know you are in a hurry to get out of bed, but do you think I could coax you back into it?”

  He nodded and sat on the edge of the bed as she knelt before him. He hadn’t planned on this, but when her warm mouth took him in, he groaned and let her go about it.

  He leaned back but readjusted when his shoulder protested at supporting his weight. He repositioned himself and watched her as she took to her task heartily. He didn’t want to spend so quickly, so he looked away from the sight of her mouth on him. He might not be back to fighting form, but he was a prideful husband who wanted to see to his wife’s pleasure.

  “Stop,” he ordered, and she did so quickly, a look of concern on her pretty face.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not harmed.” He was quick to allay her worries. “I want to see ye take your desire. Sit on me so I can watch you.”

  He inched back onto the bed until he was lying across it. He stroked himself as he watched her disrobe and crawl atop him. She was a glorious sight.

  “Go slow,” he said when she was fully seated. “I don’t want it to be over too soon. I’ve waited so long for this.”

  With his good arm, he kneaded her breasts and tugged her nipples until she was gasping and rocking against him faster than he wished. He could tell she was close, so instead of bidding her to slow, he used his thumb to hasten her release, then followed her with his own, pushing up into her, not minding the slight burn in his chest from the action.

  The pain was easily forgotten as his release poured out of him.

  His wife slumped beside him, and he pulled her close, kissing her hair and her lips.

  “That was what I wanted,” he said contentedly, not able to move.

  “So, all I had to do to get you to stay in bed was ride you a bit?” she asked in a naughty tone.

  “Aye. You’ve found my weakness, lass, but I can’t be sorry for it. Any time you want me to stay in bed, you know your power.”

  “Shall we stay here awhile, then?”

  “I just need a quick rest, then I plan to show you how well I’ve recovered, thanks to your caring touch.”

  They chose to take their meal in their room so he could continue to show her how fully his health had improved.

  There would be time enough to leave his bed tomorrow.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  After two days of staying in bed with Cam as he proved his stamina, Mari walked to the village with Abagail to check in on a woman who’d given birth the night before.

  Abagail was kind not to mention the slowness of Mari’s steps, which was the opposite of her husband’s smug smile. He had offered t
o carry her down to the morning meal, but she’d declined with a light slap to his arm and a reluctant smile. He was barbaric, but she enjoyed his wickedness. Even as she’d left him at the table with Lachlan, she’d returned his naughty grin. There would be time enough for that when she returned home.

  Meanwhile, she’d made a decision.

  After the helplessness she’d felt when Cam was injured, she’d asked Kenna and Abagail to teach her to be a healer. Today was to be her first lesson.

  She smiled up at the morning sky as the sun touched her face. She loved coming to the village. The pleasant cottages and happy families made her feel as if she belonged.

  It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim light of the cottage after being out in the sun, but once she was able to see, she offered a smile to the small family inside. Abagail instructed her to check the mother for fever, and how to check over the new bairn.

  “He has a mighty grip. A strong lad,” Mari said when the baby had fisted his wee hand around her smallest finger.

  “Aye. He’ll grow up big and strong like his da. He’ll make a fine warrior,” the mother said.

  “Your husband is a warrior?” Mari asked, wondering if she’d ever met him while watching Cam with his men.

  “Aye. But my man grew up in the village and wanted his family to live in the village rather than the castle,” she explained.

  Mari nodded. “How do you manage when he goes off to battle? I fear I did not handle it well the first time as a wife.”

  The woman patted Mari’s hand. “It’s one of the hardest things a wife has to bear—watching her man go off, not sure if he’ll return. But everyone finds a way to handle it. Some find distraction in other activities. Some pray. Some—like me—hold our children tight and send our love and strength to our husbands. It gets easier.”

  Mari wasn’t sure how that was possible. Cam had been injured this last time, and she feared for when he’d be called out again, now that he was back in good health. The fear had only grown, not gotten easier. But she’d promised Cam she would not put undue stress on their partings in the future. If he was too distracted, he might fall to an enemy’s blade, and she would feel responsible.