Chapter Seven
It had been a rough night for the two of them. After Gregory had the rabbits skinned, Megan had looked as though she was ready to drop to the ground.
He tossed one of the rabbits to her after shoving it on a stick. “Yer supper.”
She jumped and glowered at him. “Verra funny.”
“If ye want to eat, ye have to work.”
She shoved the rabbit into the fire. “I have no intention of no’ doing my share. I’ll have ye ken I am a verra hard worker.” She nodded to the animal at her feet. “I can skin and cook a rabbit.”
Gregory grinned, enjoying her annoyance. He had no idea why he did that. ’Twas possible he was trying to keep himself from feeling anything for the lass besides duty. He still wasn’t sure he would not turn into his da once wed.
He would never want to see the pain on Megan’s face each morning as he disappointed her. As far as putting his hands on her, he would cut them off before he would do that.
Since they’d given away her cloak to use as a decoy, Gregory wrapped both of them with his plaid once they were ready to sleep. He had a hard time with Megan and her soft warm body right next to him, but the poor lass was so tired that she had barely laid her head down when she fell asleep.
The next morning, wrapped around each other like two puppies, they arose with the sun, packed up and left. The air was chillier than it had been the day before and the threatening clouds gathering had him wondering how much distance they would be able to cover this day.
Gregory wrapped himself and Megan in his plaid again, cursing the decision he’d made to use her cloak as a decoy.
She was tempting enough when he was just speaking with her, but having her against his body, not sleeping, but very much awake with her heart beating next to his and all her warm softness and tempting curves pressed up against him made Gregory want to throw the plaid off.
The weather held up for most of the day, but the clouds grew thicker and more threatening the closer they got to sundown.
Before Gregory thought it best to stop for the night, the first of very large and very cold raindrops began to fall. The longer they continued to ride, the more Megan’s body shook.
So far he had not seen any spot where he would be comfortable with both of them sleeping. He was somewhat familiar with the area and knew there was an abandoned half-collapsed bothy only about a mile or so away. Fortunately, it was in the direction they were headed.
“C-c-can we st-stop soon?” Megan looked up at him with pathetic eyes. His stomach muscles cramped at the sight and he got the ridiculous feeling to hold her even more tightly.
“Aye,” he said, rather abruptly to chase away the feelings he did not want.
She stiffened and turned to face forward. She moved a bit so she no longer rested against him. He reminded himself that keeping them from forming any type of connection was a good thing.
*
Megan had no idea why Gregory was so thoughtful and kind one minute then throwing bloody rabbits at her and showing a great deal of annoyance because she asked to stop. He was definitely a difficult man.
She sighed. Hopefully once they escaped Anthony and The Gunn they could get this fake marriage over with and go their own ways.
She was certain there was plenty at Castle Leod to keep her busy.
Gregory being the Second in Command to the Mackenzie laird he would most likely be very busy himself training new warriors.
Hopefully since she’d already blurted out that she was barren he would not require her to share his bed.
Robert’s attentions had seemed to diminish long before she went almost two years without any bairns.
Since she’d never really enjoyed the marriage bed the way she heard the maids speak of it, she figured there was something wrong with her, which was why she’d never produced a bairn.
Having no mam to talk to her about such things, when the time grew closer to when she was to marry Robert she blushingly asked her da what to expect. He brushed her off, redder in the face than she was and said her husband would take care of that.
Gregory pulled on the horse’s reins. Between the heavy clouds, drenching rain, and setting sun, she barely made out a small bothy in front of them. It didn’t look too sturdy, but with her body growing wetter and colder every minute, she didn’t care as long as it had a roof.
Gregory jumped from the horse and wrapped his hands around her waist, setting her on the ground. “Go inside. ’Tis not a lot of protection, but better than nothing.”
She nodded and made her way slowly and carefully to the space. The cold air was already turning the rain on the ground to ice. She felt as though she would never be warm again.
“See if we’re lucky and if there is dry wood inside. Nothing out here would be able to burn.”
Megan nodded and entered the bothy. There was, indeed, a fireplace with wood in it, and more stacked to the side. Mayhap hunters used it on occasion. For whatever reason that the wood was here, all she cared about was getting out of the cold rain.
Gregory entered the space with the bag he carried on his horse as well as her satchel. He withdrew a dry plaid and handed it to her. “Ye will need to remove yer clothes and wrap yerself with this while I make a fire.”
Her eyes grew wide. “Take off all my clothes?”
He didn’t turn toward her, but squatted in front of the fireplace and used his flint to start a fire. “Aye.”
“What will I wear?”
He turned back, a grin on his face. “The plaid I just gave ye.”
She opened her mouth and shut it a few times before she cleared her throat. “Will ye stay in yer wet clothes, then?”
He returned his attention to the fire. “Nay, we will share the plaid and place the wet one in front of the fire to dry.”
*
Gregory grinned at the grumbling coming from the lass. She might be grumbling, but he was sweating in spite of the cold. Once the fire was going, he pulled out left-over rabbit meat and warmed it.
’Twas going to be a difficult night for sure.
“’Twill be alright, Megan. We will sleep back-to-back with the plaid wrapped around both of us. Nothing need happen that ye doona want to happen.”
She huffed. “That is a verra indistinct statement.” She continued to eat the rabbit, wrapped in the plaid that she now learned would be shared with Gregory. And no clothes on!
Since he was still dressed, Gregory went outside to take care of his needs and get water from the overflowing creek behind them. The rain had stopped, but the night darkness with clouds still in the sky made it hard to see. He would have to walk with Megan so she could take care of her own needs.
He laughed thinking about how she would handle that.
When he returned to the bothy, she was still wrapped in the plaid, curled up in front of the hearth. She had tossed the bones from the rabbits into the fire.
“I assume ye will want to take care of yer needs outside?”
She nodded and stood, the large plaid dragging on the ground. “I will be right back.”
He reached out and grabbed her arm. The plaid slipped and she quickly grasped it, the other side sliding. She flushed as she did her best to wrap the plaid around her body.
“Nay, ye will no’ go outside by yerself, lass. ’Tis dark out there and ye could verra well trip and fall on the slippery ground.”
Her jaw dropped. “Ye canno’ go with me!”
He stood. “Aye I can and I will.” Without any further comments, he grabbed her arm and marched her toward the opening. She wrestled with the plaid and glowered at him.
The ground was more slippery than when he’d gone out since the temperature had continued to drop. They made it to where she was able to take care of her needs, and he took her arm and helped her back.
Megan was shivering something fierce when they returned to the bothy. Thankfully, the fire was still going strong, but he wasn’t sure it would continue through the night. It appeared they might only have each other to keep warm which would be dangerous if it was closer to winter.
She sat by the fire and settled the plaid around her. Gregory stayed seated while he removed the rest of his clothes. “We will need to re-arrange the plaid so it covers us both.”
She didn’t acknowledge him, but merely nodded. With her back to him, she said, “Go ahead and do what ye need to do so I can get some sleep.”
He grinned at the sharpness in her voice.
It took a few minutes for Megan to move off the plaid and cover both of them. She turned away from him and he slid closer to her so they shared their warmth without facing each other. ’Twas an awkward way to sleep but with Megan being so skittish they had no choice.
Morning came faster than Gregory thought it would considering what he’d had to endure.
Once he awoke, he lay perfectly still as he glanced down at their bodies. He was on his back and Megan was sprawled all over him, her head on his chest and her leg thrown over his.
Her golden red hair flowed down her back and over his shoulders like a waterfall of color. Her beautiful breasts pressed against him and his hand had wandered during the night to cup her lush bottom.
He groaned when his member stood up and saluted “good morning” to the lass.
Right before she sat up and screamed.