Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
"Oh, she's beautiful," Anna said when they came upon the filly.
She was lithe, strong, and tall. Her black mane fluttered gently in the light wind drifting through the stables. When her eyes, wiser than any animal had a right to be, met Anna's, Anna felt herself melt.
"She's a smart little thing," she murmured, even though the horse wasn't small by any means. The animal looked to be nearly a year old. "I'm quite certain that she's inherited her mother's spirit."
"Aye, I am too," Hugh agreed, gently settling his hand on her back and urging her forward. "Now introduce yerself. She's a good judge of character, so I imagine she'll take a likin' to ye."
Anna took a step forward. When she reached the stall gate, she held out her hand to the filly. Almost immediately, the horse stepped toward her, sniffed her fingers a few times, then shoved her nose into Anna's palm.
"See?" Hugh said from behind her, sounding satisfied. "I told ye that she would like ye."
"What is her name?" Anna asked, stroking the soft, brown coat.
"Ye'll have to name her," he said after a beat. "But ye daenae have to right now. Take some time to get to know her."
She hummed, immediately running through possible names for the beautiful horse in front of her. Nothing stuck out, and as she stared into the animal's intelligent, hazel eyes, Anna knew that she'd need to take her time deciding. The filly deserved that kind of attention.
"Everyone, even the animals, has been so welcoming," she said softly. "In England, it wasn't like this. Even the people I knew for my whole life would be cold to me."
"I still daenae understand their reasonin'," Hugh said, sounding as though he were upset on her behalf. "Ye've got a lovely spirit. Anyone could see that."
Anna focused on the foal, her face heating up as she admitted, "Well, I'm not… attractive. They aren't the nicest to people whom they don't deem 'beautiful.'"
"Ach, but ye have a bonnie face, and an even bonnier body," he said, the words coming from him so easily that her knees nearly buckled. "Perhaps they're just a lot of dobbers who are blind or have terrible taste."
Despite the embarrassment that was still coursing through her, she couldn't help but giggle.
A bit shyly, withdrawing her hand from the filly and making her way to the exit for fresh air, she said, "You know that I'm not thin like most of the women.
I… believe that my curves are the reason they seemed to steer clear of me. "
Hugh huffed, shaking his head and taking a step toward her.
His shoulders were pulled back, his strong, broad chest sticking out.
As she tilted her head to return the burning stare, her mouth went dry.
He was so much taller than her, and so incredibly strong.
The way he lifted her onto the saddle yesterday rocketed to the forefront of her mind, and she swallowed hard.
"What I said stands. They daenae ken what's attractive," he rasped, his stormy blue eyes drinking in her form. "I've never seen anyone quite like ye, lass. That's why I made ye mine. And that's why one day, I'm goin' to put a bairn in ye."
The implication made her head spin. She could still feel the way his mouth had worshipped her most private places—the warmth, the wetness, the absolute devotion. Her core lurched as phantom sensations rippled through her limbs.
"Hugh," she said breathlessly as he took another step into her space. She took half a step back, her shoulders hitting the outer stone wall of the stables. "You—"
"I'm just gettin' ye used to the idea," he said, getting ever closer. He was nearly touching her now. "I told ye. Ye must bear me an heir. I'm givin' ye yer month to get used to it."
"You must… That's not… I don't think…" she sputtered, starting over and over again. It was suddenly hot beneath her gowns despite the slight chill still in the air. Her brain was overloaded, and he kept adding to the rush of her thoughts.
"Ach, ye must think I only care about the heir, then?" He brought his hand to her cheek, cupping it reverently. "Ye're wrong about that, Anna. Ye're nay a transaction. I want ye regardless of what ye can give me."
He moved in closer, his mouth so close to hers that she could feel his breath on her lips.
A shudder racked through her body, urging her even closer.
It would be so easy to close the distance, but she was frozen by the strength of her desire.
It was as if Hugh had her under some sort of spell, held completely captive by him as she desperately awaited his next move.
"Ye're mine," he growled, his right hand coming up to grip her chin. He held her in place, looking into her eyes and finding the unconcealed lust there. "And I can tell that ye're just as pleased with the arrangement. Ye've nae said a word but yer still beggin' me for this."
Finally, blessedly, sinfully, Hugh connected their lips.
The firm, claiming contact, sent Anna pitching forward.
Her breasts were pressed flush against his chest, and she could feel the evidence of his burgeoning arousal against her thigh.
It sent a rush through her, like plunging into a hot bath after a long winter's day.
As she took hold of his shoulders, she moved her lips against his. She poured every thought and doubt that she'd had since arriving into the kiss, and Hugh soothed each one of them in response. She whimpered into his mouth, a sound she was unable to stop.
He swallowed the sound greedily, taking it as though it were his right. And as she willingly offered more gasps and sighs, she thought that maybe it was his right. She liked the sense of ownership Hugh held over her. Everything she was giving, she was giving gladly.
"Ye daenae understand how badly I've wanted another taste of ye," he said, his voice a register lower. It sent a wave of white-hot, unpredictable pleasure through her. "I've had to stop meself from findin' me way into your quarters at night."
Anna gasped as he redirected his kisses, targeting her throat and jaw. Her brain barely caught on to what he said. Her knees buckled, and Hugh caught her without breaking his thorough worship of her neck.
"I…" she began, stopping for a moment to let out a low moan. "I did come to your room on the first night, but the door was locked. I thought you regretted what we did."
"Ach, Anna. If ye would have just knocked on me door," he said, stopping to breathe heavily against her neck, "I would have pulled ye in, and I wouldnae have been able to stop meself."
"I wouldn't have minded," she said in a slurred rush. "I… Hugh, I think that's what I wanted."
Hugh's next reply was cut short, the horses in the stables braying nervously and stomping their hooves. He looked down at her, his expression serious. "Stay here. I think we are not alone."
Hugh entered the stables, his protective nature flaring as he searched for the intruder. Anna had been in such a vulnerable position, so soft and pliant against his body. The thought that someone else may have seen or heard was unacceptable to him.
As soon as he stepped fully into the space, he saw the source of the commotion. At the other end of the building, Callum was being bullied by Nuggle. She nipped at his clothes, stomping in agitation.
"Ach, Callum," Hugh said as he hustled over to his advisor. "Ye're upsettin' Nuggle."
"Nuggle is upsettin' me," Callum replied, finally getting himself out of her biting range. He adjusted his clothes, swiping at a drool-darkened spot on his shoulder. "Ye must get her under control, Hugh. She cannae be allowed to harass yer staff in this way."
Hugh grunted, "She's a horse, Callum. I cannae reason with her. She wouldnae understand if I tried."
"Then perhaps we need to discuss boardin' her somewhere else," Callum said, still disheveled despite his attempts to put himself back together. "She makes it dangerous for others to come into the stables."
Ignoring Callum's protests, Hugh stepped forward to stroke the horse's neck. "She doesnae mind the groom. And she likes Anna and me." Nuggle snorted happily. "Callum, ye're the only person who ever seems upset about her antics. Perhaps ye're the problem."
The assertion changed Callum's demeanor almost instantly. He straightened out fully, poorly concealed disdain worming its way into his posture. It was almost as if he were trying to make himself taller, trying to intimidate Hugh.
"Well, what did ye come sniffin' around for?" Hugh asked, having no patience for whatever game Callum was playing. "I was in the middle of givin' me wife a ridin' lesson."
Callum stared up at him, unimpressed. "Is that we're callin' whatever it was the two of ye were doin'? Both yer horse and her filly are still in their stalls."
"I daenae have to explain meself to you," Hugh countered. "Now, did ye just come to spy on me or did ye have somethin' important to say?"
"I did have somethin' to say before yer beast started in on me," Callum said, glaring at Nuggle, who seemed completely unbothered by his dislike. "I just got out of a meetin'. We've been discussin' yer behavior lately."
"Ach, so ye're havin' more meetings without me," Hugh said with vitriol. "I'm yer Laird. I should be privy to all the meetings ye're havin'."
"Well, I'm tellin' ye now, am I nae?" Callum challenged. "The meetin' was called to discuss yer behavior. I'd like to speak with ye about it privately." He looked warily at Nuggle. "Anna is still around, and I daenae trust yer beast to behave."
Hugh scrubbed his hand over his face, not bothering to hide his frustration. If he weren't concerned about his wife overhearing this discussion and stressing herself out, he might have insisted that Callum tell him here. Now, though, he needed to look out for Anna's mental well-being.
"I'll meet ye in me study," Hugh said, waving Callum off and returning to where Anna was waiting.
"Is everything all right?" she asked, her eyes wide.
The flush that seemed to be permanent just a few minutes ago had faded. Now, she was pale, her breathing shallow. The threat of being caught in a vulnerable position clearly troubled her.
"Aye, ye daenae need to worry about a thing," he assured her, reaching out to fix the places where her hair had fallen into her face. "Callum just needs to speak with me. All that noise was because Nuggle decided to play her tricks on him."
"Oh," she said, though it didn't seem as if that did anything to quell her panic. "Well, I suppose that explains the noise, then."
Hugh grunted, glancing back toward the stables. He said, "How about ye spend some time with the filly while I speak with Callum? Ye and I will find some time to ride together soon. I promise ye that."
Anna smiled, the commitment doing exactly what he'd hoped it would. As a cool gust of wind whipped around them, she said, "Yes. I'll see if I can get to know the darling. She still needs a name."
"Aye, she does," Hugh agreed, leading Anna back into the stables. "I'll find the groom and have him help ye get her in her tack."
Without waiting for her response, he turned and found the groom. Once he'd sent the boy to Anna, he marched toward the castle. Whatever it was that Callum wanted to speak about, Hugh could tell that it wouldn't be good.
This council is nae good for anythin' but addin' additional stress to me shoulders.