Chapter Twenty-Four
When Brenna opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was her husband sleeping on the chair beside their bed. His head rested on the mattress. She reached out to wake him and encourage him to get in bed, but the movement stole her breath, reminding her why she was alone in their bed.
She’d been shot with an arrow. She glanced toward the window.
It looked to be late afternoon, though she wasn’t sure which afternoon.
Being careful not to move as much, she brushed the long, golden locks from his face to see Ronan better.
He was a formidable warrior when awake, but when he slept, he took on the youthful innocence of a boy, except for the growth on his jaw—more than one day had passed since he’d seen a blade.
His eyes blinked open, and he sat up. “You’re awake,” he whispered.
“Aye. And so are you,” she teased him.
He wiped at his face before offering her a smile. He kissed tenderly on the back of her hand and then stood to retrieve some water. She hadn’t even needed to ask, but her throat was dry.
“I’ll wait until you’re properly healed to give you the scolding I have prepared about stepping in front of an arrow intended for someone else. In the meantime, I will say thank you and tell you how glad I am that you survived such a foolish decision.”
She laughed, though only once because doing so pulled on her wound. She smiled and placed her palm on his cheek. “I can think of better things for you to do with your mouth than scold me, husband.”
“As it happens, I plan to do a fair amount of that as well.” He came closer and placed a soft kiss on her lips before whispering, “I was so frightened, Bren.”
“You? Frightened? My fierce soldier?” She tried to joke, but he remained stoic.
“Yes. I was even terrified. I’ll have you know I didn’t survive the war and travel all this way just to be alone. I won’t have it. And I’m the laird, so you’ll listen to me.”
She smiled at his rant but saw the genuine worry in the lines between his brows.
“I’m sorry I scared you.” She glanced toward the window again. “How long exactly did I scare you?” Was it the same day, or had she been abed longer than she thought?
“Since yesterday morning. But it was more than enough time to worry, I assure you. You lost a lot of blood, and Moira said you’d sleep until you needed to.”
As much as she hated causing him distress, she had to admit it felt nice to have someone care so much for her wellbeing. But happiness was quickly dismissed when she remembered how she ended up under Ronan’s care.
“He’d planned to shoot you,” she said so quietly she worried he wouldn’t hear her. It was as if speaking about Ewan out loud would bring the devil to the room.
“I know. And with one of your blue-tipped arrows.”
“He intended to murder you and make it look like I was responsible. Then he would have been free to take over the clan.”
“Aye. It’s pretty clear what his intentions were. But he overestimated his skill with the bow. He should have taken more than just the one arrow to see it done.”
Brenna shivered at the thought and winced from the pain the motion brought. Ewan had been the ogre in many of her nightmares over the years. But she’d never been so scared of him as she was now that he had set his focus on killing Ronan.
“What will we do?” she asked.
“Most of the guard is searching the woods for him and will bring him back to face justice.”
Brenna wanted to inquire as to what punishment Ewan would receive. She still regretted not taking more permanent action against him when she’d had the chance. If she’d seen him hanged for his attack on her months ago, he wouldn’t be a danger to Ronan now.
Her husband wouldn’t have to handle what to do with his once-loved uncle.
“I didn’t know he was capable of such a thing. I didn’t realize he was vying for the lairdship. He’d never said anything about wanting to be chieftain before. He saved my life when we were boys. Why would he have done this if he felt I was standing in his way?”
“I can’t answer. I doubt there is any good reason.
I’ve watched him grow angrier and more vicious over the years.
His hatred for me seemed to swell into something he couldn’t control.
I did try to be his friend,” she said quietly, remembering what a colossal failure it had been.
“He only saw me as the reason you left.”
“Do you think you are the reason I left?”
She offered the slightest shrug in answer. It was only so long before a person could hear such a thing before being forced to consider it the truth.
“I have to believe you wanted to go and that I had nothing to do with your decision…” She paused.
“But?” He guessed she had more to say.
“I wonder if you might have considered staying had you been able to marry someone you like more. Perhaps you might not have wanted to leave if you could have wed Hannah.”
He tucked his finger under her chin and nudged her face to look at him.
“Nay. No one would have been able to make me stay. The glory of war was the only thing I cared about then.”
She nodded. That was what Geordie had always told her. She shouldn’t be upset that Ronan hadn’t stayed. It had been decided before he’d known her. But she’d always wondered…
Food was brought up to their room. While they were eating, Will arrived.
“Sorry, laird, but we still haven’t found the bastard. We tracked him as far as the eastern border.”
“He has crossed over to Innes lands?”
“It appears so, mistress.”
“I shall write to my father and tell him to keep watch for Ewan.” She moved to get up, but Ronan set his hand on her knee.
“Tomorrow will be soon enough. For now, I’d rather you finish your meal and rest.”
She allowed him to settle her back against the pillows. She was not one to lie about and have people serve her, but she had to admit it was most pleasant when Ronan was doting.
By the following day, however, she’d grown weary of lying around and insisted on getting up.
She finished her letter explaining the crimes Ewan was wanted for on Grant lands and sent it off with a messenger. As she was heading for the kitchens, Ronan met up with her.
“I would feel better if you didn’t do too much today. I know you are a lady of action and doing, but I am a man who has a knack for worrying over his injured wife.”
She wasn’t up for riding, even if Ronan would have allowed such a thing. And the truth of the matter was she wouldn’t be helpful in the kitchens in her state, either.
“Perhaps you would come with me to visit the Campbell family?”
“I shall carry the basket of supplies. And you’ll not be holding any of the children and risk opening the wound again.”
“Very well,” she said because she didn’t want such a thing to happen. “You will have to hold them for me.”
He grunted, but his eyes told her he was not against such a thing.
***
Ronan knocked on the door to the small cottage and greeted the lad, who opened the door with a smile.
“Hello, Thomas,” Brenna greeted the boy.
“Good day, mistress.” He bowed to Brenna before bowing to Ronan. “My laird, please come in.”
“Such good manners,” he praised the boy as he entered, carrying Brenna’s basket.
“What has happened to ye?” the younger boy asked while pointing to the sling that held his wife’s arm to her chest.
“I was struck with an arrow.”
Their mother, Sarah, gasped as she came forward.
“My lady, surely ye shouldn’t be venturing out.”
“I wanted to see how you were feeling.”
Sarah frowned. “I am much improved and embarrassed for my behavior these last months.”
Brenna put up her hand. “It is not uncommon. I’m glad you are feeling more yourself. And I still would have come to gaze upon this little one.” Brenna smiled at Joey, who was awake and looking up at his mother.
Ronan watched his wife, seeing the happiness as she stroked the bairn’s chubby cheeks.
But as he looked closer, he saw something else.
His wife wanted a babe. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise.
She was of childbearing age and spent time with infants and children in her role as a healer.
It made sense for her to want to be a mother herself.
Perhaps it was more of a surprise to find that he wasn’t opposed to the idea.
Ronan could see how his wife would take to the job with love and happiness.
After the last week of catching up for what they’d missed in the bed chamber, he realized Brenna could already be with child. His heart warmed over at the thought.
The baby began to fuss, and Ronan reached for the little one, hoping to help. Sarah handed over the hefty bundle to him, and Ronan smiled down at the babe, who seemed too shocked to cry as he’d intended.
Ronan spoke to him as he would to one of his men, unable to pitch his voice as his wife did when she talked to babes and small children. “You have a fine grip, lad. Soon, we’ll have a practice sword in your hand, and you’ll be training for the guard.”
“I would like to be a warrior someday, too,” Thomas said, not to be forgotten.
“Of course. I would be honored to have such strapping lads guarding my clan.”
Mr. Campbell entered the cottage carrying water and greeted Ronan with a friendly smile. “You are a natural with a babe in your arms, my laird. Perhaps you’ll have one of your own before long.”
“Perhaps,” Ronan said, turning to Brenna to gauge her reaction.
He would have thought she’d be happy about the possibility, but her smile faded before his eyes. Did she not want to have a child with him? They’d been going at each other like rabbits. Surely, she knew what could happen from such relentless activity.
The smile that came to her lips seemed forced. Sarah and Mr. Campbell didn’t take notice, but Ronan knew. Seeing her real smile made it easy for him to know the difference.
When they left the cottage to return to the castle, he took advantage of their walk.
“Is everything all right? Ye seemed sad.”
She smiled at him again and shook her head.
“I’m sorry. I have suddenly run out of energy. I want to lie down for a while before the nooning.”
“Of course,” he said. It made sense that she could be tired. She’d only just been shot a few days ago. He knew well how long it took to recover from losing so much blood.
But as he accompanied his wife into the castle, he worried it wasn’t only fatigue that had caused her reaction at the cottage. He wasn’t sure what had upset her, but he would find out.