Chapter 21
Morning dawned on black ashes. The stable had burned to the ground. The barracks behind it was half ravaged. It was going to take hard work to restore them and funds that Piers didn’t have on hand.
“We’ll help however we may,” Leith assured.
Piers nodded appreciatively. He had begun to make progress toward building a friendship with Meghan’s brothers—more with Colin than with Leith, but Leith was probably the most honorable of the three.
Gavin was virtuous but too blinded by his piety, and Colin had been, until Seana, far too concerned with his personal pleasures.
But Piers felt closest to Colin. He was the most personable and the most genuine of the Brodie brothers.
And there was hope for the man, as Seana seemed to have brought him to his knees.
It was clear to everyone who knew them that he was in love with his new bride.
“Count me in, as well,” Gavin offered.
“I appreciate the offer,” he told the brothers.
It was the second time Leith had pledged his men to help Piers rebuild. The first time had been to repair his fence. He was beginning to feel a sense of guilt. Someday he was going to return the favor. He just hoped for both their sakes that it wouldn’t be soon.
Colin stood beside him, considering the demolished building with narrowed eyes.
It was obvious he was lost in thought, because he wasn’t the least aware of their conversation.
Seana came up behind him, wrapping her arms about his waist, and he was scarce aware of her until she laid her head upon his shoulder.
He peered over his shoulder at her, and she smiled wanly.
“Meghan told me what happened.”
Colin nodded.
She turned to Piers then and said, “I’m so sorry.”
“’Tis hardly your fault, Seana. Where is Meghan?” Seeing the intimacy between Colin and Seana made him yearn for his wife.
“Tending to David. The lad is a stalwart young fellow.”
Piers nodded. “That he is.”
“Have you any notion who set the fire?”
Piers was glad Tomas wasn’t in his presence at the instant. He would hardly accuse the man without proof, but he trusted his gut, and his gut said the man was foul. “None,” he replied, and had to clench his teeth to keep from sharing his suspicions.
Colin met his gaze, his blue eyes without a glimmer of recognition, lost in his own thoughts. Without a word, Colin turned again to stare at the ruins, and Piers reproached himself. Christ, he was beginning to see conspiracy in every glance. And yet he sensed Colin knew something he wasn’t saying.
Still, he was hardly prepared to confront him when the peace they had established was so new.
Meghan would never forgive him if he hurled accusations at any of her brothers without evidence to support his charges.
Colin was a good man. If there was aught he had to reveal, he would come to Piers of his own accord.
Piers was counting on it.
In the meantime, he had set two guards to watch Tomas at a distance, as he was near certain Tomas was somehow at the center of all that had transpired. His arrival seemed to have precipitated everything.
“I’m not feeling verra well,” Seana said suddenly. Her husband turned to her at once. “I think mayhap I should go home.”
“Like hell!” he barked. “You’re not going anywhere alone!”
“We don’t need you at the moment,” Piers assured Colin. “Take her home if she wishes to go”
He shook his head stubbornly. “’tis my duty to remain, and if I'm meant to stay, so will she!”
She lifted her chin, standing tall. “Dinna be silly, Colin!” she chastised. “It’s not far to walk, and it’s certainly not as though I havena traveled these woods all my life! Do ye think that in the few days since we’ve been wed that I’ve suddenly turned into an invalid?”
He frowned at her reproach but seemed to consider her words.
“I will be fine to go alone,” she assured him, her tone leaving no doubt as to the strength of her determination. Piers smiled appreciatively, wholly pleased that he was not the only man to be plagued by willful, troublesome wenches.
Colin’s expression remained harried, his fears obviously not alleviated, but it was clear from Seana’s stance that she was not going to back down.
Her expression continued to challenge him.
Colin arched a brow at her and smiled slightly, obviously believing he’d found a deterrent. “On one condition…”
She lifted her own brow. “And what may that be, husband?”
“That you ride, not walk.” The request took her momentarily aback, and he smirked at her just a little. “Take my mount,” he offered, a little too sure of himself.
Piers might have warned him against being too cocky. Such tactics never worked with Meghan.
For an instant, Seana didn’t respond, and then she replied, more determined than ever, “Verra well, husband.” She smiled back at him, returning his smirk. “I’ll ride.”
“Good Christ, Seana!” Colin exploded. “You dinna even like horses!”
She winked at him. “I suppose now is as good a time as any to learn to like them. Dinna ye think?” And with that, she turned to go, and Colin bounded after her, trying in vain to talk her out of leaving.
Gavin peered at his eldest brother with lifted brows, and Leith cast a glance at Piers. The three of them shared a rare laugh together.
“That’s what ye get for choosing flesh over spirit,” Gavin reproached them both.
Leith ignored his rebuke. “She doesna look verra ill to me,” he commented.
In truth, she didn’t look ill to Piers, either, but he said nothing, as it wasn’t his place to comment.
He had enough to worry about with his own wife—not to mention Elizabet’s disappearance, John’s death and a stable that had been sabotaged—and if he didn’t repair the damned barracks this afternoon, his men were going to be sleeping outside his bedroom door.
Only one thing made his temper more sour than Tomas’s presence in his house, and that was the prospect of spending his private time with Meghan with thirty-three pairs of ears outside his door.
“Let’s get to work,” he suggested.
Colin could damned well handle his own affairs without an audience.
Broc scarce slept.
He didn’t even close his eyes until the candle extinguished itself. He hadn’t dared move, lest she awaken and leave him. It had all seemed such an exquisite dream, and if he was dreaming, he damned well didn’t want to wake.
Harpy had other ideas.
The dog buried its wet nose in his ear. The shock of it startled him. The animal seemed to grin down at him, satisfied with his reaction.
“Willful hound!”
Elizabet stretched atop him, turning a beautiful smile on her belligerent dog. “What are you doing to Broc, silly dog?” she asked as though she expected an answer and then yawned prettily.
“She’s competing for your attention,” Broc said, grinning.
Elizabet reached up to kiss him sweetly upon the lips and his heart swelled with joy over the gesture.
Broc dumped her at his side and rolled atop her, caressing her brow, admiring the silky perfection of her face. She closed her eyes and her lashes lay thick upon her cheeks. He bent to kiss her reverently upon the lips, hardly believing the completeness he felt in her arms.
“Kiss me again,” she demanded sleepily, wrapping her arms about his neck.
Broc didn’t need to be asked twice.
With a growl of pleasure, he pressed his mouth to hers, and she responded by entwining her legs around his.
He made love to her then with all his heart and soul, knowing that far too soon it would be time for him to go.