40. Chapter 40
Chapter 40
The Loving Husband
The following morning Lachlan arrived at the sanctuary later than he’d intended. He'd slept through his alarm—something he hadn't done since he was a teen. His usual morning routine included a lifting session in his home gym, but today, he was already behind, and all he had on his mind was seeing Violet.
He tried on one too many ties and actually cut himself shaving. With the way the day started, he should've known it was a sign for how the rest of the day would go.
When he got to the sanctuary, it seemed like everyone needed to speak to him for one thing or another. One of the horses had taken ill over the weekend, and they had the vet in. Lachlan needed to speak to the vet. Fortunately, it seemed like it wasn’t too serious, but the horse would need meds administered two times a day for the next week. Then, the admin staff needed to talk to him about the camp numbers. Then the events team wanted to talk to him about an upcoming teen fest they were planning.
At two p.m., Lachlan finally had a moment to search out Violet. He was surprised he hadn’t passed by her yet. He went down to the pasture, sure she must be out there as she hadn’t been in the stables, but he didn’t find her there. He walked through the makeshift office cubicles, noting that he needed to add it to the list of to-do’s to have someone design the space properly, but still no Violet. In fairness, he wasn't sure she even had a workspace in the main room. She spent most of the time working in the back room with him, but she hadn’t been there today in the brief moments he’d gone to his desk.
Finally, when he didn’t see her, he returned to the front reception. “Hello, Effie, how's things up here?
"Och, Lachlan." A grin lit her face, her eyes crinkling in the corners. "Busy as a bee, but it keeps me young.”
"Aye." He agreed, and a blush touched her round cheeks. "Huv ye seen Violet around today?”
“Oh, no, she phoned in earlier. She’s feeling under the weather, so she decided to stay put today. Poor thing.”
“She’s sick?” Lachlan felt instantly concerned.
“Aye, well, she didnae go into detail, but she sounded rather rough on the phone. Hopefully, the lassie will feel better soon.”
“Aye. Thanks, Effie.” Lachlan was deep in thought when someone else came and snagged him with another fire to put out. He was missing Violet today in more ways than one.
As soon as Lachlan could, he snuck out of the sanctuary and zipped home. After taking Sally for a quick jaunt, he grabbed a container of bone broth soup he'd made a few weeks back from the freezer and headed back out the door. Next, he stopped by the pharmacy and stocked up. Who knew what kind of bug she’d come down with, but Lachlan was going prepared. He picked up cold medication, something for fevers, and something for nausea. Then he grabbed a bottle of ginger ale. Finally, he picked up three grapefruits.
As he stood in line to make his purchases, he saw a couple books on display. One had a burly half-naked dude on the cover— His Hidden Star by Eliza Rockwood. The other had a couple kissing on the cover— Her Hidden Valentine also by Eliza Rockwood. It brought a smile to his face as it reminded him of the book Violet had on her nightstand that morning he’d picked her up from the hospital.
He wondered if she'd read this author's books. It appeared to be a series. As he got to the till, he picked up a copy of each of the books and stacked them with the other items he was buying. The middle-aged cashier scanned it through and looked at him with a sly smile. He smiled back politely as he tapped his cell phone to pay.
She packed everything into a brown paper bag and leaned forward, looking at him like she needed to tell him a secret. Obligingly, he leaned a little in toward her. "Eliza Rockwood is one of my favourite authors. Are they fer yer wife?” She grinned at him like she'd made a new friend.
Lachlan was thrown off by the question but found himself saying, “Aye.”
“Lucky lassie. I’m sure she’ll love them.” The cashier handed him the paper bag.
"Och, right. Good. Thank ye," he said awkwardly, giving her a little nod as he headed back out to his car. His mind lingered on the wife comment. It wasn’t the first time he’d told a white lie about being married to the lass. The first time being when he’d gone to see her at the hospital. He mindlessly toyed with the idea of Violet being his wife, waking up to her in the mornings, going to bed with her every night. His cock stirred, and he chided himself for the crazy thought. And yet, oddly enough, it didn’t feel crazy at all.
It was seven p.m. by the time he pulled up in front of Violet’s cottage. All looked quiet. As he knocked on her front door, his heart quickened. He was surprised that even now, his body reacted to the thought of seeing her. It was a weird phenomenon that he seemed to have no control over whatsoever. He knocked a second time and heard some movement inside. The door opened just enough for Violet to show her face. He knew she wasn't well, but he was still surprised when he saw her heavy, red-rimmed eyes squinting at him. Her pert little nose looked as if she'd been standing in the cold all day. Despite being obviously ill, he still found her to be the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on.
“Lachlan? What are you doing here?” She sounded all stuffed up.
“Och, lass, I heard ye were under the weather. I thought I’d come by and bring some provisions.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh,” she said, as if she didn't know what to say at all. "I— You… You didn't have to.”
“I ken. I wanted to.”
Her forehead creased with an uncertainty that he wanted to kiss away. She let the door open further, and Lachlan realized just how unwell she was. Even though she wore a puffy, oversized pale yellow bathrobe, she shivered with cold and looked about ready to collapse.
“Come on, V. Let’s get ye back to bed.” For a moment, he thought she was going to turn him away.
Her hand gripped the door, but then she let it go. He closed the door behind him, and Violet was already padding toward the bedroom.
“Sorry, I think I do need to lie back down,” she called, with a scratchy voice.
Lachlan followed closely behind. Violet gingerly got onto her bed, as if everything hurt, and then maneuvered carefully under the covers. Her eyes were closed, and she was still shivering. He reached over and laid the back of his hand on her forehead. It was hot, too hot.
“Did ye take any medicine, lass?”
“I don’t have any. I’ll have to pick something up tomorrow maybe,” she croaked.
“Where’s the tartan I left for ye? That wool will help to warm ye better than your duvet.” He looked around the room.
“Uh, it’s in the closet there.”
Lachlan found it still in the bag in her closet, which seemed odd, but now was not the time to question her. He retrieved it and lay it over her.
“Thanks, by the way. For the tartan and the flowers.” She took a laboured breath. “They’re lovely,” she said weakly, eyes still closed.
“It’s no worry, lass.” He didn’t care about any of that right now. He was more concerned about Violet. Lachlan headed to the kitchen, found a glass, filled it up with water, and brought it back to the bedroom with a tablet to help bring down her fever. “Here, love, take this,” he said.
Violet cracked open one eye and cooed. “You brought me drugs.” She sighed as if he were an angel, and he almost laughed. She seemed more excited for the meds than the flowers and tartan he'd given her. She took the pill and swallowed it with a sip of water and lay back down. Her breathing was laboured, but she appeared to be resting.
Lachlan hoped the medicine would kick in soon. He swept a strand of hair off her forehead and stood watching her, wishing he could do more to help her feel better. He looked around the room. Piles of tissues lay on the floor beside the bed and a few on the bed. He found a rubbish bin and put them all in it. Poor lass.
He went back to the kitchen to put the broth in the fridge. He pulled the other medicine and grapefruits out of the bag and put them neatly on the counter. He also pulled out the books and smiled to himself. She could maybe enjoy reading them later. He walked back to the bedroom where Violet now slept soundly. He put his hand on her forehead and ran it down gently over her face. She already seemed to have cooled a bit, and he felt some tension let go in his shoulders.
Striding to the nearby chair by the window, he looked out. Quite lovely, the view of the rolling green hills and sea in the distance. He could see why she chose this cottage.
Lachlan dropped down into the chair, settling in as he stretched his long legs out in front of him and crossed them at the ankles. Not exactly how he imagined being in her bedroom would be. Nonetheless, he was glad to be here with her. Glad he could be here for her. Not that he wanted Violet sick, but he took great comfort in taking care of her. Protecting her.
He recalled that primal oath that had come to him when he'd made love to her. Mine . As silly as it seemed by the light of day, the truth was, he felt it in the marrow of his bones. He'd do anything for this lass. She slept soundly now, and he felt a peace come over him. Lachlan watched her for a time and then opened the book in his hand. Why not? He thought to himself and began reading.