Chapter 2
Storm couldn’t wait to get rid of the American. He had done nothing but interfere with her carefully laid plans. She could tell that he wasn’t used to following orders and that he could handle himself in a difficult situation. However, this was her command, her battle, her land.
Which was why, at the first possible chance, she would leave him somewhere safe enough, but she wanted to be rid of him. She couldn’t take the chance of his messing things up any more than he already had.
She did wonder why he had been imprisoned, but then it didn’t take much of an accusation to be incarcerated. He had probably been in the wrong place at the wrong time or he didn’t have enough money to pay the bribe on trumped-up charges. Either way, it was not her concern.
He glanced back at her from where he walked a few feet ahead. He had done that from time to time, almost as if he watched out for her. She needed no one doing that. She was more than capable of looking after herself.
She did have to give him credit for keeping up the tough pace she had set for the group throughout the night.
He looked sturdy enough, muscled arms and thighs attested to his strength.
His dark trousers were torn at the knee and his white shirt ripped at the shoulder.
Dark brown eyes were set in a rugged face marred by a few cuts and bruises and covered with dirt and sweat.
His unkempt brown hair brushed his shoulders, and she had noticed that his hand had drifted often to his side—a common gesture for a man used to having a weapon strapped to his leg.
He looked back again and held her glance. There was determination and annoyance in his brown eyes, which suddenly widened as he rushed at her.
She mumbled an oath as her foot caught on an exposed tree root and she tumbled forward.
Storm felt his hands snag tightly around her slim waist and yank her up on her feet. She wobbled, and her hands shot out to grab hold of his forearms. There was a solid strength in them that could not be denied.
“I got you, don’t worry.”
She gave him a hefty shove and waved off Tanin, who approached. “Keep going. I’m fine. I need a few minutes with this man.”
“No need to thank me for helping you, yet a third time,” he said with a grin.
“I have no intention of thanking you and I don’t need you rescuing me.”
“That’s debatable.”
“No. It’s not,” she said firmly. “I do fine on my own. Now where is it you’d like to go? I’ll see that you get there.” She wanted rid of him as quickly as possible, or else she had the distinct feeling he’d forever get in her way.
“Dunwith.”
“A day’s journey. What takes you there?” she asked, curious.
“Personal business.”
“Anything to do with what landed you in prison?”
“That was a complete misunderstanding,” he said emphatically.
“It usually is, though the magistrate rarely sees it that way.”
“A robbery, a fight, and a—”
“Setup,” she finished. “They took all your money and you had nothing to pay the fine. Did you tell them you could get more money?”
“I’m not that stupid.” He sounded insulted. “Besides, the money I had arranged to be brought here won’t be available to me for two weeks.”
“So you’re presently penniless and homeless.”
“Only for the moment, and, like you, I can take care of myself.”
His brown eyes flared, giving his rugged features a devilish appeal that momentarily stunned her. “Good, then I’ll see that one of my men makes sure you get to Dunwith.”
“What of the others?” he asked.
“Those prisoners unable to walk much farther will be left with friends who will see them moved to a safe location. The others will be given a choice to go off on their own or to join with my group.”
“What if I want to join with your group?”
She stopped short and glared at him. “Why would you want to do that?”
“Don’t want my help?”
He was obviously amused by her remark, a half smile highlighting his sweat-dappled face. She wasn’t at all amused. “No!”
“Why?”
“You don’t take orders well.”
“I don’t take them at all.”
“Obviously.” She admired his abrupt honesty. “Why would you want to join us? I thought you said you had personal business in Dunwith.”
“I do, but until my funds arrive, there isn’t much I can do. Besides, I’m sure you could always use an extra pair of skilled hands.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. My men are well trained to obey me. Can you obey me?”
“I can follow orders.”
“Can you obey me?” she repeated.
She could see the struggle in his eyes and in the pinch of his narrow lips. He was fighting with himself, though the answer was clear. He couldn’t obey a woman.
“I’ve been taught to protect women.”
“I don’t need protection. I need obedience.” She smiled when he cringed.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Not good enough. My men work together under my command. I never worry that they won’t obey me and they never worry that I will fail them. That is why we’ve been so successful in our rescues. Go to Dunwith, Mr.—”
“Burke, Burke Longton,” he said, holding out his hand.
Storm took it, his callused palm rubbing across hers and taking firm hold. The solid handshake told her he was a man who meant business, and that he didn’t let go of her hand told her he was determined to have things his way.
“Once my funds arrive, I’ll be on my way. Until then, let me help you.”
Storm tugged her hand out of his, crossed her arms over her chest, and eyed him with a suspicious glance. “What is it you really want from me, Mr. Longton?”
“The name is Burke, Storm. And what I need from you is knowledge of this land and its people before I attend to my business. I had thought my task an easy one but I have realized it is going to be more difficult than I first thought.”
“I have no time—”
“I will make it worth your time.”
Storm hesitated. She needed funds, but was it worth it?
This towering man could not follow the simplest of orders, and that could prove dangerous.
Was she willing to put her men and people in jeopardy in exchange for a much needed filling of the coffers?
And how could she be certain he spoke the truth that funds were on the way?
“I can be an asset,” he continued.
“So far you have proved nothing but a liability.”
“I beg to differ.”
She ignored his remark. “How do I know these funds exist?”
“Good question,” he said, running his fingers through his hair, “though not easy to answer. There really isn’t any way I can prove that I have sufficient funds to offer you.” He paused. “I can only give you my word.”
Again, he was straightforward with his answer. However, was that enough to rule him an honest man? She thought herself a good judge of character—that was how she had been able to form her group of men. She had judged each one individually on his own unique merits, and all had proved worthy.
This man had a look of worthiness about him, and his concern for her safety attested to his honorable character. He would defend the defenseless, though his opinion on who needed defending was somewhat skewed.
Still, her main concern was his reluctance—actually his refusal—to follow her orders. The safety of her village depended on everyone obeying her rules. One person not following those rules placed the village in jeopardy. Burke’s presence alone could do that.
“Have you given it enough thought?”
He sounded anxious.
“I have a duty to protect my people.”
“I would bring no harm to your group.”
“Not intentionally,” she said.
“What of the money? Don’t tell me you can’t use it? Since my arrival in Scotland, I have seen with my own eyes the suffering of the less fortunate. Money would ease that suffering considerably.”
He was right about that. Their food supply had dwindled to a dangerous low, and they would need to replenish it before winter.
“I can tell you are a sensible leader—”
“Yet you cannot obey me.”
Burke shook his head. “Your head reaches my chest, and in those clothes you resemble a mere lad. You don’t exactly look like a leader.”
Her protest died at his outstretched hand.
“Let me finish. Your actions demonstrate your leadership abilities, and that your men obey you without question tells me they admire and respect you. Which means you will do what is necessary for your people.”
He had that right. Her decisions were always based on the good of the whole, not merely the one. But his inability to obey orders could be a detriment to the group; his funds, however, would definitely prove beneficial.
“Let me think about this,” she said.
“How long?”
“Until we reach our first destination, a couple of hours at least. Now let’s get moving. We need to catch up with the others.”
Storm waited for him to pass her, and for a moment he looked as if he stubbornly refused to move. He stood stone still, his brown eyes fixed on her as if in a trance, and then suddenly he jolted forward and hurried past her.
The group’s pace slowed at times in consideration for those few who found it difficult to keep up, and a persistent cloud followed them overhead. Otherwise, they met no obstacles.
Storm had no time to think further on her decision. She conferred with her men who scouted the area, adjusted her plan in case anyone had gotten wind of it, and determined which of the prisoners were in need of care.
She took a moment to stop for a breath and take in the beauty of the woods. Small pauses were necessary now and again, or else she would be forever lost in fighting to survive.
It hadn’t always been like this. Life had been good once. She had loved each and every day, and then she’d lost the most precious thing in her life—her husband.
She chased the thought from her mind, or else it would consume her, beat her down, and devastate her all over again. She couldn’t allow that to happen; she had people who counted on her. Which reminded her that she had a decision to make in regard to the American.
She had never turned away anyone in need of help. But why did he need to know about her homeland of Scotland? What had brought Mr. Longton to its shores? She had to be careful whom she trusted. There was a bounty on her head, but surely a man from America would know nothing about that. Would he?
Shortly they would arrive at their first destination and she would need to make a choice. Let him join her group or cut him loose. She drifted back until she walked alongside him.
“Made your decision yet?” he asked.
“I’ve thought on it.”
“Anything I can do to sway your choice?”
“Tell me what brought you to Scotland.”
His brown eyes glared down at her. “I’m here to find my half brother and I don’t intend to leave until I do.”