Chapter 15
Callan awoke expecting to hear the sounds of the rain, but everything was quiet. The only sound was the soft breathing of the woman beside him.
She was delicate and beautiful. As soon as he looked at her he was filled with desire again.
Her dark hair spilled across the pillow, while her lips were parted.
The blanket was draped around her body, outlining the shape of her.
One arm lay across his chest, her fingers nestled amid his chest hair.
Callan leaned towards her, breathing in her scent. The sweat had disappeared from her forehead and her cheeks no longer glowed. She looked peaceful, and he was filled with a powerful sensation, one that gripped his heart tightly, one that he was certain would never let him go.
Such a sensation was strange to him. With Alison and the few others over the years there had never been anything like this.
A need to be with her, to make her happy, to protect her.
The things he’d promised her the previous night…
he’d meant all of them. Giving up his life as a bandit, changing for her; there was no trace of a lie.
He gently took her hand and lifted her arm away from her chest. Nora stirred, her eyes half-opening. Callan kissed her forehead gently.
“I need tae ride intae the village and see Ellie,” he whispered.
“Dinnae be long,” Nora replied, although she was asleep before the words fully left her mouth.
She nestled into the pillow and sprawled over the bed.
A slender leg escaped the trappings of the blanket.
Callan allowed himself a moment to stare at her smooth calf, smiling to himself at all the delights the night had brought.
He pulled on his clothes and stepped outside where the world glistened, refreshed and new.
It seemed like a time for new beginnings, although change was never an easy thing.
Could he live up to his promises? He wasn’t sure. Only time would tell, he supposed, but he wanted to.
Nora had a way of making him want to be a better man. Maybe he just wanted to prove her wrong.
He mounted the horse and rode into the village, walking into Ellie’s house. She greeted him with a smile.
“Dae ye hae anything that needs daeing?” he asked.
“We could use some water from the well, and there’s wood that needs chopping. I’ll cook ye some food. It’ll be ready by the time ye finish,” Ellie said.
Callan nodded and went about the chores.
When he walked to the well he was glad it was early, as he didn’t want to risk bumping into Alison.
She never made a point of getting up too early.
He carried buckets of water and then chopped wood outside the house.
The boys came rushing out, laughing with glee, not having a care in the world.
Callan was envious of them, thinking about the life that he used to have, the one that had been burned away.
Callan wiped the sweat off his brow as he went inside and sank into a chair at the kitchen table. Ellie placed a plate in front of him.
“I see Alastair’s cough hae improved,” he said.
“Och aye, although I’m sure he’ll be afflicted by something else soon enough. He’s a sickly lad, that one.”
“I’m sure he’ll grow strong. I did,” Callan said.
“That ye did,” Ellie said with a smile. He started eating and a pensive look came upon his face. Ellie noticed. “What’s troubling ye, lad?” she asked.
“Naething.”
“Ach, tell that tae the priest. How long hae we kenned each other? Ye can talk tae me,” Ellie said, settling into a chair beside him and patting his hand.
Callan licked his lips and sighed. It wasn’t as though he could go to anyone else for advice.
“I think I’m falling for her,” he admitted.
“I wondered when ye would realize,” Ellie said. Callan scowled.
“Dinnae act like ye ken everything.”
“Why, I dae ken everything, especially when it comes tae ye. I’m just glad ye hae done away with Alison.
Nae that I hae anything against the lass,” Ellie said.
Callan arched his eyebrows at this, although Ellie ignored the gesture.
“But she was never right for ye. Nora, aye, now there’s someone ye deserve. ”
“I’m nae sure I deserve anything,” Callan said.
“Ach, dinnae speak like that. After all ye hae done for us?” Ellie waved a dismissive hand through the air.
“I just… I cannae give much. I am nae a rich man. I only hae a humble cabin.”
“And dae ye think those things are important tae her? Callan, a good lass only wants a man who will be kind tae her, who will stand by her, and make her feel like she’s the only lass in the world. Nora seems like the type of lass ye can build a home with, and that’s what ye need, Callan, a family.”
Callan’s throat tightened at the word. He looked away, uncertain. He was well aware of his sins. Ellie had a rose-tinted view of him, for she decided to ignore how he came upon the coin he provided. She was too wise not to know the truth.
“But can I give that tae her?”
“Aye, lad, ye can. And ye ken something else? Too many people spend their lives worrying about what they should or should nae dae instead of living. Take it from me, life’s tae short for all that.
If ye are falling for her, then let yerself fall because there’s naething more precious in this world than love.
Frankly, I dinnae ken why ye are sitting here with me when ye could be with her.
Gae back tae her, Callan, and tell her all of these things.
It’s better for her tae hear them than me,” Ellie said with a soft smile.
Callan knew she was right, and if he was going to change then he was going to have to be more open with his feelings.
After all, Nora knew what kind of man he was and where he lived.
If she wanted a life of luxury then she never would have shared his bed.
However, as he left he knew there was one last thing he needed to do.
Being with Nora meant holding himself to a higher standard and letting go of the man he used to be.
He walked to Alison’s house and knocked on the door. She appeared, yawning, but with a smile on her face.
“Why, Callan, ye hae never stopped by sae early. I suppose it would be a good way tae start the day,” she purred, her eyebrows rising suggestively.
“Alison, I’m nae gaeing tae come by any longer. I hae met someone else and it’s only right that I tell ye the truth. We cannae dae what we did before,” he said.
Alison’s features changed. The smoothness of her skin became jagged and her soft eyes hardened. The purring words turned to a hiss.
“Ye think I care about that? Callan, I could hae any man in the village. I dinnae care about ye. Gae on with ye, but dinnae think about coming around here again when things gae bad. Ye never get a second chance with me,” Alison cried out, then slammed the door in his face.
Callan supposed that went just about as good as it could have gone.
He turned and rode back to his cabin. The wind was at his back and a smile was on his face. It felt good to have hope in his heart rather than revenge, and he could think of few better ways to spend his days than resting in bed with Nora in his arms.
Someone else could kill MacPherson. He was so hated that it was surely only a matter of time.
For the first time in a long time, Callan was ready to feel something in his heart other than pain.
Nora stretched and yawned. A smile played upon her face.
Her fingers danced around the middle of her body.
She turned her head to the side and breathed in Callan’s lingering scent.
If there was any regret in her heart, she didn’t feel it.
Callan was wonderful. Infuriating and maddening to be sure, but wonderful all the same.
She nipped her lower lip and then giggled as she thought of all the things they had done the previous night—forbidden things that didn’t seem sinful and things she was eager to do again. Did that make her wicked?
Well, she supposed there were worse things to be in the world.
Nora rose and went into the front room, noticing that her dress was still in a mess upon the floor.
She pulled it over her head and looked at the dead embers of the fire.
If this place was to be her home then she wanted to contribute.
Callan had promised he would change, but he was not the only one who would have to adapt to this new life.
She would need to learn how to cook, to take care of the house, perhaps even to hunt. There were no servants to do it for her, and she did not want to sit idly by while Callan took care of everything.
She was content to let him take care of her, however.
Even though there had been a lot of tension between them, he had tried to teach her what she wanted to learn.
Given the way things had ended up she convinced herself that she could look past the lies as well, as long as he devoted himself to changing his ways.
As she cleaned, Nora hummed to herself and thought about the shape of the future.
She imagined herself and Callan visiting neighboring villages.
Perhaps they could find something to sell, or Callan could become a hunter for hire.
They would make friends but always retreat to this cabin, this haven where they could escape from the watching eyes of the world.
Laird MacPherson would likely marry some other unfortunate soul, and Hamish Sinclair would spend his days cursing her name, blaming her for the ruination of the clan even though he was the one responsible.