Page 4 of His Secret Highland Bride

Lindsay gasped at the crude comment made in front of Shane. It was bad enough his first impression of her was with men pawing at her, but for her cousin to insinuate such a thing…

“Did I not just tell ye to watch your tongue?” Shane said, his words even more menacing for he had not raised his voice.

“And did I not just ask ye who you were to think to tell me what to say to my lackwit cousin?”

When Shane took a step closer to the boy, Lindsay stepped in. It wouldn’t do for the boy to get murdered on their doorstep.

“Doran, please go inside. I will be in shortly to make your meal.”

“You’d better,” he said before offering a final glare at both of them and heading inside. The way he kicked the door shut made it clear how it had become damaged.

“I don’t know if I can leave ye here.” Shane looked at the other cottages near hers. They weren’t much better than the one she was living in. Hard times had befallen the MacPherson clan, though from what she could tell, all their problems began in the castle.

Yes, she could walk up to the gate and tell them who she was, and it would spare her from having to make supper for her ungrateful family. But she couldn’t help thinking it would be a terrible mistake. She might have food in her belly and a clean place to lay her head, but being married to the new laird would no doubt be worse than the way she lived now. He was surely just a much larger rat.

…

How was Shane supposed to leave this woman in such an unsuitable place? Every instinct had him wanting to pick her up and carry her away from here so she wouldn’t have to look at such horror, let alone live in it.

He shook his head.

He thought himself a protector, but he’d neglected to shield the one person he’d made an oath to always defend. His failure had resulted in her death, a betrayal he would never forgive himself for.

Despite her rough clothing, Lindsay Cameron was a fine woman. Elegant and graceful. Educated, if her speech was anything to go by. She didn’t belong here in this filth, and she definitely shouldn’t be spoken to like a dog by a sniveling pup with no manners. It had taken all Shane’s control not to tell the boy who he was when he’d asked.

It would have amused Shane to see the look on the lad’s face to know he was barking at his new laird. But Shane wasn’t ready for anyone to know he’d returned. After years of giving and following orders, he just wanted some peace. And maybe he was avoiding one order specifically—the one his father had given to come home and marry. He couldn’t do that to an innocent woman. He couldn’t bind her to him, a man who was empty inside and unable to love her. For he’d given his heart to his first wife, and it had died alongside her on a field in France. He could never love like that again; of that, he was certain.

His gaze flickered to Lindsay.

Would the bride forced on him be as lovely? Her dark eyes held secrets, and he wanted to learn each one. But she was not his. He’d found love with a woman and lost it. He didn’t deserve to be happy when Maria was gone because of him.

“I must get inside,” she said while brushing a lock of her midnight hair away from her face. “They get more unbearable when they’re hungry.”

“I can’t imagine him being worse.”

“They bluster about, but they’ve not struck me. I’ve made it clear I won’t stand for it. They need me, so they will behave. Besides, as I said, it’s not for much longer.”

He nodded, glad to know she wouldn’t be forced to stay here beyond what was necessary. Though he felt something similar to regret deep in his gut to learn she’d be leaving and he’d no longer see her. It was a silly thought. It wasn’t as if he was free to wed someone else. He was promised to whomever his father had arranged to be his bride. He could offer Lindsay nothing more than respect and protection.

His warrior instincts kicked in. Wanting to shelter this woman when he’d not been able to help his own wife caused his stomach to twist. Still, it wasn’t Lindsay’s fault Shane was broken.

“Ye know where I live now. If you need anything, come to me. If you wish to go walking in the woods again, I will escort ye.” He would do better for Lindsay than he had done for Maria. He’d not allow another woman to die.

“I wouldn’t want to take more of your time,” she said, a smile hinting at her lips—lips he was now staring at.

An overwhelming ache gripped him. This woman was beautiful, but to think of her lips and kissing her was wrong. Her hair and eyes were dark like Maria’s, but she was not his wife. And while his body had yearned for the comfort of a woman, his heart kept him from acting on those feelings.

“It is no hardship,” he found himself saying, though he should have nodded and walked away, leaving her to her life so he could shut himself away with his pain in Ronan’s cottage.

But Lindsay had been a welcome distraction. He’d enjoyed his time with her, even for the time they sat in the forest in silence. He found it was easy to be with her. He was grateful for the short respite from the guilt that had settled on his shoulders.

She didn’t seem to be in any hurry, and after the chaos of an army, just sitting quietly was something he realized he had missed. She hadn’t filled their comfortable silence with idle chatter. Instead, she’d seemed pleased to listen to the birdsong and the small animals as they scurried about in the leaves.

“Then perhaps I shall see you tomorrow. Good day, Shane.”

“Good day to ye, Lindsay.” He gave a short bow that made her smile grow, showing off her white teeth. As he turned and walked away, he realized he had a matching smile on his own face.

He felt that weight of guilt return as he left her. It was not fair that he would find a reason to smile with another woman after what he’d done, or hadn’t done. The smile melted away. He stopped at the well to get water before returning to Ronan’s cottage. The night was warm, so he didn’t need a fire except for the light. The bed ropes would need to be restrung and the mattress filled with new straw before he could sleep there. After years of sleeping rough on the ground, he had no problem tossing down his plaid to sleep on the floor.