The Recruit (Highland Guard #6)(82)

Mary looked around. “Where’s my mount?”

He smiled. “Right here.”

“You can’t expect me to ride that beast!”

He patted the big black destrier fondly on the rump.

“Oh, he’s as gentle as a lamb.”

She looked at him as if he were mad.

He laughed. “Besides, I’ll be riding with you.”

Immediately grasping his intent, she narrowed her gaze. “Perhaps it’s not the horse I should be worried about.”

As he’d said before, smart lass.

Alas, Kenneth’s plan to take advantage of having her in his arms while they rode was not to be. No sooner had he settled her before him and snuggled her up against his chest than she promptly fell asleep.

Instead of teasing her with the gentle motion of her bottom rocking against his cock, instead of “accidental” brushes of his hands over her br**sts and thighs until they both were squirming with need, he had to make himself content with the warmth of her back against his chest and the soft floral scent of her silky hair under his nose.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t difficult. He was content—very content. In her sleep she forgot to be wary. There was something inherently trusting about her position curled up against him, her cheek nuzzled into the leather of his cotun like a child rather than a woman of six and twenty. She was so small, her pregnant stomach making her seem that much more vulnerable, that he felt a fierce wave of protectiveness swell inside him.

He would die a hundred times over before he let anything happen to her.

The intensity of his reaction took him aback. What was she doing to him?

They rode for about an hour, traveling southeast over the gently rolling hills of the Northumberland moorlands. The Cheviot Hills, the range that straddled the border, dominated the not-so-distant landscape. They passed a few villages, and a number of farms, but otherwise the road was blissfully peaceful. Though he would not have brought her had he not thought it safe, this close to the border it was always wise to take care, so he kept a cautious watch on their surroundings.

As they drew nearer their destination, the countryside became even more desolate. The English—like the Scots—were a superstitious lot. They kept a distance from the ancient stones that peppered the landscape, believing they held magic.

For Kenneth, the stones were a means of communication. He would leave a message here for the Guard. As the son of an earl, he’d had some formal education—at least enough for a rudimentary note about his wedding and his plan to bring Mary with him and the young earl. He’d also written the name of every lord and knight and the number of men-at-arms who’d gathered at the castle so far. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

The lack of additional supplies heading north still bothered him, as did Clifford’s continued comings and goings, but recalling MacKay’s warnings, he kept his thoughts to himself. He also didn’t mention volunteering to go with Clifford on a recent journey to Roxburgh. A mission that had turned up nothing.

Kenneth stopped when they reached the circle of five stones known locally as the Duddo Stones. He glanced down at the woman still sleeping in his arms and felt something inside his chest shift. Something that ached as he took in the fair hair glistening in the sun like gold; the soft, creamy skin; the tiny, pointed chin; the lush, pink mouth, and the long flutter of dark lashes against her rosy cheeks. Her features were delicate, just like her beauty. Classic and understated rather than bold and flashy. It was the type of beauty that would last for years, beyond the fresh dewiness of youth. She had a face that a man could be content to look at for the rest of his life.

God, he sounded like an idiot! This wooing and acting like a lovesick knight was turning him into one. He could almost hear MacKay laughing at him.

She opened her eyes. He watched her blink as she took a moment to realize where she was. He felt like a ray of sunlight hit him when she smiled and looked up at him. “We’re here?”

He smiled back at her. “Aye. I thought you might sleep the day away.”

Her cheeks flushed adorably. “I seem to be taking a lot of naps lately. I think it has something to do with the babe.”

Her hands covered her stomach, as he’d noticed her instinctively do many times before. She jumped a little and said, “Oh!”

“What is it?” he said, instantly concerned. “Is it the child?”

She nodded. “She’s kicking me.” At his obviously dumbfounded expression, she laughed and said, “Would you like to feel?”

He wasn’t sure, but he nodded.

She took his hand and placed it on her stomach, and a moment later he startled when something indeed kicked him.

She laughed at his horrified expression. “It’s all right. It’s perfectly normal. Although this baby seems to be much more active than David was. I think she’s anxious to get out.”

It stunned him how little he knew about any of this. “When will that be?”

“I should think around Ascension Day.”

Kenneth felt his breath relax. The end of May. He had time, then. He wanted to make sure she was safely away well before the child was born. His child. That wave of protectiveness grew even stronger.

“Where have you brought me?”

“See for yourself.”

He helped her down so that she could look around. She gasped when she saw the five ancient stones standing in a small circle on the flat top of a hill. “Druid stones? They’re magnificent.” But then she noticed the much larger range of hills in the distance. “Isn’t that the border?”