Page 39 of A Scot to Wed

“That sounds good to me.” Evan turned to Katie. “What do ye want, lass?”

“I’ll have the pie. It does smell wonderful. And a glass of ale.”

“The same for me,” Evan added.

They chatted amicably about the cottages and who would be moved out of the castle. “How many families are ye expecting?”

Katie thought about his question and counted in her head. “I’m not one hundred percent sure, because a few of the families didn’t want to move, and a few more were headed off to Canada. But of the ones I ken for certain, I would say about eleven or perhaps thirteen families in all.”

Evan nodded as the serving girl placed two meat pies and two glasses of ale in front of them. Katie’s mouth actually watered at the sight of the food. Without further conversation, they bit into the pie and Katie groaned. She looked over at Evan, who was staring at her. “What?”

He shook his head as if coming out of a trance. “Nothing.”

It took very little time for them to finish their meal. After swallowing the last bite, Evan leaned forward, his forearms on the table, glancing over her shoulder to the entry door. “If we intend to find these other cottages before it rains, we better be off.”

After only a short ride past the village, they came upon five cottages that appeared to be abandoned. No gardens grew in the back of the houses, no wash flapped in the breeze on clotheslines. “I think these are the cottages Alice MacDuff referred to,” Evan said as they came to a halt in front of the first one.

The five cottages were set in a semicircle, with enough space between them to allow privacy to the residents, but they were close enough for friendly exchanges and help when required. A child’s swing hung from a branch on a large tree in front of the third house. The breeze coming from the approaching storm moved the swing, the toy swaying as if an invisible bairn rode it.

Evan helped Katie down, then, placing his hand at the small of her back, led her to the first cottage. The wind had picked up tremendously since they’d left the ale house. Katie’s skirts whipped around her legs, and she almost had to fight to move forward.

They brought the horses around the back of the house, where a fairly large stable stood, obviously meant to house the animals from the five cottages. She couldn’t keep her skirts from flying in the air and eventually stopped trying. They brushed the horses down as best they could, released their halters, and headed to the first cottage.

The minute they crossed the doorway, rain fell like a large bucket had just been dumped from the heavens. A loud clap of thunder made Katie jump, and she wrapped her arms around her middle. “I don’t like lightning and thunder storms.” She shuddered.

“Let’s see if there’s wood or peat left. We can make a small fire to warm the room up.” Evan wandered over to the small, cold fireplace and opened a large tin box standing nearby. “Aye. A bit of peat.” He squatted before the fireplace and set the bricks in the hearth. Using the material from a tinderbox left on the mantel, he lit the turf, then watched it for a while to make sure it was going to burn.

Katie studied the rain. Drops bounced when they hit the ground. Hopefully, it wouldn’t last long. She had no desire to ride all the way back to the castle in a downpour, but the thought of staying here—alone—with Evan, filled her with a strange combination of fear and anticipation.

…

Evan walked up behind Katie as she stood in front of the window, watching the rain. He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked out the window. “’Tis quite a downpour.”

“Aye.” She turned, still hugging herself, as another clap of thunder rocked the cottage. “Do ye think it will last long?” Her pretty blue eyes were large with worry, and she chewed on her lower lip. The lovely plump lip he remembered kissing and nibbling on.

Don’t think of that now with the two of us alone—far from curious, judging eyes.

He viewed the small section of sky visible from the window. “No way to tell.” He draped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him as she shuddered at another flash of lightning. She felt good against him, the warmth from her body, her curves that fit so nicely.

“I feel like such a ninny. I have always hated storms.” She licked her lips and looked up at him. “As a lass of about ten years, I was out playing by myself when a storm moved through quickly. Lightning hit the tree I was hiding under, throwing me several feet away. Da told me they found me lying on the ground, and that ’twas a good thing it hadn’t killed me.” She turned back to look out the window again. “I guess that’s why I’m always bothered by them.”

Evan pulled her away from the window and led her to the worn sofa left behind by the previous tenants. “Most likely. Did no one ever tell ye the worse place to be in a lightning storm is huddled under a tree?”

“Nay. But I learned it the hard way.”

“Aye.” They settled side by side on the sofa in front of the cozy fire. Evan was aware—aye, much too aware—of her softness, warmth, and the scent from her hair. Once again, he thought about his future. With Katie? Or without her?

’Twas a complicated issue. He was needed back in Argyll, not intending to be here for even this long. And he wanted to return to his home. ’Twas in his blood. The warriors of his ancestors had fought and died to keep the MacNeil clan together and the estate safe. His da had made him promise on his deathbed to always serve the MacNeil clan, to be strong and honorable. He would not break that vow for any reason.

His desire for Katie was turning into something more. Much more. He couldn’t get her out of his mind, and he found himself looking forward to seeing her each day and working on the estate together. Never had he spent so much time with a lass outside of a bed and thoroughly enjoyed it. Yet every time they visited another tenant and he introduced Katie as the new land steward, something inside him rebelled.

Nay. I cannot leave her behind when I return to Argyll.

“Ach!” Katie turned her face into Evan’s chest, her entire body shaking as an extremely loud clap of thunder shook the house. He began to rub her back and murmur soft words, almost as if she were a bairn.

Within minutes hail began to strike the house, the sound like rocks thrown at the walls. Katie covered her ears with her hands and hid her face in her lap.

“’Tis all right, lass. ’Tis only hail making all that noise.” Evan continued to rub her back. His main concern was not the storm but the flash flooding that could keep them stranded for more than a few hours. They’d passed several creeks since they’d left the castle. Even if the rain stopped, or lightened enough for them to return, the swollen ravines and creeks could pose a danger, especially if the rain continued past sunset.