Once Forbidden: A MacKendimen Clan Novel by Terri Brisbin

Author:Terri Brisbin [Brisbin, Terri]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oliver Heber Books
Published: 2021-08-23T00:00:00+00:00

18

If she’d cut his heart out with a spoon, it could not have hurt any more than it did now. Every word, every glance, every plea she whispered under her breath, tore into his soul and left him in shreds. Even now, it hurt to glance over at her as she rode next to him and see the defeat and desperation in her eyes. But what choice did he have in this? Struan would be out searching for her as soon as her absence was noticed. He had his own suspicions about why Struan never pursued Sandy’s killer, but he could not let this go. It would not take long before Struan began to suspect that they might be together. And what he’d told her was true—she could be killed for what she’d done.

Robert looked overhead, trying to gauge the setting sun’s position and how much time they had left to reach the croft before dark. It had been difficult for Anice to sit on her pony because of her head injury. He had offered to take her up before him but she refused. Now he was about to insist or they would face another night in the forest.

He forced himself to look at her once more. She cradled the babe within the sling in front of her. Craig’s behavior had been most accommodating so far; he’d slept and ate or he’d lain within his plaid wrapper lulled into compliance by the soft rocking motion of the pony’s walk. He would be ready to eat soon and Robert hoped that Anice’s endurance would not give out yet.

He slowed Dubh down to come next to her. She looked over at him with the same fearful expression he’d seen so many times during her pregnancy. Seeing it again reminded him of how much he hated it.

“Come, ride with me.” He held out his hands to help her over.

“Nay.” She shook her head to emphasize her refusal.

He simply leaned over and lifted her and the babe onto his lap. She turned to rock in his arms, not moving, not resting back against him even when he urged his stallion forward. The feel of her in his arms was simply too much to ignore. He urged her with gentle motions to lean back. Her exhaustion must have won the argument for a few minutes later, she did rest against him.

“We can get to the croft much faster this way, Anice. I dinna want ye and the babe wi’out shelter tonight. From the feel of the wind, a storm is coming our way.”

She nodded but said nothing. With her positioned on his spread legs, he could hardly breathe. ’Twas not her weight that caused it of course, but the thoughts that ran rampant in his mind. And his body responded. The ride was both heaven and hell.

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