Branded by a Warrior (11 page)

Seeing her uncle in the doorway, Isobel waved as she called out to him, “Uncle Broderick, good morrow!” as she sat upon Elisabeth’s lap in the
rare
morning sun.

Raising a hand to acknowledge his sweet niece, he walked down the stone steps to join them, “Good morrow Isobel,
I see you’ve met Elisabeth
.
”

Her bright blue eyes glittered as she nodded happily, “I like her Uncle, may we keep her?” she asked innocently, gazing back at the lovely lady whose lap she sat upon.

Chuckling, he knelt beside them and ran his hand over his niece’s shiny blonde hair, “
We simply dinnae keep people Isobel, it will be Lady Elisabeth’s choice if she chooses to make
Castle
MacM
illan
her new home my love
,” answering his bonny
niece truthfully. He had yet to bring up the discussion with Elisabeth, casting his eyes over to the stunning woman who gently held his ni
e
ce in her lap he tried to gauge her reaction.

Isobel’s face lit up as she looked back at her new friend and threw her arms around Elisabeth’s neck, “Oh please stay, you will love it here! Uncle Broderick has the finest
horses;
the castl
e is always warm
,
even in winter!
”

Vibrant pain shot through her as the
wee lass held onto her neck.
Closing her eyes, she gently wrapped her arms around Broderick’s niece and ignored the pain. The simple embrace of an innocent child damn near brought her to tears, not the pain.
She thought over the innocent lives of the Drummond clan children that had been lost weeks ago.
She had always loved the little children of the village, she had
long ago
accepted the fact she would never be a mother.

“Easy Isobel, Lady Elisabeth is injured my dear,” Broderick whispered
as he watched tears form in Elisabeth’s
closed eyes. H
earing his wolfhounds bark he looked up to see his brother Kendrix walking towards them from the stables.

Scrambling off of Elisabeth’s lap, “I’m sorry me lady,” apologizing quickly as her father approached.

Smiling at the lass, Elisabeth
ran her hand over the wee lass’
s freckled face, “I am fine Isobel
, than
k you for the hug. I needed it
.
”

Broderick’s heart warmed at how kind she
was to his niece, even after Isobel
clearly had hurt
her
wounded shoulder.
He grew new respect for the woman; she had the cunning mind of a warrior but the heart of a queen.
He felt guilty when she admitted to needing a hug; he had been trying to distance himself from her side as each day passed.
She obviously had noticed his distance.
He had missed lying next to her; he had slept little these past nights. Havin
g her so close was so tempting, yet he slept in his chair each night.

Standing up he offered his hand
to Elisabeth
as his brother approached, pulling her up gently to her feet
.
Kendrix walked up and scooped up his beautiful daughter and tossed her in the air, catching her as she giggled.

Cradling the lass in his arms, Kendrix looked over at
her
,
“Pleased to see ye on yer feet again Elisabeth, I hope Isobel wasn’t bothering you. She’ll talk your ears off if ye let her!
I am Kendrix, father to this wee lass and the better looking brother,
” he joked as he hugged his d
aughter and placed a kiss on Isobel’s
forehead before setting her back down to chase after the dogs.

Elisabeth was astounded at how alike the brothers looked; Kendrix had the same dark hair and green eyes as his brother. He was a little shorter and not quite as muscular
as his older brother, but still devilishly handsome.

“She is precious, I could have used her company this past week,” she admitted to Kendrix
,
smiling
as the three watched
Isobel
chase after the wolfhounds, her sweet laughter filling the bailey.

Smiling at Elisabeth, Kendrix admitted, “Trust me, she’ll become your shadow if ye let her, she’s a h
andful, watch what you wish for!
Her mother died after she was born, Isobel has been raised by myself, Broderick and Rhona, she could use a lovely
woman’s
guidance now and then, especially when she learns you are
The Warrior Queen of Scotland
, you’ll never get her to leave ye alone
!
”

Grinning at the younger charmer, “You appear to have done a wonderful job with her already, I’m sure there are a few things I can teach her while I am here
.” She offered, thinking about where she would go after she was fully healed.

“Welcome to Castle MacMillan Elisabeth, I hope you enjoy your stay
.” Kendrix
smiled back, bowing to her slightly before turning to Broderick
, “
Night watch had nothing
to report Brother, all is well.
I’ve got to go check on the cellar
supplies with Rhona later today
.
”

“I’m going to give Elisabeth a tour of the castle
bef
ore the busy morning is upon
us, I’ll join you later
.
”

Kendrix smiled as he bowed to both Broderick and Elisabeth, “I bid you
both a good day, I shall see you
tonight at the banquet,” waving goodbye
, he called back over his shoulder, “make sure he tells you about the banquet Elisabeth, I’ll save a dance for you!”  Collecting Isobel, Kendrix lifted his daughter up and headed back towards the keep, leaving them alone in the courtyard.

“Banquet?”
she asked, looking up at Broderick.

“My cousin weds tonight, there is to be a celebration tonight in our keep. The entire clan is invited to join, there will be
a feast and dancing,” he explained as he
started to walk towards the stables, her hand st
ill on his arm, “that is, if ye
feel up to joining us tonight
?
”

Walking with the handsome laird she saw clan folk wave as they
started to appear out of their homes and shops as they walked by. S
miling kindly upon each one she waved back as they
explored
around the castle grounds.

“I would very much enjoy that Broderick, thank you for making me feel welcome in your home and on your lands. Until sweet Isobel mentioned it, I hadn’t thought much of my future home,” the last words brought fresh tears to her eyes.

Seeing her upset, he pulled her back
behind the stable wall
where no one could see them
.
Pulling her before him, he placed
his hands on her sh
oulders he looked down into her
tearful eyes
, “
Your home is here now Elisabeth
, you do not have to worry about how long your stay is. You are welcome to live the rest of your life
here;
I want my home to be
your
home
if you so choose.
”

If on queue, Conn and Isla leaned up against her as if showing their support.

His words made her heart ache; she was homesick, seeing him with his family made her heartbroken.
In a moment of weakness, she threw away the idea that she didn’t need his comfort. She missed
his
closeness;
stepping closer she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head into his chest.
He hadn’t slept ne
x
t to her in a very long time, ever since she had woken up from her injury he had taken
to sleeping on the chair instead of beside her.
She missed home; she missed her family and friends.
She missed the way Broderick would hold her in her sleep; she missed his presence next to her at night. She missed his warmth and his smell; she missed hearing him breath
e
as he slept.
Feeling his hand wrap around her shoulders she felt his warmth surround her as he simply held her.

For days Broderick
had been resisting the urge to be next to her at all times. He had forced himself to sleep on the chair instead of by her side these past nights out of fear he couldn’t keep his hands off her much longer. Having her
in his arms brought back the
night
s of lying
next to her nearly naked.
G
iving up the fight
in his heart and head,
he reached
do
wn and
tipped up her jaw and kissed her sweet lip
s. S
liding his hand along her jaw he tilted her head up as he claimed her mouth.
Running his
other
hand over her hip, he pulled her close to his body as he kissed the woman in his arms into oblivion.

The moment h
e kissed her,
he felt he
r run her hands up his chest as a moan escaped her sweet lips, his
name.
A sweeter sound he had never heard, desire shot through him as he reached d
own and squeezed her sweet ass, lifting her up to his height. His tongue penetrated her mouth as he claimed her mouth with ravenous need. He needed her now.

Hearing
the dogs growl,
he snapped out of the sensual haze
that had claimed them both.
Sl
owly releasing his hold on Elisabeth, he looked around to see who was approaching
as he sat her down upon her own feet
. Seeing Conn and Isla
looking around the
corne
r he knew something was going on in the bailey.

Noticing the
unusual
behavior of the hounds,
it took a moment for her to regain her composure
. Jesu the man could kiss
, she thought to herself.
Elisabeth searched Broderick’s eyes
as she asked
, “What is wrong?”

“Come with me
,” linking hands with her
he led her around the stable
to the
main
gate where there was a commotion ensuing.
Broderick saw his brother
Kendrix handling it from a distance.
He
walked
hand in hand
with Elisabeth
towards the main gate
he kept his eye upon his brother.

It took her a moment to realize why all the eyes were upon her, she had just came out of a fortnight stay in their Laird’s bedroom, and she was holding hands with him as if they were lovers. Did his people think she was his woman now?
Growing increasingly embarrassed as the knowing eyes that smiled at them,
she wondered what people were assuming.

She saw Kendrix had notice
right away, just as all the guards and MacMillan clan folk that were out this early
had
. Trying to pull her hand away, she tugged with no avail; Broderick simply looked down at her with a puzzled look and gave her
hand
a slight squeeze.
He refused to let go of her.

Elisabeth looked
back at
Kendrix as he
approached;
she saw his face turn from surprised to a welcome smile, “
News from our south guards, Douglas warriors were found on the borders of Drummond and
MacMillan land
.
”

Feeling Elisabeth tense,
Broderick turned so the three of them
could walk back up to the castle
as they spoke
; he needed to get her back inside soon, “What were they looking for Brother?”

Kendrix looked
directly at Elisabeth, then his brother, “They are looking for Laird Douglas’s betrothed
, by name of Elisabeth Drummond
.
”

Dropping her h
and like he had touched fire, Broderick
swung his icy cold eyes down to her, “Betrothed?” he asked
slowly, his tenor was menacing.

Only moments ago the man was kissing her into oblivion, shocked at his quick change in demeanor
she stared at the brothers. F
ar enough
away from any clan members she unleashed her pent up temper
,
eyeing Broderick,
“I would rather
die
a million deaths than marry that man. I have
never
or will
ever
be betrothed to that sadistic bastard! The
only
thing that man will feel of mine will
be my sword in his black heart
.
”