Highland Sparks (Clan Grant #5) (10 page)

Chapter Twelve

Logan had to admit that it had been better than he expected. He kissed Gwyneth’s cheek. “I pleased you, lass? The pain is not too much for you.”

“What pain?” Gwyneth snorted.

Logan quirked an eyebrow at her.

She blushed. “Not a very ladylike sound is it. Rab used to tell me that. I guess it’s a habit. Sorry.”

“You have naught to apologize for. I’m more concerned about whether or not you are still hurting. Every moment was sweet.”

“Nay, I’m fine. The pain was verra mild.”

She gazed into his eyes until he caught the sparkle in them, followed by her sly grin. What was the lass thinking about? A few moments later, he found out.

“How often do you do this?”

Logan chuckled. “A man doesn’t tell other women about his experiences. Why?”

“I don’t care about your other experiences.”

“Then why do you ask?”

“Because…” She hesitated before answering.

He kissed her forehead. “Because?”

“Because I wondered how long before we could do it again.” Gwyneth averted her gaze and blushed, but then returned her gaze for his response.

He chuckled. “If you give me a few moments, I’ll show you.”

“Why do we have to wait a few moments?”

Logan chuckled and gathered her in his arms. “Saucy wench.”

***

A few hours later, Logan rested on his side with Gwyneth cocooned in his arms. They had discussed their family and made love again, and he decided now was the time to broach the topic she didn’t want to hear.

He whispered in her ear, “Do you wish to tell me why you left by yourself? Don’t you think ‘twas a wee bit foolish?”

“I can handle myself. You saw that in the archery contest.”

He could tell her defenses had instantly gone up. “An archery contest is not the same thing as a trip alone. None of the Grants would have tried such a thing.”

“You would have.” She stared at him, quite sure of herself.

But other than her encounters with Duff Erskine, he was willing to bet Gwyneth had lived a sheltered life in the Kirk. Logan sighed. “Aye, but I have traveled these Highlands enough to know them a bit better than you do. Can you not admit you were almost in trouble by yourself?”

“Aye—” she bobbed her head, “—I should have climbed into the trees.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Because.” She glanced off into the distance, her voice barely a whisper.

Logan was baffled to see her this embarrassed. “I know you can climb; you must have climbed a tree to get all those apples for the lassies.”

“Aye.” She still avoided his gaze.

“And so, you didn’t climb the tree because…”

She brought her gaze back to his, her eyes narrowed in a challenge. “Because. I’m afraid of heights. I can only climb the lowest branches as I did to retrieve the apples. I can’t go any higher or I risk fainting. Does that please you?”

Now it made sense. The lass didn’t want to admit to any sort of weakness. “Being afraid of heights isn’t uncommon. There is no reason to be embarrassed. It
is
a reason to make sure you are not caught in such a situation again.” He waited for her agreement, but none was forthcoming.

She changed the subject. “How far are you going?”

“However far you are going.”

She sat up and turned to glare at him. “Why did you follow me?”

“When I found out you left alone, I had no choice,” he said, sitting up and facing her. “I wasn’t convinced you could make it alone in the Highlands. And I’m glad I came. I’ll follow you to Glasgow.”

“You don’t need to follow me. Go back. I have a job to do, and I don’t need your help.”

“You mean killing Duff Erskine?”

“Aye. Who told you that?” She crossed her arms in front of her glorious breasts.

“Caralyn did. Is it a secret?” He reached over and grasped her hands to pull them away from her front. Slud, he liked looking at her.

“Nay!” She slapped his hands away and crossed her arms again.

“Then why are you upset?”

“I’m not upset.” She turned her back on him and flounced back down on the ground.

“Aye, you are.” Hellfire, she had spirit and he loved it. He fought to quell his grin or he suspected she would start swinging at him.

Logan allowed silence to settle between them again to give her time to sort out her thoughts. He ran his hand down her back in a soft caress, his fingertips just grazing her skin. After a few minutes, he started again. “Why don’t you tell me everything about Duff Erskine?”

She sat up and turned back to face him. “Logan, I know you are trying to be helpful, but this is my battle. If you came in and killed him for me, I would be furious. He’s mine to kill, and I can do it on my own. This has been my goal for the last seven years.”

“But he put you on the boat not too long ago. Why seven years?” He needed to hear it all from her.

“Aye, he tried to sell me because he knows I’m after him. He’s afraid of me because he knows I won’t quit until he’s dead. The only way he could control me was to have his men drug me.” She crossed her legs and played with several leaves on the ground, staring at her hands as she spoke.

Logan tugged her onto his lap, turning her sideways so she could rest her head on his shoulder. He rubbed her arm and said, “Why? Why is he afraid of you?”

“Because he killed my father and my brother, and now I won’t rest until he is dead.” Her hand rested on his arm as if she needed something to steady her.

The fact that she reached for him instead of pushing him away was a good sign. He had to earn her trust. She shouldn’t have to fight this battle on her own, but he knew he would have to convince her of it. “You know for a fact it was Erskine who killed your father and brother?”

“Aye, my younger brother and I saw it happen in front of us.”

Logan's stomach clenched as he fought to hold back his gasp. He hadn’t realized she had watched her own family die in front of her. God’s teeth, he couldn’t imagine a lass watching that. No wonder she had an edge and a mission. This changed everything. Vowing to help her carry this out, he waited, hoping the pause would bring forth the full explanation. He wanted every detail of the story.

Gwyneth cleared her throat. “I’ll tell you everything, but you must understand that I’m doing so to make you understand what I must do. He is mine to kill and I want you to promise me, here and now, that if you have the opportunity, you won’t do it for me with the intent of helping me. ‘Tis something I need to do for myself. Understood?” She sat up and gazed at him, awaiting his pledge.

What she asked went against his better judgment, but he didn’t think she would budge on this request. Logan rubbed his eyes in thought and held his breath before releasing it in a whoosh. “Aye, unless the situation is the same as with the boars. It could be you or him. If it gets to that point, I’ll kill him. Don’t ever doubt that. I won’t watch you die for your pride.” He would probably live to regret this oath, but he could not deny her.

“My thanks.” She settled herself back against his chest. “I grew up in Glasgow. My mama died a few days after she birthed my brother, Rab, when I was only a year old. I don’t remember her. I had an older brother, Gordon, who was four summers my senior.

“After my mama died, my father raised the three of us as best he could. He taught us all how to use a bow to hunt, and we did so often. We never went anywhere without our bows except to the Kirk. Papa always said ‘twas disrespectful to take a weapon to the Kirk.” She played with the hair on his arm as if she needed a distraction to give her the strength to continue.

“My Uncle Innis was a priest at the Kirk in Glasgow. ’Twas one night after we left the Kirk when our nightmare happened. We had gone to pray and then stayed late for a visit with my uncle. We lived in a small cottage near the firth. As we neared our home, Papa heard someone crying, so we moved toward the sound, which came from near the river.

“When we got close enough, we found a couple of men loading women into a cart. My sire was a strong man who believed in right and wrong, so he yelled out to the men and asked them what they were about. It was verra dark, and I couldn’t make out much of what they were doing, especially since I stood behind Da and Gordon.”

Gwyneth sat up and turned to face Logan, tears misting in her eyes. “Logan, he pulled out his bow and killed my father and brother right in front of me. I was standing between the two, so I could see him undeniably clear. Duff stepped forward and fired without saying a word. I’ll never forget that moment for as long as I live.”

“Hell, Gwynie,” he brushed back the strands of hair fluttering in front of her face. “I’m sorry, lass.” He kissed the first tear as it slid down her cheek. He held her hand, brushing his thumb across the back, hoping to be some source of comfort.

Gwyneth stared up at the stars as tears rolled down her cheeks. “He fired two arrows fast, straight into their hearts and they crumpled to the ground. All I remember after that is falling on my da and screaming for him to wake up. He never moved again, and I was covered in his blood.”

She swiped the tears off her cheeks and stared at her hands, her breath hitching as the painful memories ate at her. “The next thing I knew, Duff Erskine stood in front of me and stared at me. He wore a twisted grin and told me I was lucky he didn’t do the same to me. Then he told me he would come for me in a few years and send me off on a boat, as he planned to do with the women on the cart.”

“Where was your brother, Rab?”

“Rab thought faster than I did and ran for help as soon as he saw the arrows fly. I was frozen; I couldn’t move at all. And the worst part? When the bastard stood over me laughing about my da and my brother, I didn’t even try to hurt him. I didn’t have my bow, so there was naught I could do, but I couldn’t move at all, a huge force was keeping me pinned in my spot.”

“Lass,” he cupped her cheeks and brushed her tears away with his thumbs. “You had just watched your sire and your brother die in front of you. How could you have done anything? I wouldn’t have been able to move either. ‘Tis only natural.”

Gwyneth shook her head so forcefully her plait swung back and forth on her head. “You would have done something, Logan Ramsay. I failed my family.”

“How many summers were you? I think you’re too hard on yourself.”

“Ten and three. I was big enough to have swung at him or something. I could have yelled; I could have punched him.
Something
.”

He kissed her forehead. “Gwyneth, at ten and three, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything. You were too young, and you had just received the shock of your life.”

Her hands latched onto his arms and her fingers dug into his flesh. “I should have done something! Do you know how many times that scene has played out in my head? Do you know how many different ways I have dreamed of hurting that bastard? He killed them for no reason. No reason!”

Logan understood. He could feel her entire body shake with emotion from reliving the tragic experience. He wanted to kill the bastard with his bare hands for what he had put Gwyneth through. The cold execution of her family members necessitated an extraordinary form of torture.

Duff Erskine was a dead man. He just needed to convince her to let him do it for her.

God’s teeth, he had no idea how he could do that.

Chapter Thirteen

Logan reached for her and drew her in as close as he could. Gwyneth clung to him, wanting so much to be able to lean on him for support. It had been a long time since she had felt this comforted. Logan Ramsay was indeed an unusual man.

She cried in his arms for several minutes more before she was finally able to rein in her feelings. Settled on his lap, she rested her head on his shoulder while he rubbed her back, allowing her the time she needed to finish the story. After blowing her nose on a nearby leaf and wiping her face with another, she finally calmed enough to speak again.

Logan said, “No one came to help you?”

“Nay, ‘twas too late at night,” she hiccupped. “By the time Rab returned with my uncle, Duff was well down the trail of the firth with his packhorses. We picked up my father and brother and took them to our home to clean them up. I cried and cried and thought I would never be able to stop.

“Uncle Innis talked to the other priest and we were brought to live with him in a small room in the back of the Kirk. Eventually, they added two small chambers for sleeping. We helped clean, cooked, fished, and Uncle Innis taught us both to read. The Kirk had so many wonderful books that I read all the time.

“But the most important thing he did was help us practice with our bow. I became obsessed with it, and Rab became obsessed with the church. We each had a different way of handling the tragedy. When Uncle Innis died last year, Rab took his place in the Kirk and became Father Rab. He had already gone for training with Uncle Innis.” She pulled away and smiled at Logan, playing with his long hair. “I am so proud of my brother and I love him so much.”

“How did you meet Caralyn and her daughters?” Logan asked.

“Father Rab travels to different Kirks sometimes. He is happy to go wherever he is needed, and he often takes me with him. We were at the Kirk in Ayr when I met Caralyn. I just fell in love with her sweet bairns, and I knew she was in a difficult situation, but I didn’t know how to help her other than to be her friend. She was my only true friend because I spent all my time in two places.”

“Two places?” Logan’s brow furrowed. “Aye, the Kirk, but where else did you go?”

She smiled and kissed his cheek. “To the butts. My brother helped me find a suitable place to practice my shooting and a perfect target. He is an excellent natural archer. I never was that great at it until I had a goal. I practiced and practiced, and he gave me pointers on how to get better. My father taught the three of us, and we played around often, but I only became skilled after Uncle Innis and Rab worked with me.

“I vowed to improve until I could kill Duff Erskine, though my brother tries to talk me out of it, speaking about forgiveness and the teachings of the church. Still, I think he understands I am driven to do this.”

“Your brother didn’t see the arrows kill your father and brother, did he? If he ran, he saved himself from that memory. You do have that inside you, and I am sure ‘tis a powerful beast to defeat.”

“Aye, the memory never leaves me. Erskine will die at my hands.”

***

Someone shook her arms. “Gwyneth, wake up. Come, love, you’re having a nightmare.”

Her eyes flew open with a start and stared directly into Logan’s gaze. A nightmare. She panted, forcing herself to a sitting position, trying to bring her fear under control. Glancing down at the dirt, she heaved and reached for something, anything to ground her. Then she sought the only thing that promised to give her genuine comfort—she threw herself into Logan’s embrace.

He wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear. “Lass, I’m here. Do you wish to tell me about it?”

Gwyneth sobbed as she clung to him. Duff Erskine had invaded her life once again. She had this dream frequently. Sometimes she dreamed about the experience on the boat, and other times it was the moment of her kidnapping. How she hated reliving the terror of having no control.

However, this was the first time she had ever had the comfort of a pair of large, warm arms around her. She was beginning to like having Logan Ramsay around.

Wiping her eyes, she leaned back and told him everything. Then she fell back against his chest and he held her, just held her until a wave of calm washed over her—a sense of renewed confidence and purpose. She would do this, and if by chance she needed help, Logan would help her.

Never, never would she be powerless again.

***

The next day, they rode through a meadow that was absolutely stunning, surrounded on both sides by tall craggy rocks. The air was still as they rode, the only sounds the birdsongs in the trees. Fortunately, there hadn’t been any rain, and they hadn’t run into any more boars either.

He glanced at Gwyneth and said, “Would you like a bath, sweeting? I know of a place not far from here we could use.”

Gwyneth’s face lit up. “Aye, please! I miss the Grant bathing room.”

He spurred his horse into a gallop and yelled back over his shoulder, “Follow me.”

As he was heading straight for a wall of rocks, Gwyneth swore he was daft before he reined in at the edge and pointed to a spot in the middle. When she pulled up next to him, a slow smile crept across her face as she noticed the slender opening. Just wide enough for a horse. They slipped through the crevice and Gwyneth sighed in pleasure at what she saw there.

“This is the most beautiful spot I have ever seen.” Her gaze roamed over the ground covered in soft moss leading up to a deep pool. She dismounted and proceeded over to the stone edge, where water puddled in shallow crevices in the rock that led to a deeper pool in the middle. Bending over, she stuck her hand in the water and squealed in delight. “‘Tis warm, Logan.”

She turned around to gaze at him, her face beaming as she ripped off her clothes.

Logan quirked his brow. “Are you always this free to strip?”

“Aye, when there is warm water. You’re coming with me?”

He chuckled. “Wouldn’t be verra gentlemanly of me to allow you to explore on your own. Who knows what you will be up against?”

Gwyneth tiptoed across the rock until she came next to the spring. “Do you think it is verra deep?”

“Nay, you can stand up in it. Go ahead. There’s no fish or aught else.”

She lowered herself so she sat on the edge before dropping into the water with glee. She moaned and sighed in sheer delight as the warm water washed over her long limbs. Reaching up to her hair, she released the ties so it tumbled down on her shoulders and giggled as she swung her long mane back and forth, freeing it from its bindings.

Logan took one look at her with her hair down around her shoulders, jumped into the water and grabbed her, pulling her tight against him.

“Oh!” She glanced at his hardness against her belly. “That didn’t take long, did it?” She grinned at him and grasped his erection, stroking him the way he liked.

“Hellfire, between your hair and your moaning, it took little more than a second. But now you have given me a challenge, for sure.”

“What’s that?”

He grinned as he picked her up by her waist and set her on the edge of the stone, spreading her legs wide for him. “‘Tis a matter of my manly pride. I must make you moan more using only my tongue.”

Gwyneth’s puzzled expression made him grin and he set to proving his point. Within minutes, she groaned right before she clutched his hair and cried out his name loudly enough for it to echo inside the small chamber. She caught herself as she fell back on the rock and stared at him, watching him kiss his way up her belly.

“Did I keep my promise, lass?” He winked at her with the most wicked grin he could muster.

All Gwyneth could do was nod and whimper.