Page 13 of A Highland Bride Taken
“Ye only need to open yer heart, and ye will find the answers ye seek.”
Campbell didn’t answer, knowing he didn’t intend to do so. He could love his people as he had been doing since he had inherited the title, but that didn’t require him to open his heart. If he chose to care harder, he would be opening himself up to betrayal and pain.
“I will go into the villages and search for a suitable governess for the bairns,” Magnus added. “Dinnae worry yer head. Just see to the bairns.”
When Campbell was finally left alone, he almost wished for company so he wouldn’t be drowned by the sheer number of thoughts that flooded his mind. But his primary concern was the twins.
MacLennan’s daughter had fed them and earned their trust, but when she left on the morrow, he feared they would return to refusing food. He recalled his joke about marrying her and quickly discarded the thought.
She had caught him off guard and made him lose control too quickly. He did not want to imagine what constantly being around her would do to him.
He poured himself another cup of whiskey and chided himself for the habit he seemed to be quickly developing.
He downed the contents of his cup in one gulp and rose to his feet, deciding he would see to the boys before he retired for the evening. He had left them in bed, but he had heard that Connor was plagued with nightmares and sometimes woke up screaming. Which was to be expected, since they had watched their parents die.
He made to open the door to their chambers as silently as he could, but found it slightly ajar, which made his body stiffen. He pushed it wider and tiptoed into the room, not wanting to startle whoever was inside with the boys, in case it was a maid trying to help them sleep.
When he spotted the boys huddled together, shaking like leaves, he assumed it was an unfamiliar maid with them. But upon seeing a masked figure looming over them, he did not think twice. He lunged at the figure, grabbing him and pulling him away from the startled boys.
The assailant felt slight in his arms but was stronger than he appeared. And he was skilled, as he slammed a hard elbow into Campbell’s side, causing him to break his hold.
Campbell was winded from the assault, but rage fueled him as he circled the intruder.
How dare he try to hurt the boys? In his castle. In his territory.
He lunged again, landing two blows in rapid succession across the intruder’s jaw. The crack of bone was satisfying, but the intruder held his ground, throwing blows that did not land.
Campbell landed one more blow to the assailant’s stomach and then a kick that threw him into a side table, shattering it in the process.
He turned to the boys briefly. “Are ye hurt?” he asked.
They shook their head.
He turned back to the assailant, but was shoved aside as the man bolted out of the room. He made to pursue him, but the sound of the boys’ voices stopped him.
“Nay!” they cried.
He turned to them.
“Dinnae leave us,” Ollie added.
He was torn between wanting to pursue the assailant and wanting to stay with his nephews. If he failed to catch the assailant, he would be haunted with guilt for leaving the boys after they begged him to stay. But if he caught the assailant, he could figure out who was behind the attack.
He looked at the boys again, his worry about a repeat attack and the joy of finally being accepted by them warring in his mind. Choosing the latter, he buried his frustration and moved towards them.
They were crying again—Connor, most of all. While the sudden urge to take them in his arms seized him, he approached warily. They watched him, and he kept his movements slow, like one would approach a skittish horse, until he finally had one arm around either of them.
His heart swelled when they burrowed into his chest, and he did not mind it when their tears soaked through his linen shirt. Anger bubbled up inside him again, but he buried it, not wanting to scare them.
“Dinnae worry, lads,” he soothed. “I promise, nothin’ will hurt ye here. Dinnae worry.”
“Will ye stay?” Ollie asked, sniffing.
“Aye,” Campbell uttered. “Ye can rest easy. I will be here to chase even the nightmares away.”
Soon, the boys’ sobs subsided.
Campbell felt Connor drift off to sleep, but Ollie stayed awake, making no move to leave. He moved so that Connor could sleep comfortably and Ollie could rest in his lap.
