Page 18 of Falling for Her Highland Steward
Their gazes met and held, then he stepped into the room, took a deep breath, and blurted out: “I am so sorry that I almost kissed you. I should never have taken advantage of you like that.”
Erin hugged herself defensively, and for a moment, it seemed to Caillen that she was afraid of him, then she shook her head. “I was as much at fault as you, Cal. I must have looked as if I wanted to be kissed.” She shrugged. “So if we are both to blame, there is no need for an apology.”
“I will not do it again,” he assured her, shaking his head firmly. “I was not in control of myself, but that will never happen again, I promise.”
“Thank you,” Erin said softly. “And I will give you the same assurance.”
He bowed and went out, but instead of feeling satisfied that he had put the situation right, he felt completely wretched. Now he would have to suppress all the desire he had felt for Erin since the first time he saw her, and he had no idea how to do it.
Caillen’s suite of rooms consisted of a large bedroom, a small sitting room, and a dressing room. He loved the peace and solitude it gave him, and he often ate his meals there when he had had a hard day. He would do so tonight, but he knew that sleep would elude him. Erin filled most of his waking momentsandhis dreams.
“Do you think Laird Nugent’s steward is an honorable man?” Erin asked doubtfully as they plowed through the mud on the road from Gowanlea to Dalview, the Nugent estate. “I have heard some dreadful stories about him. They say he looks a bit like a bear and behaves like one too.”
Caillen laughed at her troubled face. “Be at ease,” he said gently. “I am told that he is one of the gentlest, kindest men you will ever meet, and he is as honest as the day is long. He looks a little fearsome, but that is not his fault.” He gazed at Erin’s classical profile and suddenly noticed that a tear was running down her cheek. They had deliberately sat as far away from each other as the carriage would allow, but now he had to stop himself from crossing to her side of the carriage to put his arms around her. He could not bear to see her distress. “What is wrong?” His voice was tender.
Erin sniffed and wiped her eyes, then shook her head. “I miss Stephen,” she sobbed. “His screaming and laughing and his little sleepy face.”
“I miss him too,” Caillen began. “I—” But he did not finish.
Suddenly the carriage lurched sickenly to the left, throwing them both against the doors. Erin squealed in fright and pain as her shoulder, followed by her head, thumped against the hard wood.
They were too stunned to move for a moment, then Caillen reached his hand out and clasped Erin’s. “Are you all right?” he asked anxiously.
Erin nodded slowly. She rubbed her cheekbone and winced. “I am fine. I hope the carriage is too.”
“And the driver,” Caillen said grimly. “Stay here, Erin. I will come back for you.” He began to scramble upwards toward the door, but it was opened just as he reached out to undo the latch, and they saw the terrified face of the driver. The young man, Fraser McColl, stuck his head and shoulders through the opening.
“Milady, sir, are ye hurt?” he asked fearfully.
“We are well enough.” Caillen’s voice was grim as he reached out to grasp Fraser’s outstretched hand and climbed through the open door. “What happened?”
“The wheel hit a rut in the road, sir,” the driver answered. “I couldnae see it, and by the time I could, there was nothin’ I could dae.”
Caillen reached inside the door again and pulled Erin out. She was white and shaking, and he put his hands on her shoulders to steady her.
“I am fine,” she said irritably, as she pushed his hands away and hugged herself. Then she turned her attention to the carriage. “How much damage is there?”
The two men walked around the stricken conveyance, inspecting it, while Erin sat down on a tree stump to watch them since there was nothing she could do to help. After a short while, Caillen approached her and sat down beside her.
“The good news is that the axle is not broken,” he told her. “But the bad news is that the rut in the mud is very deep, and the wheel is stuck fast, so it will take a while for us to be on our way again, if at all. If we cannot get it out, we will have to walk the last mile since our carriage horses have been trained for pulling, not riding.”
“I see.” Erin nodded slowly, then smiled grimly. “So be it. Can I do anything to help?” She stood up.
Caillen looked her up and down from the fastening of her deep brown woolen cloak, under which she wore a pretty floral dress of brown and pink linen and dainty brown boots. “No, Erin, but thank you,” he answered. “Your clothes would be absolutely filthy, and it is not the best way to introduce yourself to a future business partner. Your boots are irreparable now.”
Erin looked down at them to see that both boots were already crusted with mud. “Then it makes no difference, does it?” She stood up and was promptly pushed down onto the tree stump again. She looked up indignantly into his dark, angry eyes, and for a moment, there was a duel of stares before she looked away.
“Forgive me, milady.” His voice was stern. “You are the laird, and I am merely your employee, but in this case, I must insist that you do as I say. I do not want you to hurt yourself.”
Erin huffed but nodded, glaring at him. She hated being wrong.
The sun had been high in the sky when the two men started to dig the wheel of the carriage out of the mud using two thick tree branches. Now it was dusk, and darkness was falling fast.
They made a hole behind the wheel and filled it with stones and pieces of wood to give it purchase and stop it spinning uselessly against the slick earth.
They had been working on the far side of the carriage, out of Erin’s sight, but presently, she saw Fraser climb into the driver’s seat, then Caillen began to push the carriage from behind. Erin’s jaw dropped as she saw the extent of his strength. His face was contorted, and every one of his magnificent muscles was straining to the absolute limit of its power, bulging with the effort as he pushed the carriage forward. His whole weight was behind it, and it took only moments before, with infinite slowness, the wheels began to roll forward out of the clinging mud.
As the horses completed the task, moving the carriage onto more solid ground, Caillen walked over to Erin, breathing hard, and her body once more responded in its now-familiar way to the sight of his naked, gorgeously sculpted torso. He was filthy and sweaty, but it made him even more attractively masculine, if that was possible. Erin had trouble looking away from him.
