Page 16 of Transporting a Ruthless Highlander
After that, she wandered into the local tavern, where the landlord greeted her with a warm smile, noting her shabby dress and tattered cloak. “How are ye, hen?” he asked.
“Well, sir,” she answered. “I was wonderin’ if ye knew anywhere my husband an’ I could shelter for the night. A wee shepherd’s hut that nobody is usin’ anymore or suchlike?” She had assumed a pitiful, beseeching look as she clutched her torn cloak around herself.
He frowned and thought for a moment, then called to one of the men who were sitting at a round table, drinking ale and laughing among themselves.
“Hey! Alec! This wee lassie’s lookin’ for a bed for the night,” he announced. “Her an’ her husband,” he added pointedly, as a chorus of suggestive remarks began.
“Would a barn dae ye?” Alec asked. “I have a couple o’ nursin’ ewes in there, but they wilnae bother ye.”
Gavina summoned a few heartfelt tears to her eyes. This, as well as conjuring up a feminine blush, were her two best accomplishments, and she had used them to extricate herself from a few awkward situations in the past.
“Thank ye, sir!” She smiled through her tears, then called Struan.
“This kind man has offered tae help us, lovie,” she told him. “Is that no’ good o’ him?”
“Indeed. Thank you, my friend,” Struan answered as he began to limp alongside his “wife.”
Alec gave them a small smile but said nothing. If he had seen this large man first, he would likely have refused to help.
They walked down the road a little way, and Alec led them to the barn. It was full of clean, dry straw and was tidy and well kept, with four ewes and their lambs on the far side of the building, their bodies adding warmth to the air. With their cloaks to wrap themselves in and straw to lie on, Gavina thought they could sleep in reasonable comfort.
“It is fine! Thank ye!” She turned her glittering green eyes to the farmer.
“Pleased tae help, lass.” He smiled at her but ignored Struan. It was a long time since a beautiful woman had given him the time of day.
“It is no’ a palace,” Gavina told Struan as they entered the barn and looked around, “but it is a great deal better than the place we slept in last night!”
Struan laughed. “It is a palace, Gavina!” he laughed. He pointed to a pile of hay. “If we flatten that out, we can make a reasonably comfortable bed.” He took a deep breath. “If we sleep close together again, we will be warmer.”
“Aye, especially wi’ clothes on!” She laughed, then yawned. It had been an exhausting day.
They spread the straw out to their satisfaction, and then each wrapped themselves in their cloak and lay down. The straw was prickly but infinitely better than the sand they had slept on the night before. When they were settled down, close together but not touching, Gavina asked: “Ye said ye were no’ guilty o’ murder, Struan. Forgive me for no’ believin’ ye at first, but I have heard that so many times before. I would like tae hear yer story now. Can ye bear tae tell it tae me?”
“I can bear it, but are you ready to hear it?” he asked doubtfully. “It is not a pleasant story.”
“Aye,” she said firmly, nodding. “I am no’ one o’ those feeble women who faint every time somebody swears, Struan. Go on.”
Struan took a deep breath and began to speak. He had to stop several times because his throat was too choked to go on, and from time to time, he growled with anger. At last, he came to a halt on the day when he had been brought aboard the ship. “And that is when I met you,” he said at last. “I was making so much noise that one of your crewmen knocked me out.”
“Aye, I saw that,” she remarked. She stared at him for a long time, taking in his dark eyes that were now resigned and sad, and she realized for the first time that they were two kindred spirits. Neither of them had anywhere to go nor anyone to depend on. At this moment, all they had was each other.
“I believe ye,” Gavina said softly. “I believe ye are innocent, Struan, an’ I want tae help ye. Will ye let me?”
“Of course,” he replied, baffled. “But why would you want to help me, Gavina? When the news of the sinking comes out, I will be a wanted man.”
Gavina shook her head vigorously. “Think about that, Struan. It is no’ likely that they will realize ye escaped at a’. Think o’ a’ the bodies on the beach. How will they know if anybody escaped?”
“What about the shelter?” he pointed out. “Will they not wonder who built it?”
“It still doesnae mean that it was us,” she replied, shrugging. “There were hundreds o’ people on that boat. Could have been any o’ us. I will help ye, Struan, and if ye return to yer clan, then ye can help me as well. Finding a new ship an’ a new crew. This could be beneficial for both of us. ”
He stared at her, realizing that it was true. “I promise to help you. Thank you, Gavina,” he breathed.
“For what?” She was puzzled.
“For so many things. For saving my life, for helping me, and most of all, for believing in me. I will help you too, in whatever way I can.”
She nodded. “Thank you too, then,” she whispered. His face was so close to hers that she could feel his heat, and without realizing it, she found herself looking at his slightly parted lips. What would it feel like if he kissed her? What would it lead to?
