Page 9 of The Highlander's Virgin Nun
Caelan steered his horse through the gates and pulled to a halt at their side.
“By Christ, lad, what’s happened to ye?” Jayden asked, with both happiness and confusion in his expression.
Caelan swung his leg behind him and over his horse, landing firmly on the ground. He offered Rosaline his hand, and once she had modestly swung her leg while holding her skirts, he lifted her down with a firm arm around the waist.
After an afternoon’s ride in such close proximity, he felt familiar with her body, and his hands itched to reach for more of it. Nevertheless, he restrained himself.
“Are ye all right, Caelan?” his sister asked.
He touched his hand to his face and realized that the blood of his opponents was still crusted on his skin and clothes. He must have looked like a savage to Rosaline as she emerged from the woods. He half wondered how she’d trusted him.
“Another attack, but nay better than the last,” he explained.
“And who is this bonnie lass?” Alexandra enquired further, at least satisfied that her brother was safe for now.
“Why, she is me savior,” he declared, holding her hand out as if to prompt a curtsy. While there was sarcasm in his tone and expression, Rosaline smiled politely and awkwardly. “And me new bride.”
Rosaline turned her face towards him instantly, and he felt her hand tense. He gave her a reassuring half-smile before dropping her hand and moving to greet his sister.
“Excuse me?” Alexandra sputtered. “Caelan, what’s goin’ on?”
“Dinnae fret. She shouted out when an attacker sneaked up behind me while the other three fought me from the front,” he explained as he pulled his horse to a nearby post and secured it there, before grabbing his bags. “She needed to leave where she was comin’ from, and I needed someone to join me where I was goin’. It’s that simple.”
His explanation would have to suffice for now, although he knew Rosaline would be reading into it as much as she could. In the short time he had known her, he had seen how much she sought and devoured information. She was investigating the situation.
His friend and his sister looked equally confused.
“Greetings. I’m Alexandra.” His sister introduced herself to Rosaline, seeing the confusion on her face, too, and feeling sorry for her.
She had always been a sympathetic soul, and she would be glad to have another woman around.
“Rosaline,” Rosaline replied sheepishly, but with a soft smile.
“Alexandra, if ye could take Rosaline to one of the empty rooms in me wing and get her settled please, that would be grand.”
“I dinnae need much,” Rosaline immediately protested, clearly careful not to take too much from a man she had yet to fully trust.
Clever, but there was no need.
“Hush now.” Caelan went to her and placed a hand on the small of her back, gently nudging her towards Alexandra. “Be a good lass and do as ye’re told. Follow me sister.” He nodded at Alexandra to take her away.
“Come, Rosaline,” Alexandra urged with a reassuring smile and a nod, and his bride-to-be followed his sister into the castle.
Caelan watched for a moment as she tilted her head up and took in the high ceilings and lavish interior. He could not get close to her, that much he knew, but he could offer her a happier life than the one she had left behind.
“Caelan, are ye hurt?” Jayden followed him into the castle, marching in the direction of Caelan’s study.
“Nay, I’m fine. Although me best boots took a hit. Is the cobbler around today?”
“Yer boots… Ye have plenty of boots, Me Laird. I’m askin’ about yer health. Were ye wounded?”
“Nay, Jayden. I’m fine, as I said. Although Rosaline’s ankle is injured. We’ll have to get it cleaned and dressed.”
“Caelan,” Jayden protested, slamming the study door behind him.
Caelan turned around, a little irritated but not surprised by his friend’s mood.
“What the hell happened?”
