Tamed & Unleashed: The Highlander's Vivacious Wife (Love's Second Chance Book 13) Page 11

  Gritting his teeth, Garrett shoved her away as red-hot jealousy gripped his heart. His hands balled into fists, and as the pressure built inside him, he spun on his heel and let them rain down onto the door to her room. Dull thuds echoed through the stillness as the wood shook with impact.

  Garrett’s breath came hard and fast before resignation fell over him, and he rested his forehead against the door, panting as he closed his eyes. “Will ye never forget about him?” he whispered, feeling suddenly exhausted. Even though he had been searching for her for so long, he would never have expected this.

  “Never,” she said from behind him, her voice still tinged with anger and resentment.

  Unable to even look at her, Garrett yanked open the door before slamming it shut behind him. Then he strode along the corridor, his boots thudding loudly on the floorboards, and headed down to the taproom and ordered himself a drink.

  His body ached with the struggle inside, and he sank onto a chair and stared into the dancing flames in the hearth. Why on earth had he not simply told her the truth? He wondered. But would she even have believed him? She was as stubborn as they came, and if she did not want to see something then there was no changing her mind.

  Then what? Ought he give up? Return home and forget about her? As much as he wanted her, would it not be better to give her up than to force her into a marriage to him when her heart belonged to another? What was he to do?

  Groaning, Garrett buried his face in his hands.

  Chapter Seventeen – Suspicions

  After a restless night, Claudia pulled herself into the saddle the next morning. She had eaten quickly, her eyes constantly darting around the taproom. However, they had come up empty. Garrett had been nowhere in sight. Perhaps he had left in the night, finally giving up, and returned to London. She would be glad if he had, Claudia told herself, ignoring the painful stab to her heart at the thought of never seeing him again.

  “He is married,” she mumbled under her breath, reminding herself of his betrayal. “You’ll be better off without him.”

  Patting her mare’s back, she hugged her trusted steed for a quick moment, needing the feel of her warmth as last night’s chill seemed to have settled in her bones, unwilling to leave. “Off we go,” she mumbled and placed her foot in the stirrup, then pulled herself into the saddle.

  As she turned down the road, heading north, another set of hoof beats echoed from behind her. Pulling up the reins, Claudia turned to look over her shoulder.

  There he was.

  Garrett.

  His green eyes were hard as he looked at her, and yet, he was here, at her side, despite the scowl on his face. Anger still held him in its grip, but it was the utter sadness that stood in his eyes that squeezed Claudia’s heart painfully.

  Forcing her eyes to the front, Claudia tried her best to ignore the painful ache in her chest. But the more she succeeded, the more strongly she felt utter longing to be back in his arms, to have him smile down at her, to see his eyes glow when he looked at her.

  Cursing her traitorous heart, Claudia dug her heels into her mare’s flanks and quickly made her way down the road, hoping to put some distance between them. However, he would not allow her that reprieve. Only moments later, she heard the sounds of his approach and knew he was there.

  Silent, but there.

  Forcing her thoughts away from the man who rode beside her, Claudia reminded herself why she was here.

  Her son. He was the one she needed to find. He was the one who mattered.

  With her eyes on the road and her mind firmly fixed on the task at hand, Claudia found that time passed quickly, and they covered more ground than she would have expected. Around midday, the next inn appeared on the horizon and Claudia wondered what she would learn here.

  Sliding off her mare, she did not toss her reins to her silent companion, but instead tied them to a post out front. Then she headed inside.

  With every word exchanged with the innkeeper, Claudia’s sense of a deja-vu grew. He spoke the same words and gave the same answers as the others before him. No more and no less. Indeed, she felt like Gretel following a trail of breadcrumbs. But where would they lead her? And who had left them for her?

  Back in the saddle, Claudia mulled over the question of who might have taken her son for it seemed to become clearer with each stop that the man who took him was known to her.

  Her cousin, Mr. Lambert, had spoken of two attackers; whereas, the innkeepers insisted that it was only one man and a babe. Whoever that man was, had he merely hired the other to help him abduct her son? Had that other man been paid and returned to his life?

  If that was indeed the case, then there was only one man she needed to uncover. As he was not after ransom, she wondered what it was that he wanted. Clearly, he did not want to keep her son for himself, to raise as his own with a wife who might not be able to bear him any children. If that was the case, he would not have left all these breadcrumbs for her to find.

  And if he wanted her to find him, then he had to be someone she knew. Someone who knew her. Someone who knew about her son.

  Since her brother had gone to great lengths to hide her condition and keep the existence of her son a secret in order to allow her to return to society and make a favourable match, only a handful of people knew Aiden even existed. Apart from a few old friends, only trusted servants whose assistance they had required had been told.

  Out of nowhere, her mind conjured an image of a young footman. A man who had come to Farnworth Manor and worked diligently to prove himself to the family. Eventually, Claudia’s brother had entrusted him to watch over her as Richard constantly feared that she might do something foolish.

  Gritting her teeth, Claudia shook her head as she remembered the time she had spent locked away, her every step watched. And yet, she could not blame her brother. At least not now. He had only done what he had deemed right, and she had given him cause to distrust her, running off to Gretna Green and then turning up unmarried and with child.

  Could it have been him? Claudia wondered. Mr. Adams?

  As diligent and trustworthy as he had appeared, later they had discovered his true identity when he had tried to poison Richard at Christmas. He was in fact the illegitimate son of their father’s elder brother. Had he been born in wedlock, he would have been the one to inherit the title and not Richard. Unfortunately, he had been the child of his father’s mistress, a bastard.

  Like Claudia’s own son.

  Learning of her circumstances, he had somehow thought of himself as her champion, blaming her brother for all her troubles. And so, he had tried to take Richard’s life…in order to protect her.

  Claudia frowned. Could it have been him? It was certainly not far-fetched to think that he would have had the motivation to take her child and then lure her to them, hoping…? What exactly did he think he could accomplish by doing all this?

  But then Claudia shook her head, remembering that Mr. Adams had been handed over to the authorities. He was awaiting trial or had already been tried−she could not be certain as her mind had been elsewhere these past few months. If he had already been tried, he could already be dead, hanged for his crime, or in prison or shipped to the colonies.

  If not him, then who?

  Closing her eyes, Claudia sighed as her mind came up empty.

  Chapter Eighteen – A Silent Vow

  Later that afternoon, they stopped at a stream to water their horses. It wound leisurely through the countryside, its banks lush and green, and wildflowers growing everywhere. The sky was a brilliant blue, dotted with fluffy white clouds, like a family of rabbits chasing one another in the meadow.

  Garrett jumped out of the saddle, stretching his legs before he walked over to his wife.

  Sighing at the beautiful sight before her, Claudia made to drop to the ground when she found him standing there, holding up his hands to assist her. For a moment, her eyes held his and she inhaled a slow breath before she dropped her gaze to the ground. “I
can do this on my own,” she whispered, no anger but rather determination in her voice.

  Hope flared in Garrett’s heart that she might not be as immune to him as she wanted to be. “I insist,” he said, his voice strong but with a teasing tone to it.

  For a short moment, he thought to see her lips curl up before she forced her features back under control. “Fine,” she mumbled. Without meeting his eyes, she leaned forward and slid into his arms.

  Garrett heard her suck in a sharp breath when her chest came to rest against his, and he gently allowed her to glide to the ground. Still, his arms remained where they were, holding her against him, forcing her to acknowledge him if she wished to be released.

  “Unhand me,” she whispered, keeping her gaze somewhere below his collar bone. “Please.”

  The pleading tone of her voice squeezed Garrett’s heart, and yet, he knew if he granted her request they would eventually lose one another. He could not allow that to happen. He would not give her up without a fight. He knew he would come to regret it for the rest of his life.

  “Why do ye fight me, Lass?” he asked in a whisper, his hand gentle as he lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him.

  The blue in her eyes was filled with sadness, and she blinked them rapidly to will back the tears that lingered. “I have to,” she whispered back, her strength falling from her like a heavy cloak.

  Lowering his head, Garrett placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “There’s something between us,” he whispered, urging her to look at him. “I know ye can feel it. Ye gave in before, why not now?”

  One of her hands rose and closed around his wrist as he held her chin in his grasp. “It was a mistake,” she said, her eyes unblinking as she looked at him. Then her hand tightened its hold and removed his hand from her face. “It was a mistake, and I will not make it again.” Then she pushed past him, took her mare’s reins and walked toward the stream.

  Giving his gelding free rein, Garrett followed after her, willing himself to remain calm despite the turmoil in his heart. “I’ve asked ye this before,” he said, seeing the way her shoulders tensed as he spoke, “but ye did not answer me. So, I’ll ask ye again.” He inhaled a deep breath, preparing himself for the worst. “Do ye love him? That man, Aiden?”

  A sob left her lips, but she did not turn to look at him. “With all my heart,” she whispered, and Garrett fought the overwhelming need to crumble into a thousand pieces.

  When she finally looked at him, tears were streaming down her face, and despite his own pain, Garrett’s heart ached for her. Never in his life had he seen such sadness before. And yet, a part of him sensed that at least some of her tears were for him.

  As they stood facing one another, Garrett realised that there was one thing he had not asked her. Swallowing, he stepped forward, his gaze intent on hers.

  Seeing his approach, his wife turned her head away, then pulled on her mare’s reins and tried to stalk past him. However, he caught her arm and pulled her back. “Please let me go,” she all but begged, and Garrett’s heart nearly stopped at seeing her so vulnerable.

  “I canna do that, Lass,” he whispered, once more forcing her chin up so she would look at him. “There’s something else I need to ask ye, and I need ye to be honest for my sake as well as yer own. Will ye promise?”

  He felt her jaw tense as she weighed his words. Then she nodded.

  Garrett swallowed, feeling his heart beating wildly against his ribs. “Do ye feel something for me, Lass?”

  As soon as the words had left his lips, she dropped her gaze and began squirming in his arms, struggling to free herself.

  “Ye promised,” Garrett reminded her, a small smile claiming his lips when he saw how she fought to ignore the truth, to pretend that there was nothing in her heart that felt for him. “Ye promised.”

  Her blue eyes met his then, and there he saw everything he needed to know.

  His hand slid from her chin to the nape of her neck, and this time when he lowered his head to hers, she did not fight him, but lifted her head to receive his kiss.

  For a long time, they stood in the clearing, their arms wrapped around each other and their lips touching, gently and carefully, testing the bond that connected them. “I know that ye’re torn, Lass,” Garrett whispered, tucking a wild curl behind her ear, “but know that I willna give up.” His arms tightened on her. “We were meant to find each other, and I willna let ye go without a fight.”

  Tears misted her eyes, and for a short moment, her lips curved up into a hesitant smile. Then she sobered and stepped out of his embrace, her head down as she walked past him.

  Turning to watch her mount her mare, Garrett drew in a shuddering breath. As devastated as he had been the night before, now he had hope. She did care for him. He had seen it in her eyes and felt it in her kiss.

  As he gathered up the reins of his gelding and pulled himself into the saddle, Garrett vowed that he would reclaim his wife’s heart. He wanted her to want him, and not remain by his side because she found herself tied to him.

  Smiling, he watched her urge her mare back onto the road. “I swear, Lass, I willna make it easy for ye to refuse me.” Then he spurred his horse on to catch up with her.

  Chapter Nineteen – Return to Gretna Green

  As they rode across the border into Scotland, Claudia found Gretna Green to be an adorable little village, settled into green hills. It looked different in the daylight as it touched the few clay houses, the parish kirk and the large inn where she had awoken almost a year ago with no memory of what had happened the night before.

  Shaking her head, she sighed. Why did life lead her back here? Was there a connection between her failed elopement and her son’s kidnapping? Never would she have thought to set foot into Gretna Green yet again.

  Still, here she was, riding side by side with the man with whom she had shared that fateful night. The man who was her son’s father. The man who seemed determined to claim her heart.

  Even though he already had a wife.

  What did he want from her? Did he truly think she would ever agree to be his mistress?

  Looking about her, Claudia felt distant memories stirring. Faintly, she remembered the small village, the smell of the river nearby, the cheers from the inn rising into the night sky.

  Pulling up the reins, Claudia slid out of the saddle, her eyes unable to leave the large inn where countless couples had been wed in a simple, yet life-altering ceremony. And yet, even without a ceremony, sometimes life changed abruptly, catching one off guard and turning the world upside down. Was her son here? Claudia wondered, feeling the heart ache at the thought of his little hand wrapped around her finger. Or would she find yet another clue? Where would these clues end? Or would she forever follow her son across the world, always hoping but never finding him?

  “Go on inside,” Garrett spoke out from behind her. “I’ll see to the horses.”

  She heard his boots churn on the ground as he stepped forward and took her mare’s reins from her hand, his tall frame momentarily blocking out the sun. She lifted her head to thank him, but found her words cut off when his lips claimed hers in a quick, but thorough kiss.

  Despite her shock, Claudia could not help but admit−at least to herself−that this gesture of affection felt overwhelmingly normal as though they were an old married couple who had spent the past twenty years with one another and were still in love. As though his lips belonged on hers like the sun belonged up in the sky.

  When Garrett pulled back, a small grin stood on his face. “Do ye remember this place, mo chridhe?” He briefly turned his head and looked at the comparatively tall structure of the inn. “I spent the best night of my life here,” his green gaze returned to her, “with ye. Never forget that.” Then he stepped back and guided their two horses toward the stable, casting her another meaningful glance over his shoulder.

  Staring after him until he was swallowed up by the large stable doors, Claudia felt her limbs tremble with the emotions that
came rushing back. All day, she had done her utmost to distance herself from him, to gain control of her heart, to be reasonable as her brother had always demanded she had to be. And yet, one word, one kiss brought down her defences completely.

  Mo chridhe, she whispered the word she had heard countless times in her dreams, but never knew what it meant. Again, Garrett had addressed her thus, and more than ever Claudia was certain that it was an endearment.

  Had he called his wife thus as well? She wondered, trying to clear her head and force her heart to see reason. As much as she longed for him, there was no future for them. He belonged with his wife while she needed to find her son.

  Their son.

  Ought she to tell him? Claudia wondered. Clearly from the way he had spoken to her, he believed Aiden to be a man who had claimed her heart. A competitor in his own quest. If he knew the truth, would he ever leave her alone? Or would he claim her son, insist to raise the boy himself? Perhaps with his wife, should he ever find her?

  Claudia felt her stomach turn, and so she pushed all these thoughts aside and hastened toward the door. There would be time to dwell on these things later. Now, she first needed to find her son before she could consider his future.

  The moment she stepped across the threshold, her mind began to spin.

  Certainly, there was nothing unusual about this inn. After all, she had seen her fair share in the past two days. To her right, there was a large taproom, crowded this time of day, while a line of new guests stood by the front counter, asking for a room or possibly for direction to the next anvil priest. The air that hung about the establishment was one of merriment and hope. Claudia saw smiling faces of love-struck couples unable to keep their eyes off each other.

  Still, when her own eyes swept across the room, her heart jumped here and there, and images floated to the front of her mind. She remembered sitting in an equally crowded room, feeling lonely and abandoned, her heart broken, her hopes dashed. She remembered seeing piercing green eyes from across the room as well as her stubborn determination not to acknowledge them after the heartache she had just suffered. She remembered him approaching her, speaking to her, teasing her.