Desired by a Highlander (Macardle Sisters of Courage Trilogy Book 2) Read online

  “You are a sensible woman and I won’t lose you over a foolish choice,” he said.

  “I am not sensible when it comes to you. I am fearful that I will lose you and I couldn’t bear that. I could wait in the woods for you and help you get everyone to safety and tend those who need help.”

  “It’s too dangerous,” he argued.

  “For you as well.”

  “I’m skilled at escapes.”

  “And I’m skilled at healing,” she said and pressed her brow to his. “I can’t bear thinking of you suffering a wound and me not there to tend you. I need to know that you’re safe just as much as you need to know I’m safe.” She lifted her head and with a hint of tears in her eyes she met his dark ones. “Please let me do this. Sensible or not, it’s the right thing to do. Maddie, Kevin, and the others don’t deserve being imprisoned. And who knows what plans Sterling has for them.”

  “You will do everything I say without question?” he asked, shaking his head. “I have to be a fool to agree to this.”

  “I promise I will obey your every word,” she said with excitement. She had missed the misadventures Sorrell had gotten into since she left. And while visiting her and experiencing them again, then the attack, and being put in the pit with Slatter and all the things that followed, she discovered that she didn’t want to be sensible all the time. Sometimes an adventure was called for.

  Slatter was still shaking his head. “You will remain where I tell you and if I don’t return by a certain time, you will not search for me. You will return home and—”

  “Inform James what happened so we can rescue you.”

  “No! You will admit no knowledge of the rescue attempt.”

  “Fine, but I will come for you… always.”

  Slatter still hadn’t stopped shaking his head. “I know I’m going to regret this.”

  Willow took his face in her hands. “Never. Never will there be any regrets between us.”

  Slatter finally stilled his head. “One regret I’ll never have is the day we exchanged vows. I’ll always cherish that day because it was what I wanted. I wanted you as my wife then and always. And I want us to take our vows again so all know, without a doubt, that we are husband and wife.”

  Willow’s eyes lit with joy. “We’ll have a celebration this time, a feast, and family to share it with.”

  Slatter felt the same joy and it frightened him. He never thought he’d have a woman to love or want him with the tenacity that Willow did and he feared losing her. So why he had agreed to let her go with him on this rescue mission troubled him. Though, maybe, just maybe it was because it might help her understand when she finally discovered the truth about him.

  “When do we go rescue them?” she asked.

  “When it’s deep into the night and the only sounds heard are the creatures of the night. So until then—” Slatter found himself kissing the blanket instead of his wife, since she had jumped off his lap so quickly.

  “Now tell me the plan, every detail, so I know what to expect and what I must do,” she said, pacing back and forth in front of him naked.

  He sat up and watched as her anxious steps gave way to a seductive sway of her hips and a gentle bounce of her breasts.

  “Tell me it all, don’t leave anything out, and don’t forget alternatives in case anything goes wrong.”

  “I go get them and bring them back here, though keep them hidden from Sterling,” Slatter said, paying more mind to how she enticed with every step she took rather than her words.

  Willow stopped, her hand going to rest on her hip.

  Damn, but he loved when she struck that pose, especially when naked. It really tempted when she was naked.

  “That’s your plan?” she asked and her hand went up and she shook one finger at him. “No. No. No. You must have a plan.” She returned to pacing. “I believe I know the area they’re being held. It’s to the west of Tarass’s keep, a dense patch of woods not far from it.”

  Slatter didn’t hear a word she was saying. His mind was far too occupied with his wife’s seductive movements.

  “No doubt Lord Sterling will have guards posted,” —she stopped and tapped her cheek with one finger— “though he might think that Tarass’s sentinels would be sufficient, another thing to consider... Tarass’s sentinels.”

  “That’s it,” Slatter said, popping up off the bed and heading straight for his wife with determined strides.

  With his tenacious gait, Willow instinctively went to back up, but stopped, smiled, and hurried at her husband.

  Slatter caught her up in his arms, swinging her up, and planting her firmly against him. “I had all thoughts to take our time, be playful, enjoy each other for a while… no more. You’ve got me too worked up for that.”

  Willow giggled. She loved that she could make him want her without even knowing that she did. It was empowering and fun.

  He dropped her on the bed and when she went to turn on her back, he turned her over and pulled her up on her hands and knees. “I’m going to give you a good pounding.”

  She wiggled her naked bottom back and forth at him. “Promises. Promises.”

  He slapped her backside playfully. “Careful, wife, or you’ll get more than you bargained for.”

  Or would she? she thought playfully.

  She gasped again when his hands grabbed her backside firmly and she gasped again when he entered her with one swift plunge. After that she did nothing but moan and probably far too loudly, but she didn’t care. It felt far too good for her to care about anything but the way her husband pounded away as he had promised he would.

  “You’ll wake the dead with those moans,” he cautioned with a laugh, loving that he was bringing her that much pleasure not to mention how much he was enjoying it.

  “It’s all your doing,” she cried out, “and I can’t wait much longer.”

  He felt the same. He was surprised he had lasted for the short time he did, that’s how much his passion had flared watching her.

  He gripped her backside harder and drove into her in rapid succession and that was it… they both climaxed together. Slatter did his best not to roar the roof off the keep, Willow not so much.

  She let out a scream that Slatter was sure would tremble the dead.

  And knowing his wife, he didn’t stop pounding her until he felt her release again and shudder with a final moan.

  He dropped on the bed beside her and she rolled over to lie against him, his arm going around her. They lay in silence, wrapped in the pleasure and satisfaction of the moment.

  Willow was always amazed how making love with her husband grew more and more enjoyable. And how she simply could not get enough of him.

  “You please me beyond pleasure, husband,” she said when her breathing had calmed.

  “And I will please you like that for the rest of our days.”

  “Then life will be far better than I ever imagined.”

  “Aye, that it will be,” he agreed, having never imagined himself that life could be so good. “Now rest. We must leave in a few hours and return before dawn.”

  “But we must make a plan. We failed to make a plan to catch Sterling and now look at the problem he’s caused.”

  “That was before we knew it was Sterling and we had much going on with Rhodes chasing after us, and my grandmother’s attack.”

  “Even more reason to form a plan,” Willow urged.

  “I’ve escaped more difficult places before.”

  “You, on your own escaped. There are several people needing rescuing, that makes escape more difficult.”

  “I’ll find a way,” he said with a yawn and was asleep in no time.

  Willow laid there unable to stop thinking. She pictured the area where she was pretty sure the prisoners were being held and the surrounding area. Sterling no doubt would place his camp in front of the penned prisoners and with the keep behind them that left only two areas of escape. One lay open to a field and the other the woods, the preferab
le way to go.

  The dense forest would offer a safer avenue of escape, the thick trees and bushes allowing for good places to hide and making it more difficult for Sterling’s warriors to follow. But there was another way, through the small MacFiere village and out to a part of the forest where there was a glen. If the prisoners could make it to the glen, they wouldn’t be spotted. Besides no one would expect them to go that way.

  She strategized the plan, thought of different possibilities if something unexpected should happen, said silent prayers for a safe and victorious rescue, and only then did sleep come to her.

  She woke with a start and didn’t need to look to see the spot beside her and the room itself was empty.

  He had lied to her and gone and left without her.

  Chapter 26

  Slatter waited in the woods. In the end, he couldn’t let Willow go with him. He couldn’t risk it. He’d go mad with worry that something would happen to her. She always slept heavy after making love and with the pounding he had given her, she would probably sleep until sunrise. So when he had looked upon her, sleeping soundly, safe in bed, ready to wake her to accompany him, he changed his mind.

  What he would face when he returned he didn’t know, but it didn’t matter to him since she was there safely tucked in bed.

  A bird shrilled and he returned the call. A few minutes later Devin emerged from the darkness.

  “Tell me again why we’re rescuing the likes of Beck’s crew?” Devin asked.

  “From what Maddie said most of Beck’s crew are dead, only the innocent ones are left. The people who owed Beck. The ones he wouldn’t free until they worked off what they owed or paid him, neither a likely prospect,” Slatter said.

  “He was a lying, thieving, bas—”

  “So are we,” Slatter reminded.

  “Not the same. We’re good lying, thieving bastards,” Devin said with a hearty laugh.

  “Us bastards better get this done quick, since I purposely lied to my wife and told her she could come with me to help rescue the group when she figured out what I was going to do.”

  “She has a good head on those sturdy shoulders. She’s not one you should be lying to and you know she’s going to figure things out. What then?”

  “I’ve pushed it aside for now.”

  “I wouldn’t leave it sitting there for long,” Devin said.

  “Now’s not the time for me to worry about it. We’ve got a mission to accomplish.”

  Devin nodded. “Let’s get this done.”

  They got as close to the edge of the woods as they could without being heard to look over Lord Sterling’s campsite. It was quiet, snores coming from the sleeping warriors.

  Slatter continued to glance around the area. Not a soul stirred and not a sound came from the pen that was cloaked in a heavy darkness.

  Devin tapped Slatter’s arm and shook his head.

  Slatter nodded, and they both retreated back into the woods.

  “Something’s not right,” Devin said.

  “I felt the same unease,” Slatter agreed.

  “A trap,” both men whispered.

  Slatter felt along the ground with his foot for a small rock. He picked it up and gave it a toss toward the pen, but not to land in it. Several warriors bolted forward, their swords raised, ready to do more than simply capture him.

  Devin pointed to a spot in the camp to silently let Slatter know he was going to explore the area.

  Slatter nodded and pointed to another area, then pointed to the spot where they stood for them to meet back here. He shook his finger, a sign that meant that neither were to take too long.

  With silent steps Slatter made his way along the periphery of the camp. Nothing stirred, not a sound but the crackle of the two campfires. A camp was never that silent at night. There were always warriors who couldn’t sleep, or nightmares that had men moaning. Sentinels could be heard walking the perimeter of the camp and exchanging words with other guards. Never, ever was a camp this still.

  Sterling expected him. He knew Slatter would try and rescue at least Maddie and Kevin. It was why he had beat them both, to anger Slatter enough to make the effort and get caught in this trap. But why would he think Slatter would care about Maddie and Kevin.

  Because while people couldn’t see any difference between Slatter and Sterling, there was a difference. Slatter cared about those who suffered, Sterling didn’t.

  Slatter knew it was time to get out of there and he hurried back to find Devin waiting for him and when he saw how anxious he appeared, he grew concerned.

  They retreated further into the woods before speaking and kept their voices to a whisper.

  “Did you see anything of Sterling?” Devin asked.

  Slatter shook his head and his eyes shot wide. “Willow.”

  Willow rushed on her garments, debating what to do. Did she follow her husband? She shook her head. That would be foolish. She didn’t know how long he’d been gone, where he was, or if he had already completed the task. Her only choice was to wait for his return.

  She looked to the fire and saw that it had died down considerably which meant her husband had been gone for some time and she had slept for several hours. As she added more logs to the fire to chase the chill that consumed her, more so from worry than anything else, she assumed he should be home soon. He’d want to make it back before sunrise so no one would know he’d been gone. How he intended to explain it to her, she had no idea. Though knowing her husband, he would plead that it was for her safety that he had lied or perhaps he had changed his mind.

  She plotted her responses as she paced in front of the roaring fire and when the door creaked open and she saw him standing there, she knew one thing.

  He was not her husband.

  Slatter raced through the woods, weaving and ducking to avoid the tree branches that whipped at him as Devin followed behind him. It didn’t matter to him if anyone found out about his absence or that he’d been meeting with Devin and Walcott secretly, both men having searched for him when he hadn’t returned when expected and finding him here.

  His need for revenge grew as he sped through the woods. Slatter was responsible for what happened to Walcott and because of it he might die, and for what? Watching out to make sure no one would discover Devin and Slatter were meeting? Walcott had suffered protecting them and his grandmother had suffered protecting him. His fury grew. And now his wife was in danger? Fear tore at him and fired his anger. It was time he put an end to this now that he knew who was responsible… Sterling.

  He had to get to his wife. Had to reach her before Sterling did. Why hadn’t he even considered that it might be a trap? How had he allowed himself to fall for Sterling’s trick? He was more intelligent than that, always considering all angles before rushing into anything.

  Willow.

  She had overpowered his thoughts and all sound reason. He’d been enjoying a life with her that he had only dreamed of and in the process he had let down his guard.

  Never again.

  His worry was that Sterling would reach the keep before he did and pretend to be him. Would Willow fall for his lies? Would she know the difference? Or would the man crawl into bed with his wife and… he shook his head and picked up his pace.

  Sterling flung his arms out. “No hug for your husband?”

  She couldn’t let him know that she knew he wasn’t her husband. She raised her chin. “You lied to me.”

  “I thought it best not to tell you of my plans,” he said.

  That confirmed what she already knew. He wasn’t Slatter, since her husband had admitted he had had no plans, but she truly didn’t need a confirmation. She could tell from the sinister look in his dark eyes, his smile that was far from truthful or pleasant, and the arrogant way he held himself, that he thought he could do no wrong.

  “You told me you wouldn’t keep the truth from me.”

  “A wife doesn’t need to know all.” He stretched his hand out to her. “I thought we’d tak
e a morning walk before everyone stirred to life for the day.”

  “I’m angry with you,” she said in a way of an excuse, hoping Slatter would return at any moment.

  He snapped his hand as if ordering her to his side. “We’ll talk.”

  “We can talk here,” she said, letting her annoyance show.

  “I’d rather we take a walk.” He grabbed her cloak off the peg.

  “After we eat,” she said.

  “The morning fare will not be available for at least another hour, which gives us plenty of time for a walk through the village.”

  She went to protest.

  “I insist.”

  She knew than that he planned on abducting her, forcing Slatter to come to him. He had laid a trap for Slatter and she feared what might be waiting for him. Her husband was going to be furious when he realized his mistake. She only hoped it wouldn’t be too late for either of them.

  “What if I refuse,” she said, glaring at him.

  He turned a smile that was more a sneer on her. “I didn’t think I could fool you, but the keep begins to wake and if you don’t want someone hurt—badly—I suggest you come with me.”

  What choice did she have? If she screamed and alerted the keep to his presence, how many would die coming to her rescue? James? Eleanor? Carna? Snow? She shivered at the thought. She’d want none to die for her.

  “My husband will come for you,” she warned.

  “My plan exactly.” He threw her cloak at her. “Unless of course he’s fallen into my other trap and he’s brought to me.”

  The thought of that ran a shiver of fear through her as she swung the cloak around to settle on her shoulders, then she approached him with caution.

  “Alert someone and that person dies,” Sterling warned.

  And it made her wonder if he intended to keep her alive until Slatter reached her or if he planned on greeting her husband with her dead body.

  They made it through the keep without an incident, but Willow tensed when they came upon Snow as they walked through the village. She had forgotten that Snow walked with Thaw through the village each morning. It was a quiet time when Snow didn’t have to worry about maneuvering through the people that were mere shadows to her.