Page 42 of Cherished By A Highlander

“Nay, you will not,” Quint ordered. “It is far too dangerous. They can take the cart and collect whoever they wish and bring them to Clan MacLeish. You can tend the wounded there.”

Shade was about to argue when the younger man spoke up. “He is right, mistress. It is too dangerous. There is no telling what Lord Torrance would do if his men found you with the enemy in the woods. Besides, it is more important that you help our chieftain survive. We need his wisdom and courage.”

As much as she did not like seeing the two men go off on their own, she knew it was a wise decision. She had to get to Clan MacLeish, not just to help the chieftain but to help Ula and Caleb if necessary. So, she settled in front of her husband on his mare, and they continued their journey.

The small dwellingwas a welcome sight just as dusk fell. It needed numerous repairs, but it would do, especially since distant thunder made the threat of rain more probable. She went inside while Quint saw to settling his mare under a lean-to that was in better shape than the dwelling.

The place hadn’t seen a visitor in some time. Cobwebs occupied almost every corner, vines grew through the walls running up along them, and pieces of broken furniture layscattered about. It was far from welcoming, but it would keep the rain off them if they avoided the holes in the thatched roof.

Shade rubbed her arms and shivered from the chill running through her.

Arms suddenly circled her, and she was drawn back against her husband’s warmth.

“I will get a fire going and I will make sure you stay warm tonight. It hasn’t been an easy day for you, and I fear the coming days might prove even more difficult.”

There was much she wanted to say to him, ask him, and yet she wanted nothing more than to be where she was, snug in his arms. Her gurgling stomach ended the peaceful moment, though how she could be hungry after all that happened today, she didn’t know.

While Quint took care of the fire, she spread a blanket on the earth floor and sat and ate a piece or two of the cheese and bread she unwrapped and placed in front of her. She watched her husband work to get a strong fire going. He was hunched down on his haunches, his back to her.

They were a strange pair, the healer and The Monk. The healer saved lives, and The Monk took lives. The healer lived to heal, and The Monk lived for revenge. How could marriage between such an odd pair survive?

Quint stood with a stretch and turned, his arms up and wide as he walked to her and a slight shiver tingled her body. He resembled a bird of prey about to descend on its unsuspecting target and capture it.

Quint stopped when he drew near, seeing something in her eyes that troubled him. “I frighten you.”

“Goodness, nay,” she said, stretching her hand out to him.

He hurried to take hold of her hand and sat beside her. “Then why do I see fear in your eyes?”

She smiled and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. “The way you stretched your arms wide reminded me of a massive bird about to descend on its prey and devour it.” She kissed his lips lightly. “Not that I would mind you devouring me. The comparison just caught me unaware.”

He stared at her. He thought for sure after she witnessed what The Monk did today that she would regret marrying him and disavow their marriage. That made him recall the question he had asked her earlier and she never got a chance to respond to it.

“Tell me, Shade, can you love The Monk?”

Shade rested her hand on his chest, her smile turning soft. “I do not know how I would have felt about The Monk if I hadn’t met Quint first. I might have believed, as everyone does that he is a madman. But the time spent with you made a difference. I got to see who you truly are and what drives your revenge. But most importantly I learned you were a man I could trust. To me, love cannot survive without trust and so, it made it that much easier to fall in love with you. And that, dear husband, is something I will never regret. So, to your answer… I love all of you, but I will be relieved when The Monk has his revenge and he exists no more, for I worry over the danger of his quest.”

Quint felt as though his heart broke free of whatever chains had shackled it. He kissed her gently, lingering in its tenderness, then brushed her lips with his before kissing her again. It wasn’t meant to stir passion. It was a kiss of unwavering love. He felt her contentment when she rested against him, his own serenity mirroring it and he kept his arm tucked around her, holding her close.

“You have my heart, Shade. You are all I need, all I want. I never thought to—” He shook his head. “The emptiness, loneliness after losing Amara—” He shook his head again. “I would rather suffer a battle wound that eventually healed andpained me no more, than suffer the never-ending pain of losing someone you love.”

“I understand,” she said, running her finger faintly over his lips as though letting him know he need not say more.

She truly did understand his struggle to confess his love for her. He felt he failed his wife for not being there to protect her when she was attacked and now, he would feel it as a betrayal if he confessed his love for another woman. He had more healing to do before he understood that the reason he was able to love again was not a betrayal of his love for Amara but rather the strength of their love that allowed him to open his heart and love again.

He took hold of her finger and kissed it lightly. “I knew you well before I ever laid eyes on you, though I did not ever expect to tell you that, but I owe that to you now.”

She looked up at him puzzled, then smiled. “Brother Emmett.”

“Aye, he spoke endlessly about you, eager to share not only the knowledge you were helping him to acquire but telling me what a good and truthful woman you were. I thought that he possibly imagined you since what woman could be so wise and understanding.” He chuckled and Shade poked him playfully in his side. “But when he began to apply some of what you taught him about healing, I realized you very much existed, and it made me want to meet you. I was going to speak with Brother Emmett about it, but he died before I was able to.”

Shade looked at him questioningly. “I wonder what that fellow meant when he said, ‘failed mission.’”

“I wondered myself though I haven’t had time to give it thought.”

“His dying words could help prove you innocent of the murders.”

“With only you and me hearing him?” Quint shook his head. “No one would believe us.”

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