Page 38 of A Plaid Case of Loving Ye
And Nicola was surprised to realize that didn’t bother her as much as she thought it would. She was attracted to Ramsay—aye, very much so. And she enjoyed being with him. He was a good man and he made her laugh. Shewantedto be around him, wanted to talk to him.
After a lifetime spent helping others, it was hard to acknowledge she was being selfish; she wanted to be around Ramsay for the simple reason that he made her feel good.
But…she was still lying to him.
Which was foolish; she’d known him only a short time, but she was certain he wouldn’t harm her,orher clan. Kenneth McClure had declared them innocent of wrongdoing, and although she didn’t understand what Ramsay’s mission had to do with the Oliphants, she trusted him. And the longer she delayed telling him the truth, the worse it would be.
“When will we reach yer home?” she asked when they stopped for their noon meal. Her arms and shoulders ached from holding Relic all morning.
Ramsay paused in the middle of spreading out the blanket and glanced at the mountains to the west. “Had I been traveling alone, mayhap tonight. At this rate, no’ until tomorrow.”
She snorted, then happily handed over the fussy bairn. “Ye mean ye’d be pushing evenharder and faster, if Relic and I werenae slowing ye down?”
As he dropped to one knee to gently place Relic on his stomach in the middle of the blanket, Ramsay smirked. “Och, nay. If ‘twere just me and the laddie, I’d strap him to my saddle and we’d have been there yesterday.”
A giggle snuck from her lips before she could snatch it back, and when he grinned in response, she decided to stop trying. The chuckles grew rueful, however, as she stretched her arms to the sides, then back, trying to work out the kinks.
“Mayhap ‘tis selfish, but I’m glad ye’re no’ pushing us any harder. I ken I’m no’ weak, but this pace…” She groaned as she pulled at her opposite arm, then tried to roll her shoulders.
“Come here,” he commanded, pointing at the blanket near the bairn. Not understanding, she did as he directed, only for him to kneel behind her.
“What are ye—” she started to ask, twisting about. But when his large hands came down on her shoulders andsqueezed, the question turned into a groan of satisfaction.
“By St. Crystal’s little finger, Ramsay,” she sighed, “that feelsgood.”
Chuckling, he moved his ministrations down her arms, his fingers untrained but effective. “I saw ye twisting in yer saddle earlier, and kenned ye needed this. I’ll hang Relic’s basket from my saddle this afternoon and let him sleep there, aright?”
“Aye,” she sighed, closing her eyes. The bairn’s gentle gurgles and the babbling of the stream they sat beside just made the whole thing so bloody idyllic, Nicola thought she might fall asleep. “This is wonderful. I’m no’ used…”
When she trailed off, he finished her thought in a quiet murmur. “No’ used to letting others take care of ye, eh? And I’m sorry for it, because ye deserve it. Others take advantage of ye.”
“Nay, ‘twas nae what I meant. Ilikebeing useful. But this is nice…”
He hummed and his fingers dug into her muscles a little harder, the knots and soreness fleeing before his ministrations.
“Where are ye going, laddie?” Ramsay suddenly burst out, his hands falling away from her.
Nicola opened her eyes to see him scoop up the bairn, who had rolled to the edge of the blanket. When he deposited Relic at her side, she placed one palm on the bairn’s back to keep track of him.
“He’s ready to crawl, ye’re right.”
“Aye, and we’ll have to find him someplace that’s no’ covered in rocks to learn.”
To her surprise, Ramsay settled himself behind her once more, his hands settling on her shoulders. He began to rub again, and she was out of sorts to realize he was still giving her what she needed.
“I—This place is beautiful!” She gestured weakly toward the babbling stream. “It makes me long for a bath.”
He chuckled, his breath warm against the back of her neck, and somehow still causing shivers. “Aye, but we’ve nae time for it today, I’m sorry. But McIlvain has a sweet little stream too, up in the mountains, afore it reaches the river. There’s a waterfall there, and ‘tis a favorite place to bathe on a hot summer afternoon.”
She sighed as his fingers worked their magic. “That sounds lovely. I’d love to see it someday.”
“Aye,” he grunted, and his hold tightened enough to startle her. He immediately loosened his pressure and cursed under his breath. “I’m sorry, Nicola. Tell me if I hurt ye.”
Marveling in the twin sensations of his breath on the back of her neck and the way her muscles were turning to goo, she sighed again. “Ye’d never hurt me.”
When his massage traveled back up her arms, he murmured. “Ye’re right, Nicola. I would do naught to hurt ye. But I cannae help fear ye might hurt me.”
Her eyes flashed open just as his fingertips brushed against her ear.
