Page 132 of Once Upon A Haunted Castle
Gareth walked away shaking his head.
Laura entered the barracks quietly. Jamie sat at the table, staring at nothing. His bedroll tied and ready to go. His face was a mess, a large cut on his lip, his cheeks rough and bloody, his nose caked with blood.
She dipped one of Gareth’s linens into the fresh basin of warm water and dabbed it on his forehead. He didn’t swat her hand away. She took that as a good sign.
Laura progressed and ministered to the rest of his wounds. Finally, she put the stained linens in the basin and sat across from him in silence.
“Thank you,” he finally said. He picked up his bedroll and started to leave. She grabbed his arm.
“Where are you going?” A wave of panic rolled through her.
“I need to go.” His voice was cold and distant. She panicked more.
“What do you mean you need to go? You’re family. If anyone should leave, it’s Bryce.” He gently took her hand off his arm and turned toward the door. “Why are you doing this? Because a foolish boy who is half the man you are called you out?”
“No,” he gazed at her, a hurt look in his eyes.
Gareth stepped back into the room.
“Not at all. I’m leaving because I wanted to kill him. If he hadn’t fallen, I would have kept at it. I was a berserker. Not in control. I never want to feel that way again. If I stay here, near Bryce, I don’t know that it won’t happen again.”
“You’ve made a powerful enemy,” Gareth said. “It doesn’t matter who was right or that he taunted you. You bested him in front of others, but you didn’t kill him, if that’s what’s worrying you, although sometimes his smug attitude makes me want to wring his neck.”
“But Bryce started the fight. It was clear to everyone that Jamie didn’t want to hit him back,” she said.
Gareth let out something that sounded like a laugh. “Once started and without any resistance, Bryce thought he could win the fight, establish his supremacy over Jamie, like a dog fighting for his place in the pack.” The grimace on Gareth’s face left no doubt what he thought of Bryce.
“Laura, you don’t understand. Bryce is English and I’m—”
“My Scottish cousin. Emphasis on Scottish, like Richard, Lisbeth and me.” She jabbed her finger at his chest as she said each name. “And we’re proud of it. If he doesn’t like it then the—”
Gareth gave a loud cough. She sawthe twinkle return to Jamie’s eyes.
“You made your point, Lass.” Jamie stared at her face as if he was preserving the image in his mind. “I’m leaving, but I’ll never be far away from you.”
The sound ofrushing water brought Laura back into the moment. Jamie led the group through the high grass marsh that bordered the river. In a few moments, they stood on the muddy sandy shore of the River Annan.
“We’ll rest when we’re out of the marsh on the other side.” He looked at Laura on her palfrey. “You’ll ride across with me.”
Laura looked at him aghast. “I assure you, I can handle my horse crossing the river.”
“I’m sure you can. However, it’s all about size,” he smirked.
She tilted her head and sucked in a quick breath when she reconsidered the double meaning of his words.
“My horse,” he leaned over and said in a husky tone. “He stands several hands higher than yours. Where is your mind, m’lady?” He straightened in his saddle. She was sure he enjoyed her discomfort. “There won’t be any time to stop and dry your skirts. Unless you want to spend the next two hours wet to your waist. You ride with me.”
A command.
The idea of sitting in a wet skirt didn’t appeal to her, neither did riding with Jamie.
He reached over and lifted her onto his lap as if she weighed nothing. His hand lingered a moment too long. A tingling started in the pit of her stomach. Tucked across his lap, he pulled her close. She stopped arguing.
“Hold tight.”
Another command.
“Or we’ll both be taking an unexpected bath,” he whispered in her ear. Laura wasn’t sure if it was his low voice or the picture his words painted in her head that made her heart turn over. It took every ounce of control not to quiver.
