Staring is rude and you were brought up better than that.
Her mother’s words rang in her mind as Ellie sipped from her cup, trying her best not to be obvious about the staring she was doing. All the same, she couldn’t seem to help herself.
These were the men Caden had risked his life to save.
Just before sundown, she and Caden had stopped to make camp. They’d barely finished gathering wood for their fire when this group had showed up.
She’d listened wide-eyed as Blane had told the story of their escape, sounding like someone recounting the plot of the latest movie he’d just gone to see.
Ellie could almost believe that the case if she didn’t have the visual proof of just how real it all was sitting around the campfire with her now.
With the exception of the one named Simeon, every single one of them looked as if they’d had the crap beaten out of them, even that sweet little Lady Baxter.
Ellie felt as if her heart missed a couple of beats, her breath catching at the realization of what could have happened to Caden if he’d actually made it all the way to that awful Wode Castle. What would she have done if…
She stopped midthought, reminding herself she was completely furious with Caden. She would not be worrying about him anymore. She absolutely refused to. A damn good ass-kicking might be exactly what he needed to knock him off that pedestal he lived on.
As if he knew her thoughts touched on him, he walked over to her, offering to refill her cup.
She shook her head in refusal, giving him her best “go away” look. Instead of taking her hint, he sat down by her side, leaning close to whisper in her ear.
“Well? What do you think of Colin? Is it not exactly as I said it would be?”
He looked so serious, so concerned, she hesitated, debating what she really wanted to say.
Whatever magic first impression Caden had expected her to have of his brother, it wasn’t there. Exactly as she’d known it wouldn’t be. Oh, Colin was handsome enough, in a brooding, big, dark warrior sort of way. If you wanted that sort. Which she didn’t.
She reminded herself that she didn’t want the brooding, big sheepherder sort, either.
“Sorry to disappoint you, cowboy. I didn’t see a single star.” She set down her empty cup and stood, suddenly finding that she’d had all she could take of the reunion chatter and needed some alone time. “I’ll be back in a while.”
Caden grabbed the hem of her skirt, slowing her departure. “Perhaps Colin should accompany you to see to yer safety, aye?”
Colin paused his conversation long enough to give them both a look, his eyebrows raised in question.
“I don’t think so. Baby’s all the protection I need, thank you very much.”
She jerked her skirt from Caden’s fingers and hurried to the forest’s edge, deciding as she reached the trees to make her way to the river beyond. It wasn’t far, and truly, she did feel safe with Baby at her side.
Sitting down on the bank of the river, she stared into the dark water. The moonlight glinted off the fast-moving eddies, shimmering and dancing before her. If she closed her eyes, peeking through just the tiniest slit, she could almost imagine herself home, on the bank of her own river the night she’d been zapped away. As if none of it had ever happened.
A wave of sadness swept over her at the thought, and she rested her chin on her propped-up knees.
If none of this had happened, she never would have met Caden, never would have shared with him the experience at that little pool, never would have shared part of him, if only for such a brief time. And though she still worked to convince herself that she hated, detested, completely loathed him right now for wanting to get rid of her so badly he’d try pawning her off on his brother, she wouldn’t have missed that experience for the world.
The glistening water danced before her, only slightly more shimmery through the tears forming in her eyes. The distortion gave the water an almost magical look.
The river! Maybe that was the source of the magic and her way home.
She blinked back the tears, refusing to admit she was grasping at straws.
She’d been by the river when the magic had first swept her away. And when she’d seen it the second time, she was once again at a river’s edge.
That had to be it.
Because it wasn’t saving the sheep, or saving Caden’s life, or even saving Caden’s brother.
And the only other alternative was unacceptable. Being in love with someone who didn’t want you? No, that was just too painful to even contemplate.
It had to be the water.
“I wish…” She stopped and wiped at the tears rolling down her cheeks. Was it just the blur in her vision or had the moonlight on the waves taken on a greenish cast? “I wish…”
“Are you well?”
She jumped at the sound of Caden’s voice as he came out of the trees behind her, taking another quick swipe at her eyes before she stood. “Of course I am,” she snapped.
He grasped her arms and pulled her to him, then let go to wipe her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.
“Dinna cry, wee Elliedenton. To see you so fair breaks—”
He stopped and swayed toward her, as if pulled to her by an invisible string. Or was it her leaning into him, inexorably drawn to the man who didn’t want her? His lips parted, and for just that one instant she could swear he intended to kiss her again. If he did, all would be lost because she knew she didn’t have it in her to resist him.
Instead he cleared his throat and dropped his hands to his sides. “You’ll see yer stars one day. I’m sure of it. Just give Colin a chance.”
With that worthless piece of advice, he turned back toward their camp, stopping for only a minute before he entered the trees, speaking without looking her direction. “You’ll hurry back to camp, aye? We’ve an early start tomorrow.”
And then he was gone.
What was she going to do?
Rosalyn was convinced it was hunting her true love that had brought her here. Caden was convinced that her true love was his brother. And she was convinced that whatever it was, it all hurt like hell.
Things didn’t change and he was all the more fool for thinking they would.
Caden stomped back toward camp, frustration running rampant through his blood.
He, of all people, should know better.
Blane had confided earlier that he planned to wed the Lady Baxter and Caden had grasped onto the news. Not with joy that his cousin had finally, after all these years, found the one woman to share his life, but with a selfish purpose.
If love could happen for Blane, perhaps there was hope for him.
And then, as they’d all prepared to turn in for the night, Colin had announced his intent to go find the foolish little woman who had wandered away from camp and Caden had seen red. Ellie wouldn’t appreciate being called either a little woman or foolish, and he found himself feeling irritation at someone applying those labels to her.
So he’d gone off to find her himself, fresh hope blooming in his heart. If anyone deserved to be labeled foolish, surely it was he.
He’d found her, all right. Venting her sorrow, tears streaming down her cheeks.
He continued as he always had, bringing pain to those who were important to him.
His first thought had been to do whatever, say whatever would make the pain disappear. But then he’d held her close and looked into her eyes, and all he could think of was how much he wanted her, wanted to take her right then, right there at the river’s edge.
He’d had to force himself to let her go, a task that had taken everything he had in him. One he now knew he couldn’t repeat.
As soon as they returned to Dun Ard, he’d speak privately with Colin. Once his brother and Ellie were wed, they could take up residence at Sithean Fardach. He’d do whatever he could to restore the old castle for them.
Until then, perhaps she’d be willing to stay with Sallie at the MacPherson keep.
Anything to get her away from Dun Ard. Away from him.
Because he feared he could not be strong enough to stay away from her.