Chapter 7

Boyd stopped in the third inn, his frustration growing with each place that told him they had no rooms available.

That was the problem with a port town. A northern storm had driven all the ships into the bay. Now everyone was waiting for the seas to calm, and every inn was full.

What was worse, Fulton might not be able to bring his ship into the harbor with all the boats currently anchored in the bay. He'd either have to continue without the Smiths help or find a way to hunker down in Dover.

His plan was falling to shit and two nights of sleeping just a few hours made it difficult to think.

He stepped into the fourth inn, determined to at least eat there. He'd have to bring Annie in and remind her to hunch over her food, holding her fork like a shovel. Because no one would think that Annie was a man if they watched her eat.

Even when famished, she ate like a lady.

He lifted his hand and ran frustrated fingers through his hair as he stepped up to the desk where a harried looking innkeeper rushed to meet him. "Looking for a room?"

"Aye," he answered, grimacing.

"Sorry. We can't accommodate anyone until tomorrow or the next day when some of these boats start moving out."

He scrubbed the back of his neck. "My brother and I will be staying for three or four nights. Is there anywhere to house us tonight until more of your guests leave? I'd take a stall in a barn at this point."

The other man scratched his chin. "If you're not concerned about the condition, I've got a cottage on the cliffs that overlooks the harbor. You can stay there for the night. It's dusty since I closed it for the summer, but I reckon it'll be more comfortable than the barn."

"I'll take it," Boyd answered before the man could change his mind. "Can I take a bit of food with me?"

"Of course. Take some firewood too. I don't stock the place since I don't use it in the winter normally."

Boyd paid the man, taking the food out to the carriage and handing it to Annie before he loaded the back of the carriage with firewood.

Dover was large enough that in a remote cottage, they could hide for days, no one would think to look for them there. In many ways, these lodgings were ideal, and he began to relax.

Stepping back into the vehicle, they drove back along the road they'd come and then off a narrow lane toward the bluffs. Finally, they found the small place, just as described.

It sat perched on top of the bluffs, battered by the wind, but still standing.

Boyd swung down from the carriage, using the key to push open the door. A small galley kitchen, and an equally small front parlor with a fireplace and two chairs. The rest of the house was a small room with barely enough space for a bed.

But it was private, at least. Annie could let down her hair. Literally.

But he grimaced as he looked at the front room. He wasn't certain there was enough floor space for him to stretch out anywhere.

She followed him in, her arms wrapped about herself, her eyes glancing about the place. "It isn't much," he rumbled, running his hand through a thick layer of dust on the chair.

"It's perfect," she answered with a smile. "I could spend months here just looking out at the sea. Look at those waves."

"Storm north has made the sea rough," he answered. "I need a bit to get the fire started in here and in the barn. We're lucky this place has storage for the horse and driver."

She nodded. "I saw the small barn we passed on the lane." She looked about the space, covered in a winters worth of dust. "I'll see what I can do for cleaning while you're working on that."

An hour later, both the barn and the cottage were toasty warm, and Annie had made great strides on the inside of the cottage. As Boyd had been helping the driver, he'd seen her shaking out the bedding in the wind.

She'd done the task before…

"Ye didn't have to clean so much."

"Truly, I'm tired of sitting and happy to be here for a few days. And I like the work."

He grunted, something he'd been doing a lot. But he didn't know quite what to say. Annie never complained, always appreciated his efforts, and she felt damn good in the dead of night.

They ate their dinner in silence, but this time it wasn't charged with tension. As they finished, Annie cleared their plates, stacking them on the small counter next to the stove. "I'll wash them tomorrow." Then she cleared her throat. "There isn't much room on the floor. Why don't you sleep for a while in the bed. I'll sit by the fire and…"

"Annie." He knew he'd been difficult last night and this morning. But he had to do better. Who knew if and when they'd find Fulton. Nothing was going to plan, and he may very well be escorting her to Scotland himself. "We'll both sleep on the bed. I'll just place something between us. Are there extra pillows about?"

"I'm not certain," she answered as she turned away. "But I agree we should both sleep in the bed. I'm sure sleep will help us both. I could stay in bed for a week." She looked around the cottage, her gaze holding a longing that tugged at his chest. "I know we're not totally safe, but this place feels…"

"I know." He got up, stretching. "Let's go to bed, shall we?"

They both shrugged off their jackets and boots, Annie climbing into the side of the bed away from the door. "Boyd?"

"Aye?"

"Why did you leave Scotland?"

He shook his head. "I'm not sure now. I wanted adventure. A big life. But all the reasons I left…" He didn't know how to say, they seemed trivial now. Had life in London really been better? She lifted the covers on his side, and he slipped into the bed. He'd meant to put a roll of blankets or something between them.

But he found himself sliding into the small bed, barely room for both of them as their shoulders pressed together. "Everything in this place is miniature."

Annie laughed. "You're just very large." And then she pulled the covers over him. "Now, tell me about your farm. I'd like to hear everything."

Laying on his back, he looked up at the dark ceiling. "Well, it's certainly bigger than this."

She laughed again and Boyd had to admit, he loved the sound, sweet and clear.

"The house is fine. Big fireplace, decent front room. Three bedrooms if I recall. The land, however, is a beauty. While the oldest of my uncles got the largest parcel, my pa got one of the most fertile, and his youngest brother, the one who left me his land, had the most beautiful. Rolling hill that leads down to the loch."

"That sounds wonderful."

"I'll also inherit my father's land someday."

"How did you get your uncle's?"

"The last time I saw him, I knocked him right in the jaw and told him I hoped I never saw him again. He'd slapped one my sisters for spilling her milk. I'd had enough."

Annie touched his shoulder, her hand light and so feminine. Touches like that made him ache. "That doesn't surprise me in the least."

He smiled at that. "You can imagine the shock when I was named his heir."

Her hand lifted, replaced by her cheek. "Maybe he recognized the truth. You've got strength of character as well as body and mind."

He liked the way she saw him, and he turned to her in the dark. "I've killed men, Annie. I'm a criminal just like yer uncle, and I can't add columns for shit."

She was achingly close as she tilted her chin to look into his eyes. "You are about as different from my uncle as a man can possibly be. I see the goodness in you, Boyd Lockton, and you'll not convince me otherwise." She looked away then, her expression turning pained. "I can add numbers in my sleep, but I can't make a single plan. If I could, I might have left my uncle's a great deal sooner or thought my way out of ever going there at all. I'd trade with you any day."

He didn't mean to do it, but he found himself drawing her into his side. Holding her close.

"Let me tell ye more about Scotland…"

* * *

Annie woke to the first rays of the sun, her body tucked into Boyd's with his arm firmly about her back.

She sighed, content and cozy against him. In response, his arm tightened pressing her more deeply against his side.

Was he awake? She slowly lifted her cheek to study his profile. His breathing deep and even, his eyes remained shut.

Which left her free to study him. A little smile pulled at her lips as she ran her gaze down the strong column of his neck, past his Adam's apple to the open V in his shirt. A smattering of chest hair showed and she lifted a hand, her fingers hovering just above his skin.

She'd like to touch him, know the texture of his hair, but she remembered the night before last when he'd gotten upset at her invasion of his side of the bed.

Instead, she kept exploring with her eyes, her gaze roaming down his large chest to the flat of his stomach and over his hips where her gaze stopped.

His staff was…very obvious.

She'd live in a whorehouse for near a year. While she'd managed to keep her virginity, she'd witnessed all manner of acts between men and women. And when a man's staff was that stiff…

She knew it happened when a man slept. She'd heard more than one woman discuss being the "benefactor" of a man's morning need.

But she'd also heard the ladies say that a man grew surly when he went too long, or his need was too great.

Gently, she set her hand down on his stomach, her cheek coming back to his shoulder. Was Boyd irritable because he was in need?

Her nose twitched. She'd never helped a man, but she knew how.

What if she were wrong? What if she was right?

Should she help him in this regard? She'd never wanted to explore a man more than she did him, and besides, didn't he deserve to have some of his needs met too?

He stirred and she closed her eyes, pretending she hadn't been shamelessly watching him as he shifted underneath her.

Slowly, she opened her eyes to find him already looking back.

"Good morning," she said with a smile, hoping guilt wasn't written all over her face.

"Morning," he answered, immediately pulling his arm out from under her head and then rising from the bed.

He began to dress without looking back at her. "Where are you going?"

He turned back to her as he shrugged on his jacket. "To stoke the fire first, then find the well. After that, I think I ought to buy a few supplies. We're going to need to eat if we're staying here a few days."

Annie sat up too. "I'll come with you."

He shook his head. "Ye'll stay here with Mr. Wiggins where ye're out of sight."

Then he walked out of the room, boots in hand.

Annie watched him go, thinking about his needs and hers. Boyd had a plan for the day, another for his life.

It was time she began making a few of her own.