Chapter 4

4

T illie abruptly stopped walking and stared at Aidan's broad back as he kept walking.

As if he didn't just tell me I would have to sleep with him!

He turned around when he realized she wasn't following him then stomped back to her.

"What is wrong, lass? Are yer feet stuck to the grass?"

Tillie snapped her mouth shut and glared at him. "We are not yet wed."

"I ken that."

She huffed out a breath of frustration. "I cannae sleep with ye until we are wed."

His eyes narrowed stubbornly. "Aye. Ye can, and ye will. 'Tis for yer protection."

When Tillie just continued to stare at him, Aidan sighed heavily.

"I'll not be forcin' myself on ye if that is what yer worried about."

That made Tillie feel a little better. She didn't like the idea of sleeping next to him, but if he wasn't going to try and push for husbandly rights, then she guessed she could bare it. She nodded and started walking back to camp.

She was nervous the rest of the night, though. Tillie kept darting apprehensive glances at the pile of blankets Aidan had set out for their bed. She'd never slept next to a man before.

What would it be like to sleep next to Aidan? To have his powerful arms wrapped around me? To have his body wrap around me, protecting me?

Tillie gave herself a mental shake. Just the thought of his big body next to hers did strange things to her. It made her skin feel hot, her heart race, and it caused a strange, but not unpleasant, clenching in her lower belly. As much as she fought against the idea of Aidan, she had to admit she was attracted to him. And that was odd, too. Tillie had never been so attracted to a man before.

As the night wore on, though, Tillie decided it would be best if she went to sleep before Aidan decided to lie down, and then maybe she wouldn't even realize he was next to her.

She didn't bother telling him she was going to sleep. He was busy in some kind of conversation with the other men, all of them crowded around a small fire. Aidan had placed the bedding away from the fire but close enough to still feel some of the heat. Tillie moved toward it then took off her shoes and crawled beneath the blankets. She was still cold from soaking herself in the creek, and she shivered when the cold blankets wrapped around her. But soon enough, warmth started to seep into her bones, and she drifted off to sleep. She had no idea that the warmth came from Aidan who had seen that she was cold and had laid down next to her to share some of his body heat.

"Are ye plannin' on sleepin' the day away?"

Tillie blinked open her eyes and startled when she spotted Aidan standing over her. The sun hadn't yet risen all the way, and there was a gray tint to the sky.

"Good mornin'," she said cheerfully and tossed the blankets aside.

Aidan glared down at her and just stood there, watching her. Tillie figured he was waiting for her to get up to make sure she wasn't going to go back to sleep. She wanted to. She wasn't used to getting up before the sun, but the stubborn look on his face warned her he wasn't going to allow it.

With a sigh, she got to her feet, wrapping her arms around herself. The morning air was cold, and a light mist covered the ground. It swirled around her feet as she went off to find some privacy.

"Dinnae even think about followin' me," she warned Aidan. "I will be right on the other side of that bush."

His only response was a grunt, but Tillie was relieved to see he didn't follow her.

When she finished with her morning ablutions, Tillie went back to the campsite. The men had already eaten and she was surprised she had slept right through it. She was even more surprised, she hadn't noticed when Aidan joined her last night and wondered if he ever did.

"Mount up," Aidan said, and the men immediately did so.

A man with dark red hair and beard and kind blue eyes walked to her and held out a cloth. She thought she'd heard Aidan call him Hector. Tillie took it with a smile and a quiet, "thank ye," then unwrapped it to find cheese and bread. Her stomach growled in appreciation as she moved toward her horse. She knew better than to try and sit down to break her fast. Aidan looked too impatient to ride, so she'd just eat while she rode.

Once again, Aidan picked her up and set her on her horse. This time, Tillie stopped him when he turned to leave by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I can mount me mare by meself." Her tone was polite and quiet. "Ye dinnae need to keep liftin' me."

Aidan stared at her a minute, glanced down at her hand on his shoulder, but didn't say anything. She jerked her hand away, embarrassed she had been so bold as to touch him, and then watched him walk away and wondered if he had any other mood besides grumpy.

Today was the fifth day of their travel, and so far, the Laird had not so much as spoken to her except to give her orders. The other men, while polite, didn't talk to her much either. Sometimes, she'd catch them giving her a small, understanding smile, but most of the time they looked at her expressionless.

Tillie sighed.

Is this what me life is going to be like? Is me betrothed always going to be so distant and gruff?

The Laird was as grumpy as a wolf with a burr in its paw. Although he kept his voice low when he talked to her, it was still curt and irritated.

With a muttered curse, Tillie stood and shook out her skirts. They were wrinkled beyond repair and had grass stains from sleeping on the ground and kneeling along the banks of rivers and streams. Her hair was a tangled mess, too. Every morning, she finger-combed the long tresses as best she could then braided it into one long, thick braid that hung down nearly to her waist.

That was the best she could do with the pace the Laird set for them. He barely even stopped to water and feed the horses, much less themselves. It was obvious he was anxious to return home, but it was grueling and exhausting keeping up with him and his men.

"I'll walk ye to the water."

Tillie glanced up to see Aidan standing over her. She knew better than to argue. He insisted on guarding her whenever she strayed more than a few feet from camp.

"If ye insist." Tillie hadn't realized she had said the words out loud until he answered.

"Aye, lass, I do."

"Do ye have so many enemies then that ye need to stand guard over me when I'm just a stone's toss away?" She had bent down to the water as she spoke, and now, she turned to look at him over her shoulder.

"The MacLuthers are a powerful and rich clan. There's always someone wantin' to take that away from us."

He paused to give her a knowing stare. "Ye are the bride of Laird MacLuther and would fetch a fair amount of coin should someone decide to kidnap ye."

Tillie snorted. "I doubt anyone could get anywhere near me with all yer clansmen surrounding me."

Aidan bent and picked up a handful of rocks then started skipping them off the water several feet from where she crouched, washing her face.

"'Tis glad I am that ye realize the might of my men, but kidnappin' ye would be the least of yer problems."

Tillie used the skirt of her dress to dry her face then stood and faced him with a confused frown. "The least?"

He nodded. "Aye. Some men are not as honorable and would sample ye before returnin' ye to me."

Tillie shuddered at the thought.

" If they return ye at all," he added.

Tillie raised her hand to forestall any more talk of all the horrible things that could happen to her. "You've made your point."

Tillie shivered and wrapped her arms around her chest. Now that they were in the Highlands, she noticed a significant change in the landscape and the weather. It was much cooler this high up compared to what she was used to.

"Here," Aidan said, drawing her attention. They were walking side-by-side back to camp. He leaned over and wrapped cloak over her. "Are ye always this cold?"

Tillie couldn't help herself and laughed. "Only when I'm not used to the weather."

Aidan stopped in front of her while he fussed with the cloak, making sure it covered her completely.

"Will ye tell me about yer home?" Tillie said a little wistfully. She was thinking about the way he had described it in his letter, and she wanted to hear more. "What is Castle Geamnaben like?"

Aidan made a final adjustment to the cloak then grunted and moved to her side. "'Tis a castle. Ye'll see it soon enough."

A smile played along her face as Tillie made her way back to the camp. If she didn't know better, she'd think Aidan was embarrassed for giving her the cloak. She tried to see his face, but he'd turned his head away. Warmth not brought about by the cloak coursed through her veins. He wasn't as mean and grumpy as he wanted her to think. Aidan also had a protective nature.

As usual, the men had been busy while she'd seen to her morning ablutions and had everything packed, the fire put out and covered, and they were just waiting for her.

When they reached the camp, Aidan looked pointedly at her mare, letting her know silently that she needed to get on her horse, so they could get back to traveling. Tillie walked over and stopped next to her mare, pausing to give Chloe a nice rub along her soft nose and whisper encouragement in her ear. Her betrothed marched over and lifted her onto the back of Chloe without a word, but Tillie wasn't surprised. She had expected it since His Lairdship had done so every time they'd stopped.

As if he still thought she couldn't mount her own horse!

As they rode, Tillie wondered why he seemed so against her. Did she not favor her portrait, the one her mother had sent to him? Was he disappointed? It was hard to tell since he always seemed to be snarling since the moment she'd met him. Maybe she would ask him about it later.

They had been riding for a few hours when Tillie suddenly gasped. The sound was heard even over the horses' hooves as they pounded against the hard-packed dirt trail.

Immediately, every man pulled up on the reins and stopped. Swords were drawn from sheathes, knives were pulled, and at least one man suddenly had a bow strung with an arrow nocked and ready to fire.

"What is it, lass?" her betrothed asked. He had turned his horse around and raced over to her.

Heat climbed her throat and stained her cheeks. A low buzzing noise filled her ears as embarrassment filled her.

"I… uh…"

The Laird's blue eyes looked between Tillie and their surroundings, his mouth thinned into a grim line. He held his sword at the ready as well, a long, broad, wicked-looking thing.

"Where is the danger?" he demanded, and Tillie flushed even more.

"Nay danger, Me Laird," she said softly, but it was loud enough that the other men happened to hear, too. It must be because they were so attuned, looking for danger, that they'd heard her muffled response.

"I just… well, would you look at that glen!" Tillie finally exclaimed, shooting an arm out to encompass the area. "It is beautiful!"

The men groaned, and the sounds of swords being resheathed was loud on the air. A few curses had her ears burning and her cheeks flaming. The Laird's blue eyes narrowed dangerously, and a tick started in his jaw. Tillie swallowed audibly.

"The meadow?" he asked incredulously although his tone was that of someone trying to hold on to their patience.

"Aye," Tillie said with a nod. "Could we please stop, just for a few minutes, so that I can sketch it?"

He didn't even pause to take a breath before saying, "Nay."

His tone suggested arguing was futile, but Tillie had had enough. She'd been pleasant and obedient throughout the past five days. The journey had been rough and exhausting. No accommodations were made for her other than the Laird assuming she needed help to mount her own mare.

When he pulled on the reins of his big, black stallion, ready to ride off, Tillie spoke up.

"Nay?" she asked incredulously. "Ye cannae spare a few minutes for your betrothed ?" She'd intentionally emphasized the word, pointing out that he owed her something other than his surly attitude.

He raised his eyebrows even as his eyes narrowed. "Ye can sketch all you want when we reach Castle Geamnaben."

Tillie raised an eyebrow. "Does Castle Geamnaben have this exact glen?" she asked, pointing again at the beautiful expanse beside them.

He frowned and briefly glanced at the glen. "Nae exactly like this, but —"

"Then I wish to sketch this place," she interrupted stubbornly while raising her chin. "I ken nae when I will be here again, and I want to capture it as it is now with the sun shinin' through the trees and the sky so bright a blue it's almost painful to look at."

She paused and pointed again. "And look there. A bank of snow along those rocks. And there's even a deer grazin' over there." Tillie pointed again.

The Laird opened his mouth, shut it, then scowled at her. "Will it stop yer complainin' if I allow it?" he asked then hurriedly continued, "Just for a few minutes?"

Tillie felt like she'd just won a huge battle. She grinned brightly and received another scowl from the Laird. But she was too happy to be able to get off her mare and do some sketching to let that bother her.

"Aye, Me Laird. And thank ye!"

She didn't wait for him to respond. Neither did she wait for him to help her dismount. Tillie quickly swung her leg over the side of her horse and slid to her feet. It took just another couple of minutes to retrieve her supplies then she was happily rushing over to the glen.

The sound of horse hooves followed her. Tillie didn't have to turn around to know that it was the Laird following her. She didn't bother to acknowledge him and instead chose to ignore him and concentrate on this little bit of pleasure, the first she'd had since leaving MacFair Keep.

Tillie allowed herself to get lost in her hobby. Her hand shook only slightly from the cold air, but it was worth it. She was so focused on her work, she didn't even hear Aidan's stallion's hooves as he moved closer, but when he spoke, it startled her slightly, and she spun around to look up at him.

"Ye are good at that." He gestured with a gloved hand at her sketch. Tillie thought it odd that he seemed so surprised since he'd seen her sketches in the letters her mother had sent. Plus, he'd complimented them in his letter.

"Thank ye, Me Laird," she said with a pleased smile. "It is me favorite activity. When I see something like this…" She paused to wave a hand to encompass the meadow. "I just have to sketch it."

Aidan nodded and stayed right there, watching her. It made her a little nervous but also gave her a sense of pride that he was interested enough to watch her.

When she'd finished the sketch, she knew it would be one of her best paintings ever. Hopefully, she could create the same exact blues and purples dotting the landscape, and the soft brown and white colors of the deer she saw before it became spooked from the Laird riding up and took off.

Gathering her belongings, Tillie walked back to her mare, the Laird following closely beside her, high up on his stallion. Once her things were packed onto Chloe and she was seated, the Laird turned to her and said, "We'll be at Castle Geamnaben in the mornin'."