“What?”The word clung to the roof of her mouth as she tried to let the laird’s words sink in. But no matter what she did, his words, his statement repelled off her as if it were oil in water.
“I understand this is sudden,”he stated in a rather matter-of-fact tone as he paced the room.
Madison's breath caught.How had she not noticed before? He was massive—broad shoulders that seemed to span the width of the doorway, arms corded with muscle visible even beneath his shirt. He moved with a predator's grace despite his size, but each step reminded her he could break her in half without effort.
Her pulse kicked up,though whether from fear or something else entirely, she couldn't say. Within a few paces, he reached one side of the small room and had to pivot, his presence seeming to swallow all the air.
Madison was barely payingany attention to the words that came rushing from him. She was ensnared by his first statement. How could he possible think that she would ever want to marry someone who just kidnapped her? It was as if he wasn’t completely put together in the head. Like he was a few pieces shy of a completed puzzle.
Madison wasn’tsure if that was a good thing or a bad one. She’d seen his rage in the grove as he defeated the other foe. But what would her fate have been had the other man stolen her away? Would he be doing the same thing, proposing marriage while she’s injured?
“So, what do ye say?”he finally stopped. She blinked again realizing he hadn’t stopped going since he started. Everything he had just said to her went through one ear and out the other. She glanced at the small cup on the side table. Had Edith put something in it to make her drowsy? Or was it the events of her life finally catching up to her?
“What?”she managed to scrap off her tongue once again.
“Ye dinnae heara word I said, did ye?” he asked. Madison was shocked to discover there was no malice in his tone. Nor did he give her the impression he was put out by her lack of focus. When she looked at him, all she could find was compassion andgrace. “Ye’re tired and have had a very big day, that much we both can agree, aye?”
She bobbed her head.So far, she could keep up with what was going on. He flashed her a smile that managed to lighten not only the room, but her mood. Still uncertain of what to make of everything, she found the best response was always silence.
“Here’s the situation,”he started again and went slower than before. “I need a wife. And ye need time to heal. Play the part of the dotin’ love interest to get the council off me back for a spell and I’ll do everythin’ in me power to see ye reunited with yer family again.”
Madison’s ears burned.Was what she heard the truth? It had been far too long since she had heard such a thing. Everything anyone ever told her since she’d been kidnapped was lies and deceit. It’d been a constant game to figure out how she could out smart her opponents. Yet, this time, Madison noticed she wasn’t facing off against an enemy, but an ally. The laird had shown her nothing but kindness and while she was still very weary of it, she wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass her by.
“I want to go home,”she said as boldly as she could, hoping her tone matched the same fierceness as his did. She held her hand up the moment she noticed the laird starting to answer. On cue, he stopped and waited for her to continue. “I understand I cannae do that right now. Ye have me on an island. Even if I wanted to flee, I wouldnae be able to.”
“Yer leg is broken,”he interjected.
“But why the facade?Why nae go and find a wife?” Madison asked as she noticed his gaze drifting to her forehead.
“I’venay interest in marriage or havin’ a wife. Tis as simple as that.”
“Isthat really how ye view family?” Madison asked, finding it difficult to believe a word that came out of him. The whole idea of marriage had to be just another ploy to get her to submit. But she didn’t do it in the grove, or in the field, she wasn’t going to now, despite the change of venue for the game. After all, that was exactly what this was. Sure, her opponents may have changed, and the setting different, the it was the rules that remained constant.
“Aye,”he answered with a conviction that made Madison question her views of him. “Daenae get me wrong. I’m sure there are men out there who would love nothin’ more than to have a family waitin’ for them when they get home,” he said as he leaned in. There was something burning deep within his eyes, a yearning that seemed to speak to Madison in a new way she’d never heard before.
The laird’slips were but a breath from hers as she finally found his eyes once more. He was staring at her, assessing her response no doubt to his proximity to her. For a moment, her breath hitched as she watched him brush back a loose strand from her face.
“I’m nae like that.A family isnae in me future,” he said. His voice lowered as he slowly leaned back from her, taking thewarmth along with him. “But I can give ye one. Give me one month. Just tell me where yer family is, and I’ll send for them. That way, ye daenae have to move or travel to them. Plus, I willnae have Edith harpin’ down my neck that I took such poor care of a lass in trouble.”
“So let me get this straight,”she said rubbing her temples as sleep started to creep in. “Ye want me to pretend to be yer betrothed.”
“Aye,just till the nineteen. On that very next day, I’ll have ye walkin’ out of the castle gate and on the first ferry with yer family goin' back to wherever it is ye came from.”
“It’sa small village just outside of Inverness,” Madison answered a bit fearful if maybe she might have given too much away. But if she was going to be reunited with her family, she was going to need help in finding them. “They had a bakery. Greig is the surname.”
She watchedas the laird stopped his pacing. He turned to face her directly. The soft glow of the fire exaggerated his chiseled chin. But it was the softness in his eyes that held her. Despite his size and presence, it was the tenderness and patience he demonstrated with her that caught her attention.
He movedto her side and knelt next to her bed. “I must say, ye have nay idea how much this helps me. The rules are very clear. I must be betrothed with a future date set to keep the title.”
“But why go through allthis effort? It seems a bit silly if ye ask me,” Madison said she watched Theo reach for her hand. There was something soothing about the way he rubbed his thumb around the palm of her hand, massaging it as he spoke.
“I wouldnae wantto lead anyone on. There are others in the realm that would love to be the wife of a laird. But they marry for title, takin’ all they can in the process. I dinnae have time for that. If I marry, she’ll be a helper, nae a hindrance. She’ll want to be there and nae think such things are a burden.”
Madison’s bodytingled as his words seeped into her. She found herself eager for the next word to spill out from him. It was the bass in his voice that soothed her and lulled her into a sense of security.
“Ye speak as if raisin’a family is the worst thing one can do,” Madison said as her heart cracked from pity. She studied him a moment and realized there was nothing fake about the moment.
The manbefore him had told her something sacred, it was clear by the tension lingering like a dark cloud in the room. She swallowed hard, uncertain what she should do with such information. It wasn’t like she was going to make a happy wife, not anymore. That dream had flown out the window the second she was taken.
