Tension hungheavy in the air of the now-silent hall—empty of everyone except Gray and Trulie. Even the fires glowing in the two hearths danced across the wood without a single pop or hiss. The MacKenna colors barely fluttered against the faded stones of the keep’s walls.
Gray tensed against the eerie feel of the air. He felt no draft. No stirring of a breeze. Perhaps the souls of those already crossed over moved among them. Perhaps they stood witness to the trials of their descendants.
He pulled his gaze from the fluttering banners of tartan and scrubbed the heels of his hands across his eyes. If his ancestor’s spirits were in the room, he wished to hell the wise ones would tell him what he should do.
“Gray.” Trulie’s soft touch slid up his arm. The scent of her sweetness embraced him, instantly bringing him comfort. The woman rendered him powerless yet completed his very soul at the same time. He dropped his hands and opened his eyes.
“Forgive me,mo chridhe.” He pulled her close. “I should have known better than to have ye join me in great hall. Not only was I dishonored, but they shamed ye as well. I should have never put ye through it.”
She hugged him tighter, patting his back as though consoling a child. Her silky curls tickled underneath his jaw. “I told you not to let those two bother you. Trust me”—She leaned back and grinned up into his face—“I have dealt with much worse.”
“I will not have ye treated in such a way. Fearghal and Aileas were not the only ones that showed us disrespect.” He set her aside and turned away, refusing to put her through the years of loneliness and pain his mother had endured.Máthairhad never complained about the life she had chosen, but Gray had seen her suffering. He could still see the wistful look in his mother’s eyes as she watched the other women laughing and chatting among themselves. Few women of the clan took it upon themselves to befriend the chieftain’s mistress. A leman, especially one as fair asMáthair, always stood alone.
Gray swiped a hand across his face and turned back to Trulie. He knew what he must do. There was only one way to ensure his clan treated Trulie with the respect she deserved. “We will marry before the next full moon. I shall order the preparations started immediately.”
Her mouth dropped open and her sleek brows nearly disappeared into the dark curls framing her face. “What?”
“Aye.” He nodded. The decision eased the band of tension around his chest. Why hadn’t he thought of this earlier? “A fortnight should be enough for Cook to put together a fine feast.” He rubbed his hands together. “Colum will see to it the day is properly announced across our lands. All the clan will attend.”
His spirits lifted. Aye. Marriage was the perfect answer. A pleasant rush of anticipation tightened his groin. Then he would have an even better excuse to keep his lady love in his bed. After all, as soon as they married, they needed to set about the business of producing heirs. “’Tis the perfect answer. All MacKennas will then treat ye with the respect ye deserve.”
“But I’m not ready to get married. At least not yet. And not when you put it like that.”
The uneasiness pinching her tone troubled him even more than her refusal.
“Don’t look at me like that, Gray. Granny and I j-just got here. And I don’t even know if I am staying.”
She didn’t know if she would stay?And she was stuttering? Now? She hadn’t stuttered a single time while under attack in the great hall, but now she couldn’t smoothly speak her mind? He sucked in a deep breath, tensing against the return of the frustration closing in like a tempest. While he realized they had not been together more than a few weeks, he already recognized a revealing trait about the woman. She only stuttered whenever she felt so strongly about something that her emotions tangled her tongue. In fact, she had confirmed this flaw late one evening when they took their leisure along the path around the bailey.
Trulie flicked both hands into the air. Her lower lip quivered when she opened her mouth, but no words came out. She finally blew out a frustrated huff, stamped her foot, and snapped her mouth shut.
Gray waited, a sense of dread taking root in his gut. What the hell was she struggling to say?
She took another step toward him, clutching her hands in front of her. “I admit I feel very...” She paused, caught her bottom lip between her teeth, and stared down at the floor.
“Ye feel what? By the grace of the Almighty, woman, would ye please try to say what fills yer heart?” He fought the urge to grab her by the shoulders and shake the words out of her.Damnation.This should not be so difficult for the lass. ’Twas just a matter of agreeing to wed her lover.
Trulie’s cheeks reddened as she eased a step back. “I think ... we are very ...goodtogether. But deciding to marry just to stop gossip is not the answer.” She squared her shoulders and backed up another step. “I don’t even know how long I might stay in this time. After Granny gets good and settled, I might decide to return to the future—permanently. After all, before long, I need to jump back and check on the girls anyway.”
“What?” Gray lost the battle with self-control and grabbed her by the shoulders. Instead of giving her a good shake, he pulled her forward and planted her directly in front of him. Had she lost her senses? There would be no more traipsing across time. She belonged here. She belonged with him.
The soft green of her eyes darkened to the shade of a troubled sea as she averted her gaze, refusing to look him in the eye.
“Trulie.” He ground his teeth against his inability to control this situation. Why was the prospect of this joining so difficult for her to accept? Did he really have to say the words aloud? He cupped her cheek and brushed his thumb across the silk of her skin. No. He should not have to say a word. She knew how he felt.
But she still didn’t meet his gaze.
His heart clenched as a single tear rolled down her cheek. “Why do ye cry?” he whispered.
“Because I don’t want to hurt you,” she answered in a small voice.
The center of his chest burned as though she had stabbed him and twisted the blade. He forced her face upward, forced her to look him in the eyes. “I thought...” He fought the frustration closing off his throat. This should not be this hard. “I thought ye felt ... make me understand why ye have no wish to wed me.”
She gently pulled away. “I think we have a great beginning.” She wet her lips and twitched a shrug. “But great beginnings don’t guarantee a great forever. I am not going to marry a man just because he is embarrassed by the way his clan treats me.”
Gray took a step back. Her words stung as sharply as a slap. “I am not embarrassed.”
He only thought of her, only wished to spare her the pain his mother had endured.
