Hesitant footsteps sounded behind him. He didn’t look around—just returned to the mindless chore of pacing. It had to be Colum. Like the brother he had never had, Colum would be the only one brave enough to sit with him during this time.
“The midwife—” Colum cleared his throat with an uncomfortable cough. “Has she come out and said how Lady Trulie fares?”
“Nay.” Gray kept his gaze locked on the floor.
The iron latch of the door clicked. He halted, sucked in a deep breath, and tensed for the worst. Colum moved to his side and rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
The door slowly opened. A red-faced woman emerged. Her left arm clutched a wooden bowl piled high with blood-soaked rags. Ringlets of damp hair clung to her face as she wiped a forearm across her forehead. She glanced at Gray and then quickly looked away.
“Tell me,” Gray hissed. “Tell me. I must know.”
“The babe, a son, has returned to heaven, my chieftain.” The midwife’s mouth tightened as she avoided looking Gray in the face and stared back at the door. “Thanks be to the Fates’ permission and the Lady Nia’s healing touch. Yer wife lives. She is resting.” The midwife’s voice softened as she added, “For now.”
A son. Gray closed his eyes and bowed his head, holding his breath against the pain. His firstborn son was dead. The midwife’s assessment of Trulie’s condition echoed through the blanket of sorrow settling over him.For now.The midwife had addedFor now.Gray stiffened, then jerked toward the woman. “What the hell do ye meanFor now?”
Colum latched onto Gray’s arm with an iron grip. “’Tis not her doing, Gray. Control yerself, man.” Colum yanked him back. He pulled hard against Gray’s shoulder until Gray finally straightened and stood rooted to the spot.
A cruel mix of painful emotions threatened to double him over. Gray clenched his shaking hands and forced himself not to roar at the terrified midwife. “My wife. She must live. Ye must tell me it will be so.”
The wide-eyed woman bit her lower lip and barely shook her head. “I canna say. Yer wife must find the will to live. ’Tis up to a greater power than I.”
“That greater power best realize that Gray MacKenna will not allow his love to be taken. They already robbed me of my son. I’ll be damned straight to the fiery pits afore I allow them to take my wife as well.” He collapsed onto the bench beside the closed door and dropped his head into his hands.
“Gray!” Colum waved the midwife toward the outer hall as he rushed over to the bench beside Gray. “Ye must not speak so. ’Tis blasphemy ... and mayhap a foolhardy challenge to the gods.”
Gray raised his head and looked Colum dead in the eye. “Then let the challenge begin, for I will never allow them to take her from me.”
CHAPTER26
Acool, wet nose snuffled into her palm and a soft whine vibrated into her hand. Trulie slid her fingers along the velvet of Karma’s muzzle without opening her eyes. “I love you too, old friend,” she whispered.
The mattress sank with the weight of the dog as he returned to his place against her side. His warmth sank into her like a soothing tonic.Bless him. He doesn’t know what to do to make me better.
A calloused hand pressed against her forehead. She didn’t open her eyes. It took too much effort. The rough hand moved to her cheek, then nudged firmly against the side of her throat. She wished whomever it was would go away and leave her alone. Even breathing made her body hurt.The hand shoved beneath her shoulders, lifted her up, then gently lowered her back down to a cool dry pillow.
A frail groan escaped her as she settled back into place. The movement hurt.But the dry pillow beneath her head did feel much better so maybe it was worth the pain. She held her breath against another sob threatening to shake free. She needed to go back to the darkness. At least when she was unconscious her heart didn’t hurt so badly.
“Trulie,” Granny called softly just to the right of her head.
Trulie didn’t answer. She didn’t feel like talking. If she kept her eyes shut and remained still, maybe Granny would just go away. A drowning sense of loss and sadness pushed her deeper into the safe darkness of her mind.
“Don’t you dare give up, Trulie Elizabeth.” The silky back of Granny’s hand pressed gently against Trulie’s cheek.
Granny always did have the softest skin—kind of like crinkly satin. Trulie drew in a deeper breath as a burning teardrop squeezed out from under one eyelid and rolled a hot trail of wetness down the side of her face.
“It will get better, gal,” Granny whispered as she pressed a kiss to Trulie’s forehead and wiped the tear away. “The hurt will become easier to bear in time. I promise it will. I have been where you are.”
Trulie turned her head away from the impossible-to-believe advice. Maybe Granny had known pain and loss, but that didn’t lessen the empty ache that made it nearly impossible to breathe. She swallowed the throbbing pain of unshed tears and nestled deeper into the softness of the fresh pillow. Go away, Granny. Just go away.
A door creaked, then closed with a soft thud.
Even in her weakened state, Trulie sensed Gray had entered the room. “I would see my wife.” Hesitant footsteps scraped against the stone floor.
Trulie almost sobbed aloud.No. Make him go away. I can’t see him right now.
The footsteps shuffled closer. Holding her breath against the pain, she forced her pain-racked body to roll away from the man she had so terribly failed. The coolness of the stone wall radiated against her face. She couldn’t face Gray. Not this soon.
“Trulie.” His deep whisper rolled across her as his fingers barely touched her hair.
