Irritation deepened the ache in the tensed muscles bunched at the back of her neck. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear Ram was deliberately leading them down blind alleys. The boy had missed his parents terribly at first but with every month they’d been separated from the far-off future, he’d settled more comfortably in the current past.
“I know ye are there. Ye might as well come inside out of the weather. The spring rains will soak ye to the skin if ye stand long ’neath the eaves.”
How had he known she stood on the other side of the door? Trish gnawed on the inside corner of her lip. Maybe if she ignored him and walked away, she could still escape.
“Ye canna run from your heart, lass. I never took ye for a coward.”
Oh, he would throw down that gauntlet. Nobody called her a coward. Steeling herself against what she knew would soon elevate into another tirade, Trish pushed the door open. Might as well grab that stubborn Scottish bull by his horns. There was no escaping Maxwell now. “I wasn’t running. I didn’t hear Ramsay or Keagan inside so I decided to look somewhere else for the boys.”
“Aye.” Maxwell grinned sadly over the shining back of a chocolate-colored mare. “Whatever ye say, lass.”
The shooshing sound of the oval brush Maxwell ran down the mare’s coat echoed through the stillness of the barn, mesmerizing Trish with its soothing rhythm.
“Why would ye come to the barn looking for the lads when they’ve spent most of the day in the tower w’ye?” Maxwell smoothed the brush down the horse’s side with another slow even stroke. His smile disappeared as he looked up from the rich flank shining in the torchlight. “Let there be no lies between us, Trish. We both deserve better than that.”
Trish stiffened, planting her feet in the softness of the straw-covered dirt floor. Damn him. Would Maxwell never give up? “I’m tired of fighting with you, Maxwell. Why can’t we just be civil and have a nice conversation?”
Maxwell didn’t answer, just pulled the leather loop of the brush from around his hand and hung it on the peg. Sidling his way around to the front of the stall, Maxwell gave the mare’s neck an affectionate rub as he stepped around her.
Great. Now he’d decided to use the silent treatment, pouting like a spoiled child. Trish bit back the angry words as she gathered up the folds of her skirt and turned to leave the barn. If he wanted to be a petulant ass, he could be one by himself.
“So, ye’ll not give me the chance to answer ye?”
Trish stopped, tightened her grip on the folds of her skirts, and glared straight ahead. “It depends on the answer.”
The rustle of the straw scattered on the ground grew louder with the crunching rhythm of Maxwell’s steps. Trish didn’t have to turn to know Maxwell stood just behind her. The heat of him radiated around her body, surrounded her with his presence. Trish swallowed hard. Her chilled flesh ached to melt into the warmth of his body, yearning to disappear into the comfort of his embrace. No. Never again. She couldnotallow that to happen.
Trish eased forward a bit, coming to an immediate halt as a strong hand wrapped around her upper arm and gently pulled in an attempt to turn her. Planting her feet, Trish fought against the urging of Maxwell’s hand and also against the primal need screaming from the core of her flesh.
A warm rumbling chuckle shook through the stillness of the stable as Maxwell wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. His wiry beard tickled against the side of her throat, triggering memories of other ticklish areas that Maxwell had teased with such an expert touch. She couldn’t win against him.Trish closed her eyes, relaxed against him, and inhaled. Oil of cloves. Maxwell’s scent always reminded her of that particularly fragrant spice.
He pressed his mouth against the back of her neck, tantalizing her skin with warm, wet flicks of his tongue. Maxwell nibbled a path to the tender spot behind her ear, pulling her tighter against his body as he suckled the lobe into his mouth.
Trish shuddered, hugging his arms tighter around her waist as she surrendered to the pleasures of his touch.If only…the words echoed from the corner of her mind not held prisoner by her need. “Dammit, Maxwell. Please stop.” Trish pulled out of his embrace.
“As ye wish.” Maxwell’s quiet brogue was devoid of emotion.
“Maxwell, please…” Trish fought against the threat of tears.Damnation. Why had life become so complicated? She’d never had this much trouble shaking free of a man before.
“Which is it, lass?” Maxwell spread his feet farther apart and clasped his broad hands in front of his body. “As I see it, we must either move forward with these feelings or go our separate ways completely. If need be, I can leave MacKay keep today and return to my own home. I have no desire to be a mere acquaintance.” He lifted his chin a notch and defiantly locked his jaw. “I will never be your friend.”
“I never meant for any of this to happen.” Trish cringed against the sound of her voice when it cracked at the end with a sob. Since when did she lose control? Since when did she not have the power to conquer any situation?
A sad smile pulled at the corner of Maxwell’s mouth, barely hidden by his moustache. He shook his head and lowered his gaze to stare at the bare patch of ground between them. He shook his head slightly as his deep voice fell to just above a whisper. “Sometimes things happen because they were meant to be so. We’re mere mortals, Trish. Sometimes we must trust where destiny takes us.”
He made it sound so simple. Trust in the fates and fall into his arms, never questioning whether she risked harming mankind by altering the past. “I wish it were that easy.” Trish closed her eyes, even her trembling excuse sounded defeated to her own ears.
“It is easy, lass. Ye need only ask yourself one question and then be honest with your answer.” Maxwell paused, sucked in a deep breath then released it slowly between tensed lips. “Do ye feel the same connection I feel…or no’?”
Trish covered her face with trembling hands, pressing cold palms against her flaming cheeks. She knew the answer without even asking. She just couldn’t bear to face it.
The silence between them took on a life of its own, growing to the size of a great hulking beast. Maxwell watched her with an unblinking stare, his gaze burning into her soul. Trish closed her eyes. She couldn’t bear the emotions reflected in those eyes. They mirrored the feelings churning in her heart.
“How can I even attempt to do this?” The terrified whisper nearly caught in her throat. Trish forced it free with a hiccupping sob. “How do I−”
Maxwell closed the space between them with one quick lunge. Pulling her roughly into his embrace, he tilted her head back against his arm, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Ye will no’ attempt todoanything, sweetling. Just choose a life at my side.”
Trish swallowed hard and curled her fingers into Maxwell’s wild shock of hair barely tamed by his warrior’s braid. His heartbeat steady against her breasts, a silent promise to keep her safe. She could do this. The surety of his touch shattered any lingering doubts. To hell with the chaos of the twenty-first century; she belonged right here.
