“And I cannot tell you how glad I was to see youstanding in that hayloft, alive and ready to fight. I really did think you were out on this road dying a horrible, slow death.”
Ballard kissed her cheek. “Ye should ken by now that it isnae easy to kill a MacGregor. We have had people trying for years and still we go on.”
She tentatively reached out to pat the dog’s head in Ballard’s lap. “Do you think this poor fellow will recover from his hard life?”
“Aye. The fact that he takes to a touch of kindness so weel shows that they hadnae turned him mean yet.”
“What will you name him?”
“The Bruce.”
“The Bruce? That is an odd name for a dog.”
“‘Tis the name of one of Scotland’s greatest kings. The beastie saved our lives. ‘Tis right that he have a grand name.”
Clover smiled faintly when the dog shyly licked her hand.
When they arrived home, Clover found herself again caught up in a confusion of greetings from friends and relatives. The twins and Willie had to be reassured that she was all right before her mother and Molly could get her up to bed. They gave her a hot bath and tucked her in as if she were a small child again. When Ballard finally came to bed, his hair still damp, she realized that the men had done the same for him.
“We have rather a lot of people looking after us,” she murmured as he slid beside her and pulled her into his arms.
“Aye. It can occasionally be irritating, but at timeslike this, ye can see the worth of such good friends and family.”
She snuggled closer to him. “We shall have to keep that in mind when we grow annoyed over their mothering in the next few days.”
Ballard laughed softly. “Aye. We shall try to remind each other.”
He held her close as she drifted off to sleep. A few days was all he could wait before he confronted the need to give her her freedom, if that was what she wanted. He would let her fully recover first, enjoying the chance to take care of her. It hurt to think of her leaving him, but he knew he would have to hide his feelings. Clover was so loyal, she might stay with him if she thought he cared for her. The thought of her remaining his wife because she did not want to hurt his feelings, because she felt duty-bound to him, was appalling. He would release Clover to go back to the life she deserved, but without letting her know how deeply it hurt him.
