Not that it mattered much. He had already turned down her marriage proposal and refused to wed her because of James. As much as she thought about her beloved and how much she loved him, Edna did want to move forward with her life. She didn’t want to spend her days with someone like Neacal all because he offered for her hand. While her father would be good to her and attempt to choose a good husband, she knew that some were just wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Edna would rather wed someone who made her feel like she was feeling, wrapped in Malcolm’s embrace, and someone that James entrusted enough as a friend.
Malcolm started to stir, and Edna wasn’t quite sure what to do, especially when his arm tightened against her waist, and he mumbled something akin to her name. This was quite ridiculous, of course, laying here and pretending that there was more than him rolling over in his sleep, but it was nice to think that he cared for her.
She also knew the moment that he woke, nearly falling off the hay bales as he lurched away from her suddenly. Edna turned over to find Malcolm wide-eyed, scrubbing his hand down his face.
“I’m vera sorry, lass,” he rasped. “I didnae mean—”
“Please,” Edna interrupted as she pushed up to a seated position. “’Tis nothing. Ye fell asleep. It was bound tae happen.”
Malcolm frowned. “I didnae mean tae take advantage with ye next tae me.”
Edna’s cheeks burned as she remembered her thoughts and how she wouldn’t have put up much of a fight if he had. “Ye did nothing wrong, Malcolm,” she said curtly as she rose from the hay bales and shook out her cloak. “I’m going tae take care of mah needs.”
Not waiting for his answer, she marched outside into the bright sunshine, glad that the rays burned her eyes. It would give her another reason to blame her tears on something more than the fact that Malcolm had made it seem like he couldn’t bear to touch her. Was it because she had belonged to James, or was there something else?
Edna didn’t waste much time taking care of her needs in the woods, and by the time she had arrived back to the barn, Malcolm had the horse ready. Wordlessly, she allowed him to help her on the horse, and they set out on the road. For a long while, they didn’t communicate, and she tried to keep her spine straight so she wouldn’t relax against him.
The day, however, moved forward, and soon her shoulders were sagging, and Malcolm wrapped his arm around her waist. “Relax, Edna,” he murmured right above her ear. “’Tis nary a reason for ye tae remain uncomfortable.”
Unable to help it, she relaxed against his chest, well aware of his arm around her waist. It was almost like it belonged there, and the thought worried her immensely. “Would ye like tae hear a story aboot James?” he said after a moment as the horse plodded on.
Surprised, Edna nearly fell off the horse. “Truly?”
“Aye,” Malcolm’s chest rumbled under her shoulder blades. “I’ve known James for many years, lass. I have a lot of them.”
James’s handsome face flitted through her thoughts, and she couldn’t help it. “Aye, I would.”
He shifted on the saddle. “James was a jester,” he started. “He enjoyed playing tricks any chance he got. One, in particular, he enjoyed loosening the saddle straps so that the saddle would slide any time anyone would attempt tae mount. I fell for it a number of times before I got even. Knowing he would look at the straps, I smeared manure under the saddle. When he sat upon it, he trapped it between the horse and the saddle.” Malcolm chuckled. “I had tae bear the smell for a number of days, but it was worth it tae see the disgusted look on his face every time he stepped near his horse.”
Edna smiled as she tried to picture James’s face and what he would say. “I never knew him tae be like that.”
Malcolm cleared his throat. “Och, dinnae take offense tae it, lass. He was a different person, more serious, in his later years.”
Perhaps so, but it was like she was learning about an entirely different person than the one she had fallen in love with. It was a bit disconcerting that he couldn’t be the person that Malcolm knew with her.
“I wish he was here.”
“Aye, lass,” Malcolm replied, his tone sobering. “I do as well.”
They fell silent until they crossed over the border that was near McGregor land, and Edna spied a loch glistening in the sunlight in the far distance. “Can we stop for a little while?” she asked hesitantly, needing to put some distance between her and the Scot.
“Aye,” he responded, guiding the horse toward the loch. “I could use a respite as well.”
When they arrived, he helped her off the horse but didn’t remove his hands from her waist as she had grown accustomed to. “I’ve been thinking,” he told her, causing Edna to look into his eyes. “Aboot wot ye said on marriage.”
Edna’s brows furrowed. “Wot’s that?”
He looked away quickly, his fingers tightening on her waist. “James would want me tae protect ye at all costs, so I’m willing tae wed ye, Edna, tae give ye that protection.”
Edna’s lips parted. He wanted to wed her? Naturally, it wasn’t for the reasons she had hoped for, and it seemed that he cared more about fulfilling some sort of vow he had with her beloved, but he was companionable enough. They could take their budding friendship and mold it into something more. After all, most marriages of their kind weren’t a true love match.
Could she wed a man that she didn’t care for? Edna knew immediately that her thoughts weren’t exactly true. She did have some feelings for Malcolm, but it was only their commonality with James that drew them together.
What if that had been fate’s plan all along? “Aye,” she said, watching as his gaze returned to hers, heavy in intensity. “I will wed ye, Malcolm.”
His mouth worked, and for a fleeting moment, she thought that he would kiss her, but he stepped back instead. “Then I will be honored tae have ye as mah wife,” he said, placing his fist over his heart.
