It was a chance he wanted to give them.
If he did decide to go to England with Lady Juliana, this would be his last opportunity to do so. If the Robertson brothers went, other members of the clan would follow.
One of Brice’s red eyebrows rose. “All right, then. What do ye want to talk about?”
Logan leaned forward in his chair and fixed his gaze on Brice’s face. “I want to talk to you about Cape Fear Valley, in North Carolina.”
Chapter Ten
Logan and the Robertson brothers did talk, for far longer into the night than Logan thought they would. By the time he and Lady Juliana were mounted and riding west toward Castle Kinross the sky had darkened to a midnight blue, and thousands of frosty silver stars were winking above.
They hadn’t gone more than three or four miles before Logan realized his companion wasn’t going to make it as far as the castle. She’d never admit it, but he could see she was chilled to the bone, and swaying in the saddle as if she was one yawn away from toppling to the ground.
The Robertsons’ farm was the closest, but Logan couldn’t bring her back there for the night. Lady Juliana’s reputation would never recover if anyone found out she’d spent a night alone with four unmarried men, especially if one of those men was Dougal Robertson.
No, he’d have to take her to the Macaulay farm. He’d planned to stop there on his way back to the castle in any case, to leave some supplies Mrs. Selkirk had given him to take to Widow Macaulay, but it was well past midnight now. Agnes Macaulay wasn’t going to be pleased to find Logan and an exhausted, half-drowned English chit on her doorstep in the middle of the night.
But he didn’t have any better ideas, so he turned Fingal’s head and set a slow, steady pace northward. The farm was about an hour’s ride away, but they’d only made it half that distance before Logan was obliged to reach for Lady Juliana’s reins and bring her horse to a halt.
He leapt down from Fingal’s back. Lady Juliana startled awake when he wrapped his hands firmly around her waist. “Are we there already?” She squinted into the darkness around them, puzzled. “Where’s Castle Kinross gone?”
Logan hid a grin. “I expect it’s right where we left it. Here, let me help you down. Hold the lamb steady.” He gave her a gentle tug, and she slid down from her horse’s back without a word of complaint. Logan caught her easily in his arms, his grin widening. Her wits were definitely befuddled with fatigue, otherwise she never would have jumped into his arms without an argument.
Instead, she hugged the lamb to her chest and tucked her head under Logan’s chin. She smelled like Ruthven Burn and damp wool, but Logan didn’t mind it. That is, he didn’tlikeit—certainly not enough to bury his face in her hair for a quick sniff. No, the very idea was ridiculous, and he’d deny it to his dying breath.
“Steady, Fingal.” Logan lifted Lady Juliana onto his horse’s back, then swung up behind her. She had the lamb in her lap, and Logan hadherin his. There was very little room for the three of them in one saddle, but Lady Juliana was too fatigued to ride any further. He couldn’t just let her fall from her horse, could he?
No, there was nothing for him to do but spread his legs a little wider and wedge her curvy backside between his thighs. His body roared to life, and he forced a half-dozen breaths of cold air into his lungs to discourage it.
It didn’t work. An ice-cold plunge into Ruthven Burn wouldn’t have worked.
He gritted his teeth, and wrapped an arm around her waist.
It was going to be a long ride…
Logan sighed, and set Fingal to a brisk walk. The swaying of the horse beneath them soon lulled Lady Juliana into another doze. She murmured something in her sleep, and her body relaxed against his. He instinctively gathered her closer against his chest and angled his head to get a glimpse of her face.
Her green eyes were closed, her thick eyelashes shadowing her cheeks. Her lips were slightly parted, her mouth soft. Her fingers had gone slack, but even in her sleep she kept the lamb safely wrapped in her arms. Logan shook his head, a reluctant smile on his lips. Damned if he knew how she was going to get the animal back to England with her.
Logan struggled with his eager body the entire ride to Macaulay’s, but strangely enough, the time seemed to fly by. Before he knew it, they were riding past the fence he and his father had helped build years before and into the small farmyard. The house was dark and silent, but one of the stable boys startled awake when they rode into the yard.
He came out of the stables rubbing his eyes. He fixed his bleary gaze on Logan, Lady Juliana, and the lamb, then rubbed his eyes again. “That you, laird?”
“It’s me, Douglas. Beg pardon for waking you, but can you take care of Fingal and Domino here?” Logan tipped his head toward the black-and-white horse Lady Juliana had been riding. “They’ve both been ridden hard today. Oh, and take the lamb, too.”
Douglas scrambled to Logan’s side. “’Course I will. Ye just leave ’em here with me, and I’ll tuck ’em up tight fer the night.”
“Good man, Douglas.” Logan dismounted carefully, one hand on Lady Juliana’s waist to steady her. He reached up with the other to scoop the lamb from her arms, but it didn’t care for the idea of being wrenched from its warm cocoon. It began bleating piteously and kicking its skinny legs in protest. One of its little hooves landed on Lady Juliana’s chin, and she woke with a start.
At first, she gazed down at the lamb as if she were surprised to find it there, but after a moment understanding dawned, and she settled it back down on her lap. “There now, don’t fuss.”
Once the lamb was quiet again, Lady Juliana raised her head and took in her surroundings. Her eyes widened as she glanced around the unfamiliar barn, then widened further when they rested on Douglas. “This isn’t Castle Kinross. Where are we, Mr. Blair?”
“Widow Macaulay’s farm. You’re in no shape to ride another three hours. We’re spending the night here.”
Logan expected an argument, but Lady Juliana only raised an eyebrow. “Fitzwilliam won’t like it.”
No, he wouldn’t. Even with Widow Macaulay as chaperone, Fitz was going to be furious. “We’ll deal with Fitz tomorrow. Here, now hand the lamb down to me.”
