Page 5 of Highland Ghost

“I hope ye’re right,” said Caitlin under her breath. Ian MacBain was a handsome man, and perhaps she was worrying for nothing, just like her sister had said. Aye, she decided. If she was going to be Ian’s wife soon, she was just going to have to trust that he’d protect her. There was naught to be frightened about at all.

She followed Kellina to the wagon, but before she could get inside, a hand shot out and grabbed her around the arm. She spun on her heel, looking up into the bright blue eyes of her betrothed. He stared down at her, his mouth in a firm, straight line.

“Ye’ll ride with me, lass,” he told her.

“B-but it’s rainin’,” she protested.

“I’ll keep ye dry under my cloak. We’ll take the time to get to ken each other on the trip back to my castle.”

“Y-yer cloak?” she asked. “Willna ye get wet if ye give me yer cloak?”

“Nay,” he answered, one side of his mouth turning up into a half-grin. “We’ll both be under the cloak together. We’ll keep each other warm and dry.”

Caitlin’s eyes shot over to the wagon. She saw Kellina hand the baby up to Matilda who was already inside with her baby. Nash sat upfront with North, and an extra horse was tied to the back. None of them even paid her any attention.

“Caitlin? Is there a problem?” he asked, startling her even more by using her Christian name. “We’re about to become man and wife. We’ll be sharin’ a bed and so much more by tonight. So, I ask ye again, is there a reason ye dinna seem to want to ride with me back to the castle . . . Wife?”

Caitlin’s heart jumped into her throat. She didn’t want to think about things like sharing a bed with this man, and certainly not sharing their bodies! She glanced back at the wagon, feeling panicked. Kellina stuck her head out from under the tarp and waved as Nash directed the horse and they took off without her. She had no choice now but to ride with Ian, or be left behind. Whether she liked the idea or not, she was going to spend the next few hours under a cloak and in the embrace of Ian MacBain.

“Nay, there’s no problem,” she said, her body shaking now from the storm and the cold, only adding to her fear of marrying the man. Her teeth chattered together.

“Let’s go,” he told her, lifting her easily atop his horse and then settling himself behind her. He opened his oversized cloak, wrapping it around both of them, then took the reins and settled his arms around her waist. His body pressed up against her, and she could feel heat emanating from him. He leaned forward and whispered into her ear.

“Ye dinna need to fear me, lass. I’m soon to be yer husband. We need to learn to enjoy our time together.”

The scent of woodsmoke, leather, and whisky drifted from him, filling her senses with his manly essence. She had never been so close to a man before, except once or twice when the younger boys of the clan tried to sneak a kiss or two from her before she’d stopped them. It did feel good to be in the arms of a man. Perhaps it was time she married, just like Kellina had told her. Her head started to fill with fantasies of being in love, as well as having many children. It calmed her now, instead of frightening her, and she liked this.

“I’m sorry if I seemed frightened, but it wasna because of ye,” she told him.

“Really.”

“Nay. It was because I had heard tall tales about ghosts walkin’ the corridors of Gowrie Castle. My sister said it’s all nonsense, and assured me that ye told our laird there were no spirits roamin’ over yer battlements.” She giggled, thinking how silly she had been now.

“Well . . . I told Laird MacKeefe there was naught to worry about. Are ye frightened of ghosts, Caitlin?” he asked.

Her smile disappeared. “I – I’m no’ sure. Why do ye even ask?” She didn’t have the courage to come out and ask him if he’d been lying about not having ghosts. Part of her wanted to know the truth, but another part of her decided she didn’t ever want to find out for sure.

“No reason,” he said, urging his horse to go faster. His arms closed around her tighter and, suddenly, she felt trapped and as if she couldn’t breathe. He hadn’t denied having ghosts, even if he hadn’t acknowledged it as the truth either. God’s eyes, she was starting to feel ill all over again. This was going to be a long ride to her new home. That is, a home where she wasn’t even sure she was going to want to stay let alone visit.