Kathleen E. Woodiwiss(267)

The thin man’s shoulders sagged. He had lost more here than he had ever gained through trickery. It was a cruel blow, indeed, if he should have to live out the rest of his days in. the colonies. If Gaylord couldn’t repay him, then he was truly in dire straits. The room grew still as Ralston slumped into a nearby chair.

With much of the excitement passed, Shanna felt a sudden weariness sweep over her. It had been a long morning beginning with the stable fire. And then there had been the fear of Ruark being taken by the redcoats. As all the tensions ebbed from her, she realized she was nearly exhausted. Murmuring a word to Ruark, she let him make the excusal. He escorted her up the stairs and closed the draperies over the windows. She smothered a yawn and sagged on the edge of the bed. He smiled as he came around to lean a shoulder against the massive post at the end, and his eyes spoke above the silence as he gazed at her.

“The door won’t close,” she reminded him impishly and laughed as she flung herself back across the bed. “Do you realize that we won’t have to sneak around anymore?”

Ruark went to the armoire and opened it to draw out a fresh shirt. “Now that I can claim my room, I’m going to claim everything else in it.”

He leered at her, drawing a playful giggle from her.

“Not with that door open. Cool your lusts, sir, until it’s repaired.”

“I’ll see it done posthaste, madam.”

Shanna watched him remove the leather jerkin and draw the shirt over his head, and her eyes were soft with love. “There is that which bothers me still, Ruark,” she said quietly. “Who tried to kill you?”

“I have strong suspicions,” he replied and spoke through the linen shirt as he pulled it over his head. “And I intend to find out for certain.”

Stuffing the shirttail into his breeches, he came back to the bed. He bent down, bracing his arms on either side of her, and his mouth found hers, then savored its eager response.

“I love you,” Shanna whispered, looping her arms around his neck.

Smiling into her eyes, Ruark repeated the words as his hand slipped downward along her body in a soft caress. Abruptly his wandering fingers halted just below her knee, and he frowned his bemusement.

“Have you grown lumps of a sudden, madam?”

Shanna giggled and raised her skirts and chemise to show him the sheathed dagger stuck in her garter. “After this morning I decided you needed protection.”

Ruark was more intrigued with the display of shapely limbs and continued his fondling along her naked skin. His kisses grew bold, and hot blood surged within his loins. Breathlessly Shanna whispered against his parted lips.

“The door. Someone might see us.”

“We seem to have a problem with privacy,” Ruark returned huskily and dropped a kiss upon her velvet-smooth belly before pulling down her billowing skirts. “I’ll go see what I can get to fix the door. Don’t go away.”

“I won’t,” she assured him.

As she listened to the sound of his footsteps hurrying down the hall, Shanna smiled to herself and snuggled against the pillow. He had not bothered to silence his steps. It was a long moment, and her eyelids sagged as her bliss gently sailed her into peaceful slumber.





Chapter 28




SHANNA CAME SLOWLY into full awareness. A small, furtive sound had disturbed her sleep, yet it was not one that aroused apprehension or fear. She lay still, gathering her wits and teetering on the precipice of slumber. The light scraping noise came again. It was the branch of the oak tree brushing against the windowpane. Shanna rolled her head on the pillow and in the muted light of the room made out the figure of a man just stepping into the chamber from the windowsill.

“Ruark?” she murmured sleepily. “What game are you playing now?”

The dark form straightened and turned. Shanna gasped and sat bolt upright on the bed, a scream hovering at the base of her tongue. The man came toward her, a smirk etched across his lips.

“Gaylord!” Shanna was surprised, but her trepidation waned. Surely this foppish knight was harmless. She snapped angrily. “What are you about, sneaking into my chamber?”

“Why, my dear Shanna,” the knight sneered. “I was imitating what I’ve watched your gallant husband do. Am I not at least as handsome as he is?”

“Certainly not!” she stated bluntly. She shook her head lightly. Her mind was still heavy with sleep. But—he had not been present when Garland arrived. Indeed, he had been absent for the entire furor. How could he have known of their marriage? There was something in this that gnawed at her and stirred both her suspicion and her curiosity.