***
They rode hard all day, stopping only to water the horses and to take care of their own needs. Madeline tried her best to sit up straight and not rub her back against Brodie. The frequent jarring up and down in the saddle gave her a sore bottom. While she prided herself as being a good horsewoman, she had never ridden this much before. She didn’t know which hurt more at the end of the day, her back or her bottom. When darkness started to fall again, Alex found a small clearing to spend the night. Madeline was exhausted and in constant pain, unable to sleep in the saddle.
Alex helped her down, holding on to her when her knees buckled. She tried to push him away, but he didn’t budge.
“Be patient, lass. You have been in the saddle too long. Your legs will return.”
His grip loosened eventually. He couldn’t understand how stressful being close to him was for her. Only Niles and Kenneth came that close, and the result was ingrained in her mind. Fortunately, Alex’s scent was pleasing, unlike her two attackers.
The guardsmen rushed off into the forest while Alex found a place for her to sit. He removed a hunk of cheese and some dried beef from his bag. “This will have to do for tonight,” he said to Brodie and Madeline. “Take care of your needs first and then we will eat.”
Alex waited in the center of the clearing until Madeline returned.
He put an extra plaid on the ground for her before passing the beef and cheese around. They ate in silence. Exhaustion caused her head to drop occasionally, but she knew she needed to keep her strength up. She wasn’t sure why he pushed them so much, but she had to believe it was done to guarantee her safety. Alex probably wouldn’t relax until they were on Grant land.
“You need to get some rest, my lady, as we will not be staying here long. We need to keep moving,” Alex said.
Alex lay down on the ground not far from Madeline. He turned his back to her and promptly fell asleep. Brodie was quite a distance away with the guardsmen on the other side of the clearing. Madeline settled herself on the soft wool and tried to sleep.
Niles Comming crept into her thoughts. She remembered being tied to the bed, watching Niles stroke himself, telling her all the things he would do to her after they were married. Squeezing her eyes together did nothing to forestall the deviate images in her mind. She jumped up off the plaid in a cold sweat, her breath coming hard. She started pacing, and finally picked up the plaid to move it further away from Alex. She glanced at him.
He had rolled onto his back, but otherwise had not moved. She did not think Alex would attack her in her sleep, but how could she be sure? Weren’t all men the same as Niles? As she moved she glanced over to where Brodie slept, wondering who she should trust. Would either one help her if the other groped her in the dark? Probably not, they were family. She finally dropped the plaid about halfway between the two brothers. She lay back down and tried to sleep, but found it nearly impossible.
Alex opened his eyes as he sensed movement in the clearing. He watched Madeline as she moved his plaid away from him and closer to Brodie. Did she really dislike him that much? Actually, he thought he saw raw fear in her eyes. He ached to haul her up against him and soothe her fears, but somehow, he didn’t think she would be receptive to him. He reminded himself she had a reason to distrust men. He needed to be patient.
Did she prefer Brodie? He certainly was not going to allow that. Especially after the way she had stood in front of them with her wet gown clinging to her, yellow curls in disarray all around her face. He was randy as a naïve lad whenever she was around. He’d turned away quickly in the hopes that she hadn’t noticed his plaid at full attention. Saints above, he needed to get himself under control. He doubted she had noticed, she was probably bewildered from all the stress and trauma she had dealt with in the past few weeks. He closed his eyes and fell asleep with the vision of a golden haired, blue-eyed angel in his mind.
A few hours later, he was awakened by a scream. He jumped up, his dirk in his hand only to see Madeline thrashing on the ground. “My lady, what is it?” he shouted. Brodie leapt up as well, searching the clearing for intruders.
Madeline sat up, peering at her surroundings. The tension visibly eased from her body. She let out a deep sigh. Alex decided she must have been dreaming. She stood and hung her head. “I apologize. I must have had a nightmare. Please forgive me.”
Alex gazed at Maddie. She was magnificent even in the middle of the night with her hair mussed. His heart went out to the poor lass. She’d probably have nightmares for awhile. His head ached from the vicious memories that assaulted him again. He glanced around the clearing and said, “Let’s go. We need to get home soon.”