She giggled.
He tapped her nose. “You shall not make fun of the truth. I gave many men a warning glance when their glimpse settled too long on you.”
“Or a more rational reason would be that someone recognized me.”
He shook his head. “Not possible. No one would expect Storm the outlaw to disguise herself as the wife of an American and parade along the streets of St. Andrew.”
He was right about that. It would be the last place anyone would look for her, which was why she had agreed to his plan in the first place.
“Accept it. You’re beautiful.”
He sounded as if he made a declaration that everyone would pay heed to.
“For a day I was,” she admitted, having felt different when she dressed in the fine garments he provided for her. For a brief time she felt like a true lady and was stunned at the difference in the way she was treated. Merchants catered to her, men tipped their hats, women of distinction exchanged smiles with her, and suddenly she had become a woman of worth and importance.
She had become the opposite of herself and all she stood for.
“I am who I am, a peasant who fights to survive.”
“You’re no peasant, Storm,” he said softly. “You’re a courageous, remarkable woman.”
She stared up at him, unsure how to respond.
“You continue to look at me with those gorgeous blue eyes of yours, and I’m going to have no choice but to kiss you.”
“You need a reason to kiss me?” she found herself teasing and, not surprisingly, eager for his kiss. His lips were much too inviting to ignore, and surely, she had to do something about that arrogant shine in his dark eyes that announced he was in command.
He grinned. “You really do challenge me, and damned if I don’t enjoy it.”
He took her lips gently at first, almost teasingly, before he laid claim completely.
That she ached for the taste of him, she didn’t realize until he had kissed her. She thanked the heavens for this moment, for this small space, for the rain, but most of all for Burke and his exquisite kisses.
A clap of thunder broke them apart and allowed them to draw breath.
She settled back in the crook of his arm but did not return to the kiss. He hugged her against him, and she rested her head on his chest.
“Don’t deny what we have together, Storm.”
How could she, but then how could she not?
Would she complicate her life even more by becoming involved with the American even for a short time? Was it better not to have memories? The memories of Daniel, while wonderful, were also heart-wrenching. But then she had loved Daniel; she didn’t love Burke.
Why, then, did all this disturb her so much? If she just cared for the man and nothing more, then why didn’t she just go ahead and share a brief interlude with him? Why did the thought of him eventually saying good-bye to her hurt her heart?
She fell asleep nestled against him, hoping her answer would come easily.
By late afternoon the next day, they met up with William and Philip in the woods.
“We found the fellow,” Philip informed them. “He claims he has the information we need for a price.”
Storm nodded. “I imagine it will verify what Burke and I have learned.”
Philip and William listened to Storm and Burke detail their findings about Lady Alaina and Cullen.
“It would make sense,” Philip said.
William scratched his head. “Wouldn’t it be easier if Burke just offered to settle an amount on the earl and take his brother back to America?”
“I thought the same,” Burke said. “But Storm suggested that if Cullen is in love with Lady Alaina, he would refuse to leave Scotland, even on threat of his life.”
“Foolish,” William said with a shake of his head.
Burke slapped the man on the back. “You’ve never been in love, have you?”
“Thank the heavens,” William declared.
Once the laughter settled down, Philip asked, “What else can this man tell us?”
“If we’re lucky, where to find Cullen,” Storm said.
“Did it seem that he might possess such information?” Burke asked.
“He was hesitant,” Philip said.
“Hesitant or cautious?” Storm queried.
William nodded. “Cautious, definitely cautious. The fellow kept in the shadows, his back to the building so no one could sneak up behind him, and he kept his voice low. We had to strain to hear what he said.”
“It’s curious that there should be so much secrecy involved in it all,” Philip said.
“The earl isn’t going to want the world to know that his daughter fell in love with a common man of no title or importance and that he loves her,” Storm said. “It just would not be acceptable.”