Chapter 16
Cullen had much on his mind. There was his son’s safety to consider, his plans of revenge, and yet for the moment he thought about Sara and how much he owed her for saving his son’s life. At least he attempted to convince himself that was the reason she plagued his thoughts.
The horses meandered along the unobstructed path, the sun bright, the air fresh with spring, and his mind on making love to her. He shook his head, hoping to clear it, yet worried it wouldn’t work.
They hadn’t shared a week together and yet he felt as if they had shared years. How could that be? When she had spoken of rescuing his son, he felt as if he’d been a part of it. He had held his breath with the telling of the tale and sensed the danger that surrounded her, and still she had taken a chance, placed her life in jeopardy, to save his son.
She’d done it again when she protected the lad at market. She was either very brave or very foolish, and somehow he didn’t see Sara as foolish.
She was a remarkable woman whom he greatly admired and respected, and he felt her loneliness, perhaps because he shared it with her. How he had gotten to understand this complex woman, he couldn’t say. He only knew that little by little she had revealed herself to him without even realizing it. And the more he uncovered, the more he cherished knowing her.
Perhaps that was why he found himself attracted to her, something he hadn’t expected. But she had grown on him like a persistent root that took firm hold and didn’t reveal its beauty until it blossomed. And Cullen knew that Sara had yet to blossom.
Three days until they reached McHern land, and he wanted to make certain their wedding vows were sealed by then. He wouldn’t take a chance with Sara’s safety. When he met her father, he would be sure that no one could dispute that she was in all ways his wife. He would see her safe before taking leave with his son. He owed her that much.
The road opened to a wider path, leaving the forested area behind them and mostly meadows ahead. He was glad they could avoid the gloomy barren moors and travel in the richness of the Highlands. He wanted to scorch the brilliance of the Highlands in his mind so he could describe his son’s birthplace to him someday.
He waved Sara to ride beside him, and she obliged, bringing her mare alongside his.
She sat firm and steady in the saddle. Her exceptional skill with a horse amazed him. She rode her mare with confidence, in full control, not the least bit intimidated by the animal. She saw to it that the horse did as she directed, and brooked no objection, just as she had handled the man at market. Her fearlessness filled him with pride for her—his wife.
He turned the conversation far from his thoughts, not yet ready to openly admit his admiration to her and certainly not wanting her to misconstrue it.
“I never imagined leaving my home,” he said, his honesty mixing with his sorrow.
“I have learned it is best to expect the unexpected,” she said, “for then change is not so difficult.”
“Being practical doesn’t work when it comes to love,” he informed her, and noticed how the gentleness in her blue-green eyes belied her brash nature. Hers was an empathetic soul combined with a passionate spirit.
She shrugged. “I wouldn’t know.”
“You resign yourself to an empty life,” he said with a twinge of guilt, though he wondered why. It had been by her choice that this arrangement was made.
“Is that what you think?” she asked incredulously. “You believe my life will be empty because I will never truly love?”
“Love is a driving force that few escape and that most ache to find.”
“True enough,” she agreed with a sharp nod. “But I would prefer to find a rare love, one that is everlasting, than to be left with the bad taste of a brief offer that means nothing.”
He smiled and nodded. “Now I understand why it was so difficult for you to find a husband. You actually searched for a man to love.”
“Of course,” she admitted without hesitation. “If I was committing to spending the rest of my life with this man, then I intended to love him, or at least respect him at the onset so that love had a chance to develop. How else would I have been able to commit to him?”
“And not a one struck your fancy?”
She rolled her eyes and head to the Heavens. “Sweet Lord, not a one.”
“None with the slightest potential?” he asked seriously.
“Nothing,” she stressed with a firm shake of her head.
He couldn’t help but tease her. “Then you found me.”
“Hah! You wish,” she said.
He felt the bite of her rejection, and damn if it didn’t annoy him. “Am I not better than any you have come across thus far?”