Cullen was shocked silent, not by her remark, but because the thought hadn’t entered his head. His concern had been solely for her safety. He hadn’t given a moment’s thought to his son.
She walked up to him. “I made a promise that I intend to keep. I had thought to keep Alexander safe until his mother returned for him, but now I will see father and son safely out of Scotland, so my promise to Alaina will be fulfilled so she may finally rest in peace.”
Cullen stared after her and his heart swelled. Sara was a remarkable woman with more courage than some men. She faced life with common sense and personal pride that many lacked, and she did it with no expectations. She was who she was, and she let no one rob her of her character and honor.
She helped him drag the bodies deeper into the woods. Deciding that the horses would make a nice gift to her father from Cullen, they disposed of their saddles.
In no time they were on their way again, traveling along the road as if nothing had happened, though the gray clouds continued to follow them.
Cullen remained silent, with even more on his mind now than before. First, he’d dreamed of Sara and not Alaina, and then he thought of Sara’s safety before that of his son. The woman was beginning to affect him. But why?
Perhaps if he bedded her and had done with it, his thoughts would once again be his own. He remembered how he could think of nothing but Alaina when he first met her. She plagued his thoughts day and night and—
Cullen nearly spit out a wicked oath. What was the matter with him? He had fallen in love with Alaina. It was only natural he’d constantly think about her. He wasn’t falling in love with Sara, so why did she haunt his thoughts?
He glanced over at her, saw that she looked upset and cursed himself for not having given thought to her ordeal. Even though she’d handled herself well, it didn’t mean it hadn’t affected her, especially if…
“Is he your first kill?” he asked.
Sara nodded without looking at him. “I never had a reason…”
“Of course you didn’t. Men are the warriors, not woman.”
Her head whipped around. “We’re all called on to be warriors one time or another, to defend our beliefs, what we hold dear, or to protect ourselves. For whatever reason, we become warriors out of necessity.”
She was right. In the end, he realized, Alaina had become a warrior out of necessity. She hadn’t shied away from the fight, but embraced it out of love for him and their son.
Strange that this woman was teaching him about love when he thought he had known all about it. He’d assumed he had learned it all with Alaina, but could see now that he had merely touched the surface. He hadn’t peeled away the intricate layers and gone deeper. He and Alaina had such a brief time together, they had barely gotten to know, truly know, one another. Short interludes, stolen moments, hurried touches, hungry kisses, and little if no time to talk with each other.
Still, they fell in love in spite of it all, and he would cherish their love for eternity. Perhaps having experienced that love allowed him to examine love more closely now, he thought, and to seek more from love than he ever thought he could.
The idea startled him and he quickly pushed it out of his mind. He didn’t need to be thinking about love. He had more important matters to see to, the most important being his son.
“You are an excellent warrior,” he commended.
She hesitated as if uncertain. “Thank you.”
“What’s wrong?”
She stared at him.
He could see the ache of uncertainty in her eyes and wanted her to know she could trust him. “You can tell me. We’re friends.”
After a moment, she nodded as if accepting his friendship and his shoulder to lean on. “I was frightened.”
“So was I,” he admitted. “Any warrior who enters a battle fearless is a fool.”
“Then I am a good warrior,” she said, accepting the truth.
” I’d be honored to have you by my side in battle any time.”
She seemed surprised. “It is generous of you to say that.”
“We’ve both agreed that the truth never remains silent.”
She nodded slowly and spoke her own truth. “I am glad we are friends.”
“So am I,” he said, realizing how much it meant to him that she accepted him as a friend. It seemed more important to him than that they were husband and wife.
Though he hadn’t known the man who raised him as well as he would have liked, he had taught him that a best friend could be counted on, would always be there for you without question, and would fight by your side to the end.
Sara was his best friend.
The thought made him feel good when suddenly another thought struck him hard.