“As much as I love knowing that, now was not the time to tell me.”
She grinned along with him and they locked hands, resting them across Alexander.
“Sleep,” he ordered.
She gave a whispered laugh. “Do you think that is possible?”
“You mean you suffer the need for me as I do for you right now?”
“A powerful need,” she emphasized.
“Soon,” he whispered. “I promise soon I will pleasure you.”
“I’ll hold you to that promise.”
“You won’t have to.”
They drifted off to sleep, their eyes closing simultaneously.
Sara had worried that Alexander might be upset when he woke to find her and Cullen in place of the only parents he had known. Fortunately, all the time she and Cullen had spent with him was their saving grace.
Cullen scooped his son up in his arms as soon as he woke, and while Alexander looked around, he spoke to the lad, explaining that Da was taking him on a trip. His little lower lip quivered but Cullen was quick to distract him with food and the wooden horse that had fast become a great distraction.
“He’ll adjust,” Sara said.
“I know, but it hurts me to have to hurt him like this.”
Sara placed a comforting hand to his arm. “He won’t even remember this time.”
“Thank the Lord for that.”
Once on their horses, Alexander tucked safely in his father’s arms, they took off, their tempered pace allowing a good distance to be covered. There was no time to converse or dwell on worries. Attention had to be kept to the road, ears had to listen for unexpected company and minds to remain focused.
It would take over a week to reach St. Andrew Harbor, and anything could happen in that time. They had to remain cautious, take no chances, and always be alert and aware that at any moment the earl’s soldiers could pounce on them.
Alexander’s presence made that all the more difficult. They had to stop more frequently, and the worry that he would cry out or make noise when silence was imperative was an ever-present concern. That was why they continued to remain off the main roadway and chose the less frequently traveled path.
Two days of travel passed without incident, and they knew they would soon reach the market where they had once spent a pleasant day together. This time, however, they would need to be cautious while replenishing some supplies.
“You’ll stay here with Alexander while I go collect what we need,” Cullen ordered.
“That’s a foolish decision,” Sara said, though she kept a smile on her face as she and Alexander piled stones on one another on a blanket.
“And I suppose you think it would be better if you went?”
“You know it would be,” Sara challenged. “The soldiers look for you, not for me. I’m just another woman going to market. I have a far better chance of slipping in and out unnoticed than you do.”
“Damn, I hate when you’re right,” Cullen said, joining her and Alexander on the blanket. “I don’t like sending you into harm’s way. What if you should need help?”
“Unless I’m foolish, which I’m not, I should have no problem,” Sara insisted.
“You’ll not dally?”
Sara rolled her eyes. “That question wasn’t necessary.”
“With you it is necessary,” he teased.
She jumped up. “For that I will not bring you back any sweet cakes.”
“Da!” Alexander said, pointing to his father and nodding.
“You tell her, son. Da needs sweet cakes.”
Alexander laughed and patted his chest.
Sara laughed. “It looks like your son wants a sweet cake too.”
Cullen glanced up at her. “You be careful, wife. I don’t want to lose you.”
Her heartbeat skipped twice before settling back to its normal rhythm. Lately he kept catching her off guard, making her think that he truly cared for her, perhaps even loved her in his own way.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said, and her smile confirmed it.
“Yes you are,” Cullen boasted. “You’re going to America with Alexander and me.”
Alexander looked to his father at the sound of his name, his full red cheeks puffed with a grin, and nodded along with his father.
Sara leaned over and kissed father and son on the cheeks. “Love you both.”
Before she reached her horse, Cullen called out, “You come back to me safe, wife.”
She grinned. “As you wish, husband.”
Cullen winced. “Promise me you’ll hold your tongue while at market.”
Sara mounted her horse and took hold of the reins. “Now you’re asking for the impossible.” She laughed and took off in a trot, ignoring her husband’s shouts to behave.