'I didn't mean to wake you, Brodick,' she called out. Her voice literally trembled with each word. 'I was moaning over the cold.'
'You're really cold, lass?' Alex asked. The surprise in his voice was evident.
'I just said that I was,' she answered.
'Come here,' Iain commanded, sounding a bit surly.
Judith responded in kind. 'No.'
He smiled in the darkness. 'Then I'll have to come to you.'
'You stay away from me, Iain Maitland,' she commanded. 'And if you think to order me to quit being cold, I'm warning you now-it won't work.'
He walked over to stand in front of the tent. She could only see the tips of his boots until he tore the furs away. He destroyed the cocoon in seconds.
'That helped,' she muttered. She sat up so she could glare at him.
Iain pushed her back and stretched out on the ground beside her. He rested on his side, giving her the heat from his back.
Brodick suddenly appeared on her other side. He stretched out on his side with his back toward her. Judith instinctively wiggled closer to Iain. Brodick followed her, until his back was pressed against hers.
She was certainly warm enough now. The heat radiating from the giant warriors was amazing.
It felt wonderful.
'She feels like a block of ice,' Brodick remarked.
Judith started laughing. The sound made both Iain and Brodick smile.
'Brodick?'
'What is it?'
He sounded mean again. She didn't let that bother her. She was finally catching on to his ways, and knew the bluster was all for show. Underneath that gruff exterior beat a kind heart. 'Thank you.'
'What for?'
'For taking the time to talk about Isabelle.'
The warrior grunted. She laughed again.
'Judith?'
She snuggled closer to Iain's back before answering him. 'Yes, Iain?'
'Quit wiggling and go to sleep.'
She felt like obeying him. She fell asleep almost immediately.
A long while passed before Brodick spoke again. He wanted to be certain Judith really was asleep and wouldn't hear what he was going to say. 'Each time she's given a choice, she turns to you.'
'How's that, Brodick?'
'She's glued to your back now, not mine. She prefers riding with you, too. Didn't you notice the pitiful expression on her face when you made her ride with Alex today? She looked damn forlorn.'
Iain smiled. 'I noticed,' he admitted. 'But if she prefers me, it's only because I'm Patrick's brother.'
'There's a hell of a lot more to it than that.'
Iain didn't respond to that comment.
Several minutes passed before Brodick spoke again. 'Let me know, Iain.'
'Let you know what?'
'If you're going to keep her or not.'
'And if I'm not?'
'Then I am.'
Chapter 5
It took two more days to reach the Maitland holding. They spent the last night in a beautiful forest called Glennden Falls. Birch, pine, and oak trees were so thick in the area, the horses could barely get through the narrow path. A mist, more white than gray, and nearly waist high in some spots, floated around the greenery, giving an air of magic to the paradise.
Judith was enchanted. She walked into the mist until it completely surrounded her. Iain watched her. She turned around, caught him staring at her, and whispered in a voice filled with awe that this was surely the most beautiful spot in all the world.
'This is what I envision Heaven to be, Iain,' she told him.
He seemed surprised, took a good look around him, and then, in his arrogant way, said, 'Perhaps.'
It was evident the man had never taken the time to appreciate the beauty around him. She told him so. He gave her a long, thorough look that started at the top of her head and ended at the tips of her boots. He moved forward, gently touched the side of her face, and then said, 'I'm noticing all right.'
She could feel herself blushing. He was referring to her, of course. Did he truly find her beautiful? She was too embarrassed to ask. He turned her attention, however, with his announcement that she could have a proper bath.
She was thrilled. The water cascading down the gentle slope was frigid, but she was too happy to have the opportunity to thoroughly scrub herself to mind the cold. She even washed her hair. She had to braid it damp, but that didn't bother her, either.
She wanted to look her best when she was reunited with her friend. Judith was a little apprehensive about seeing Frances Catherine again. It had been almost four years since their last visit. Would her friend think she'd changed very much… and if so, would she think the changes were for the better or the worse?
Judith didn't allow herself to fret over the reunion long. In her heart she knew it would be all right. Her excitement grew as soon as she pushed the silly worry aside, and by the time they'd finished their supper, she was literally pacing around the campfire.
'Did you know Cameron's wife stayed up all night cooking for us?' she asked no one in particular. 'She sent Isabelle her favorite sweet biscuits, but she made enough for us as well.'
Alex, Gowrie, and Brodick were all sitting around the fire. Iain leaned against a fat birch, watching her. No one replied to her comments about Margaret.
She wasn't daunted. Nothing could dampen her enthusiasm. 'Why do we have a fire tonight? We haven't had one before,' she remarked.
Gowrie answered her. 'We're on Maitland land now. We weren't before.'
She let out a gasp. 'This wonderland belongs to you?'
Alex and Gowrie both smiled. Brodick frowned. 'Will you quit your pacing, woman? You're making my head ache watching you.'
She threw Brodick a smile when she strolled past him. 'Then don't watch,' she suggested.
She wanted to nudge his temper a bit, but he surprised her with a grin.
'Why are you pacing?' Iain asked.
'I'm too excited about tomorrow to sit still. It's been a long while since I've seen Frances Catherine, and I have so many things I want to tell her. My mind's cluttered with them. I wager I won't be able to sleep a wink tonight.'
Iain secretly wagered she would. He won. Judith was dead to the world as soon as she closed her eyes.
When morning arrived, she refused to be rushed. She warned them she was going to take her time, and when she returned to the camp where Iain and the others impatiently waited on horseback for her, she looked as magical as her surroundings. She was dressed in a brilliant blue gown that perfectly matched the dramatic color of her eyes. Her hair was unbound, and the thick curls floated around her shoulders when she moved.
A tightness settled in Iain's chest. He couldn't seem to take his gaze away from her. His lack of discipline appalled him. He shook his head over his own shameful behavior and scowled at the woman driving him to distraction.
