Brenna was a refreshing change from what he was used to, no doubt about it, but he didn't have the faintest idea how to get her to do what he thought she should do.
Connor wasn't certain why he tried to provoke her again, but he thought perhaps it was because he wanted to hear another of her outrageous remarks.
'Dare you try to placate me by giving me such an ignorant rebuttal?'
'Nay, Connor. I was simply trying to give you what you wanted. It was apparent to me that you were deliberately trying to make me angry. I let you succeed. You may thank me later.'
His smile gave him away of course. 'You really don't understand why I became irritated, do you?'
She wasn't at all happy about his amusement. 'No, I don't, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me.'
'It isn't proper for you to kiss me unless I have given you permission.'
She could feel her spine stiffening in annoyance. 'Then I won't be kissing you much in future.'
'Ah, wife, you will.'
The conversation abruptly ended when he shoved her face against his chest.
'Will you stop doing that?' she demanded. 'It's rude.' He didn't acknowledge her demand and in fact didn't speak to her again until late that evening when they finally stopped for the night.
He waited for Brenna to notice Gilly wasn't tethered near the other horses. The woman would probably pitch a fit then and possibly weep, God help him, which he was fully prepared to stop before she started.
She didn't say a cross word to him, but after he saw the look on her face, he began to wish she were shouting at him. The sadness in her eyes was far more bothersome.
He suffered her disappointment in him throughout supper because he was determined not to explain his actions to her, but an hour later, he changed his mind. He told himself he was making this one exception because she was so fond of the mare. Hell, she'd elevated the creature to a family member.
He waited until he caught her alone near the water to talk to her.
'Brenna, I haven't betrayed you, and I want you to stop looking as though I have. It wasn't possible for me to take the time to send someone with Gilly to Quinlan's family.'
'I understand.' Her voice was completely devoid of emotion, and she gave her reply to the ground so she wouldn't have to look at him.
'No, you don't understand,' he muttered. 'MacNare and a fair number of his clan were following us, and though I would have loved a good fight, I couldn't give in to the pleasure because you would end up in the thick of it. I wasn't about to put you in such danger.'
He raised his hand when she tried to interrupt him, and continued on. 'However, as soon as we get home, I'll send one of my soldiers to find your mare and take her to Quinlan's father then.'
'Thank you, Connor. Is our enemy close now?'
'Close enough,' he answered.
'I didn't hear them.'
'They weren't close enough to hear.'
He was ready to dismiss the topic and turned to leave.
She wasn't. 'Connor?'
'Yes?'
She hurried after him, then suddenly stopped. She'd thought to kiss him on the cheek to let him know how much she appreciated his taking the time to explain the circumstances, but the memory of how he had reacted to her affection the last time was still fresh enough to hurt, and so she decided not to provoke him again.
'Thank you for confiding in me.'
'Don't get used to it. It isn't customary for me to explain my actions to anyone. I doubt I'll do it again.'
He seemed determined to ruin every kind moment with a nasty remark. He also had the discourteous and grating habit of walking away from her whenever he wanted to end a conversation, forcing her to chase after him.
'Are we safe now?'
'Yes.'
He refused to give her any other details, such as explaining why they were safe now but hadn't been safe earlier in the day, and she was simply too worn out from trying to get along with him to attempt to coax him into giving her additional information.
She went to the creek and washed as quickly as she could. The water was much colder here than the water she'd bathed in the night before. By the time she put on fresh undergarments and stockings, even her scalp felt numb. She hadn't been able to locate the trunk filled with her gowns, but thankfully she still had two clean but wrinkled ones left in her satchel.
The cold night air was rapidly stealing what little strength she had left. She draped the shorter tunic over a bush in hopes that the damp air would ease the wrinkles out and sat down to brush her hair. She rushed through her night prayers to get them over and done with while she braided her hair, and when she was finished, she could barely find enough strength to put her shoes back on and stand up again.
She was thinking how lovely it would be to sleep in a warm bed and immediately felt guilty because poor Gilly wouldn't have a warm stable tonight. An unfamiliar noise turned her attention then. The sound had been whisper faint and seemed to come from the opposite side of the cove, although she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. The trees were too thick, and the moon wasn't casting sufficient light down on the branches, but she was still certain she'd heard something that shouldn't have been there.
She stayed completely still, closed her eyes, and patiently waited several minutes before she heard the sound again. It was as clear as a shout to her now and very like the familiar sound of steel brushing over steel.
Men with weapons were coming their way, God help them. They weren't allies, she knew, because friends wouldn't be sneaking up on them, would they? No, of course not, she reasoned. They would shout their greeting.
She couldn't tell how many there were, but she had a feeling there were more than just a few.
She tried not to let her fear control her actions. She wanted to run as fast as her legs would carry her to warn Connor of the danger coming their way. She walked instead and tried not to make any noise at all. She'd heard them approaching, after all, and any sound she made was bound to give them her exact location.
Lord, she was scared. She called to her husband in a soft voice as soon as she reached the narrow clearing, then saw him near a cluster of trees in deep discussion with Quinlan. They obviously had sought privacy for their talk, because they stood well away from the other warriors. She could tell from their rigid stances that the issue under discussion was serious. Connor didn't like what Quinlan was telling him, as he was shaking his head every other minute in obvious disagreement.
She hurried forward and called his name again as she approached, but he put his hand up in silent command not to interrupt him and didn't even glance her way.
She couldn't wait until they finished, of course-they'd all be dead if she did-and so she braced herself for his disapproval, then reached up and pulled his hand down.
The defiant action gained his full attention. His initial irritation vanished the second he saw how frightened she was.
'What is it?'
'Soldiers are coming toward us, Connor. I couldn't see their number, but I heard them. They're trying to be quiet.'
Much to her confusion, her startling announcement didn't get the reaction she'd anticipated.
Connor smiled. 'You actually heard them?'
It was apparent he hadn't grasped the ramifications yet. 'Yes, I heard them. I don't believe they're allies. They wouldn't care about making noise if they were, would they? We should leave with all possible haste. Why are you smiling? Don't you understand the danger we're in?'
She guessed he didn't understand when he didn't immediately move. She hadn't thought him at all slow- witted until now, and unfortunately, his friend seemed to suffer the same affliction. In fact, he was worse. He was having so much difficulty comprehending their dire situation, he laughed.
She felt like throwing her hands up in despair. She settled on wringing them together instead. 'Connor, I'm… concerned.'
'You have no reason to be concerned.'
