To Tempt Highland Fate (The Mac Coinnach Brothers) (36 page)
Read To Tempt Highland Fate (The Mac Coinnach Brothers) Online
Authors: Kella McKinnon
“Nothing… nothing’s wrong. The baby’s… coming… oooooooohhhh!”
“Oh God! Willa? Are ye all right? What do I do? Tell me what to do!”
She doubled over again with a cry, and Drust leapt from the bed, grabbing a pair of braies and pulling the door open before he had even managed to get them on.
“Maggie! Maggie!” he bellowed down the hallway.
Within moments Maggie appeared, already dressed and ready, with Faith right behind.
“What is it lad?”
He pushed the two women into the room ahead of him. “The bairn. Willa says the bairn is coming. Do something! Help her!”
“Really? “Tis a couple of weeks early, by my count.” Willa stifled a scream and then got up from the bed, leaning over it and panting. “But I suppose the wee one canna count.”
Drust paced in front of the door, faster and faster. Every cry from his wife’s lips was like a stab to the heart. He could do nothing to help her. He couldn’t take away her pain. And she was dying. She had to be dying, with the way she kept screaming and writhing on the bed. She had been screaming all day long, and he could not comfort her. When he tried, she had only cursed at him. And there was blood on the sheets… so much blood. Maggie and Faith were with her, holding her hands, helping her through the pain… but they didn’t look at him… they knew she was going to die and they couldn’t look at him. Memories of another scene too much like this one flashed before his eyes, and suddenly he couldn’t stand it anymore. He could not watch his wife die like this! He left the room, running down the tower steps and out to the stables. Even there, he could hear her cries from the open window, so he took a horse and rode away, fast and hard, as if he could outrun the crippling fear in his heart, and the certainty that he was about to lose everything.
“There now lass”, Maggie said. “I can see the crown, ye’re nearly done! The first bairn always takes the longest, and ye’ve been at it all day, ye poor thing. Two more pushes now with the next pains, that’s all ye have to do and then ye can rest.”
Willa was exhausted, but so relieved to hear the end was in sight. She glanced towards the door, where her husband had been nervously pacing most of the day.
“Where’s Drust?” Her voice was gravelly from all the screaming, but the other women had encouraged her to let it all out.
Maggie tsked and shook her head. “He left a while ago. Couldn’t take it anymore, I expect. Lasted longer than most men would, though. It’s why most midwives dinna let the fathers stay in the room, they canna handle… och lass, push! And once more! Another lad! I was so wanting a little lass this time, but perhaps we’re destined to be forever overrun with Mac Coinnach men.”
Faith peered at the baby with a huge grin on her face, then squealed with delight and ran out of the room to spread the good news.
Maggie dried the baby and placed him on Willa’s chest, where he immediately stopped crying and looked up at her.
“Oh Maggie, he’ s beautiful! Perfect! Look, his eyes are just like Drust’s, and he has his hair, too.”
“I dinna ken how ye can tell that lass, when he just looks all red and scrunchy to me.” But there was genuine affection in her gaze.
There was a knock on the door, and Bren came in, carrying his own son cradled in one arm.
“Young Dru wants to meet his new cousin,”
Willa beamed up at him.
“A boy. A healthy boy.”
Bren grinned at the obvious joy on her face and leaned over to touch his new nephew’s tiny face with one finger. “Aye, that he is. My little nephew! Congratulations, Willa, ye did well.” His expression turned to a scowl. “And now I will see about finding him his errant father. I’m sorry lass, that my brother couldn’t see fit to attend the birth of his own son.”
A shadow passed across Willa’s face at the mention of Drust. She had thought that he would be here, in the end. But she understood why he wasn’t. He was afraid. Afraid of losing everything. Had something happened to her, he would have blamed only himself. And if she had died giving birth to his child, he would have grieved for the rest of his life. It was impossible to know real fear until you had something to lose. She looked up at Bren.
“No, wait. Give him some time to come to me himself. He will be fine, the moment he sees I’m all right. The moment he lays eyes upon his son. You’ll see.”
Bren looked down tenderly at his own son, asleep in his arms. His scowl immediately softened into a smile. “Aye, there is no miracle quite like seeing yer own child for the first time. I’m happy that Drust will have that miracle too. That our sons will grow strong together. Two little warriors”
After a time, all of her company drifted away to find their beds, and Maggie tucked Willa in, laying the sleeping baby in the wooden cradle beside her.
“Try to sleep now, lass. If ye need anything at all, ye must call me. I’ll be just down the hall.”
“Thank you, Maggie” she yawned. “Thank you for everything.”
“Ah, lass, ‘twas all my pleasure.”
Willa was determined to stay awake until Drust came back, but her eyes were already closing.
Much later, Drust gingerly opened the door to the room he shared with Willa, with his heart in his throat, and emotion and dread swirling in his mind. He wasn’t ready to face this yet. He had left when Willa needed him… left like the damned coward that he was. He had ridden far out across the moor, farther than he had intended. By the time he returned, darkness had fallen and the castle was quiet. There were no cries of a woman birthing a babe, nor were there happy voices or the squalls of a newborn. Fresh terror had seized him as he made his way to his chamber, even though he thought he had prepared himself for the worst. His hand shook as he reached for the latch.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open and looked toward the bed… where Willa slept peacefully in the candle light, her cheeks glowing with health, and a serene smile curving her lips. His heart melted with love for her. His breath left his body in a spasm of relief. Even so, he went to her and leaned close, feeling her soft breath against his cheek, and watching the rise and fall of her chest. Thank God she was all right! If anything had happened… He was ashamed, down to his very soul, that he had left her alone. He should have been strong enough to stay by her side. Only, to see her in such pain, such
danger
, all because of
him
… it was too much. But he was here now, and he would step up to his responsibilities. He would do his best to be a father, even though the very idea terrified him.
A father.
Was he? Another wave of panic swept through him. Was the babe all right? He had come straight to Willa, with no other thought than whether she lived…
His eyes darted to the cradle next to the bed, where something wrapped in white swaddling began to squirm sleepily. He stood frozen for a moment. It had not seemed real, before. But now there was a baby in the cradle by the bed.
His child.
He leaned closer and looked in, and peering up at him with half-closed eyes was a tiny, perfect face. He sucked in a little breath and just stared for a moment, entranced. But then the baby scrunched up its face and made little mewling sounds as if it was about to cry. Looking over to where Willa still slept, and not knowing what else to do, he leaned over and picked up the baby. It was so small and fragile and it smelled like sweet, soft new life. When he held it in his arms it quieted, and Drust felt something tighten in his chest to the point of almost breaking. He knew now that it was love, because Willa has taught him such. He smiled down at the baby, his insides feeling all warm and aching.
“I dinna even ken if yer a lad or a lass, do I?” he said softly.
He carefully sat down in an armchair with the baby on his lap and unwrapped part of the swaddling.
“Och, yer a little lad. A son.
My son
.”
He bundled the baby back up and cradled him to his chest again, humming softly, brushing his lips over the soft fuzz of dark hair on his son’s head. By whatever miracle this was, he had never felt so happy and at peace in all his life. To think he had tried to deny this life…
Willa watched them through her lowered lashes, not wanting to interrupt the father and son bonding, but feeling the tears well up none the less. Drust had never looked so handsome and she had never loved him more than at this moment, the way his whole face softened and glowed with love as he looked at his son. God how she loved him! Both of them. Her men.
Several months later…
The door to the Hall opened, and Willa turned from where she was arranging flowers in a vase at the high table. Maura and James were coming to visit, and she wanted everything to be just right when they arrived later that afternoon. Drust breezed in, covered in sweat and dust from training with the other men. Maggie was holding the baby, and when he caught site of Drust, he flailed his arms and screeched in excitement. Drust laughed and went to sweep him out of Maggie’s arms, lifting him high over his head, grinning like an idiot at the delighted babyish giggles.
Maggie put her hands on her hips, frowning. “Drust Mac Coinnach! Yer getting dust and dirt all over that bairn! Hand him back to me.” But a corner of her mouth quirked up; when Drust was not otherwise busy, his son was always in his arms. She swore the babe would never learn to crawl at this rate!
“He doesna mind. He’s a wee warrior, and we warriors
like
to be dirty.”
“Ye will give him his next bath then.”
Noticing Willa near the table, he stopped to give her a kiss and a heated look that promised he would deal with her later. Then he headed for the stairs, his son nestled against his chest, one chubby fist reaching for his father’s hair.
“Och, ye wee monster! Dinna pull yer Da’s hair.” He held the baby closer and kissed the top of his downy head.
Maggie sighed. “Now
that
is a beautiful site.”
To Tempt
Highland Fate
Haunted by a past he cannot change, Drust MacCoinnach has made himself a willing sacrifice in his clan’s fight to keep the balance of Good and Evil. But instead of the heroic death he expected, he awoke to find himself saved by a woman who would turn his life inside out, and make him burn for her so fiercely that nothing can stop him from claiming her as his own.
Willa has her own demons to slay, and a narrowly-escaped past she dreams of putting behind her for good. But when she comes across a wounded stranger high in the mountains, she simply cannot leave him there to die, even though she is running for her own life. As she nurses him back to health, she realizes the crossing of their paths was no accident… if only she can convince the headstrong warrior to cede his body and his heart to her.
Cover by: Seductive Designs
Photo copyright: Jenn LeBlanc/Illustrated Romance
Prologue
Drust Mac Coinnach was growing desperate. He had been without food or water for what seemed like days, though he couldn’t be certain. And the wound in his side that he couldn’t even see in the inky darkness throbbed and burned so much that he feared he would eventually pass out. If not from the pain (he
was
a warrior, after all) then from the steady loss of his lifeblood. But not now…not yet. For now, he was still alive and standing, and so he would keep walking. The underground tunnels that he felt his way through seemed to go on forever, and he knew that it would be by a miracle alone that he eventually found his way out. Especially since he knew he was slowly bleeding to death. Though he kept a wadded piece of cloth torn from his shirt pressed to the wound, it was long since soaked through, his fingers wet and sticky, and the coppery smell of blood strong in his nose. But still he kept moving, his instinct for survival strong, and his warrior’s body strong as well. A lesser man would have been dead by now.
Still, there was only so much lifeblood a body could lose before even a warrior’s strength was not enough. His hand scraping against the damp stone, he felt the tunnel begin to curve to the left, and he followed, stumbling, his breath shallow, his heart beginning to beat unevenly. He recalled that a man bleeding to death will begin to gasp for air, as his veins grew empty. He was close, then.
It seemed the floor was rising, as if he was moving uphill, and he struggled to stay upright just a little longer. Aye, he was definitely climbing now, and up ahead there was a light, dim at first, then growing brighter as he came closer. It was so dazzling, after days in the darkness, that it hurt his eyes. A light. Either he had finally found a way out, or he was dying. At the moment, he had no idea which, but either was fine with him. With the last of his strength, he moved towards the light, walking, then crawling, then dragging himself over the dirt. Then he collapsed to the ground and the world went dark.
Chapter 1
It was a warm summer evening in the highlands, and Willa MacReive was walking in the gardens of her father’s home. Beside her was a man who claimed he would move the stars for her, if only she asked. Somehow, she just didn’t believe him.
She looked up at Colm, and he smiled and took her hand in his. He was handsome enough, with his fair hair and strong features. Most women would scratch each other’s eyes out to have such a man, she mused. At least the women she had known in London would. And so far, he had been gentle and patient with her, well, as much as could be expected. Why then, was she not feeling the way she
should
? Instead of happiness, she felt doubt. Instead of excitement, she was fairly certain she felt trepidation, as if her deepest instincts were trying to warn her. Instead of love… nothing. She sighed. So that was it, then. She didn’t love him now, and she never would. She was through trying to ignore all of those instincts that were screaming at her to run the other way. He had been courting her for weeks, but if after today she never saw him again, Willa knew she wouldn’t even care. Her disappointment at the realization was mixed with an odd sense of relief. Perhaps she had wanted so badly to be in love, to find someone to share her life with, that she had almost fooled herself for a time. There was nothing else to do but to let him go; she wouldn’t hurt him by pretending any longer.
And she could not deny that she wasn’t even all that attracted to him. She had already blossomed into the full flush of womanhood, with all of the feelings and needs that came with it. The women of her family tended to be a bit hot-blooded, or so she’d been told, and she was no stranger to desire, or the hunger of her body for a man’s touch. It was just that… Colm wasn’t the right man. Every time he had tried to lie with her, she had refused him in the end. The last time, she had really considered it. Perhaps it was the intimacy that they lacked, maybe it
would
be good between them and then she would find it easier to accept her father’s choice of husband. After all, what did she really know about such things? Perhaps her lack of attraction to the man outside of the bedroom had no bearing on what happened in private. She didn’t think so, but she had no experience to tell her otherwise. But, it had been her fertile time of the month, and she could have gotten with child. And then she would have been bound to him forever.
No… that had definitely not been worth the risk
.
And there, yet again, Willa, is your truth.
Looking up at a movement at the edge of her vision, she saw her brother, James, ride in through the gates, strong and tall. Her heart swelled with pride. Until a few short months ago, she didn’t even know she had a brother. She had spent all of her childhood living in England with her Aunt Avida, and even her own father was a stranger to her now. Her father had approved of the match with Colm, and perhaps a part of her had wanted to please him, to win his affection in some small way. Her brother’s new wife, Maura, came out of the keep to greet him, and he practically leapt from the back of his horse to sweep her into his arms.
Her heart squeezed tight.
I want that… I want what they have…
She looked up at the man that her father had chosen for her. She was not foolish or naive. She knew her father had only accepted her back into the fold in order to use her as a political pawn, forging alliances and gaining land was all that mattered to him. But she had few options if she wanted to survive in this world. She could not go back to England; her aunt was gone. She could not stay here, even though it had once been her mother’s home. She had quickly discovered her father’s affections were not worth winning. He would never hold any love for his daughter… his heart was too cold and cruel. And… God help her… she would
not
sell herself to the highest bidder. She would not let that be her life! She had to at least try for something better… though how or what… well, she would just have to figure that out later.
Colm pulled her to a gentle stop in the shade of a willow tree, and out of the corner of her eye she saw her father’s guards move to a new position across the garden. Colm saw them too and he frowned in irritation. “Am I never to have ye alone to myself?”
No, you foolish man, my father wants to be sure you do not run off with the prize without first giving him the payment.
The thought suddenly made her sick. Her stomach twisted and she felt trapped like a rabbit in a snare, the need to escape making her heart hammer against her chest.
Colm took her by the arms and turned her so that his back was to the guards, and his arms slid possessively around her waist. When he bent to steal a kiss, Willa stopped him with both hands against his shoulders.
“Colm, wait. I… I can’t do this.”
He pulled back, surprised. “Lass, it’s only a kiss.” He nodded toward the guards. “They willna mind, ye ken that. I’ve kissed ye a hundred times before, in plain view.” He reached for her again, but she slipped out of his grasp and backed away a few steps.
And a hundred times I felt nothing… except perhaps annoyance that you were kissing me yet again.
“No, it’s not that. I… just don’t think… I’ve been having this feeling that maybe we’re not meant to be together”, she blurted out. She watched as his eyes changed, from soft and doting to disbelieving… to something else altogether. She took a nervous step back.
“What do ye mean, we’re no’ meant to be together? Ye ken I have asked for yer hand! Yer own father has blessed the match! Ye are as good as mine already, Willa MacReive, and ye must ken how lucky ye are to marry so well, considering.”
Hmmm… the doting part was obviously an act
. Willa mentally gave herself a pat on the back for her wisdom in deciding not to marry Colm. Her instincts had been right all along. She would be sure to follow them religiously from now on.
“I can’t marry you Colm.” She shook her head slowly, taking another two steps back. “I know now for certain, it’s nothing personal, you are just not my
destiny
.”
Willa’s eyes widened as she saw true anger flash across Colm’s features; something dark and unwelcoming. Frightening, even. If she had had any remaining doubts before as to the wisdom of her decision, they would have been gone in that instant. She could see it in his eyes clearly now… being wed to this man would have been hell on earth.