Days of Gold (Edilean 2)

“Edilean,” Angus said,

standing back and watching her. She had the blanket tucked under her arms and didn’t seem to be the least concerned that she was nude under it. But his glance reminded her of the situation and of what had happened the last time they’d seen each other.

“Would you please hand me my clothes so I can get dressed and leave?”

The coldness in her voice made him cringe. When they’d been on the ship and she’d been angry at him, he’d laughed at her. To his mind, she’d been jealous of Tabitha, and if the truth were told, her anger had made him feel good. But this coldness of hers now was not something he liked.

“I thank you for—” she began.

“Stop it!” Angus said. “Right now, I want you to stop this! What the hell were you thinking that you rode into a camp full of criminals and got into a fight? Do you know how dangerous that was?”

“It was something I needed to do,” Edilean said. “Would you please give me my clothes so I can leave?”

“No. You’re not leaving until you’ve eaten and slept. I want to make sure you’re all right.”

“Oh, so now you’re a doctor?”

“If you didn’t think I could take care of you, why did you come here? Why didn’t you go to your expensive house and let Harcourt’s sister take care of you?”

He was glad when her eyes flashed fire. It was better than coldness. “Are you forgetting the reason I went to that band of outlaws in the first place?”

“To make me look like a fool?”

“I didn’t have to work very hard to do that, did I?”

They glared at each other, neither speaking. After several minutes, Angus opened a cabinet, withdrew a clean shirt, and tossed it at her. “That’s all you get for now. I want you to stay in that bed and rest.” His voice was angry, but then he stopped and his eyes softened. “Edilean, whatever possessed you to do something like that?”

It was on the tip of her tongue to say “love,” but she didn’t. “I told you that I wanted to repay the debt I owed you,” she said as she slipped the big shirt over her head.

“That’s it?”

“That’s all of it, and we’re even now. I no longer have to feel guilty that you left everyone you loved because of me. You can buy land and start a McTern village, and you can bring all your friends and relatives here to America. And once again you can be the laird of a clan. You can strut about and have them all look at you in adoration.”

“Is that what you think I want?” he asked softly.

“I have no idea what you want,” she said. “I’m not part of your clan.”

He started to reply but instead he went to the door. “Now’s not the time to argue this out. I want you to sleep, and I’ll send word to Harcourt’s sister that you’re safe.”

The moment he left the room, Edilean realized how very tired she was. At the moment she couldn’t remember why she’d had Cuddy take her to Angus. She knew she should have returned to Harriet, to her own bed, but right now she was too tired to care where she was. She slid down in the bed and was asleep instantly.

Angus stood outside for a few minutes, his head back against the wall, his eyes closed. That he’d been so careless that he’d allowed the jewels to be stolen was humiliating enough, but that Edilean had found them and brought them back to him was almost more than he could stand. He’d been bested by a girl!

He looked back into the room and checked on her. As he thought, she was sound asleep. He pulled the cover higher over her and smoothed her hair out of her face.

He didn’t know it was possible to love anyone as much as he loved her.

Since the moment he’d met her, she’d taken over his mind, his heart—his very life. He’d fought the feelings she awoke in him. In Scotland he’d fought hard against his desire to be with her, to look at her beautiful face, to just be near her. His anger that she’d come into his life and taken it over so completely had shown itself in ways that were out of character for him. He regretted that he’d sometimes reacted with violence—if dropping her into a horse trough could be considered violent.

No one had told him that love could produce feelings other than happiness. He’d thought that when a person fell in love he’d... He wasn’t sure what he’d thought. That he’d hear angels singing?

But Edilean had produced every emotion in him—except at ten times their normal strength. When the rustlers stole a dozen sheep during the night the rage they produced in him was nothing compared to what he’d felt near Edilean. Anger, happiness, weakness, strength. He felt everything when she was near. She made him sure that he was the biggest, wisest, most honorable man who’d ever lived. Then in the next minute she made him feel lower than a worm.

Shaking his head, he touched her cheek, and she moved in her sleep. He couldn’t describe what he’d felt when he saw that boy with an unconscious Edilean in his arms. Angus had thought he’d never see her again. He’d told himself that if he did hear she was to marry, he’d be glad for her. But just the sight of a boy touching her had sent him into feelings of murder. If Angus had been one of his ancestors he would have sliced the boy’s head from his shoulders before even asking a question.

But all Angus’s thoughts and feelings had turned to fear when he saw how battered she was, her beautiful face hidden under layers of dirt and blood.

Reluctantly, Angus left his bedroom to go into the tavern to work. He’d told Edilean a lie when he said he planned to buy the place. The truth was that he hated it. Serving beer and food all day, listening to endless complaints about everything from how hot the water was to how cold the food was, sickened him.