King and Princess came charging through the bushes ready to defend her and stopped, glancing around. They both walked over to her. Princess sat beside her leg to lean against it while King paced protectively in front of her.
All eyes were on Arran as he cleaned off his weapons on the dead men’s garments.
He looked to the cat and dog as he approached Purity. “It’s good you come to her aid, but I took care of it this time.”
King meowed, turned, and walked toward the bushes, stopped, looked back at Princess and sent her a strong meow. Princess got up and made her way slowly to the cat. When she reached his side, they walked off together.
Arran kept his eyes on the two and asked, “King doesn’t ride on her back this time.”
“King knows Princess is hurting. He won’t add to her discomfort.” She was quick to respond and quicker to ask, “Are you all right? You weren’t hurt, were you?”
“I’m good. I was about to ask you the same. I didn’t hurt you when I pushed you, did I?” he asked, looking her over.
“Not a scratch. I even managed to keep hold of the comfrey.” She glanced down at her bundle that quivered. Only then did she realize she trembled.
Arran’s arms went around her, and she and the plants were crushed against him in a solid hug. She let her head fall against his chest and his chin came down to rest on the top of her head.
“You’re safe, Purity. You’ll always be safe with me,” he assured her.
Safe.
How long had it been since she had truly felt safe? Had she ever? Tears threatened her eyes. She barely had a memory of her mother, a sweet scent, a gentle touch was all she could recall, and as for her father, he had paid her little heed. Her brother had been kind to her, though the older he got the less he paid her any mind. She had spent a good portion of her life feeling frightened. Here in Arran’s arms she felt safe. No harm would come to her here. He wouldn’t let it.
When they eased apart a sense of loss struck her as it had done on other occasions when he had touched or held her. There was no denying she loved this man. She simply wished he loved her just as much.
Arran gave a nod to the two dead men. “Have you seen either of these men before?”
She walked over to have a look to make sure and Arran kept his hand to her back as she did.
It was a quick glance with no need to linger. “I’ve never seen either man.”
Arran looked down at them. “Two men today and three the other day. This can’t be a coincidence.”
“What do you mean?” Purity asked.
“There are no frequent travelers to this area. Why in the last almost four days do five men suddenly appear?”
Did he mean what she thought he meant? She shook her head. “You can’t mean to think the men were here for me?”
“I believe it’s a possibility we should consider.”
She continued to shake her head. “But why? What would they want with me?”
“That’s something we need to find out.”
Purity looked to the dead men. “How?”
“When the next ones arrive, I’ll make sure one remains alive until I get the information I want out of him.”
Her head stilled. “You think more will come?”
“I do and I’ll have my answer before we return home,” he said, declaring it so.
“Does that mean we wait a few days before leaving here?” she asked, not eager to return home.
“We already have to wait two days for Princess to heal. We’ll see what happens and decide then.” With a gentle nudge of his hand to her back, he turned her away from the dead men. “Go back to the cottage and see to Princess. I need to dispose of the bodies. They’re too close to the cottage for the animals to feast on or for anyone to discover.”
She had never been frightened alone in the woods, but she was now and she hesitated to leave Arran.
He cupped her chin and ran his thumb gently over her cheek, seeing that she was unwilling to leave him. “I won’t be long or be far. Call out if you need me.”
She suddenly felt like a coward. She couldn’t let herself revert to the frightened lass she’d once been. She had to stay strong. “I’ll be fine. I have Princess and King.”
“I never thought I would be grateful to a dog and cat,” he said.
Purity smiled, even though there was no playfulness in his remark, it still sounded like a bit of the old Arran and it pleased her to hear it. She did something spontaneous, surprising herself. She kissed his lips lightly and realizing what she’d done, she hurried off.