Lady of Light (12 page)

When Georgie finally got too close and went down with a quick jab to the jaw, Dougal seemed to have had enough. With an oath, he flung Claire aside and stalked up to Evan. Evan’s back was turned to Dougal as he battled with the man’s two cronies. He didn’t see or hear Dougal coming.

Claire, climbing hastily to her feet, however, guessed Dougal’s intent. “Evan, behind you!” she cried.

At her call Evan wheeled about, but it was too late. Dougal’s huge fist slammed into his jaw. Evan staggered back, right into the arms of Donald and John, who grabbed him and held him tightly.

“Enough o’ this, I say!” Dougal shouted. He pulled back his arm, then thrust it square into Evan’s middle.

With a grunt, Evan doubled over. Dougal, however, wasn’t finished. Over and over he hit Evan, landing blow after blow wherever he could.

“Nay! Stop it! Stop it!” Claire screamed, grabbing hold of Dougal’s right arm and hanging on with all her strength. “You’ll kill him!”

“And what if I do kill him? He’s been naught but trouble since the first day he came here.” His face contorted in rage, the farmer finally paused. “Ye belong here in Culdee with me. The sooner ye see that, the better off ye’ll be.”

“You pig-headed oaf !” Claire cried in reply. “Killing Evan won’t change my mind about you. Nay, far from it. And all you’ll get for your efforts is prison!”

The mention of prison finally seemed to penetrate the big Scotsman’s rage. Turning, Dougal looked back at Evan. Slumped over, breathing heavily, Evan appeared barely conscious. The Scotsman gave a snort of satisfaction.

“Well, he’s learned his lesson,” he muttered. “And what o’ ye, lass?” Dougal glanced now to her. “Have ye learned yer lesson at last, too?”

Claire gazed up at him, fury—and a fierce, fresh resolve—swelling within her. “Aye, that I have, Dougal. That I have.”

“Will ye accompany me to the
ceilidh
then?”

She shook her head. “Nay. I need to see Evan home. Thanks to you, he isn’t in any condition to attend the
ceilidh
now.”

“Dinna fash yerself. The lads can see him home.”

“Nay,
I’ll
see him home, and that’s that!”

He must have caught the hard, angry edge of determination in her voice at last. After a moment more of indecision, the farmer nodded his consent. “Have it yer way then. Jist as long as we finally understand each other. Jist as long as ye finally face the fact whose woman ye are, and what ye must do aboot it.”

Claire met his stern look with an unflinching one of her own. “Och, I do, Dougal. I understand everything.” She paused to add even greater emphasis to her final word.
“Everything.”

7

My sins are not hid from Thee.

Psalm 69:5

“Here, let me have a look at you now,” Claire said twenty minutes later as she helped Evan reenter her house and take a seat in a chair at the table.

The trek back had been arduous. Evan was in pain and had to halt frequently to catch his breath. Though he hadn’t said much, she knew it had taken all his strength not to give up and just lay down right there on the road. It had taken all her strength, as well, not to break into tears, so moved was she at his courage in standing up to Dougal and his thugs, then uncomplainingly making his way back home.

No man had ever before dared confront Dougal MacKay when he was backed up by his friends, much less fight against such unfair odds. No man in Culdee had ever had the courage to try.

But Evan was a man who stood up for those he cared about. She could depend on him. For the first time in a long while, Claire felt safe and protected. She had finally found a helpmate.

In the brighter light of the cruisies, Claire made a quick survey of Evan. A jagged slash above his left eyebrow oozed blood, as did his split upper lip. His right cheekbone sported a rapidly purpling bruise. His shirt was torn in several places, some small patches of drying blood stained his sleeves and numerous grass stains now marred its once snowy whiteness.

It was the uneven way Evan breathed, however, that caused Claire the most concern. She made quick work of treating his eyebrow and cut lip, then pulled off his vest and began unbuttoning his shirt.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he rasped, grabbing her hand to halt her.

“You’ve hurt your chest, haven’t you?”

He waved away her concern. “It’s nothing more than bruised ribs. No need to worry.”

“I’ll cease my worrying once I have a look at you.” Ever so gently, Claire pulled her hand free. “Now, if you don’t mind, I need to get your shirt off.”

Evan eyed her for a moment, then managed a lopsided grin, which only made him wince when the action caused a tug at his split lip. “Have at it then. It’s been one of my favorite daydreams, you know, the thought of you undressing me. If I’d realized sooner what the secret to that was, I’d have gotten myself beaten up a long time ago.”

She shot him a disgusted look, then began unbuttoning his shirt. “As if you’re in any condition to do aught about it, even if I was undressing you for other than medicinal reasons. When it comes to women, you men have a verra rich, if misguided, fantasy life.”

“Well, wishing and dreaming can be helpful in mustering the courage needed for action. How do you think I ever found the guts to ask you to allow me to court you?” Evan sighed. “But I reckon I’m too late, aren’t I?”

Her hands stilled in the act of opening his shirt and sliding it from his shoulders. “Whatever do you mean?” Claire glanced up to meet his piercing gaze. “I didn’t have the chance to answer you earlier.”

“Then why did you tell Dougal you understood everything at last? I knew you weren’t agreeing to marry him, even if he did seem mollified by your response. But I also didn’t get the impression, at that moment, that you were any too pleased with men in general.”

Totally flabbergasted, Claire stared down at Evan. “Well, it’s reassuring that you at least had the sense to trust my judgment when it came to Dougal,” she finally found voice to reply. “Of course I in no way meant I intended to wed him.”

“Well, you didn’t sound like you wanted ever to wed any other man, either.” He cocked his head, studying her. “Me included.”

She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Och, I didn’t mean you, you silly man! When I said I understood everything, I meant I finally realized it was you I had given my heart to. That now that I’d met you, there wasn’t anything to keep me here anymore. And that I finally knew what I must do about it.”

Evan’s expression of utter amazement was downright comical. Claire would’ve laughed if she hadn’t been afraid of hurting his feelings. But beneath that look of incredulity lay an unguarded vulnerability and a wild, joyous hope. They were precious, tender emotions. Claire had no intention of dashing them, especially when they mirrored so closely her own feelings.

“Aye,” she said, smiling as she gently slid Evan’s shirt off his shoulders and down his arms. “If we’d had the time before Dougal had come,”—Claire set his shirt aside—“I was ready to accept your offer to court me. And then, when I had to watch them beating up on you …”

Overcome by the memory of that brutal fight, she swallowed hard and fought back tears. “Well, it drove home even more forcefully my true feelings for you.”

“You said you realized you’d given your heart to me.” Evan’s voice deepened to a rich, husky timbre. “Are you saying you love me, Claire?”

As she gazed down at him, bare of chest and bruised of body, his eyes dark with ardent affection, a wave of knee-weakening desire washed over her. It was all Claire could do not to throw herself into his arms. Indeed, only the extent of his injuries and consideration for his battered condition held her back.

So, instead, she glanced away. If she looked at Evan another instant, Claire thought, she’d surely say something she’d long regret. There was time enough to go slowly with each other, if only she maintained a level head and controlled the pace of the courtship. If only she had the strength …

Evan took her hand, kissed it tenderly, and pressed it to his chest. “Would it make it easier for you to tell me, if I first admitted I love you and want you to be my wife? Because it’s true, you know. Looking back now, I realize I fell in love with you from the first moment I met you, and have just been too afraid to tell you, for fear I’d drive you away.”

With those words, tears flooded her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Claire wrenched her gaze back to his. It was true, she realized, seeing the unmistakable proof shining in Evan’s eyes. He really did love her.

A warm, sweet surety filled her, and she yielded at last. She loved him so much. In that love, Claire suddenly knew there was no obstacle in life that they couldn’t surmount together. At long last she had found her other half, the man to complete and sustain her. God was so good!

“Aye, it would help indeed,” she whispered. “For I love you, too, Evan MacKay, and would be honored to become your wife.”

“And would you also be willing to go to Colorado and live there with me?”

She nodded, knowing it would have come to that if she agreed to wed him. “It would seem the best for all. I can’t vouch that Dougal would cease his beating up on you just because we were wed. He’s never been a verra good loser.”

Evan chuckled. “And
I’ve
never been one to back down from a fight, especially if I happened to find Dougal alone someday.”

They both paused then, gazing at each other with eyes brimming with love. How wonderful, Claire thought, to feel so comfortable, so free with another person. She had never realized such emotions were possible, especially with a man. Especially a man from another land, who was raised so differently from her.

The consideration of leaving Culdee and Scotland did unsettle her, though. She would have to depend heavily on Evan—especially at first—to support her and ease her way. And how would his family feel about him bringing home a wife from abroad?

“Are you certain,” Claire began, choosing her words with care, “that your family will approve of you wedding a Scotswoman? Mayhap they had some other lass already in mind for you? A lass with wealth or great land holdings to her name. I can bring you naught, Evan, save myself.”

“You’re all I want, Claire.” He smiled. “They’ll love you just as much as I do. You’ll see. And as far as having another girl in mind for me, my pa knows that’d be a lost cause anyway. I’m too much like him when it comes to having things my way.”

Claire chewed on her lower lip. Evan wasn’t the only person who needed his way—at least in one other thing. The issue of Ian was a subject on which she couldn’t compromise. Sooner or later, she’d need to broach the issue of what to do about him. No matter how much she loved Evan, Claire couldn’t—and wouldn’t—leave Ian behind.

“And would your father mind if you not only brought home a wife, but her brother, too?”

His smile faded to one of solemn regard. “Did you really think I’d ask you to desert Ian, Claire?”

“I … I didn’t know.” With heart pounding, she met his searching scrutiny. “Most times, a man doesn’t expect to be saddled with additional kin when he takes a woman to wife.”

“Well, maybe most times that’s true, but not this time. I know how important Ian is to you. Now, I’m not saying,” he hurried to add, “that I don’t have concerns about him, but I also know he wouldn’t fare well here if left all to himself.” Evan shook his head. “No, I know it won’t be easy taking Ian with us, but it’s got to be done.”

Relief, so intense it made her dizzy, flooded Claire. “But will there be room for all of us at your ranch?”

“If there isn’t, we’ll either build an extra house at Culdee Creek, or find a place to live in Grand View.” Once again Evan lifted her hand to his swollen lips, then lowered it to clasp it close. “Don’t worry about a thing. Leastwise not about what’ll happen once we get to Culdee Creek. Right now, the only issue that matters, since you’ve agreed to marry me, is do I still have to court you? Or can we see Father MacLaren tomorrow about making wedding arrangements?”

Taken aback by his sudden change in tack, Claire laughed aloud. “By mountain and sea, Evan MacKay, but you’re not a man who wastes any time, are you?”

“Well,” he admitted with a shrug, that immediately elicited a wince, “all this talk about the ranch and my family has gotten me homesick. I’ve been gone almost nine months now. Reckon it’s time I think about heading home. I’ve got some unfinished business to clear up.”

At his mention of unfinished business, Claire’s gut twisted. She hid her rising dread by lowering her gaze to examine Evan’s ribs. “With the girl you once loved, you mean?”

“Yes, with her,” he answered honestly, wincing yet again when she gently touched his side. “And with the man she is most likely married to by now. But I’ve also got unfinished business with my pa and Abby, and my little sister Beth. I owe them all a big apology. I need to ask their forgiveness for running out on them like I did. I made some big mistakes. It’s past time I was man enough to own up to them.”