Love Me Forever (20 page)

She could not stop thinking of Royce. He had
sounded so confident that she carried his child. She placed a hand
to her flat stomach. She would have loved to have given him a
child—many children, if it was possible. But it was not and he knew
that. Why, then, did he persist in this ridiculous pursuit? Nothing
would come of it except that he would be free of her.

Did he want to be free of her?

Was there no truth to his words to her?

Had he ever really loved her?

And why with all these endless questions did
she still love him?

She shook her head. Love made fools of
people. Or was it the need to love and be loved that made people
foolish? She had actually believed that Royce truly loved her. He
had been kind and caring. But then, what else could he have been to
her? She had been injured and needed care. But it was a kind and
caring soul that tended the injured. He could have left her to her
own fate, not given a thought to her well-being. But he had not; he
had carried her back to his cottage and had tenderly cared for her
in every way.

She shook her head again. None of this made
sense, and the more she attempted to make sense of it, the more
confused she became.

Remember.

That word echoed in her head and forced her
to remember how gentle and loving he had been with her.

Could all of that have been lies?

A heavy sigh escaped her. She did not want
to think that he did not truly love her. She wanted him to love her
as much as she loved him. They had been so happy together alone in
the cottage. But then, she had not known the truth about him.

Would it have made a difference?

And had she not learned about him during
that time? Had she not come to truly know him and not the legend?
If she had known him to be the legendary warrior Royce Campbell,
how, then, would she have reacted to him?

She grew tired of the confusion and the
endless questions, and she hurt desperately from the thought that
she would never feel his arms around her again. She had found a
comfort and safety in his arms that she had never felt before, and
she longed for his arms at this moment.

“You should be in bed,” Royce whispered from
behind her before his arms circled her waist.

“You should not be here.” She tried to sound
annoyed that he intruded on her privacy, but she was not. She was
glad for his presence.

“Aye, you are right,” he agreed with a slow
and lazy kiss to her neck. “You should be with me in my bed.”

She silently reprimanded herself for smiling
at his suggestion.

“You do not deny that you want to be there
as much as I want you there?”

Her body was beginning to respond to his
kisses, and if she were not careful, she would surrender without a
thought or a care. “I cannot deny the truth, can you?”

His lips traveled up her neck to rest near
her ear. “I cannot and I have spoken it to you.”

She feared the answer she might hear but
asked her question. “Have you always spoken the truth to me?”

He was quick to respond. “I have not lied to
you, Brianna. I love you, and as crazy as I may sound, I feel as if
I grow to love you more each day. Believe me, Brianna, please.”

She wanted to believe him. The aching plea
in his voice told her to believe him, and her body trembled with
the need for her to believe him.

He felt her slight tremble and tightened his
hold on her waist, forcing her body to relax against his. “Does
your back pain you?”

She was honest in her answer. “A
little.”

“You should be in bed.”

“I could not sleep and I grew cold beneath
the covers.”

“Because I was not there to warm you.” He
nibbled at her ear.

She tried to ignore the rush of heat that
raced over her, but it felt entirely too good to disregard. “You
did keep me warm.”

“Let me keep you warm again.”

She attempted to be annoyed with him. “You
have no right to be here.”

“I have every right. You are mine.”

“I belong to no one,” she argued.

“Nay, we belong to each other, and that you
cannot deny, for you know it in your heart—and soul.”

It was difficult to fight the truth, and
that was what she wanted from him—the truth. “Why did you not tell
me?”

“It would have served no purpose. You would
have been frightened of me.”

“I was frightened of you when I first laid
eyes on you.”

He kissed her cheek. “You were frightened of
my scarred face and learned soon enough you need not fear the man.
I am that man.”

She shook her head, disagreeing. “I know not
who you are.”

“Aye, you do know who I am, but you
stubbornly wish to ignore it.”

“You are not who I thought.”

“I am who you thought me to be—only there is
more to me.”

“More that makes me question,” she said
softly. “You seek battle more than you seek peace.”

“Not by choice.”

“I thought you a warrior who could finally
find peace with me and that we could live a simple life.” She
sounded as if her dreams had been destroyed.

“I have found peace with you.”

“How long will that peace last before you go
off to fight and conquer?”

“As long as I have you, that peace will
always be in my heart.”

She winced at the sharp pain that stabbed at
her back and allowed all her weight to fall against him.

He asked no permission and gave his action
no thought—he simply scooped her up into his strong arms and
carried her to bed. He gently placed her down and tucked the covers
around her.

She thought he would take his leave but
instead he hastily disrobed, and she was about to object when she
stopped herself. She did not want him to leave. She wanted his warm
body next to hers, though she did not seek to make love with him.
She simply wanted him there beside her.

He slipped beneath the blankets and moved up
against her. “This night shift is not necessary. I will keep you
warm.” He had it off her in seconds and had her against him, the
heat of his body seeping into her cool flesh and toasting her body
to gentle and satisfying warmth.

She closed her eyes and thought of them
alone in the cottage and so very much in love. There was just the
two of them. The outside world did not exist.

Royce held her close and stroked her back,
her head resting on his chest. “Rest,” he whispered.

Her eyes fluttered closed.

He whispered once more as she drifted to
sleep, “Remember.”

Brianna found herself at a loss the next
day. She did not want to speak with anyone; she wanted nothing more
than to be left alone. Everyone seemed to have an opinion about her
situation. Moira and Anne had naturally taken her side, both women
having an independent nature and having taught Brianna to reclaim
her own.

Ian and Blair seemed sympathetic to Royce,
since they both had dealt with the perils and joys of falling in
love.

She had grown impatient as they offered
their words of wisdom, and while she understood that they only
wished to help, she wished for them all to leave her alone. She

ached for the solitude of the cottage, and
if she were able, she would ride off on her own to the simple small
dwelling and reside there for as long as it took to settle her
problem.

Finally having felt she could take no more,
and desperately seeking solitude, she wrapped herself in her warm
wool cloak, pulled up the hood, and took off for a much needed walk
alone.

She was only a few feet from the keep when
she noticed a man following her. He did not hide his intentions but
kept firm and steady on her trail. He was large with bright red
hair and a nose that had been broken more than once. He looked to
be of a pleasant nature, nodding a greeting to those who dared look
his way, his size being a little intimidating. There was no doubt
that he was one of Royce’s men, and the thought irritated her.

Brianna paused once or twice to see what he
would do, and he stopped and waited patiently for her to continue
walking. By the time she neared the outskirts of the village, she
had had enough. She turned and confronted him.

“Why do you follow me?” she snapped, turning
on him in such a flurry that the large man actually backed away
from her.

“I mean you no harm,” he said
apologetically. “Royce ordered me to guard you well, and so I
shall.”

He had a gentle voice for one so large and
Brianna felt guilty at the harsh way she addressed him. She
softened her tone when she said, “I need no one to guard me.”

“I must obey Royce.” Again he sounded
apologetic.

She attempted to keep her patience. ‘Tell
him what I tell you. I need no guard.”

“I cannot leave your side, for then I will
disobey his orders.”

Her patience was growing short. “You mean to
follow me, then, wherever I go.”

He was hesitant to answer. “Aye, I do.”

“I wish to be alone.” She kept a tight rein
on her temper; after all, he was not the one she was angry
with.

“I will keep my distance and give you time
for yourself.”

“I want to be by myself, completely alone,
no one about, just me, me, me!” Her voice rose with every word.

He seemed not to know what to do with her.
He simply shrugged.

“Where is Royce?” she demanded.

He seemed relieved by her query and answered
with haste. “He sees to the men.”

‘Take me to him,” she ordered firmly.

He nodded once, again looking relieved.

She followed beside him as he led her to a
large clearing not far outside the village. Men tended horses,
others cooked over an open fire, while others polished their swords
or tended to their bows and arrows. Royce stood in the middle of a
band of men that maybe numbered twenty. They all paid heed to his
words.

The man she followed stepped to the side as
they approached the circle of men. She continued marching forward,
the men moving out of her path.

She entered the circle and stopped. “I will
have a word with you.”

“When I am finished, we will talk,” he said
pleasantly, though his words were measured well.

“Nay, we will talk now.”

Hushed whispers raced around the circle of
men, and Royce cast a quick eye around. Silence fell instantly.

“When I am done.” It was a demand he issued
her, and she intended no part of it.

“Then hear me well now. I will have none of
your men guard me. I wish to be alone and alone I shall be.” She
turned to go.

“You shall have a guard.”

Her temper flared. “You cannot dictate to
me.”

“Aye, I can and I will. You are mine and
what is mine I keep safe.”

Her temper snapped. “You are not my husband
and have no right.”

“I will be your husband and have the
right.”

By now most of the camp had gathered nearby,
and from the corner of her eye she caught her brother and Blair
approaching.

She was tired of being dictated to, she was
tired of always having her brother come to her defense, and she
would not have it any longer.

“Keep your men from me,” she said with a
controlled anger and turned and walked away.

“Brianna,” Royce called out.

She would not pay heed to him; she continued
walking.

“Brianna!” He grew louder.

Her brother and Blair remained on the side,
watching, and she grew annoyed when she saw that they were smiling.
She grew more annoyed when she heard heavy footsteps behind her and
knew that Royce was fast approaching.

She decided she had had enough. She wanted
solitude and she would have it. All she needed to do was reach the
woods nearby. Once amongst the dense woods, she would lose him, for
she had played there as a child and knew every inch of the
forest.

She picked up her pace, testing her legs and
finding that they were strong and even seemed eager for a run. She
took off with a laugh and a sense of freedom that thrilled her.

Her hood dropped away from her head, her
cloak flew out around her and her dark hair burst free of the combs
that confined the heavy strands. With the crisp winter air stinging
her cheeks and feeling so very much alive, she was overwhelmed by
the sensation that she was flying as free as a bird.

She heard Royce call out to her again,
though his footsteps sounded at a distance, and she was pleased
that she could run faster than him. She was not far from the edge
of the woods, and soon the dense trees would conceal her and she
would be free to do as she pleased.

The pain struck her suddenly, and she went
down to the ground hard and fast, her head hitting the hard earth
and dazing her so that she could do naught but lay helpless.

She heard the rushed footsteps, the raised
voices, but could not make sense of them. She knew only that until
the pain subsided and her head stopped spinning, she could not
move.

Royce reached her first, though Ian and
Blair came up behind him in mere moments.

“Brianna, are you all right?” Royce asked,
dropping to his knees beside her. His hands instantly moved beneath
her to lift her.

She screamed louder than she intended, for
the slightest movement aggravated the pain. “Do not touch me.”

“Did she break a bone?” Ian asked with
concern.

“I do not know,” Royce answered, fearful of
touching her and causing her further suffering.

“Nay,” she assured them, her voice lower,
though filled with discomfort.

“What happened?” Royce asked, feeling much
too helpless.

“A sharp pain—” She could say no more, for
the pain ran down her leg once again when she made the slightest
effort to move. A tear trickled from her eye, this pain being more
intense than the first.

“She needs to be off this cold ground,” Ian
said, upset at seeing his sister’s tears.