Rebel Kiss: A Historical Romance Novel (Scottish Rebels Book 1) (7 page)

“Ye
didna say that it was this cold,” Rowan chuckled as he extended his legs so
that the water came half way up his calves.

“This
freshwater is such a blessing that I’ve resigned not to complain about it,”
Anna laughed, noting that her body was now covered with gooseflesh from the
chill of the water.  “Tis a bit brisk,” she giggled.

“Ye
are a remarkable woman,” Rowan whispered as he looked upon Anna.  Despite the
hardship of being stranded on the vacant beach, Anna had not complained.  She
blushed in response to Rowan’s words, then closed her eyes and turned her face
up towards the sun.

Anna
moved her foot beneath the surface of the water.  It brushed against Rowan’s
foot.  She knew that she should move away from him, for it certainly was not
proper to be touching him so freely.  Anna’s heart beat sped up when Rowan did
not move away from her.  She decided to leave her foot against his, delighting
in the feel of his skin against her own. 

Rowan
leaned closer to Anna, a sudden wave of madness overtaking his judgment.  He
was now so close to Anna that he could feel her breath against his heated
skin.  Rowan studied the spray of freckles covering Anna’s nose and the gentle
upward curve of her mouth.

“May
I kiss ye, Anna?” he asked, his voice low and sultry.

Anna’s
eyes fluttered open, locking with Rowan’s.  She smiled slightly, taken aback by
Rowan’s bold question.  “Yes,” she whispered, her heart thudding wildly in her
chest.  “I’ve never been…I’ve never…” Anna stammered as she looked into Rowan’s
green eyes.

“Then
I shall endeavor tae make yer first kiss a good one,” Rowan whispered as he
brought his hand up to Anna’s neck.  He slid his palm up to cup her cheek and
guided her face gently towards his, all the while, his pulse hammering with
anticipation.

Anna
closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of Rowan’s gentle touch against her
flushed skin.  She could feel the warmth of Rowan’s breath just beyond her
lips.  She could smell Rowan’s masculine scent mingled with the salt from the
ocean.

Rowan
pressed his lips to hers and Anna felt a wave of pleasure zip down her spine. 
His mouth was soft and warm against hers.  Rowan kissed her sweetly, brushing
his velvety lips over hers with the lightest touch.  His whiskers tickled her
mouth in a most delicious manner.

Anna
felt as though her entire body thrummed with energy.  Her hand moved to Rowan’s
bare chest and she delighted in the feeling of his warm skin beneath her
fingertips. 

Rowan
deepened the kiss, sweeping his tongue gently into Anna’s mouth so that he
could taste her.  She was so sweet and innocent, just as he had anticipated
that she would be.

Anna
moaned softly as Rowan’s tongue brushed against hers.  Never had she dreamed
that kissing a man would be so wonderful.  Her heart thundered madly in her
chest and Anna wondered if it might explode.

Rowan
regained his control and ended the kiss, hovering now so that his lips were
just beyond Anna’s.  He opened his eyes and looked at her, noting that his hand
had somehow delved into her disheveled blonde curls.  Anna’s lips were ruddy
from his kiss and her eyes were still closed.  The corner of her mouth turned
up into a slight smile.

Rowan
felt happiness swell within his chest as he looked upon Anna.

Anna
opened her eyes and looked at Rowan.  He smiled deliciously at her and her
heart fluttered in response.

“That
was wonderful, Rowan,” she sighed, awestruck from the affect of Rowan’s kiss.

“Aye,”
Rowan smiled lopsidedly and trailed the backs of his fingers lightly down Anna’s
cheek.  “And now ye canna say that ye’ve never been kissed,” he whispered as he
leaned forward and placed another soft kiss on Anna’s lips.

A
dry stick snapped behind them, causing Rowan and Anna to jump away from each
other.  Anna looked over her shoulder to see Quinn and Malcolm cut through the
brush on the edge of the stream.

“Tastes
delicious does it no?” Malcolm called towards them.

“Aye,”
Rowan responded with a guilt ridden smile as he winked playfully at Anna.  “Ye
taste delicious, Anna,” he whispered so that only Anna could hear.

Anna
willed her heart beat to slow down.  Rowan’s knowing green eyes were upon her,
still clouded with the lingering passion from their kiss.  Rowan reached out
and squeezed her thigh just above the knee in a silent acknowledgement of their
secret.  He stood up and walked upstream towards his brothers, leaving Anna
alone momentarily with her racing thoughts.

Anna
realized that for a brief moment, she had forgotten all about Jonathan Arbor.

Chapter Seven

“Lord be willing,
they’ll have an inn,” Quinn said hopefully as he walked towards the tiny
village.  The sleepy village contained a cluster of small wood cottages,
centered around a courtyard.  A few businesses dotted the main street, but most
were dark as the sun had set for the evening.

“But we’ve no
money.  How will we pay for a room?” Anna asked.

“Nay, we doona
have any money, at least not yet,” Rowan said, smiling devilishly at Quinn,
reading his brother’s intentions.  “Anna, may I borrow your necklace?  I ken
that I just gave it tae ye, but I’ve an idea that just may purchase our
supper,” Rowan said apologetically.  “I promise that I’ll bring it back tae
ye,” he added for good measure.

Anna turned her
back to Rowan and lifted her hair so that he could remove the necklace.  She
felt Rowan’s fingers brush against the skin of her neck as he fumbled with the
clasp on the necklace, causing her pulse to race.

Quinn arched his
eyebrows and Rowan and shook his head slightly.  He recognized the necklace
immediately when he watched Rowan remove the bauble from around Anna’s neck. 
It had been his mother’s.

“Thank ye,” Rowan
said as he tucked the necklace into his pocket.  “Malcolm, take Anna tae see if
the Kirk is unlocked,” he said, motioning to the quaint stone chapel situated
in the center of the courtyard.  “Mayhap she can pray for our souls?”

Malcolm gladly
took Anna’s elbow and steered her towards the stone chapel, grateful to finally
have some time alone with her.  He threaded her hand into the crook of his arm
and walked slowly, savoring the feel of her hand against his skin.

“What are they
planning, Malcolm?” Anna said suspiciously as she glanced over her shoulder,
watching Quinn and Rowan disappear from her line of sight.

“They’re going tae
get us a place to stay and hopefully some supper,” Malcolm assured her
dismissively as he reached for the handle on the simple wooden door of the
chapel.  Finding it unlocked, he opened the door and let Anna go through first,
then followed her into the small room.  The last visitor to the chapel had left
the stubs of a few candles burning on the altar, which lent an inviting glow to
the room.  Malcolm led Anna up to the first pew and stood beside her, still
holding her hand.

“I’m not as naive
as you think, Malcolm.  What are they planning?” Anna prodded, reclaiming her
hand from Malcolm and sitting on the edge of the wooden pew.

“Ye look real
pretty in the candle light,” Malcolm said, awestruck as he watched the
candlelight flicker across Anna’s delicate skin.

“I would caution
you against trying to change the subject.  What are your brothers doing,
Malcolm?”  Anna insisted, annoyance heavy in her voice.

Malcolm sighed
heavily.  His mind spun in a frantic effort to concoct a lie, but the truth was
that Malcolm was not a practiced liar.

“Generally, if
there is an inn in a village, it will have a tavern.  And if there is a tavern,
there are most likely cards or …” Malcolm trailed off.

“So they’re
gambling!” Anna exclaimed, rolling her eyes.  “I knew that they were up to no
good!” she said, shaking her head in disapproval and crossing her arms.

“How else do ye
expect tae get supper?” Malcolm asked, finding gambling a perfectly logical way
to earn a meal.

“Well, I hadn’t
thought about it.  Shouldn’t you and your brothers be able to hunt?”

“We can hunt. 
We’re great at it, especially Quinn, mind ye.  But what do ye expect us tae
hunt with?  Our bare hands?”  Malcolm laughed at the ridiculousness of her
suggestion.

“I suppose not,”
Anna conceded, realizing that under present circumstances, they had very
limited options.  She sighed in exasperation and stood from the wooden pew,
walking quietly up to the front of the small church, drawn like a moth to the
candlelight.  Anna had never been overly religious, despite years of religious
training at the insistence of her mother.  She sank to her knees in front of
the flickering candles.  If there was ever a time when she needed a miracle,
that time was now.  She felt so alone, adrift in this uncertain New
World.  Anna was not used to being at the mercy of others, but she opened her
heart in an effort to accept whatever help she could get; divine or otherwise.

Thoughts of
Jonathan Arbor and Rowan Murray swirled through her troubled mind.  Anna knew
that the survival of Stanton Place was dependant upon her betrothal to Jonathan
Arbor.  She expected that her mother had already received the first half of her
bride price, which amounted to two hundred and fifty pounds.  The second half
of the money would arrive after her marriage to Arbor. 

Anna’s eyes were
drawn up to the flickering candles on the altar.

Could she
really marry a man that she did not love?

Anna closed her
eyes and rested her forehead on her folded hands.

She had thought
that she was strong enough to carry through with her betrothal.  But with every
look of his intense green eyes, Rowan Murray had forced her to question her
decision.  And when Rowan had kissed her, Lord above!  Anna felt such an
inexplicable connection with Rowan that her heart forced her to question if she
could indeed follow through with her betrothal to Arbor.

An hour passed
quietly as Anna knelt in front of the flickering candles, lost in her thoughts,
questioning the righteousness of her decision to come to the New World.  The
flame of the last candle sputtered and then failed, cloaking the small chapel
in darkness.

 “I’m sorry,
Malcolm,” Anna said softly as she turned around.  “I was lost in my thoughts. 
How long has it been?”

“Not too long,”
Malcolm lied coolly.  The truth was that he had been lost in his own thoughts,
watching Anna contently.  The flickering candlelight accentuated her honey
blonde hair.  He had savored the alluring curve of her spine and the distinctly
feminine way that she rested the curves of her bum on the arches of her feet as
she knelt at the alter.  The truth was Malcolm could have spent the rest of his
life watching Anna Stanton quite contently.

“Should we worry
about your brothers?  Do you think that they’re alright?” Anna asked, suddenly
concerned that Rowan and Quinn had not returned.

“Doona fash
yerself about them.  They’ll be fine.  Mayhap this is a good chance for us tae
get to know one another better,” Malcolm said, smiling shyly as he invited Anna
to sit down next to him on the pew by patting the place next to him on the
bench.

Anna couldn’t help
noticing how young Malcolm looked in the candlelight.  His rounded face still
had the glow of childhood, yet the first traces facial hair were beginning to
show as fuzz along the lines of his jaw.  Malcolm couldn’t be more than fifteen
years old and what an adventurous life he had led so far!  Surviving a
shipwreck and coming to the New World with his older brothers.

“How old are you,
Malcolm?” Anna asked.

“Old enough,”
Malcolm responded, squaring his shoulders and knitting together his eyebrows as
if insulted.

Anna giggled
unexpectedly at Malcolm’s attempt to look more grown up.  She had a quick
flashback to her own younger years, remembering vividly what it felt like to
yearn to be all grown up.

“Fifteen?” she
asked, deciding to guess if he refused to divulge his age.

“Seventeen and a
half,” Malcolm huffed, dismayed by her badgering.  “I had tae grow up fast,” he
added for extra measure, “After Mam and Da passed, I wasna given much choice,”
he said, eyes downcast.

“I’m sorry,” Anna
offered and reached out to pat him reassuringly on his knee.  She suddenly
regretted teasing Malcolm.  There was no doubt in her mind that Malcolm had
seen some horrific events in his short life.

“I’m no a child,”
Malcolm spoke sternly, green eyes lifting up to hold her gaze intently. 
Malcolm grabbed hold of her hand and stopped her from patting his knee.  “I’ll
show ye that I’m no a child if ye give me the chance, Anna,” he said, squeezing
her hand and leaning closer to her on the pew.

Anna squeezed his
hand in return, “I know that your not a child, Malcolm,” she whispered,
treading carefully so as not to hurt the boy further.

“Give me a chance
tae love ye.  Give me a chance tae show ye…”

“How could you
possibly love me?  You have only just met me!”  Anna exclaimed, taken aback by
the boy’s proposal.

“But yer sae
beautiful, and I…”

The door to the
chapel swung open noisily, startling Anna and Malcolm.  Anna moved to retract
her hand from Malcolm’s grasp but he refused to relinquish her hand.  Her heart
raced in her chest.

Quinn and Rowan
romped jovially up the aisle, laughing heartily as they stormed into the dark
room.

“Still hungry,
Malcolm?”  Rowan asked, voice brimming with enthusiasm.

“More than ye can
imagine,” Malcolm looked longingly at Anna and gave her hand a final squeeze
before releasing it.

Anna sighed with
relief and brought her hand to rest in her lap.  She knew that Malcolm was not
talking about the needs of his stomach.

“Did ye pray for
our souls?” Rowan asked Anna, a broad smile lighting his face.

“Not yet, but I
have a feeling that I’ll need to pray for all three of your souls regularly,”
she responded, chuckling slightly.  “I understand why you had to gamble, but it
appears that you enjoyed it perhaps a little too much,” Anna said, appraising
the victorious smiles that reigned on Quinn and Rowan’s faces.

“Aye, there are
few things better in life than removing a man’s hard-earned coin from his purse
over a good game of cards,” Quinn smiled, playfully socking Rowan in the arm.

Rowan laughed. 
“There are a few men who will not soon forget the night when the Murray brothers came tae town!”

“Aye, it was
rather costly for them,” Quinn responded, still reveling in their victory.

“Welcome tae North Carolina!” Rowan exclaimed and tossed a purse heavy with coins to Anna.  “Let’s go
get something tae eat and buy ye a dress so that I can have my shirt back.”

..ooOoo..

“I told them that
ye are our sister,” Rowan whispered, eyes sparkling devilishly.  “I wasna sure
what you would want me tae tell them, and the innkeeper asked what yer relation
was tae us,” Rowan said uneasily.  “It just sort of rolled off my tongue,” he
added apologetically.

“At this point, I
do not care what you told them,” Anna answered wryly, the toll of their
adventure beginning to wear on her.  She was tired to the bone and her stomach
was ravenous with hunger.

The innkeeper
smiled as he reached in between Rowan and Anna and placed a steaming bowl of
stew on the table.  Anna watched hungrily as Rowan ladled some of the hearty
soup into her bowl.  Anna took a spoonful, blowing on the steaming soup first
so that it would not burn her mouth.  The wait was nearly unbearable.  Unable
to wait any longer, she took a bite of the stew.  Never in her life had she
tasted such delicious food.  She took a deep sip of ale and enjoyed the warm
feeling of the alcohol spreading through her body.

“This is
delicious,” Anna smiled as she took another bite of stew.

“Aye,” Rowan
agreed.  “Better than the wee mussels?”

“Better,” Anna
smiled as she glanced over to Rowan.  His eyes were upon her again and Anna was
suddenly unsure if it was the ale or Rowan’s warm gaze that caused her body to
thrum with energy.

Her eyes lingered
over his broad mouth.  She remembered the kiss that they had shared, the way
that Rowan’s lips had gently claimed hers.  Anna’s pulse began to race.  She
forced her eyes back to her bowl of soup.

The innkeeper’s
wife approached their table in the small tavern, carrying a bundle of cloth. 
“I do believe that this will be more suitable that yer brother’s shirt,” she
said to Anna.  “I hope that it fits.  It was all that I could find given the
late hour,” the elderly woman said, pushing the bundle into Anna’s hands.

“It will be
perfect.  Thank you,” Anna smiled, excited by the prospect of being properly
clothed.

“May I show you up
to your room?” the woman offered.  “I don’t suppose that you are comfortable in
that
,” the woman said as she eyed Rowan’s tattered shirt.

“Yes, please,”
Anna said, taking one more bite of the savory stew before pushing away from the
table and following behind the woman.  “And don’t you dare touch my supper,”
she called over her shoulder; freezing Malcolm’s had mid-reach towards her
bread.

The woman laughed
heartily as she bid Anna to follow her up the stairs.  “I grew up with a
houseful of brothers myself.  I loved them dearly, but they sure can be a pain
in the arse!”

Anna snorted in
surprise and giggled loudly as she followed the woman up the stairs.  Never in
her life had she heard a woman speak in such an open fashion in England.  Perhaps she might like this New World after all.

The Innkeeper’s
wife stopped in front of a small wooden door, messing with a ring of keys that
were tied to her belt.  Finding the correct key, she removed it from the metal
ring and opened the door to a quaint room.

The room was
simple, but to Anna, it was akin to heaven.  A small fire crackled in the
hearth at the foot of the bed.  The bed was heaped with quilts.  Anna’s heart
soared.  It would be such a treat to sleep in a real bed tonight, warm and
safe.

“Is there anything
else that you might need?” the kind woman asked as she stood in the threshold of
Anna’s room.

“Actually, there
is,” Anna said, eyes scanning the room and noticing the small writing desk the
corner.  “I would like to write my… my uncle a letter.   He will want to know
that we arrived to America safely and that we will arrive at his residence in a
matter of weeks,” Anna said, the words catching in her throat.  Calling Murdock
her uncle made her skin crawl.