Taken By Storm (13 page)

S
torm led the way through the woods, the sky overcast and the air chilled. She and Burke had left the ship before dawn and had traveled by horseback until late morning, when they once again returned to journeying by foot.

They had maintained silence throughout most of their travel, though not due to necessity. It seemed they both favored their thoughts, for which Storm was grateful.

Her day of rescue and fun had turned out upsetting. Not only had she tasted a day of freedom, but for a brief time she had experienced the joy of being Mrs. Longton, and she had liked it.

She had discovered Burke was a considerate husband, catering to her, wanting to make her happy, and placing her needs above his own. That he had simply held her in his arms and not attempted to
make love with her surprised her and touched her heart.

She had woken on and off during the night and always found him wrapped around her or she around him. It was as if each of them needed to keep hold of the other. He had kissed her awake, informing her that dawn would soon greet them and they had best be on their way.

She hadn’t wanted to leave the safety of his arms, the warmth of his bed, the solitude of his cabin, but she had had no choice; she left them all.

It was time to return to who she was and who she would always be—an outlaw.

It was crazy to think she could be anything else. This was her life, and all she could do was accept it. After all, she had chosen it and she had no one to blame but herself.

She had to start thinking of Burke as simply a man who hired her to help find his brother. Once done, he would be gone for good. The fee would provide handsomely for her small band of people. They would have sufficient food for some time and warm clothes to guard against the winter, not to mention the necessary bribes that helped secure rescues.

As far as sharing intimacy with Burke was concerned, she would need to give it more thought. At first, it had just been a way of appeasing her loneliness, but now she wondered if perhaps her emotions were becoming entangled in ways she had not thought possible. Until she could make more sense of her feelings, she thought it best to keep her distance.

“You can’t run away from me.”

Storm skidded to a halt and spun around, for a moment believing he had read her mind. She reined in her nonsensical thought and said, “We need to keep a good pace to arrive at our destination on time.”

“I’d say we’re going to arrive early at the rate we’re going. Can’t we take a brief reprieve? Enjoy the food.”

“I suppose a brief repose won’t hurt,” she agreed reluctantly.

They found a secluded spot, though one that gave them the advantage of seeing if anyone approached, and settled down to enjoy bread, cheese, and apples.

Storm had thought Burke’s attire yesterday had defined him, but she had been wrong. The way he looked today truly defined the man. He wore dark brown trousers, tan shirt, black jacket, and a long black coat he called a duster. He explained that it kept the dust off the cowboys when they traveled the range in America.

The image it evoked of a faraway land made her realize just how different Burke and she were and made her even more determined to remain aloof until she could sort through her feelings.

“You can’t avoid
us
, Storm. Why try?”

Why did he have to be so astute? She took a bite of an apple, hoping to do just as he warned and avoid the issue.

Burke laughed. “Nice try, but eventually your mouth won’t be full and you’ll be able to answer.”

She could explain there was no
us
, but that wasn’t truthful. She could be honest and tell him she was
concerned about her feelings, but that could prove dangerous. She could attempt to ignore him, but he would be persistent.

She decided to buy herself time. “Now isn’t a good time to discuss this.”

“It’s the best time. There’s no one around, just the two of us. We couldn’t ask for a more perfect time.”

“Tonight,” she let slip and bit her bottom lip too late.

Burke laughed. “Afraid?”

Yes! Yes!
she wanted to scream, but instead she smiled. “Not at all.”

“Then why not just talk now? We’ve discussed endlessly what we have learned so far about my brother, so there is no more to be said where that is concerned. There is, however, the matter of
us
that does need further discussion.”

“There really is no
us
,” she argued.

“I tried believing that too.” He shook his head. “It didn’t work.”

“Mr. Longton—”

“I love when you address me that way, so formal and yet so intimate. It gives me the shivers.” He shook his body to demonstrate.

Storm couldn’t keep from smiling. The man was a charmer, a delightful charmer who managed to make her smile even when they disagreed.

He took hold of her hand. “Give us a chance, that’s all I ask of you.”

The snap of a branch had them both bolting up on their feet and searching the area. A deer stood poised not far from them, and once it caught their scent, it
took off in a rustle of leaves and snapping twigs.

“We shouldn’t linger,” Storm said, wrapping up the food and returning it to the pouch. “The sky promises rain, and if we pick up our pace we can make it to a small farm that has long been abandoned but will provide sufficient shelter.”

They hurried off, Storm grateful Burke didn’t pursue the issue of them. With so much to consider, Burke and she should be the last thing on her mind. She reminded herself of that each and every time Burke popped into her thoughts and she chased him away, only to have him return again and again.

They made it to what remained of the farmhouse, though the old lean-to that looked to have sheltered the animals was in better shape, so they decided to seek refuge there.

They found a dry corner without leaks, and with the space being small, they had no choice but to huddle together to remain dry and warm.

“This is cozy,” Burke said, wrapping his arm around Storm.

Storm made herself comfortable in the crook of his arm. It wasn’t hard. Actually, it was quite natural since she had done it many times and found the fit perfect.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you how much I enjoyed spending the day with you,” Burke said.

“You’ve spent days with me,” she reminded, not wanting to talk about them but knowing that he probably wasn’t going to give her a choice.

“Not as my wife. I must say I did enjoy showing you off.”

“Showing me off?” she asked, startled.

“Of course. With you on my arm, men looked at me with envy.”

She laughed.

“You think I jest?” he asked seriously.

She glanced up at him, her eyes shining a brilliant blue.

His brow narrowed. “You don’t realize how beautiful you are, do you?” His finger began to trace along her face. “Your stunning features can rob a man of his breath and turn him senseless.”

She giggled.

He tapped her nose. “You shall not make fun of the truth. I gave many men a warning glance when their glimpse settled too long on you.”

“Or a more rational reason would be that someone recognized me.”

He shook his head. “Not possible. No one would expect Storm the outlaw to disguise herself as the wife of an American and parade along the streets of St. Andrew.”

He was right about that. It would be the last place anyone would look for her, which was why she had agreed to his plan in the first place.

“Accept it. You’re beautiful.”

He sounded as if he made a declaration that everyone would pay heed to.

“For a day I was,” she admitted, having felt different when she dressed in the fine garments he provided for her. For a brief time she felt like a true lady and was stunned at the difference in the way she
was treated. Merchants catered to her, men tipped their hats, women of distinction exchanged smiles with her, and suddenly she had become a woman of worth and importance.

She had become the opposite of herself and all she stood for.

“I am who I am, a peasant who fights to survive.”

“You’re no peasant, Storm,” he said softly. “You’re a courageous, remarkable woman.”

She stared up at him, unsure how to respond.

“You continue to look at me with those gorgeous blue eyes of yours, and I’m going to have no choice but to kiss you.”

“You need a reason to kiss me?” she found herself teasing and, not surprisingly, eager for his kiss. His lips were much too inviting to ignore, and surely, she had to do something about that arrogant shine in his dark eyes that announced he was in command.

He grinned. “You really do challenge me, and damned if I don’t enjoy it.”

He took her lips gently at first, almost teasingly, before he laid claim completely.

That she ached for the taste of him, she didn’t realize until he had kissed her. She thanked the heavens for this moment, for this small space, for the rain, but most of all for Burke and his exquisite kisses.

A clap of thunder broke them apart and allowed them to draw breath.

She settled back in the crook of his arm but did not return to the kiss. He hugged her against him, and she rested her head on his chest.

“Don’t deny what we have together, Storm.”

How could she, but then how could she not?

Would she complicate her life even more by becoming involved with the American even for a short time? Was it better not to have memories? The memories of Daniel, while wonderful, were also heart-wrenching. But then she had loved Daniel; she didn’t love Burke.

Why, then, did all this disturb her so much? If she just cared for the man and nothing more, then why didn’t she just go ahead and share a brief interlude with him? Why did the thought of him eventually saying good-bye to her hurt her heart?

She fell asleep nestled against him, hoping her answer would come easily.

By late afternoon the next day, they met up with William and Philip in the woods.

“We found the fellow,” Philip informed them. “He claims he has the information we need for a price.”

Storm nodded. “I imagine it will verify what Burke and I have learned.”

Philip and William listened to Storm and Burke detail their findings about Lady Alaina and Cullen.

“It would make sense,” Philip said.

William scratched his head. “Wouldn’t it be easier if Burke just offered to settle an amount on the earl and take his brother back to America?”

“I thought the same,” Burke said. “But Storm suggested that if Cullen is in love with Lady Alaina, he would refuse to leave Scotland, even on threat of his life.”

“Foolish,” William said with a shake of his head.

Burke slapped the man on the back. “You’ve never been in love, have you?”

“Thank the heavens,” William declared.

Once the laughter settled down, Philip asked, “What else can this man tell us?”

“If we’re lucky, where to find Cullen,” Storm said.

“Did it seem that he might possess such information?” Burke asked.

“He was hesitant,” Philip said.

“Hesitant or cautious?” Storm queried.

William nodded. “Cautious, definitely cautious. The fellow kept in the shadows, his back to the building so no one could sneak up behind him, and he kept his voice low. We had to strain to hear what he said.”

“It’s curious that there should be so much secrecy involved in it all,” Philip said.

“The earl isn’t going to want the world to know that his daughter fell in love with a common man of no title or importance and that he loves her,” Storm said. “It just would not be acceptable.”

Storm noticed that Burke had remained silent listening to the exchange. His eyes narrowed and he appeared to drift off in thought. Something weighed on his mind, and she couldn’t help but wonder what it was.

“When do we meet this man?” Storm asked, her question bringing Burke out of his musing.

“Tomorrow at dawn at the fork in the river,” Philip said.

“A safe place?” Storm asked.

“Secure enough,” Philip said. “William and I
have already found the vantage points. I thought it best if William and Burke take points while you and I speak with the man.”

“I want to be there,” Burke insisted.

“I think you should,” Storm said to everyone’s surprise. “This man sells information for a price. If he meets with me and recognizes my identity, then he will certainly tell, for a goodly sum, my general location. Burke offers no such appeal to him, so therefore Burke and Philip would be the logical men to meet with him. William and I will take the points.”

“You are a wise leader,” Burke said with a smile.

“You’re just discovering that, Mr. Longton?”

“Admitting it, Storm, for all to know.”

Storm ordered that they make camp near the meeting place. She wanted to be sure that the fellow arrived alone. It took a couple of hours to cover the area and make certain all was in readiness for tomorrow’s meeting.

Food taken from the ship provided supper for the evening. Storm wanted no campfire or scents to drift in the air and attract unwanted visitors or alert anyone to their location.

It would be a cold night for the four, but tomorrow they would have what they had come for and be on their way home.

As usual, Storm took the first watch, and Burke joined her.

“You should get some sleep. Your watch will come fast enough,” Storm warned when he plopped down beside her on the ground. It wasn’t that she
didn’t want his company. It was just that she didn’t favor discussing their relationship right now, and that was all he seemed to want to talk about when they were alone.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to mention us. I just want to spend some time with you.”

“We’ve spent a lot of time together of late.”

He shrugged. “Somehow it never seems enough.”

“Are you being romantic, Mr. Longton?” she asked with a smile.

“You know…” He paused and nodded slowly. “I think I might be.”

She laughed softly. “You can be amusing.”

“You find my efforts at romance amusing?” He shook his head. “That’s not a good sign.”

“At least you try,” she encouraged. “And I do appreciate the effort.”