Maddie realized she’d been staring at his mouth. Now that he was gone, she looked around. They were on the outskirts of one of the many farms in the area, and Jack was heading for the small farmhouse. When he reached the door, he turned back and gave her a small wave, and then the door opened and light spilled out.
Maddie turned away so as not to be seen clearly. She was embarrassed at how wretched she must look. She could have certainly used a bath at an inn, but as it stood now, she would probably have fallen asleep and drowned in the water.
She didn’t know what Jack said to the owners of the farm or even how long he spent talking with them. Somehow, she found herself in a clean, warm stable, resting on a bed of straw. She was able to open her eyes long enough to see Jack looking down at her with a worried expression, and she wanted to reach out and tell him that she was fine. Tired, but fine. But the words were too heavy for her mouth, and her eyes slid shut again.
SHE AWOKE THE NEXT morning when something snorted in her face. The thing snuffled and wheezed, and she opened her eyes and stared straight into the snout of a rather large pig. She jerked back, and the startled pig trotted out the stable door.
The stable where she’d been sleeping was quiet, and Maddie realized she was alone. The straw beside her was flat and matted, so she knew Jack must have slept there. Through the windows and doors, she could see that the morning was fairly advanced. The sun was out and the steel-blue skies of Scotland spread out above her.
She stood, though her muscles protested, and finally hobbled to the open stable door. She saw no one about, despite the evidence that someone had been there. The troughs were full and chicken feed had been spread. Seeing an old cloth covering a pail next to the door, she lifted it and saw bread and cheese.
She smiled and reached hungrily for a slab of the thick, country bread. She was so hungry, she might have devoured the entire contents of the pail. But she knew Jack would need sustenance as well, so with a slice of bread in hand, she began to search for her new husband.
Ten minutes later Maddie wondered if she’d been abandoned. She’d walked around the stable and gone up to the farmhouse, but saw no sign of him or anyone else. She was about to make her way back to the road when she saw a pair of ducks lift into the sky. Maddie frowned at the tight group of trees, realizing there must be a body of water behind them. Trudging in that direction, she found a battered path and followed it to a large, clear pond.
It was now late morning, and she stood on its banks and smiled. The grass near the edge had been worn away, and she could imagine many picnics on the soft soil where she stood. Across the pond, she saw a few ducks. A mother and her golden ducklings made a long line of ripples in the water. To her left were more trees, one with a rope hanging off it, and she imagined children swinging on it in the summer. Still smiling, Maddie turned to her right, and her breath caught in her throat.
To her right was a naked man.
More specifically, her naked husband. He hadn’t heard her approach, and his back was to her. He stood thigh deep in the water, arms raised, brushing his wet, black hair off his forehead.
Maddie almost stumbled when she spotted him. She’d had no idea the male body could be so beautiful. His legs were long and muscled, the thighs chiseled like a sculpture. His bottom was round and firm, the cheeks a shade lighter than his bronzed body. His waist tapered in at the hips, making the breadth of his back and shoulders stand out in contrast.
His back was hard and muscled, the water from his wet hair sluicing over the ripples and planes. As he lowered his arms, muscles moved, and her heart sped up. She could imagine that hard flesh under her fingers, could imagine those muscled arms coming around her. The thought made her mouth dry.
And then a cloud moved away from the sun, light filtered through the trees, and Maddie saw what the overcast day had been concealing. What she had assumed were shadows were actually bruises on Jack’s legs and back. Some were old, turning green and yellow, and some fairly new and still black and blue. But all looked as though they hurt.
She must have made a sound, must have inhaled or issued a small cry, because Jack turned and saw her looking at him. The concern in his face mirrored what she felt, and he started for her.
“Maddie, what’s wrong. Did your father—”
She shook her head quickly, unable to speak now that he had turned and she had the full frontal view of him. Lord, he was as magnificent from this angle as from behind.
He was also as bruised—no, even more so. His stomach, so lean and hard, was marred by black and blue smudges that extended over his ribs. His upper chest was relatively free of the painful marks, but as he approached through the shallow water, she could see scratches and scrapes almost everywhere.
Well, not everywhere. The poor man might be hurt, but she couldn’t help gazing down at that one appendage so interesting and terrifying to virgins.
Yes, his manhood was there, and it appeared unhurt—not that she was any great judge, as this was the first of its kind she’d seen.
She quickly looked away, and Jack splashed up to her. “What’s wrong?”
She reached out, grazing his shoulder with two of her fingers. “You’re hurt. Jack, I didn’t realize you were so bruised and—oh, your eye.” Her fingers strayed to his face and the puffy, red skin next to one eye. She could see that he’d shaved this morning, and she could now make out old and new bruises on his jaw. She traced her finger down his smooth jaw and touched one fading mark.
“I’m fine.” He caught her hand and held it.
When his fingers twined with hers, she realized that she was standing before a naked man and took a step back.
Jack followed.
“Perhaps you should dress,” she said, looking behind her. “The owners may come upon us at any moment and—”
She trailed off as she looked back and he shook his head. “They’ve gone into town this morning,” he said. “In fact, I asked them to let me know if they hear anything about your father or my brother.”
Maddie blinked. “You told them who I was?”
Jack shrugged, obviously as unconcerned about this as his nakedness. He made no attempt to cover himself. “I don’t think we’re the first eloping couple to knock on their door. They seemed sympathetic, especially after I gave them a few pounds.”
“You paid them?”
