He staggered for only an instant, then his face darkened in rage. "You"ll die for that."
"The devil you say," Braden growled as he grabbed the thief and spun him about to face him.
Braden sent him spiraling to the ground with one backhanded blow. She barely had time to thank him before another man attacked.
Maggie watched in awe as the brothers made short work of the men without actually killing any of them.
But there were wounds aplenty and many a swollen noggin as the thieves fell like rotten apples on the ground, then lay moaning and holding their bruised limbs and aching heads.
Maggie still clutched her tree limb, too afraid to let it go until the thieves were gone.
Braden cornered the leader against a yew tree and held his sword just below the man"s chin. His hand steady, Braden"s fierce look would have quelled the devil himself and it sent a raw shiver over Maggie.
"Now, then,friend ," Braden said, "do I have to kill you, or will you go on about your business and leave us in peace?"
Sin clucked his tongue as he glanced longingly at the men on the ground around him. "Oh, come now, can"t I please kill one of them? How about the large one with only three teeth, or maybe the short one here with bad breath?"
Braden gave a mocking half laugh at Sin"s pleading tone, but his eyes never left the thief before him.
"Should I let him have his fun?"
The leader shook his head. "Nay, we"ll be going, if it"s all the same to you."
Braden took a step back and lowered his sword.
With a speed that amazed her, the highwaymen gathered themselves and vanished into the trees.
Maggie could barely stand, she was shaking so badly. That had been just a little too close for her liking.
Never had she experienced such an event.
Mo chreach, what would she have done had Braden and Sin not been with her?
Truly, it didn"t bear thinking on.
Even worse was the thought of what might have happened to her had the thieves come upon her the first time she"d made this journey alone, dressed as a woman.
Her stomach shrank, and a wave of panic whipped through her. If she lived to be a hundred, she would never forget this terrible feeling inside her, or the uncaring look on the leader"s face when he had first stopped them.
They would have killed them all without a moment"s concern!
Maggie took a minute to thank the Lord and His saints for their mercy and to pray that she never again experienced such a thing.
"Are you all right?" Braden asked as he pried the tree limb loose from her hands, then tossed it aside.
"Thank you," she breathed weakly. "Thank you."
"My pleasure," he said as he held her shaking hand in his own.
Heavens, the man was handsome. And in his hazel eyes, she saw the concern and care, and in her heart, it soothed and warmed her greatly.
Yet in those eyes she also saw a deep compelling light that looked strangely close to humor.
Surely Braden couldn"t find anything about their attack funny.
Nay, she was misreading him.
Braden cupped her cheek in his hand and lightly stroked her cheekbone with his thumb. It was all she could do not to close her eyes and sigh in pleasure. His soothing, quiet touch was pure bliss and it sent wave after wave of desire coursing through her as it melted away her fear and concerns.
Braden had protected her. Again. And she wondered if he even realized just how many times in her life he had been her champion.
"Thanks for protecting my back," Braden said softly.
Maggie frowned. There was something hidden in his tone. And in an instant she knew what had him amused.
"You knew the man I hit was behind you the whole time, didn"t you?"
"I did," he said with a short laugh. "But I"m glad you thought enough of me that you distracted him. And even more so that you risked your life to do so."
Another shiver went over her, but this one had nothing to do with her panic and everything to do with the fierce warrior before her.
Glory, but the man was incredible when he smiled.
How in the world could any woman deny him anything when he looked at her like that, dimples flashing, his gaze warm, his touch hot?
He paused his tender stroking on her cheek and stared intently into her eyes. " "Twas a very brave thing you did for a scoundrel like me."
"And youare a scoundrel," she said, knowing it in her heart and for some reason not caring about the fact at the moment.
"Aye," he said with a devilish grin, dipping his head toward hers. "The absolute worst."
Without conscious thought, she opened her mouth for him, aching for another kiss.
Braden closed his eyes and started to accept her invitation until Sin cleared his throat.
"Do I have to separate the two of you again?" Sin asked. "I swear, but this is getting tedious."
Maggie jumped in Braden"s embrace.
Braden pulled back instantly and sighed. "Remind me to thank you more properly later," he whispered to her.
Maggie was too stunned to respond. Her senses reeling, she could do nothing more than nod.
Good heavens! What had she almost done?
You almost kissed him.
Again.
Oh, la.s.s, where"s your head, to be letting such a man have his way with you?
Biting her lip, she looked to where he and Sin were standing together.
Why, Braden, why do you have to flit from one woman to the next? And worse, why couldn"t she hate him for it?
Because it would be like hating the wind for blowing or hating the sun for shining. It was his nature. To change it would more than likely change the man, and with the exception of that one bad habit, she liked Braden a great deal.
Nay, she didn"t want him to change. It was his carefree spirit that enticed her. She would just have to guard herself more closely around him and not let herself suffer any more hurt by him.
"Do you think they"ll return?" Maggie asked as she rejoined Braden and Sin.
"Aye," Sin said at the same time Braden said, "Nay."
Sin looked drolly at his brother as he sheathed his sword. "You honestly think they"ll just be off without retaliating in some way?"
"Aye, we got the better of them. Why should they return?"
Sin"s eyes flared with such intense emotion that Maggie took an involuntary step back from it.
"Vengeance is a strong motivator, little brother," he said flatly.
It was then she knew Sin harbored a deep hatred. Against whom she could only guess. But she pitied the poor soul who had evoked such an enemy as Sin, and in the back of her mind she couldn"t help but wonder what terrible fate Sin had heaped upon that person"s head.
She didn"t think for a minute that the person still lived. From what she had seen of Sin, he no doubt had taken the person"s life swiftly. And with relish.
Braden met his brother"s gaze with an almost imperceptible nod and some deep understanding pa.s.sed between them. "You would know that better than I."
Sin looked away. He rested his hand on his sword hilt and walked past her.
"I want my horse," he muttered as he pa.s.sed by, then headed off into the dense forest.
Braden sighed as he watched his brother stalk off. He picked his pack up from the ground and started after Sin.
Maggie followed quietly as she looked back and forth between the brothers.
Braden could be as dangerous as Sin, but there was an aura of irrepressible humor and fun about Braden that drew her into his charisma. He took nothing from anyone, and yet he gave so much to those who knew him. Everyone in the clan, when they weren"t ready to kill him over a dalliance, liked the warrior.
In truth, she"d never heard a word against him unless it involved his l.u.s.t.
If only she could understand what it was about men, and Braden in particular, that drove them from bed to bed. Was it ever possible for a single woman to satisfy a man? Even Anghus, as much as he had loved his wife, had slept with another woman while he was away in Ireland.
Over and over, she tried to think of one man who had never cheated on his woman. And to her dismay, she couldn"t think of any.
Surely there must be one, somewhere?
As she pondered possible men, they walked on in silence. After a time, Sin started mumbling beneath his breath.
"What was that?" Braden asked.
"What?" Sin asked, turning his head to look back at his brother.
"What did you just say?"
"I was again cursing your ill-bred Scotsmen and wishing myself home."
Braden shook his head. "I swear, you grumble more than an old woman. Tell me, do you complain so around Henry?"
"Nay, I don"t have to. No one in England is stupid enough to try my patience."
Braden laughed softly, then spoke to Maggie. "I wonder how many Englishmen are lying in their graves because they dared to look askance at him."
Maggie agreed. "Your brother is a strange man."
Braden laughed louder.
"What?" she asked, wondering what he found so amusing.
"I was just thinking how each of us has our own role in life. Lochlan is the sensible one. Ewan the serious one. Kieren was the pa.s.sionate one. Sin the dangerous one, and I... I am the wicked one."
His summation was perfect. "And you relish your role, don"t you?"
Those greenish brown eyes sparkled. "No doubt I will one day burn for it, but aye. Life is too short to spend it moping about. Look at Sin."
She did. With his handsome brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed, Sin looked as if he were ready to kill the next person who annoyed him.
Braden continued talking. "Sin is one of the wealthiest men in all of England, with holdings stretching from Canterbury to Scotland to the Holy Land. He is one of the few men alive who can call Henry by name to the king"s face, and yet he is brooding at best, angry at worst. He spends his entire life completely alone and isolated from everyone."
Braden shook his head. "I couldn"t stand to live that way. Any more than I could follow Ewan into the mountains and live like a hermit."
Maggie understood why Ewan was withdrawn after what had happened with Isobail. But then, he had always been a shy man who preferred isolation to company.
Sin, she didn"t remember all that well. She had scarcely been more than a babe when he had been taken by the English. The only real memory she had of him was when he had chased Davis off for calling her names.
"Tell me," she said softly. "Given how Sin was taken away against his will, why is it he now prefers to dress and act English?"
Braden took a deep breath. He turned his head to look at her and she saw the trouble in his eyes. And the pain.
"When Sin turned four-and-ten, Henry was crowned king of England, and as part of the king"s coronation celebration, Henry allowed the Scottish hostages Stephen had taken to return to their families."
Maggie frowned. She had never heard that. Nor did it make sense. If Sin could return, why hadn"t he?
"Why would Sin choose not to come home?"
A tic started in Braden"s jaw. "He wanted to, but my father refused. He sent word to King Henry that he could keep Sin, as he had no use for a Sa.s.senach son."
Maggie"s breath caught in her throat. She couldn"t imagine such cruelty. Dear saints, the pain Sin must have felt when he had learned of his father"s response.
Suddenly her own father"s criticism of her didn"t seem so terrible.