"I"m a b.a.s.t.a.r.d," the boy said, his voice laced with anger. "Me father didn"t want me mother."
Braden winced as if the lad had struck him. "Maybe he did."
The boy shook his head. "Me mother said he loved other women, that he didn"t want just her."
Braden closed his eyes as the words tore through him. He had never meant for a child to suffer for his actions. Oh, G.o.d, how could he make it up to the little fellow?
Somehow, he would. If it took the rest of his life, he would make sure this lad knew his father loved him, and that he would protect him.
Suddenly Braden heard a familiar tune from outside. And in an instant he knew the sweet sound of Maggie"s voice.
Braden went cold. This wasn"t good. Not good at all!
He had to hide the lad! Quickly. There was no telling what Maggie might do if she saw him.
Over and over, he recalled his mother"s reaction to Sin. The scorn on her face.
He hadn"t been able to protect the lad before, but he would protect him now.
He would explain it to Maggie once he"d arranged things so that the boy couldn"t be hurt by her reaction.
"Connor," Braden said, placing a gentle hand on his thin shoulder. "Would you like to play a game?"
The boy"s face lit up. "Aye!"
"This is called hiding. You find a place and stay there until I find you."
The boy looked skeptical.
Braden nudged him toward the back of the stable. "Go on and hide. I"ll coyer my eyes. Hurry."
The boy scampered off.
Braden heard him climb the ladder to the loft at the same moment the door opened and Maggie entered.
Braden swallowed as sweat beaded on his forehead.
She carried a large basket in her hands as she looked about the stalls. She froze the instant she saw him.
"Braden," she said coldly. "I didn"t expect to see you here."
He swallowed as guilt and pain consumed him. He didn"t want to hurt her any more than he wanted to hurt Connor.
Oh, but he had gotten himself into one fine mess. He just hoped he didn"t lose Maggie over this.
"We need to talk," he said simply.
"Why?" she asked. "All has been said. I told you I would never ask anything of you. I meant it. Now, if you"ll excuse me..."
He caught her arm as she started past him. "I"m not about to let you go home on your own."
She looked at him as if he were daft. "Think you I"m mad? I wouldn"t dream of it."
"Then what are you doing here?"
" "Tis no concern of yours." Then her eyes softened. She reached out and touched his arm. "I thought you needed to see to Sin."
"He"s conscious now, but I wanted to see you."
"Why?"
Braden took the basket from her hands and set it on the ground. Taking her hand, he led her to the door.
"Braden, I-"
"Shhh," he said, cutting her off. "I need to speak with you, alone."
She looked about the empty stable. "Are we not alone?"
Braden glanced to the loft. He didn"t want to chance Connor hearing whatever reaction Maggie might have to him.
"I would feel better if we were outside."
"Very well."
Braden led her just outside the door, to stand beside a large oak. "Maggie, I..." His voice trailed off.
For the first time in his life, he didn"t know how to talk to her.
Should he just blurt out,Maggie, I want to marry you, and while you"re considering that, let me tell you about my illegitimate son ?
Nay, that wouldn"t work.
Maggie, I love you. Would you mind taking care of my...
No wonder his father had withheld the news about Sin from his mother. This was a lot harder than he thought.
Maggie knew he"d never been a saint, but thinking him a lewdster and being presented with the evidence of his indiscretions were two entirely different things.
He just didn"t want to lose her.
"Maggie," he began, speaking her name slowly. "I have some things I need to tell you, and I"m rather sure I"m going to make a mess of this. But could you please give me time to stumble through it?"
She nodded.
Braden took a deep breath. He didn"t know an easy way to say what was in his heart, so he just blurted it out. "I love you and I want to marry you."
The shock on her face was almost comical. Her hands began trembling almost as soon as the words were out.
"Braden, I don"t know what to say."
"Say,Aye Braden I"d love to marry you ."
"Braden, I would love to marry you, but it"s not that simple."
His chest drew tight. "Why not?"
Her gaze went from him to the stable, then back to him. "I... I..."
"You?"
"I-".
The door to the stable burst open before she could finish her sentence.
Connor came bounding up to them.
Silently, Braden cursed the lad"s timing and took a step back before Maggie had a chance to knee him where it would hurt most.
"Are those my sweet biscuits and jam?" Connor asked Maggie. "I hope they are, because they smell delicious."
"Aye, little bit, they"re yours, and make sure you finish all the milk."
The lad wrinkled his nose. "I prefer ale."
"But you"ll drink the milk."
His jaw slack, Braden glanced back and forth between them. "You know him?"
"Of course she does," Connor said. "She"s my new mother."
Braden took another step back as he absorbed the news. "But how-"
"I met him last night," Maggie explained. "He wanted me to take him to the MacAllisters."
In an instant he understood why she had sought him out last night. "That"s why you asked me about children?"
She nodded. "I didn"t want you to hurt the lad"s feelings."
Braden burst out laughing.
Connor scratched his head as he looked back and forth between them. "Can I go eat now?"
"Aye," Maggie said, "but before you leave, I want you to meet your father, Braden MacAllister."
"That ain"t me father," the boy said. "Kieran MacAllister be my da."
They both stood stock-still as the lad"s words rang in their ears.
"Fia ingen Bracken!" Braden said as he recalled the name and the la.s.s. Kieran had fawned over her for weeks before he met Isobail.
"You"re Kieran"s son?" Maggie asked Connor. "Are you sure?"
The boy looked at her as if she had gone mad. "Aye. Me aunt went to find him when my mother died, but she came back saying he was dead too and that she was stuck with me."
Braden sank down on his knees so that he could look more closely at the boy.
Now he could see the difference in the face. Kieran and he had shared the same eye color and hair.
He cupped the lad"s face in his hands and stared at the living legacy Kieran had left them. "You have no idea how many people are going to love you where we"re going."
"Really?" Connor asked, his voice high, his eyes gleaming.
"Aye," Maggie said as she knelt beside them. "Starting with Braden and myself."
Braden looked at her, his heart pounding. "You were going to raise him, thinking he was mine, and never tell me?"
"I would have told you when I thought you were ready."
He couldn"t believe his ears. He had been so wrong about her. So very wrong. And he would spend the rest of his life making it up to her.
"You"re amazing."
She looked away sheepishly.
He took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of her knuckles. "Thank you, Maggie. For everything."
This time, when she looked at him, he leaned forward and kissed her.
"Yuck!" Connor snorted. "Not that ickiness."
Braden broke away with a laugh. "Trust me, lad, one day it won"t be icky to you."
"If that day ever comes, you can take me head and stick it on a pike."
"Go eat," Maggie said, her voice filled with laughter.
Connor didn"t need any more encouragement. He bounded off at a dead run.
"You know," Braden said, tracing the contour of her cheek with his fingertips, "you never really did answer my proposal. Will you marry me?"
Maggie bit her lip, her brow furrowed. "Now, why should I be wanting to do that? All you"ve ever done is torment me. And now you thought I would be cold enough to just toss a boy out on his own."
"You thought I"d be so cold as not to want the child at all."
"That was your own fault. You"re the one who said children smelled."
Braden laughed. "I did say that, but I didn"t mean it." He cupped her cheek in his hand as he stared into those amber eyes that touched him all the way to his unrepentant soul. "In truth, there is nothing more on earth that I would ever want than to have a smelly, messy child with you."