The Laird's Forbidden Lady by Ann Lethbridge Page A

the clan members. If you take away their livelihood, then they need other work to replace it. Instead of that, they are being left destitute, labouring in the kelp fields or smuggling whisky. Hundreds of them have shippedoff to America. Soon there will be no Highlanders left.’
    She frowned. ‘Don’t the crofters earn enough to pay their rents?’
    ‘The rents keep going up.’ He combed his fingers through his almost-dry hair as he sought for a way to explain without giving away his plans. ‘The old ways, such as crofting, are no longer viable, but I believe other ways can be found to keep the people here. In Scotland. But the English, men like your father, pass laws that make it impossible for us to earn a living. Those are what need to be changed.’
    Her silence said she wasn’t convinced. Hell, he was barely convinced himself that changing the law would make a difference. Yet some men were making a go of it, but they were men who owned their estates, who had the power to decide the best way to proceed. If Albright decided to clear his lands, in the end there was little Ian could do about it.
    ‘Must we swim back?’ she asked.
    At last a question he could answer with confidence. ‘No. The cave has a back door. Or a front door, depending on your point of view.’
    ‘Then we should go. I cannot be found missing from my bed when the maid comes to light the fire.’ She shivered.
    Instinctively, his arm went around her. He touched her cheek. The skin was warm and alivebeneath his fingers, her mouth so deliciously inviting. Her back was frigid beneath his arm. No wonder she had shivered.
    ‘We have to get you fully dry first.’
    ‘I am much warmer than I was.’
    ‘Aye, but not warm enough.’ He lifted her easily and set her between his legs, so her back was against the warmth of his body, her round little bottom nestled between his thighs. He almost groaned with the pleasure as his body hardened and he prayed she could not feel it through the blanket. He forced himself to ignore the delightful sensation and instead focused on the feel of her cold back permeating through her blanket and his. He pulled her close up against his chest.
    ‘What are you doing?’ she asked breathlessly.
    ‘Body heat. The closer we sit together, the warmer we will both be. Something I learned on cold nights when out on the hunt with the men of the clan.’
    She leaned back and hummed her approval. The sound struck low in his gut. His arousal swelled painfully. He forced himself to breathe and to think. This woman was not for him.
    She laughed a little.
    ‘What?’ he said through gritted teeth.
    ‘I’m thinking about a bunch of men snuggled together.’
    ‘Not pleasant, believe me. Men stink afterdays in the hills. But it saved us from freezing to death or returning empty-handed.’
    ‘The clan always protects its members.’
    ‘Aye.’
    ‘One of them gave you away tonight.’
    ‘Possibly.’ A traitor in their midst. The thought gave him a cold feeling in his gut. It would have to be addressed, though. As soon as the hue and cry died down. ‘You didn’t hear who spilled the beans?’
    ‘No.’
    Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy, would it?
    He rubbed her finely boned arms with his hands, taking care not to hurt her. Heat blossomed beneath his palms.
    ‘That feels good.’ She sighed.
    He wanted to do more than warm her arms. He wanted to take her with him to the stars and back. A boy’s long-ago dream. It was no more right today than it had been then.
    The sooner he got her home, the sooner he could be rid of temptation. It would lead to nothing but trouble for all of them.
    The thought of her leaving made the fire seem to blaze less brightly and the cave seem more cavernous and empty. Not since Drew’s departure had he enjoyed one of these night-time adventures, he realised, or shared his worries about the future.
    How much more disloyal could he be to hisbrother’s memory? Probably a whole lot more when it came