Julie Garwood - Saving Grace

Father MacKechnie was feeling lonely. He picked up his goblet and moved to take Keith's place at the other table.

"It's just a bit of good-hearted rivalry between two commanders," the priest remarked. "Laird, that was a fine speech you gave tonight."

"Yes, it was," Johanna agreed. "I would like to ask you something, though," she added. "Why did you wait so long? Why didn't you give your speech a month ago or two months ago? You would have saved me quite a lot of aggravation, husband."

Gabriel leaned back in his chair. "They weren't ready then, Johanna."

"But they were ready tonight," the priest interjected with a nod.

She was still puzzled. "What made them ready tonight?"

"Not what," the priest said, "but who, lass."

She didn't understand. Gabriel nodded. A warm glint had come into his eyes. "You made them ready to accept the change."

"How did I do that?" she demanded.

"She's begging for compliments," Gabriel told the priest.

"It appears she is," Father MacKechnie bantered back.

"I'm begging to understand," she countered.

"It was your quiet defiance," Gabriel finally explained:

She still didn't know what he was talking about. The priest seemed to understand, however, for he nodded several times.

"Explain my quiet defiance to me."

Gabriel laughed. "You will never make me believe you. couldn't keep track of which plaid to wear on which day," he said. "You forgot on purpose, didn't you?"

"Gabriel, no one forgets on purpose," she argued.

"You put no importance on keeping track," the priest said.

She sighed. "That is true," she admitted. "I thought it was nonsense, but I…"

"Quiet defiance," Gabriel repeated. " 'Twas the reason you learned to read," he added. "Isn't that so?"

"Yes, but that was different," she explained.

"No, it isn't."

Johanna let out a sigh. She knew she shouldn't let her husband believe she'd deliberately worn the wrong plaids just to make the men realize how foolish they were behaving in their determination to maintain their separation from each other. It wouldn't be honorable to accept praise for something she hadn't done.

"I'm not so clever," she remarked.

"Aye, you are," her husband said. "You convinced Laird MacKay to wait another couple of weeks before taking his daughter home."

"Clare isn't up to a long journey."

"And you stopped me from telling MacKay none of my men touched his daughter. I know you were deliberately stalling so that Clare could stay here, and I did keep silent," he added. "But when MacKay comes back, I will have to tell him the truth."

"And so will she," Johanna said. "She'll be strong enough by then." And hopefully married, Johanna thought to herself, if she could find a suitable possibility.

Gabriel could prove helpful. "Husband? I find it honorable indeed that you have such faith in your soldiers. To know without a doubt that none of them would ever have touched Clare…"

"Where did you get that notion?"

"From you," she replied, puzzled by his question.

"Now, Johanna, you can't believe my men wouldn't take what was offered."

"But you defended them and led me to believe none had touched her," she argued.

He looked exasperated. "We are talking about two different issues," he explained. "I don't believe any of my men would refuse the opportunity to bed a willing woman," he said. "However, I also believe that if he did touch her, he wouldn't leave her there. He would bring her home with him."

"There is also the fact that the soldier would certainly admit he'd bedded the lass. He wouldn't lie to his laird."

Father MacKechnie added.

Gabriel nodded. "And that, you see, is the real issue."

She didn't see, but she didn't want to argue with her husband. In her opinion, he was making the issue far more complicated than it needed to be.

Father MacKechnie stood up to take his leave. He once again praised Gabriel for his cunning and forceful speech, then turned to bow to Johanna.

"You do realize, lass, that you saved the Maclaurins from certain exile? You used your wiles to get their cooperation," he explained. "You gained their affection, too."

Johanna was humbled by the priest's opinion. She whispered her thank you for his kind words, even as she thought that tomorrow she would have to straighten out his opinion. Gabriel was the reason the Maclaurins were cooperating. Surely the priest would realize that fact soon enough.

Father MacKechnie left the hall. Johanna and Gabriel continued to sit at the table. They were finally all alone. She was suddenly feeling embarrassed and shy, for the praise she'd received was overwhelming her.

"I will make Father understand the truth tomorrow," she whispered.

"What truth?"

"That you are the reason the Maclaurins are finally cooperating."

Gabriel stood up and pulled Johanna to her feet. "You're going to have to learn to accept a compliment when it's given to you."

"But the truth…"

He wouldn't let her finish. He nudged her chin up so she would look at him and then said, "The truth is simple to understand, lass. You became the Maclaurins' saving grace."

She thought that was the most wonderful thing Gabriel had ever said to her. Tears filled her eyes. She didn't think she was going to cry, however. She wasn't so undisciplined.

Then Gabriel made her forget all about being dignified.

"And mine, Johanna. You're my saving grace as well."

Gabriel left the holding the following morning. He was evasive about his mission. Johanna immediately became suspicious and demanded to know if her husband planned to do any stealing. He took exception to her question, of course, and an argument resulted.

"I have given you my word I won't steal," he muttered. "You'd best learn not to insult me with such accusations, woman."

"It is only because I worry about your safety," she countered. "I would be most unhappy if anything happened to you while you were… hunting."

"You have just given me another insult," he announced, though his voice had lost its hard edge. "Have you so little faith in me? My men and I are so quiet when we take what we need, no one hears us. We are in and out of their stores before their animals even catch our scent."

She wasn't at all impressed with his boasts. She let out a rather inelegant snort. "I happen to have complete faith in you," she muttered. "I was merely curious to know where you were going. That was all there was to my question. However, if you don't want to tell me, then don't."

He didn't. When she found out he was planning to be away for at least two weeks, perhaps as many as three, she became even more curious.

She didn't nag him, though certainly not because she thought she was above such tactics. Gabriel simply didn't give her time. He told her he was leaving, argued with her for a minute or two, then kissed her soundly and left.

He didn't confide in her because he didn't want her to worry. He and a full contingent of soldiers were joining Laird MacKay in the war against the MacInnes clan, and once they'd finished with those infidels, Gabriel planned to ride to Laird Gillevrey. Yet another request had come from Baron Goode begging an audience with Johanna. The Englishman obviously didn't understand what the word no meant. Gabriel planned to personally and forcefully insist the baron give up. He wanted to make sure the ignorant baron comprehended what would happen to him if he dared to pester Johanna again. He prayed the baron hadn't sent a vassal.

His wife was kept busy with Alex, Clare MacKay, and mundane everyday household affairs. Glynis trimmed Clare's hair; and after another two weeks resting in her chamber, the MacKay woman was finally strong enough to join Johanna for supper in the great hall.

Clare was getting prettier with each new day. Once the bruises faded and her facial features were no longer distorted from swelling, she turned into a strikingly beautiful woman. She had a wonderful sense of humor and an appealing brogue that sounded musical to Johanna. She tried to copy it, much to Clare's amusement.

Johanna tried to keep her concentration on the preparations for her mother's visitation. She was anxious to see her but actually hoped she wouldn't arrive for another month or two. With a bit of prodding, Johanna was certain she could convince her mama to stay until after the baby was born.

Johanna was getting thick through her middle, but she wasn't actually showing yet. She was sleeping quite a lot now. She took an afternoon nap, then still went to bed early each night. She and Alex kept the same hours. It became a ritual for her to take him up to bed. After he'd washed and cleaned his teeth they would kneel side by side at the foot of the bed and say their nightly prayers together.

She was usually nodding off by the time they were finished. Alex wanted to delay sleep, and for that reason he liked to include everyone he'd ever met in his prayers. Gabriel was always at the top of their list, of course. They prayed for him first, then for Alex's relatives and Johanna's; and after all the acquaintances had been named, Johanna insisted on a prayer for King John's nephew, Arthur. Alex wanted to know why they were praying for him, and Johanna explained that Arthur should have been king, and since that right had been denied, they would pray he'd made it to heaven.

Gabriel came home just a few minutes after Johanna had taken Alex upstairs, but by the time he finished listening to Keith's report and had his supper, his wife and son were sound asleep.

It was as hot as hell inside the chamber. Fall had come to the Highlands and with it a cooling breeze his wife could barely tolerate. The furs covered the window, and his wife was hidden under a mound of plaids. Since Alex wasn't sleeping on his mat, Gabriel assumed he was also hidden somewhere under the covers.

He found his son at the foot of the bed and carried him over to his mat. Alex must have put in an exhausting day, for he didn't even open his eyes while he was being carried from one bed to another.

Gabriel barely made a sound as he got ready for bed. He stripped out of his clothes, washed, and then started discarding covers in his attempt to find his wife.

Johanna was sleeping in the center of the bed. He stretched out next to her and gently pulled her into his arms.

He needed her tonight. Hell, he always needed her, he thought to himself. Not an hour had passed during their separation that he hadn't thought about her. It was a shameful habit he was getting into, for he was behaving like a lovesick husband who only wanted to stay at home with

The comforts of family life had actually taken the pleasure out of warring.

Johanna was wearing a long white nightgown. He hated the thing. He wanted to feel her smooth body pressed up against him. He eased the garment up over her thighs and began to stroke her while he nuzzled the side of her neck.

She took her time waking up. He wasn't deterred, however, and when she finally realized where she was and what her husband was doing, she was very enthusiastic in her responses.

It proved to be a difficult challenge to keep her from making any of those arousing sounds he liked so much, but he didn't want Alex to wake up, and so he sealed her cries of ecstasy with long hot kisses. When she found fulfillment, she tightened all around him and let out a soft whimper.

When he found his own pleasure, however, he let out a loud shout.

"Papa?"

Johanna went rigid in her husband's arms. Her hand moved to her mouth to keep herself from laughing.

"It's all right, Alex. Go back to sleep."

"Good night, Papa."

"Good night, son."

Gabriel's head dropped to the crook of Johanna's neck. She turned so she could nibble on his earlobe. "Welcome home, husband."

His grunt in reply made her smile. She fell asleep hugging him tight. He fell asleep wishing he had enough strength to make love to her again.

It was a thoroughly satisfying homecoming.

Nicholas arrived late the following afternoon. Gabriel stood on the steps outside, waiting for his brother-in-law to dismount. Calum stood by his laird's side. He spotted the look of displeasure on Gabriel's face.

"You going to kill him this time?" he asked.