Saving Grace by Julie Garwood Read Free Book Online Page B

denied. She will have me.”

CHAPTER 3
    I won’t have him, Nicholas. You must be out of your mind if you think I would even consider becoming his wife.”
    “Appearances are deceiving, Johanna,” her brother countered. “Wait until we’re closer. You’ll surely notice the kindness in his eyes. MacBain will treat you well.”
    She shook her head. Her hands were shaking so violently she almost dropped the reins to her mount. She tightened her hold on the leather straps and tried not to gape at the huge warrior . . . and the monstrous-looking animal leaning against his side.
    They were nearing the courtyard of the desolate holding. The laird stood on the step leading up to the dilapidated keep. He didn’t look particularly pleased by the sight of her.
    She was sickened by the sight of him. She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself, then whispered, “What color are his eyes, Nicholas?”
    Her brother didn’t know.
    “You saw kindness in his eyes, yet you didn’t notice the color?”
    She had him there and they both knew it. “Men don’t notice such insignificant things,” he defended.
    “You told me he was a gentle man with a soft voice and a quick smile. He isn’t smiling now, is he, Nicholas?”
    “Now, Johanna . . .”
    “You lied to me.”
    “I did not lie to you,” he argued. “MacBain saved my life not once but twice during the battle against Marshall and his men, and he refuses to even acknowledge it. He’s a proud man but honorable. You must trust me on this. I wouldn’t suggest you marry him unless I was convinced it would be a sound union.”
    Johanna didn’t answer him. Panic was taking hold. Her gaze kept going back and forth between the huge warrior and the ugly beast.
    Nicholas thought she was getting ready to faint. His mind raced for some clever thing to say to help her calm down.
    “MacBain’s the one on the left, Johanna.”
    She wasn’t amused by his jest. “He’s a very big man, isn’t he?”
    Her brother reached over to pat her hand. “He’s no bigger than I am,” he replied.
    She pushed his hand away. She didn’t want his comfort. She didn’t want him to feel her trembling with cowardly fear either.
    “Most wives would wish to have strong husbands to defend them. MacBain’s size should be a comfort to you and a mark in his favor.”
    She shook her head. “ ’Tis a mark against him,” she announced.
    She continued to stare at the laird. He seemed to be growing right before her eyes. The closer she got, the larger he became.
    “He’s handsome.”
    She blurted out her opinion in a voice that sounded like an accusation.
    “If you think so,” Nicholas decided to agree.
    “ ’Tis another mark against him. I don’t want to be married to a handsome man.”
    “You aren’t making sense.”
    “I don’t have to make sense. I’ve decided. I won’t have him. Take me home, Nicholas. Now.”
    Nicholas jerked on the reins to stop her mount, then forced her to look at him. The fear he saw in her eyes made his heart ache. Only he knew the purgatory she’d endured while married to Raulf, and although she wouldn’t speak of it, he knew what her real terror was now. His voice was low and fervent when he said, “Listen to me, Johanna. MacBain will never hurt you.”
    She wasn’t certain if she believed him or not. “I would never allow him to hurt me.”
    The vehemence in her reply made him smile with approval. Raulf hadn’t been able to beat the spirit out of her. Nicholas counted that as a blessing.
    “Think of all the reasons why you should marry him,” he said. “You’ll be away from King John and his cohorts, and they won’t come here after you. You’ll be safe here.”
    “There is that consideration.”
    “MacBain hates England and our king.”
    She nibbled on her lower lip. “That is another sound point in his favor,” she admitted.
    “This place, as bleak as it now looks, will one day be a paradise, and you’ll have helped to rebuild it.