Page 32 of Wedded to the Heartless Highlander
The healer was a tall, lean woman, and she worked quickly and efficiently. She started by checking Erica’s head for injuries before she examined her neck and shoulders, and then her torso and back. As the healer worked her way up her patient’s legs, Erica’s skirts slid up her thighs. Hunter was close enough for her to hear his breath hitch as her skirts fell into a puddle around her hips.
“Her ribs are badly bruised, Me Laird. I dinnae doubt the bruises will show by dinner—nothin’ permanent, though. There is a scratch on her elbow, but it willnae leave a scar. Her ankle is swollen and may be tender for a day or two. She needs rest and time to heal. I’ll mix ye some tea leaves for the pain and swellin’.”
“Anything else? Do ye need—” Hunter pressed as if her prognosis was not enough.
The healer chuckled under her breath as she finished, murmuring something about “young fools in love” before slipping out of the room, leaving them alone.
Erica was half-certain her face was as red as her scraped elbow, but she managed to keep her voice steady as she turned to face her husband.
“So,” she began, lifting her chin defiantly, “am I to be scolded like a child?”
Hunter crossed his arms over his chest, his voice dangerously low. “I reckon it’s fair to question yer common sense if ye thought climbin’ that tree was a grand idea.”
“I didnae ask for yer approval, Hunter,” she retorted, folding her arms, which unfortunately only heightened the throbbing pain in her elbow. “Ye do realize she’s a child, aye? Children are meant to play, to climb trees. I daresay it would do her some good.”
Hunter’s eyes flashed, his frustration boiling over. “And what would ye ken of it? Of protectin’ a bairn?”
Erica scoffed, her anger flaring at his tone. “Protectin’ her? I’m tryin’ to let her live a little, nae coddle her into silence. She deserves to be a child, to play, to laugh.”
Hunter’s face hardened. “Lily is the only family I have left,” he said, his voice low and rough. “If ye think I’ll allow ye to put her in danger just because ye want to play the indulgent aunt, then ye’re sorely mistaken.”
For a moment, the heat between them flared brighter than ever, the tension becoming taut like a drawn bowstring. The air grew thick, charged, each word drawing them closer together.
“Put her in danger?” Erica’s voice was a whisper now, fierce but soft. “I would never put her in danger, and if ye cared to see it, ye’d have kenned that too.”
She could feel his breath against her cheek, his proximity nearly overwhelming. Her gaze flicked to his mouth, and she was certain he noticed. His eyes had dropped to hers, lingering there for a heartbeat too long.
Before she could say anything else, his mouth came crashing down on hers, swift and intense, a kiss that held all the frustration, the heat, and the unspoken words between them.
She reached for his shoulders, clutching at him, pulling him closer as she melted into the kiss. Everything else faded into the background. His hands tangled in her hair, his fingers threading through the strands as he pulled her closer. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a heady warmth spreading through her as their lips moved together, unyielding and fierce.
Hunter pulled away, his breath warm against her lips, but the coldness in his eyes jolted her back to reality.
“If ye mean to harm yerself, lass, I cannae stop ye,” he murmured, his voice flat, cold as the stone around them. “But leave Lily out of it.”
Erica froze, her chest constricting at his words, the bitterness lacing his tone like a sting. She tried to find the words to fight back, to shake off the hurt that shot through her, to wound him… but none came.
She simply held his gaze breathlessly, feeling the anger radiate off him.
Without another word, he turned to leave.
“What am I doin’ here, Hunter?” she managed to ask before he stepped over the threshold. Confusion and frustration coursed through her, threatening to make her feel light-headed.
His faltering steps gave away his surprise at her question, and she sat up straighter to hear whatever hard truth he was about to tell her.
Hunter didn’t answer her, though. He simply glanced over his shoulder, not even making eye contact with her, before turning to leave.
Something about his lack of response knocked the wind out of her, letting her emotions take over. The tears came quickly, like hot irons on her cheeks.
Erica lay back down on the cot and threw her arm over her eyes until she ceased crying.
What am I doin’ here?
9
“How are ye feelin’?” Kara’s warm voice chased away the bitter cold in her room.
“I feel…”
