Page 59 of Wedded to the Heartless Highlander
Erica let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “When Hunter comes back, I’ll bring it up to him,” she muttered to herself.
“Bring what up? Who are ye talkin’ to, Aunt Erica?” a small voice called from the hallway.
Erica quietly shut the lid of the box and turned around slowly. She plastered on her best smile as her eyes locked onto her niece’s. “Och, adult things,” she said simply and winked. “Ready?”
“Aye!” Lily squealed.
The two of them raced each other down to the stables. Their horses had already been saddled and were lazily waiting for them. Erica had chosen a gentle white mare, while Lily mounted a smaller, more sprightly chestnut-brown pony.
The air was cool but promised warmth as the sun rose higher in the sky.
As they rode out, Erica took a deep breath, the scent of fresh grass and wildflowers calming her nerves.
“Ye lead the way,” she said, smiling at Lily.
Lily nodded and urged her pony forward, guiding them down a winding path that cut through the hills. They rode in companionable silence for a time, the only sounds the rhythmic clip-clop of horses’ hooves and the rustling of the grass.
As they crested a hill, Lily glanced back at Erica. “I used to ride here with me faither,” she admitted, her voice soft but steady.
Erica’s chest tightened. “Did ye? What was it like?”
Lily’s eyes grew distant, her small hands gripping the reins. “It was fun. He used to tell me stories while we rode, about knights and dragons and brave warriors.” A faint smile touched her lips. “Sometimes he’d pretend to be a dragon, chasin’ me.”
Erica laughed gently. “That sounds like a wonderful memory. Yer faither must have been very brave.”
Lily nodded, her expression tinged with both pride and sadness. “He was. He used to say that nay dragon or monster could ever scare him.”
Erica’s heart ached for the girl. She wanted to say something comforting, but she knew words could only do so much. Instead,she reached over and gave Lily’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Ye’re very brave too, ye ken.”
Lily glanced at her, surprise flickering in her gaze. But then she gave her a genuine smile that lit up her face. “Do ye think so? Brave, like Uncle Hunter?”
“Aye, just like him, lass,” Erica said firmly.
They rode on, the conversation shifting to lighter topics as Lily pointed out her favorite spots—a cluster of trees she called the ‘fairy woods,’ a stream that glittered in the sunlight, and a rocky outcrop with a breathtaking view of the valley below.
Erica found herself relaxing, her earlier worries fading as she watched the girl’s excitement grow.
She couldn’t help but admire how confident Lily seemed on a horse. The girl’s cheeks were flushed with joy, her laughter carrying on the breeze.
Erica felt a surge of pride, though she wouldn’t take credit for the transformation entirely. Hunter’s presence, gruff as it often was, had done much to reassure Lily.
However, Erica couldn’t fully stop thinking about Thomas’s letter. As they approached a bend in the trail that offered a view of the estate’s borders, her eyes lingered on the woods in the distance. The faint shadow of unease lingered at the back of her mind.
What if something did happen here? What if someone was watching them?
“Aunt Erica?” Lily’s voice snapped her out of her reverie.
“Sorry,” Erica said, forcing a smile. “What were ye sayin’?”
“I only asked if ye think Uncle Hunter would ever ride with us,” Lily repeated, her tone hopeful.
Erica hesitated, choosing her words carefully. “I reckon he would if we ask him the right way. Maybe ye can convince him.”
“I’ll ask him tonight!”
The girl’s enthusiasm was contagious, and Erica found herself smiling genuinely this time. The mention of Hunter stirred more conflicting emotions within her. His absence this morning had given her space to breathe, but her worry and yearning for him were maddening.
How can he make me feel so infuriated one moment and utterly undone the next?
