Page 23 of A Plaid Case of Loving Ye
“I’m…a Hunter?” he muttered, his fingertips digging into his temples, trying to force himself to remember. “I work alone. I was on…”Damnation, why wasn’t it all coming back to him? He squeezed his eye shut, trying to remember. “A mission, I think. I was attacked…”
And then he felt her fingers wrapping around his, tugging them away from his head. He opened his eye to find her right in front of him, close enough to kiss. Close enough to hold.
“Dinnae push yerself, Ramsay,” she commanded in a low voice, her eyes still hiding sadness. “If ye remembered yer family, more will return to ye, I promise.”
His gaze swept across her face, but he allowed her to hold his hands. “Ye kenned who I was.”
She swallowed and glanced away. Hiding something more?
“Aye, Ramsay,” she whispered. “I didnae want to reveal it too suddenly, like that. ‘Twas badly done—I was afraid it could cause more harm than good. I’m—” Her voice cracked, and she swallowed again, her gaze locked on his shoulder. “I’m glad ye remembered yer family.”
She’d known who he was, known his clan…all along. He couldn’t believe she’d been hiding that information because she was afraid of him remembering too much too quickly.
“Why did ye no’ tell me earlier?”
Her chin rose mulishly. “I’m a healer. As a medical professional, I have to think of what’s best for yer health—head wounds can be tricky.”
He frowned, examining her expression, uncertain whether he could believe her. She’d kissed him, allowed him liberties with her body. He’d only just met her, aye, but he thought they had a connection; he thought she had feelings for him, the same feelings he was developing for her.
But she thought of herself merely as his healer?
Fook, here came the headache again.
With a sigh, he pulled his hands from hers and scrubbed them through his hair. “Thank ye for finally telling me.” It wasn’t polite; it wasn’t enough…but ‘twas all he could manage.
Thanks to her—thanks to thehealer—he knew who he was. He knew he had a family, a family who would welcome Relic. He knew he had a mission, knew his loyalty was to the King.
Knew he didn’t have a wife and bairns as he’d feared.
But Nicola hadn’t told him. If she’d cared for him the way he cared for her, she would’ve told him, for certes. She called herself his “medical professional”… Was that all she considered herself?
Then yesterday’s kiss…
Damnation. He sighed again.
And she whispered, “I—I have work to do.”
She slipped away before he could call her back. Before he could decide if hewantedto call her back.
Had that kiss meant anything to her? He wasn’t certain if he wanted to ask. Wasn’t certain if he wanted to know the answer.
He had a family. His father’s smiling face came to him then, memories of the time Ramsay had beaten the old man at chess, and his father’s laughing pride. The more he focused on that memory, the more returned to him.
Aye, he had a family and a home, and now Relic would have one as well. They could leave today to return to the McIlvain holding in the west.
A yawn caught him off-guard.
Well, mayhap nottoday. The bairn would need to be readied for travel and Ramsay needed a nap. They’d require provisions, and it wouldn’t hurt to take an extra day to consider the circumstances and discover what else he could remember.
Aye, tomorrow, then. He’d leave the convent of St. Dorcas the Ever Petulant.
And Nicola. He’d leave Nicola?
If she considered him naught more than one of her patients, then ‘twas for the best.
Chapter 5
The day felt…odd.Nicola helped prepare the body for burial, helped prepare the noon meal—after a thorough hand-scrubbing, of course—and even sat through Nones and Vespers. Sister Mary Titania kept trying to get her to rest, but every time Nicola closed her eyes, she saw Ramsay’s face.
