Page 68 of The Highlander Who Loved Me
“Bluidy hell,” he muttered.
She shot him a questioning look, but he offered no elaboration. The thundering hoof beats grew louder as the rider neared. The horseman brought his mount to a slow trot. As he came closer, Johanna took in the familiar build and sable hair, so very much like Connor’s. This man was obviously a MacMasters. So why had Connor reacted as if the devil’s spawn had come to call?
Reining the beast to a stop, the rider swung out of the saddle. A lazy grin marked a rugged face that bore the same chiseled jaw as Connor. While Connor’s eyes were the color of the forest, this man’s were a rich, golden brown, the color of smoky topaz. The vitality in the rider’s keenly intelligent gaze added an undeniable appeal to what might have been ordinary features on another man.
Connor regarded him with a surly stare. “Why are ye here?”
“Bah, that’s no way to greet yer brother.” The rider’s narrowed eyes betrayed tension his amiable tone could not entirely disguise. “Do ye plan to introduce me, or must I take it upon myself?”
“Verrae well.” Connor turned to Johanna, offering a brief, perfunctory introduction. “Miss Templeton—” His gaze darted to the other man. “My brother, Gerard MacMasters.”
Gerard’s smile lit his intriguing eyes. “Pleased to make yer acquaintance, Miss—”
“Johanna.” She bit back a wicked little smile as a frown etched a furrow between Connor’s dark brows.
“Johanna,” Gerard echoed, as if savoring each syllable as it rolled off his tongue. “A lovely name.”
“What the hell are ye doing here?” Connor’s question shattered any illusion of pleasant civility.
His brother met the inquiry with a deliberately bland expression. “I’ve been summoned.”
The line between Connor’s brows deepened. “Summoned?”
“Our brother the physician sent a messenger last night. He anticipates a situation that requires my particular expertise.” Gerard’s attention slanted to Johanna. “I assume the lass is involved in this.”
Connor nodded. “Ye’re not needed here. Damn shame ye wasted yer time.”
His brother’s interest lingered on Johanna. “If Miss Templeton requires assistance, I’d say the time was well spent, indeed.”
Swinging into the saddle, Gerard nudged the horse to a walk and headed toward the stable.
“Bluidy blazing hell,” Connor said under his breath. He turned to Johanna. “Stay away from that one. Ye dinnae need to mix with the likes of him.”
Why, the audacity of the man. He’d pleasured her in a stable, of all places. Surely his brother could not be any bolder than the man who’d slyly hiked her skirts and driven her wild with bliss in the most unlikely of settings. Besides, she was not some timid maiden, ripe for temptation.
Not with Gerard MacMasters, in any case.
“He seems amiable enough,” she said, if only to tweak a nerve or two in the man who’d led her to the brink of surrender, then pushed her away.
“Amiable? That’s one way of putting it.”
Maggie dashed from the house. “Who’s come here?” she called. “Is that my favorite brother?”
Connor’s mouth hitched at the corners. Such an appealing man when he wasn’t flashing a fierce, forbidding frown. “Why, yer favorite brother is standing right here.”
Returning his smile, Maggie shook her head. “Ye know who I’m talking about…the brother who’s not stomping around breathing fire all the time.” She shot Johanna a cheeky wink.
“I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Gerard,” Johanna spoke up. “He seems a congenial sort.”
Maggie nodded her agreement. “And he never fails to bring his sister a gift from his travels.”
“Bah.” Connor fashioned a mockingly fierce scowl. “Ye know he’s full of hot air. ’Tis a wonder he doesn’t float off like some bluidy balloon.”
Maggie laughed, a lilting, cheerful sound. The giggle touched Johanna’s heart, even as it triggered a keen longing. How wonderful to grow up in such a large and loving family, with brothers and sisters whose smiling eyes betrayed their caring even when their voices were gruff or teasing. Seeing Connor and Maggie’s affectionate banter, she missed her own brother and sister all the more. Peter and Cynthia had been grand playmates and confidants when they had been children. Comfortable within their parents’ well-kept home, they’d been nearly inseparable. Until they grew up and distance, both physical and emotional, had come between them. And now, Cynthia was lost to her forever. But she would find Laurel. She’d bring her sister’s darling child to safety.
“That may well be true. But Gerard’s timing is perfect. Mrs. Bailey’s prepared quite a feast in honor of our guest.” Maggie’s smile lit on Johanna. “I trust ye’ve a taste for Scottish fare.”
“There’s no time,” Connor spoke before Johanna could reply. “I’m leaving.”
