Page 18 of Desire's Ransom
He was a quarter of the way back across the log when he heard a movement from the other side. He froze. It was probably just a deer. But by the sound, it was advancing rather quickly. He hoped the beast would look up before it charged onto the log.
Temair hadn’t made a successful score in three days. Ever since that night the woodkerns had explained that it wassheand not her sister whom her father had sold to the English, she’d been unable to concentrate on anything else.
Why would her father do such a thing? Bloody hell, he couldn’t even be sure she was alive. To be honest, she liked it that way. At least for the moment.
Now, barreling home through the forest after yet another fruitless day of thieving, she couldn’t help but be exasperated about the whole situation.
Cormac O’Keeffe claimed to have locked Temair away in a cell at the tower. But they both knew that wasn’t true. So how he planned to make his daughter magically appear on her wedding day, she couldn’t imagine. After all, he had no idea where she really was or what had become of her.
She batted aside a blackthorn branch and frowned down at the leaf-littered path.
What did theclannchieftain intend? How would he keep his promise?
Would he sendclannsmento hunt her down?
Or did he mean to pass someone else off as his daughter and heir?
It was the last possibility that had kept her awake at night, staring at the stars and grinding her teeth in frustration.
As much as she thought she’d divorced herself from theclann, the blood of the O’Keeffe ran thick in her veins. A part of her was tied to thetuath, to the tower house, to the good people who might not have been her friends, but who were definitely her family.
In her heart of hearts, she longed to see justice prevail, to see her sister avenged, and to reclaim what she’d lost. But she refused to be forced to marry the man of her father’s choice to do it.
And she definitely didn’t want an imposter to usurp her legacy.
She scurried along the trail, edging past holly and hawthorn bushes, eager to learn what news Aife had brought back from the castle today.
So distracted was she by her thoughts that she was halfway across the log bridge when she realized it was already occupied.
