Page 97 of Desiring the Highland Laird
After the fire in the hearth had waned, she left Callum’s bedchamber and wandered through the keep. Callum was busy with his laird duties, she knew, and she didn’t want to bother him. Roslyn was busy with her own duties in the kitchen, preparing for the day. If she went there, she would be underfoot. While she wanted to make more of her faux herbal tea, she didn’t want to be a nuisance.
She found herself outside, walking through the courtyard, walking toward the stables. She didn’t know why she was headed to the stables. Perhaps a part of her hoped she’d see Callum there. When she arrived, there were a few stable hands hard at work mucking stalls. She walked down the middle of the stable, stalls on either side, garnering a few curious glances from the young men working. She paused when she saw the mare she’d named Gray Mist. It made her smile when the mare poked her head out as if she sensed her there.
Evie paused to pet the mare’s nose. “Hello, girl,” she whispered.
Mist gave a quiet whicker in response.
“Is there something I can help ye with, my lady?”
The man’s voice startled her. She looked up to see Jamie MacLeod leaning against one of the stalls, his arms crossed over his chest and a look of bemusement on his face.
She hadn’t seen him come into the stable, so he must have slipped in quietly while she was busy patting her horse.
She had to admit he was handsome with sharp assessing eyes that were different from Callum’s. Not blue. Not green either. It was something akin to sea green that seemed to glitter with mirth as he looked at her. His hair, though, was the same asCallum’s. Long, plaited on one side. He wore breeches, a long tunic, boots, and a plaid wrapped around his upper body.
“Oh,” she said on a breath. “I was…” Her words trailed off as uncertainty hit her.
“Are ye bored then?” He grinned and she noticed a deep dimple in each cheek, which was endearing if he were anyone but Callum’s younger brother. “My brother has no been keeping ye busy, eh?”
He sounded like he wanted to volunteer for that job—keeping her busy—as he pushed off the stable wall and sauntered toward her. She stiffened, unsure how to take his comments.
“I’m busy enough,” she said, her voice silky smooth as she looked up at him. He was as tall as Callum, but not nearly as strong.
“Are ye?” He paused in front of her, looking her over with an appreciative gleam in his eyes. “My brother told me about yer unusual arrival.”
“Callum told you about me?” she asked.
He chuckled. “No. Malcolm did. He told me ye fell from the sky and the prophecy Da talked about was finally coming true.”
He scoffed a bit as though he didn’t believe in the prophecy. Callum was a hard sell, himself. She couldn’t help but think how odd it was that Malcolm had been the one who talked to Jamie about her. She wondered why. What interest was she to him?
“And I know you’re the younger brother who spurned the MacDonald girl.”
A dark look came over his face as he glowered with the mention of the MacDonald woman. She liked that she needled him. She had the sense that he was up to no good talking to her. As though he were trying to swoop in and steal her out from under Callum.
That would never happen.
She remained where she was, stroking the nose of her horse as she eyed him with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity.
“Aye, well, it had to be done.”
“Did it?” she asked. “What did you do? Pack her up and dump her back at her father’s keep? And if you did, how do you think the girl felt? Betrayed? Abandoned? Unloved? My bet is she felt all of those things and more.”
At least he had the good sense to flush, his cheeks turning a pale pink as he looked away from her.
“Did any of that cross your mind when you decided to break off your arrangement?” She hadn’t meant to sound so harsh, but she was willing to bet the younger MacLeod brother needed a good talking-to and by someone not related to him.
“I dinnae think—”
“That’s right. You didn’t think, did you?”
“I’m sorry, I—”
“Don’t apologize tome,” she snapped. “Apologize toher. Though I suppose that ship has sailed by now.”
He blinked as he stared at her with an odd look, perhaps not understanding her metaphor.
“My brother said ye were a sharp-tongued lass. I see now he was right.” Jamie squared his shoulders as he looked her over again. “He also said ye were the reason Da died.”
