Page 49 of The Cruel Highlander's Healer
Stuffing another bite of sausage into her mouth, she grumbled. But it was only half-hearted, especially as the flavor danced across her tongue.
She ate until she was full and then looked at Conall expectantly. Just as he’d said, the moment she was finished, he reached forward and grabbed a hunk of bread.
Chewing slowly, he leveled his eyes on her. Something glinted in the depths of his gaze, and she wished she could read his mind.
Sooner than Eliza would have thought, the Laird was finished with his breakfast. He made quick work of paying the barmaid and tipping her for the food and drink they’d consumed while they were there.
Eliza didn’t miss the look of relief that crossed the young girls face as they made to leave the building. She couldn’t blame the girl for finding Conall intimidating. With his hulking form and the ragged scar that ran down his face, Eliza knew that, objectively, he made quite the imposing figure.
So why did she still want to reach out and touch him?
When they stepped outside, the sun bared down on them. In the time it had taken them to finish their breakfast, it had risen even higher.
Eliza raised a hand, blocking out some of its rays as her eyes scanned the town. Conall led her back through the streets, making the familiar journey toward the town square.
She noticed the tents first. They were still standing tall, shading their occupants from the sun.
The second thing she noticed was the noise.
Chatter rose from inside the tent, much more chatter than she’d heard the day before. She picked up the pace, eager to get in there and see her patients.
The moment she spotted the opening, her mouth popped open in surprise.
Of all the patients she’d tended two yesterday, only two were still lying. The rest were sitting up in their cots, talking gingerly to one another or speaking to Sheena, Louisa, and Isabel, who doted on them.
“They’re goin’ to be alright,” Eliza whispered.
She thought she had spoken low enough that no one would hear her. But apparently, the Laird had.
“They will be,” he murmured. “Thanks to ye.”
Eliza shot him a grateful look. He didn’t return it, but she thought there might have been a softening around his eyes. Or, at least, she decided to believe that there was.
“It looks like they have this under control,” Conall said, nodding toward the two women and the young girl that were tending to the patients.
Eliza nodded, but before she could speak, the Laird continued.
“Then come with me. I want to show ye something.”
She hesitated. There was a part of her that wanted to decline. Louisa, Isabel, and Sheena were doing well, she had to admit that. The three had a knack for it. But she still had the urge to check on her patients herself.
There was another part of her, though, that was curious about what he wanted to show her.
The two sides of her warred with each other, one trying to drown out the other. Eventually, she turned to the Laird.
“Alright,” she said with a brief nod. “What do ye want to show me?”
She was rewarded with a smirk as Conall turned, walking away from the town square. He didn’t explain where they were headed though.
Eliza had to trot to keep up with him, matching him step for step as he took her through the winding streets.
“Where are we goin’?” she finally asked when the curiosity got the better of her.
“Ye’ll see in just a moment,” he grunted. “Now be patient.”
Eliza rolled her eyes, but she didn’t press him further. It took only two more turns before they were on the edge of town.
She had expected to see the tree line, the forest looming just on the edge of town. And while the edge of the woods that bordered the town was not far off, it was something else entirely that marked the edge of the village.
