Page 57 of A Healer for the Ruthless Highlander
But who are ye visitin’?
The question bounced around in Kenneth’s mind, knocking against his skull.
“Hunter, that person… he might nae be yer friend. If he’s hurtin’ ye?—”
“I told ye, he’s nae hurtin’ me!” Hunter shrieked. “He would never hurt me. Besides, he’s nae me friend,” he added, looking again at the statuette in his hands.
“He wouldnae hurt me,” he repeated slowly. “He brings me gifts. Be-besides, he didnae ken I was sick. I didnae tell him…” He raised teary eyes to his brother. “Please, Braither, daenae kill him! I love him!” he sobbed.
Leana pulled him to her and hugged him tightly, the folds of her dress muffling his cries. “Hunter, calm down. Yer braither willnae hurt yer friend… the person ye’re visitin’,” she promised.
Kenneth wasn’t so sure he could keep that promise.
He had seen the affection on Hunter’s face, and he deeply regretted that he was the cause of his fear. But at the same time, he knew well the risks of allowing strangers to meet with an innocent boy in secret. Especially a boy who would one day inherit a lairdship. A boy who was, after all, the only brother of a laird who had many enemies…
Kenneth approached his younger brother with determination.
“Hunter, I need ye to be honest with me,” he began, placing his hands on his brother’s shoulders as he looked him right in the eye. “Who are ye tryin’ to protect?”
Hunter seemed hesitant at first. His eyes were red-rimmed, filled with tears he dared not shed, and his bottom lip would not stop quivering.
Looking at him, Kenneth felt his heart sink. But nothing could be worse than the revelation that followed.
The one he hoped he would never have to face, because it simply couldn’t be true.
“Me… Me faither…”
CHAPTER 19
THE CURE FOR AN ILLNESS
“Did ye say… yer faither?”
For a moment, Kenneth's face paled, his eyes widening as though the very ground beneath him had shifted. His jaw tensed, a flicker of disbelief tightening the corners of his mouth. The weight of realization settled in his gaze—raw, unguarded—as he met Leana’s stare, her own shock mirrored in the subtle tremor of her breath. She didn’t quite understand what was happening, but she knew one thing: the previous Laird was dead.
At least that was what Kenneth had told her. That their father had been a heartless man, and that he was deeply glad that Hunter had never met him.
But if that was true, how could Hunter claim that the man he visited at night was his faither?
“Hunter…” Kenneth began, and for the first time, Leana saw fear in his eyes. “Tell me, who are ye talkin’ about?”
One of his hands rested gently on Hunter’s cheek. It seemed that he was doing his best to keep his emotions in check and not lash out in front of his younger brother.
Hunter's lips parted, hesitation flickering across his features for a brief moment before he straightened, determination settling into his stance. “I mean, Peter… Mr. Graham, of course.”
He grimaced as he lowered his gaze to the small statuette in his brother’s hands. He did not seem very happy with the term he used.
At first, Leana hesitated, wondering who this Mr. Graham might be. But she soon realized to whom he was referring.
“Ye remember I called himDa, daenae ye, Braither?” The boy’s lips pressed together in a thin line. “He asked me to call him that.”
“When?” Kenneth asked.
“Since I was very little. I used to call himDa, notCaptain, whenever we were alone.”
Then that’s who he’s referrin’ to. To the captain of the ship he and Kenneth sailed on…
The confession did not seem to please Kenneth, whose lips tightened slightly. But he did not interrupt the boy, letting him continue, and Leana decided to do the same.
