Page 60 of A Healer for the Ruthless Highlander
“And that… Does that mean ye’ll have to leave soon?” the boy whispered.
Suddenly, Leana felt all eyes on her. She crossed her arms over her chest as her heart squeezed so painfully that it was hard to breathe.
A week ago, it would have been easy to answer that question, but now she regretted it deeply, knowing that her time at the castle had indeed come to an end much sooner than anyone had expected.
Her eyes flickered to Kenneth… only to meet his intense silver gaze. The questions, as well as the decisions they had to make, floated between them as if waiting to be voiced.
We both kenned from the beginning that this moment would come.
“I guess… I guess so,” Leana replied, giving Hunter a tender look as she stroked his hair. “Other children need me to play guessin’ games with them too, to find out what ails them.”
Hunter nodded. “I… I guess I understand.”
“But ye’re always welcome here,” Brenda interjected, taking Leana’s hand and squeezing it lovingly.
“Thank ye. Although I willnae be leavin’ anytime soon anyway. First, I need to prepare the medicine for ye, and then I need to write down the formula so that the next healer can prepare the medicine whenever ye need it.”
“That, and ye cannae leave without me braither teachin’ ye how to shoot an arrow properly,” Hunter added, causing her to burst out laughing.
“That’s true, too,” she agreed.
“Anyway, I think we’ve had a lot of excitement for one day,” Brenda announced suddenly, ruffling her son’s hair. “How about ye and I go up to yer room and rest? I’ll read ye a story.”
“A pirate story?” Hunter asked eagerly.
“Aye. A pirate story,” Brenda replied, laughing.
“Ye two go ahead. I’ll join ye in a moment,” Kenneth said, to which Brenda nodded.
“Good night then, Miss Healer,” Hunter called, waving to Leana.
“And thank ye… Thank ye for everythin’,” Brenda whispered, pulling Leana in a tight hug that caught her off guard. “Me sonis very lucky to have found ye. And I daenae mean Hunter. Ye healed his heart,” she added in a barely audible voice, before slowly pulling away.
Leana felt her cheeks burn. She stared at the beautiful woman, several questions racing through her mind.
Does everyone suspect what has happened between me and Kenneth? Am I so obvious?
Of course, she didn’t have time to ask, as, after giving her a small wink, Brenda left, followed closely by Hunter.
Silence fell over the room, but it did not last long, for Kenneth suddenly punched the table hard, which jolted Leana out of her musings. She spun around, startled.
“Ye fuckin’ bastard!” Kenneth hissed. Leana knew immediately that he was talking about his late father. “If I could bring the bastard back from the dead, I’d make him beg for death!” he growled, hitting the table again.
His anger was evident. Plus, Leana feared that he would hurt himself. So she hurried to him, catching his fist mid-air before he could hit the table again.
“Kenneth, stop it,” she pleaded softly, looking him in the eyes. “I understand yer anger… But ye will gain nothin’ by hurtin’ yerself.”
“Maybe nae,” Kenneth bit out. “But it would be nice to be able to hurthim.”
“Perhaps…” Leana examined his hand. Small cuts covered his knuckles, but otherwise, he seemed fine. “But ye cannae. At least, nae physically. Yer greatest victory is kennin’ that ye and Hunter will live happily, while he lies in the dirt, alone.”
She held his gaze a while longer, before gently, slowly kissing his knuckles.
The gesture seemed to surprise Kenneth, who looked at her, slightly dumbfounded for a moment.
“From now on, everythin’ will be fine,” she promised.
Kenneth lifted his injured hand and caressed her cheek for a brief moment. But even when he withdrew his hand, Leana could still feel his touch on her skin, the warm and delicate caress.
