Page 62 of A Healer for the Ruthless Highlander
Kenneth nodded. He clicked his tongue once and looked seriously at the captain. “Well, I’m tellin’ ye now. It was always a secret between me and Hunter. I did it to ensure his well-being, but me braither was born sickly. That was why me faither threatened to kill him in the first place.”
“I… suspected it. I had the impression that somethin’ was wrong with him,” Peter whispered dejectedly.
“Is that why ye gave him those candies? To ease his discomfort?”
Peter shrugged. “He looked weak at times, and me maither used to give me those candies as a medicine when I was a boy. I thought they couldnae hurt him.”
“Well, ye were right. The truth is that they have made him feel better at times. It’s good for him to eat them. It eases his discomfort.”
“All right. That’s good to ken. I would never do anything to hurt the boy, Kenneth. Ye need to ken that.”
The captain’s gaze held steady, unwavering in its conviction. No flicker of hesitation, no trace of artifice clouded his expression—just the raw certainty of a man who spoke nothing but truth. Kenneth studied him for a moment longer, waiting for the telltale sign of deceit. There was none. His jaw eased slightly, the weight of doubt loosening its grip.
He also understood that it had been selfish of him to ask the man to stay away from Hunter once they both set foot on dry land again. But at the time, he had thought it the best way to protect his brother.
Selfishly, he had thought that Hunter’s affection for the captain was fleeting. That it would pass like the years, the way otherchildren forgot toys or places that made them happy. He had hoped that in this way, he could save him from the bitterness of losing another loved one. Although he had obviously been wrong about that, he only realized it now.
“I want ye to ken that I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what happened,” Peter murmured, running his hands through his long, braided hair. “I would never do anythin’ to hurt the boy. I just wanted to see him…” A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. “By the gods, I even considered becomin’ a farmer just so I could see him more!”
Kenneth let out a laugh. “An old sea dog like yerself cannae be a farmer,” he snorted as he plopped down on a nearby rock and stared at the sea.
It was not long before Peter joined him, shaking his head. “Maybe I’ve been selfish all this time, askin’ him to come here. I put him in danger… And maybe it’s best if I leave, never to return.”
“Maybe ye can do that… but then who will take care of Hunter from now on when he goes out for his daily walks on the beach?” Kenneth asked, a hint of sarcasm and amusement in his voice.
Peter’s eyes widened with surprise. “Will he come every day? Are ye serious?”
“Aye,” Kenneth confirmed, nodding once. “The healer who’s been takin’ care of him claims that the sea breeze and those candies ye gave him are the reason he’s gettin’ better.” Then, with a grimace, he added, “Ye’ll have to give me some, and getme some of those flowers… The sea holly. She says she can make a remedy, so Hunter willnae get sick anymore. But he has to come to the beach every day to be cured.”
“God, it wasnae so wrong of me to insist on seein’ him, after all!” The pirate laughed.
Kenneth smiled. “Aye. But daenae gloat too much. Ye put him in danger, and one day I’ll collect that debt from ye.”
“Sure, sure.” Peter couldn’t help but snort. “I’ll clean the excrement out of yer stables, oh great laird, as long as it takes. As long as I can see the boy, I’m happy.”
“Good. I’m glad ye feel that way,” Kenneth said, nodding.
“The healer ye speak of… ye mean Leana, daenae ye?”
“Ye ken her?” Kenneth asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Nae really. Hunter keeps mentionin’ her these days.” An affectionate smile curved Peter’s lips. “He says he’d make a good uncle to any children ye have with her.”
“A good uncle?” Kenneth clicked his tongue and shook his head. “That boy has a wild imagination.”
“Why?” Peter asked amusedly. “Even I can tell that somethin’ has changed in ye. Maybe he’s nae wrong. That woman could make a good wife.”
“For that, she would have to want to marry—which she doesnae,” Kenneth tried in an indifferent tone. And yet the words stung. “If she has to choose between a husband and her duty as a healer, she’ll probably choose the latter.”
“Bah, the way I see it, she daenae even have to choose one or the other.” Peter waved a dismissive hand as if he was swatting away a fly. “Who says she cannae do both? If her husband understands her duty…” he trailed off, letting the unspoken words hang between them.
Kenneth’s annoyance flared. When had his desires become so obvious to everyone?
Of course, it could be because he and Peter had known each other for a long time. They were friends, and in many ways, the pirate had been a father to Kenneth. But that didn’t mean that it didn’t make Kenneth uncomfortable to hear the man openly assume that he wanted to marry Leana.
Not that he didn’t want to, of course. It was only now when he understood that he had to let her go. Only now when he understood how much he wanted her to stay with him, by his side.
But that did not change the situation. On the contrary, it made it worse, and the certainty of that truth annoyed him.
