Page 63 of A Healer for the Ruthless Highlander
“Ye very hastily assume that there might be somethin’ between us, which is nae true. Besides, the lass has the right to decide what to do with her life. And I already have an heir.”
“But is it only about an heir?” Peter asked, raising a thick eyebrow. “What about love?”
The question surprised Kenneth. He opened his mouth to deny everything. To say that this was nothing but nonsense.
Except he suddenly realized that maybe it wasn’t.
Maybe all this time, he had underestimated the strong impact the healer had made on him. The way she was, the way she acted… the way she challenged him, and the cunning of her words, as well as the sweetness of her kisses.
Suddenly, he realized that maybe, just maybe, he felt more than just desire for her. And that frightened him. For her departure would affect him far more than he had initially expected.
The revelation hit Kenneth like a bucket of cold water. At the same time, Peter watched him, studying the feelings dancing across his face.
Finally, after a long, tense silence, Kenneth dared to ask, “Ye think people like us are capable of love, Captain?”
He wondered if that was even allowed. In his world, love was nothing more than a fantasy. People married for convenience, for power, for money. But not for love.
For the same reason, it bothered him to think of Leana that way. It went so far as to upend much of what he had always taken for granted. His entire adult life had revolved around Hunter’s well-being and safety. He’d never had any doubts about making him his heir, so marriage wasn’t something that had ever crossed his mind.
“I daenae ken, Kenneth. Ye’re a much smarter man than I am. What do ye think?” Peter asked.
Kenneth sighed. “I think I have too much on me plate right now,” he muttered bitterly. “Tryin’ to be there for me braither is trouble enough. I cannae afford to think about love.”
“Yer love for yer braither is admirable,” Peter conceded. “But it isnae limited, Kenneth. This may be a new lesson for ye, but love and duty can sometimes go hand in hand.”
“I daenae ken if that’s the case for me,” Kenneth said.
Peter nodded slowly. “Finding out that I loved Hunter as if he were me own flesh and blood was a surprise to me as well. One that made me question me duty to me ship,” Peter admitted as he stared at the horizon. “But in the end, I understood that life is just an empty well if we daenae feed the fire that warms our hearts.”
Kenneth chuckled. “When did ye become so poetic?”
“And ye, since when are ye fool enough to admit how ye feel?” Peter retorted.
Kenneth shook his head. “I daenae ken.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m goin’ from one problem to another. I just want Hunter to be well…”
And Leana to be happy. With me.
That thought kept echoing in his mind, but he did not voice it.
“For now, ye may rest assured that ye have me agreement on the matter of Hunter,” Peter assured him. “Me intentions are clear. I want to see the boy. But I’ll make sure there’s nay trouble with yer people.”
“All right, then,” Kenneth replied, nodding once.
“Ye ken, boy…” Peter added after a moment.
Kenneth smiled. No matter how many years had passed, the captain had never stopped calling him that. But he didn’t care.
“Hunter might nae be the only one who could use a little salt water in his life.”
“What do ye mean?” Kenneth asked with a frown.
“I mean, I never saw ye so tight-lipped when ye were sailin’ the high seas with me.”
“Maybe I wasnae.” Kenneth shrugged. “Life was so much easier back then.”
“Maybe it can be again,” Peter ventured, giving him a smile as he patted his back and stood up. “What do ye say ye join me for a little sail? We’ll take a ride along the coast. Maybe ye’ll clear yer head of so many thoughts and worries.”
Smiling to himself, Kenneth nodded. “Maybe that’s nae a bad idea.”
