Page 29 of The Highlander's Inconvenient Wife
“Well, you have issues!” she snapped as she yanked up her basket and angrily began gathering the cherries that had scattered over the damp earth. “I’m not the one who locks strangers up in dungeons just because I can’t trust anyone!”
“Why are ye bringing up the past when I’ve apologized to ye time an’ time again?” he asked angrily as she stooped to gather the cherries. “Do ye need me help?” he asked her angrily as he was about to storm off.
“No, thank you!” she continued to yell while tossing dirty cherries into the basket that hung from her arm.
“Very well!” he said angrily as he turned to leave, but he stopped when he noticed the low-hanging cherries till swaying gently on their branch. Stomping over, he ripped them off the tree, branch and all, before holding them out to her. “Here,” he huffed and thrust them forward.
“What was that for?” She seemed angry and confused all at the same time.
“I cannae have ye getting hurt ’afore yer friends come to get ye; it could mean war for our clan!” he yelled a final time before turning to leave, taking lengthy strides across the yard.
“You know you damaged half the tree!” her voice called out to him through the mist.
“I am the laird; it doesnae matter!” He picked up the pace before she could yell anything back.
Muttering under his breath, he stormed back into the castle.
So much for me calming walk!He thought angrily as he made his way down the hall. That woman was going to be the death of him if she didn’t leave soon, that or he would lose control and end up doing things with her that would only further complicate matters. He decided to keep as far away from her as he could in the future.
* * *
Joan glared at his retreating figure before searching for the rest of the cherries on the ground. The man was insufferably stubborn.
Why couldn’t he just let me do it on my own?
She threw the last few cherries into the basket before taking a deep breath and trying to regain control over her breathing. She’d been trying to avoid him when he suddenly appeared behind the tree; it was entirely his fault that they had ended up on the ground. Things wouldn’t have gone that far if he’d only minded his own business.
Was he going to kiss me again?
She wondered as her anger subsided, making way for the intimate moment they had shared. Shaking her head, she decided to talk to him about the tension between them next time they had a chance. Things couldn’t go on like this if she was going to still be living at the castle for the next few days. They needed to discuss the kiss and set a few ground rules.
15
Joan glanced at the hall doors in frustration as she sat at the table eating breakfast with Martha. It was the following day after the cherry-picking incident, and Jasper had very evidently been avoiding her, a fact that caused her a great amount of irritation.
She had wanted to talk to him and smooth things over so that they could part as friends, yet that was never going to happen if he decided that she was synonymous to the plague, i.e., something that needed to be kept away from at all costs. The steam was practically flowing from her ears as she shoved a piece of cheese into her mouth and glared at the door.
“Jasper is in his study with his man at arms,” Martha offered with her eyes on her plate of food, trying her best yet failing to hide a smirk.
“Oh, I wasn’t…” Joan tried to recover a sliver of her dignity, feeling sheepish at the irritable way she had been acting because of Jasper.
She hadn’t made much conversation with Martha; her thoughts had completely been occupied by the laird. She suddenly realized that she hadn’t been very good company at all.
“He said he wouldnae be joining us for lunch either,” Martha continued, ignoring Joan’s protests as she sipped her ale and continued eating. “Apparently, there are very important clan matters that cannae wait.”
“I see…” Joan said sulkily as she gripped a piece of bannock.
“I just wanted to save ye the trouble of strainin’ yer neck.” Martha held back a chuckle as she spoke.
“I wasn’t…” Joan began but realized that she’d only make matters worse if she attempted to deny anything. Taking a deep breath, she decided to give herself over to the situation at hand. “Has the letter to castle MacKinnon gone out yet?” she changed the subject after reaching for the plate of fruit. She knew she was eating out of frustration more than anything else but couldn’t care less about manners or etiquette at present.
“Oh,” Martha seemed slightly taken aback by the question. “I think it has.” She shifted uncomfortably in her chair as she rubbed the back of her neck and looked to the side. “It should have gone out if ye left it on the pile of letters in the study. It may still take a few days. Ye ken how far away from everyone else we are,” she added in a cheerful tone.
“Of course,” Joan relaxed a little as she realized that her distracted behavior may have been making the woman uncomfortable. She didn’t want to make her only ally feel as if she had done anything wrong. “It doesn’t matter how long it takes as long as it was sent.” She popped a few cherries into her mouth as she spoke. “Would you mind terribly if I wrote a letter to my sister as well?” She made an effort at conversation that wouldn’t evolve around the laird. She’d apply his tactics for now and avoid rather than deal.
“Not at all. Do ye have more than one sibling?” Martha seemed to settle down as well as she reached across the table and poured herself a cup of tea.
“Just the one younger sister,” Joan said with a warm smile. She hadn’t really thought of her family much since coming to the castle. “Her name is Eleonora; we call her Nora within the family. I guess we all still regard her as the baby she was, even though she’s on her second season already.”
