Page 54 of A Rogue in Moonlight
Though he had kept away, time and distance had not changed his feelings. Whenever he saw her, he near stopped in his tracks—glancing out a window in his tower, he had noticed her head toward the schoolhouse, moving gracefully, arms filled with books; looking across the glen hills, he had seen her far off, searching for rocks and fossils, her face lifted to sunlight or bonneted in rain.
Just yesterday, he had glanced up at the sound of her voice and nearly forgot that he was playing ball, where normally he never lost focus. Each time she caught his eye, his heart stirred, thumping as if he were a half-bearded youth.
As many excuses as he found to keep away, from tasks in a stillhouse to visiting tenants, counting herds, or leaving the glen altogether, he could not stop thinking about her. Whenever he saw her, his body responded, his heart craved, yet his resistance made his loneliness feel even more profound.
He was glad, now, that he had waited to speak with her until after his meeting with Lord Eldin. It was all too clear that the girl had toleave the glen, as much as he wanted her to stay. But the Laird of Kinloch had best manage the complications of his life alone.
Nodding a greeting to the children as they passed, he stood waiting. After a few minutes, Fiona MacCarran emerged from the schoolhouse, tying the ribbons of her bonnet. Seeing him, she paused, as if startled. Then she walked toward him.
His heart pounded hard. She was simply beautiful in the gray gown, jacket, and bonnet that she had worn the first time he had seen her on the hillside. The wind pushing the soft fabrics revealed her womanly form and the natural, alluring, confident way she moved. He could have watched her endlessly.
“Mr. MacGregor,” she greeted him quietly. “You wish to speak to me about some matter on your mind?”
“I do,” he said smoothly. “So my uncles told you about the roof?”
“They did. I asked if it could be patched until I am gone.” She lifted her chin, her eyes snapping blue, bright and stubborn. “Unless you have your way and I leave soon.”
“If I had my way with you, lass,” he murmured, “we would not be talking about a roof just now.”
Her cheeks glowed like pink fire, and she pinched back a smile. Tendrils of dark, glossy hair escaped her bonnet. He wanted to pull the hat away, loosen her hair, pull her close—
“About the repairs,” she reminded him.
“Aye.” He cleared his throat. “The thatch and some of the rafters need replacing. My uncles would rather install a slate roof, which would last longer and give better protection against the elements. But that would take time.”
“Can it wait?”
“Some kind of repair must be done soon since it is leaking. One more good rainstorm and the old thatch will come down on your head.”
“So your uncles said. If you knew the schoolhouse was in suchcondition, why were the repairs not made before sessions began again?”
“My uncles made a few repairs months ago. We did not expect you so soon.”
“Or perhaps it is your way of saying I am not wanted in Glen Kinloch.”
“You are wanted,” he said, “in the glen.”
She tilted her head. “But not by you.”
He sighed. “This glen is not a safe place for the sister of a gauger. It can be dangerous, as you have seen.”
“The greatest threat to me so far seems to be from you.”
“And the roof.”
“Please do not send me away. I do not want to go,” she said bluntly.
Dougal glanced away from those earnest sky-blue eyes. “You are a fine teacher, and you are needed here. That is true.”
“Thank you.”
“Lucy tells us about school. She enjoys it very much.”
“She is a bright child, and quite delightful.”
“She has loathed lessons until now. I owe you a debt there.”
“She was not content at first, but she seems eager to learn. I must find more challenges for her. She works quickly, then sets about bothering Jamie. He is such an easygoing lad that he puts up with pestering, but she must be diverted to better activities.”
