Page 12 of Highlander’s Lesser Evil

After a moment, she held out her hand. “Cameron,” she called out. “Come with me. I need someone to help carry my water for tonight’s stew.”

Cameron’s eyes brightened. “With biscuits?”

“If you eat your vegetables, then you can have an extra biscuit.”

The little boy took her hand and grinned at David. “I will save ye some, David.”

“Thank ye, Cameron. Ye be good for Lady Gemma.”

Gemma cleared her throat.

“I mean Miss Gemma,” he amended as he bowed his head.

The fiery lass looked straight into Theo’s eyes. “I will hold you to your promise, Laird. Even if I’m no longer here.”

She and young Cameron walked away, and Theo was suddenly curious.

Just where does she think she is going?

Cameron did indeed eat all the vegetables in his stew, even with an extra helping, and weaseled four biscuits out of Gemma. David ate twice as much. Gemma had no idea where the two children were putting all that food, but she’d made more than enough for them.

Night surrounded them with the bright flame of the bonfires to keep them warm and light the night. It was another dinner turned celebration, but Gemma was laying off the ale with the two lads to look after. Besides, she had other things on her mind that required her to stand her guard.

Across the fire, Graeme smiled at her invitingly, and her stomach clenched. Tucked in the pockets of her cloak was the letter she’d received that day.

The letter from Fletcher MacSeaver.

He’d remembered her after all.

“Miss Gemma, ye look angry,” Cameron said with a perplexed look on his face. “Everyone else is having fun.”

“I am enjoying myself, my sweet,” she said as she leaned down and kissed the top of his head. His parents were one of the ones who’d vowed to protect her when it became clear that Fletcher wasn’t coming back for her. When they were gone, she’d done everything she could to look after the boys, even after David begged her not to tell anyone for fear that his uncle would come for him.

They had little to fear. By now, everyone knew that the boys were orphans and helped raise them even as they pretended to believe David’s feeble excuses for why his parents weren’t around.

“Ye doonae look it.”

“The lad is right,” Theo said as he joined them. “Ye doonae look like ye are enjoying yerself at all.”

Wonderful. Just what she needed tonight. “Elaina,” she murmured to the older woman sitting next to her, “will ye look after Cameron and David tonight?”

“Oh, aye. ‘Twould be my pleasure.”

Turning back to the boys and Theo, she smiled at them. “I believe I am still feeling under the weather. If you will excuse me, I’ll return to my cottage.”

She’d barely made it halfway when the infuriating laird caught up to her.

“Go away.”

“Ye are always so sweet to me,” he said as he fell into step next to her. “If ye are feeling unwell, I want to see that ye get home all right.”

“I have spent a year here and never needed an escort to my home before,” she said tightly.

“That was before I was laird. Ye are one of mine now.”

Not for long.

“All I need from you is a promise that you will look after the boys,” Gemma muttered. “Now, go back to the festivities.”