Page 29 of Highlander’s Mercenary Lass

Finally, the penny dropped. Andrew's face changed, from strange to thoughtful.

"Um, I dinnae ken," he said eventually. Then he looked again. "But perhaps there is someone ye do look like," he added.

"Who?" asked Grace, instantly alert. "My real mother?"

Andrew looked doubtful. "Well, um, perhaps, but unfortunately, I dinnae ken about her. Nay, lass, ye look like yer wee sister, Fiona. I mean, I've only seen her from afar, but she is the one ye remind me o'."

"Sister," said Grace thoughtfully. It felt strange to have a sister; in fact, not just one, but a whole heap of them. "Which one?"

"The eldest," said Andrew, looking at her watchfully. His green eyes grew in intensity as he scrutinized her face. Grace wondered what he was staring at. "I mean, apart from ye."

"I'm the eldest?" said Grace. Perhaps he had already explained that. Or maybe it was meant to be obvious, but so many things had been swirling around her head that she did not remember it.

Beside her, Andrew had lain down on the makeshift camp bed and turned on his side. She had the undivided attention of his bright green eyes.

"Aye, aye, ye are..," A hair had fallen in his eye, and Grace was gripped by a sudden desire to brush it away. Of course, she didn't, but her hands were itching to touch his skin.

"Tell me about my brother an' sisters," said Grace. She had been battling a desire to know more ever since she had heard about them, but to begin with, hadn't been ready.

Andrew smiled and cast his eyes to the sky. Grace loved it when he did that. Inside, she smiled, even though her exterior was cool.

"Well, like I said, I dinnae ken them very well. They're the noble family o' the laird. But the eldest is Fiona...she's about eighteen now, I think. She's a sensible lass, from what I hear, and a wee bit quiet."

"Just like me then," said Grace jokingly. "No one has ever described me as quiet, much less sensible!"

A light smile played around her lips, inviting him to laugh at her, but he did not.

"Aye," Andrew nodded. "I dinnae suppose they have, lass."

Grace watched his face closely. She could not work him out, but as she was discovering, Andrew had a very dry sense of humor—one that was close to her own.

"Ach, ye'll find someone tae tame ye, one day!" Andrew quipped, and Grace pulled a face.

"What if I dinnae want taming?" she asked, her eyes fixed on him. The light was dimming, but Grace could still make out the sheen of his face. And she could tell when someone was laughing at her.

"Och, o' course ye do. All lasses do, I mean, the whole warrior thing, it's braw...but really, it's just a distraction." Andrew's eyes danced, drawing Grace in further. "Deep down, ye really want someone tae break ye in."

"Wheesht!" said Grace, turning away with a smile. If anyone else had said that, they would have been the ones being broken in. Somehow, Andrew got away with it. Just.

There was a pause. A crackle of heat flared in the tent between them. Grace felt the heat of his gaze burn her in the cheeks. Did he feel it too? She was no shrinking violet, but suddenly, she was doubting herself. Maybe she was imagining it, the way he was looking at her. But glancing back at him, lying beside her, she didn't think so.

"An' what about ye?" she asked, still smiling. Andrew shuffled a little in the bed. She could sense his unease.

He smiled. "Me? There's nae much tae tell. I was sent to the castle at a young age tae learn tae be a warrior. I've got a mother, an' a sister, an' that's about it."

Andrew's green eyes twinkled. Grace listened, interested. For a while, she wondered if she should ask him more, but was not sure about it. Instead, she changed tack.

"An' so about my other wee sisters?" she asked.

Andrew smiled. “I’ve told ye, lass, I don’t ken them very well.”

Grace didn’t care to learn right now. All she could look at was his smile. There was a faint chill of frost in the air, and Grace shivered beneath her thin shawl. It was cold out there but warm in here.

Very warm indeed.

Maybe this was not the time, and maybe it was not the place, but with no warning, Grace had found herself falling deeper and deeper into Andrew's gaze.

A slow grin spread across Grace's lips. These feelings were completely unexpected, and she was powerless to stop them.

And maybe she didn't even want to.