Page 19 of Hunted By the Hard Highlander

“I have already increased me patrols,” Hendry said as he stepped forward, refusing to let her slink away from him. Something between them crackled like lightning. It was as if their tempers were having a fight in the scant space that separated their bodies. “And with the arrival of this letter, I will call for even stricter monitorin'.”

“That willnae be of any use,” she argued, unwilling to back down. “He could already have men everywhere. It is too late.”

“I will contact the exact same people that ye dinnae wish for me to speak to,” he said. “There will be so many men watchin’ out for him that he willnae have a chance to slip through unnoticed. Even if he has been slinkin’ around.”

She paused, her chest heaving. All at once, her sense seemed to return. She straightened, letting go of the chair as she attempted to break for the door. Hendry slid smoothly, standing over her to keep her in place. This was not something she could hide from, he would not allow it.

“Ye promised that ye would do anythin’ in exchange for savin’ yer brother. Perhaps,” he suggested, his voice low and dangerous, his frustration bleeding through, “ye should begin trustin’ the man ye agreed to marry rather than questionin’ every decision he makes.”

For a beat, she stared at him, her green eyes wide with a cross between fear and something that burned so hot it seemed to warm the air around her. They were close, only inches apart. It would take nothing for him to reach out and touch her.

His fingers twitched at his side as though they had a mind of their own.

Finally, she made a noise of frustration, pushing past him and making her exit. She stopped at the threshold, her hand on the knob. “We have had this discussion before. I will only do as duty demands of me. Nay more and nay less.”

She slipped out then, leaving Hendry alone with a burning in his chest and an ache in his palms.

Chapter Ten

“Imust get to the herbs today,” Hendry said, setting his quill down. He flexed his fingers, banishing the stiffness from them. “I should have checked them over yesterday. The storm surely did a bit of damage.”

Willy made a noise of acknowledgment, grabbing the stack of parchment and scanning through it. As he was reviewing the pages, he muttered, “I will take these to the elders, then. If they need anythin’ else, I will come and find ye.”

Hendry grunted, rising from his seat and stepping over to his window. He could see the corner of his garden, the greens and purples and whites of the plants swaying in the breeze. Even from this far away, he could tell that they needed some assistance. The pattern in which they moved seemed wrong to him.

“They shouldnae,” he said, stopping just before he turned around. He could not be sure, but he swore that he had seen something moving through the fields, a flash that was there and then gone the next instant.

“I’m nae doubtin’ yer ability to write a report,” Willy said. The pages whispered against each other as he flipped through them. “Ye are more thorough than anyone I ken. I think demandin’ more of ye is their way of feelin’ like they are in control. They ken better than to challenge ye directly, especially because they do trust yer judgment.”

Hendry did not answer, leaning forward and squinting, every one of his senses focused on what might be sliding through his garden. One of the plants was moving as if it had a mind of its own. Then, a second later, the same shape from before stood. It was obscured by the thick leaves, stalks, and flowers, but as the figure moved through the rows of herbs a form he recognized began to come into view.

Fiery, curled hair caught the sunlight, making the woman who had no business being out of the castle shine like a beacon. Aurora was moving slowly, her fingers trailing along the plants. Though he could not see her face, he was sure she was muttering to herself as she worked. If he had to guess, she had decided that she would sneak away to do chores despite the warnings she had received from him, Mrs. Duncan, and Bella.

“Connivin’ thief.”

“What was that?” Willy asked, stepping forward when he caught the words that were whispered beneath Hendry’s breath. He was glancing over Hendry’s shoulder, trying to find what had been troubling him.

“Nothin’,” Hendry said as he turned around and strode toward the door. “If me council has further questions, they may call a meetin’ for tomorrow.”

Moving under the guise of protecting his plants rather than concern for Aurora’s health, Hendry stepped out into the corridor. The servants moved out of his way as he marched through the halls and out of the castle. Sunbeams fell across his face, and a fragrant waft of air tousled his hair. Somewhere in the distance, a solitary bird let out a long, mournful cry.

It was a pleasant day, the women of the clan gathered in the courtyard and floral gardens as they chattered, most of them were walking at a leisurely pace, while others sat with their faces turned toward the sky. Had he found Aurora among them, he might be less strict, giving her a bit of leniency. As it were, she was pushing herself much too far, much too fast.

I shouldnae care more about her well-bein’ than she does.

He did not stop moving until he reached the edge of his fields. She was not in the same place that he had seen from his study, and he cursed under his breath as he began walking through the foliage. There was a chance that she was simply kneeling by one of the bushier plants, but his mind threatened to jump to the worst-case scenario.

After nearly a minute of searching, he started to become worried that she had collapsed into one of the bushes. He moved faster, his eyes scanning the ground to ensure she was not lying in the dirt unseen. Pushing past the panic that threatened to rise in his chest, he moved through the rows with meticulous attention.

Swallowing around his increased heartrate, he came to a stop in the middle of the field. There was not anyone else with him. Continuing to search would be a waste of his time. He would look insane. But telling himself that did not stop him from feeling frantic.

Did I imagine seein’ her here?

It seemed that she was drawing all sorts of new reactions out of him. This, he thought, was concerning. She was so present in his mind that he was seeing her when she was not there. How long until his people noticed and called him mentally unfit to lead? How long until he lost his last semblance of self-control?

Just as he began to believe he was losing his mind, his eyes caught the door of his cabin cracked open, something that he had never done himself. With a noise of disbelief, he started picking his way through the fields, careful not to disturb the plants any further. Each step he took revealed another small imperfection in the herbs he had meticulously cared for.

Ach, she must have seen it from her window. If she werenae still weak, I may have thanked her.