She meant it as a joke, an effort to lighten the mood, but Niall didn’t smile.
He rubbed his face and then pinched the bridge of his nose before smoothing his features into some semblance of calm. “How are things at the mill?”
“The fire’s out,” Charlie said with a shrug. “Although only the stonework survived. Joseph reckons we can rebuild, though.”
A faint smile came to Niall’s face. “We? Ye said we.”
She had, hadn’t she?We.When had she begun to think of herself as one of them?
“That’s right,” she said, tilting her chin. “Because we are in this together, aren’t we?”
Niall watched her for several heartbeats, something shifting behind his eyes. Then he nodded. “Aye,” he said softly. “We are.”
Charlie tried to ignore the way her stomach fluttered at that. “Where have you been?” she pressed. “I wasn’t kidding when I said you looked ready to commit murder.”
Niall exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “I went to see Boyd MacAllister.”
Charlie stiffened. “MacAllister? Why?”
“Because I know he ordered the mill burned.”
Her mind reeled. “But why? What does he gain from that?”
Niall let out a humorless chuckle and leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling before looking at her again. “Control. Power. He wants me to kneel, Charlotte. And this—” he gestured vaguely at the room, at the burned-out shell of the mill beyond the walls “—this is his way of showing me what happens if I dinna.”
“Wait!” Charlie said suddenly. “This isn’t because I insulted him the other day is it?”
Niall snorted. “I’m sure he’s still smarting from that, lass. But no. This is about more than that.”
Charlie frowned, trying to piece it together. “So why does he care so much aboutyou? This feels personal.”
Niall went still. He looked away, jaw clenching, as if debating something. Then, in a low voice, he said, “Itispersonal. MacAllister has made it personal by involving Bryce.”
Charlie’s breath caught. “Bryce? Your brother?”
He nodded once, sharply. “Bryce was there, Charlotte. With MacAllister. The two of them have some sort of alliance, business arrangement, call it what ye will. I havenae seen him for years and then to see him dining with that snake...” He blew out a breath. “It was...difficult to see.”
It was the most vulnerable she’d ever seen him, the pain in his voice unmistakable. Charlie’s heart ached for him.
“Niall...” she said softly, stepping closer. “I’m sorry.”
He huffed a laugh. “Dinna be. My brothers might be alive but I lost them a long time ago. I’ve come to terms with that.” But the way his voice wavered told her otherwise.
Charlie hesitated, then carefully sat on the edge of his desk, close enough that their knees brushed. “I know what it’s like,” she said, her voice quieter now. “To lose family.”
Niall’s gaze lifted to hers, curious.
“My parents died when I was a kid. A car...um...carriage accident. One minute, I had them, and the next... they were just gone.” She swallowed. “My aunt and uncle took me in. I used to dream that my parents weren’t really dead. That they’d just... been lost somehow, and one day they’d find their way back to me.” She gave a small, sad smile. “But they never did.”
A muscle ticked in Niall’s jaw, his expression unreadable. Then, to her surprise, he reached out, his fingers brushing lightly against hers.
“I’m sorry, lass,” he murmured. “That must have been a hard thing to bear.”
Charlie felt warmth spread through her at the simple sincerity of his words. “It was. But I survived. I found people who cared about me. And I think, in a way, that’s what really matters.Whowe hold on to.”
For a long moment, they just looked at each other.
Then Niall’s fingers curled around hers. “Aye,” he said softly. “And family isnae always defined by blood.”
