“Fine,” she said aloud, relieved to hear that her voice did not tremble. “I’ll do what ye want for three months, nae a day longer. Now, what is yer plan? Will ye introduce me to her as her maid?”
Ryder held out the book, and Megan snatched it gratefully, pressing it to her chest.
“About that,” Ryder said carefully, leaning back against the desk once more and folding his arms. There was a faint, mischievous smile on his face, which Megan did not like, not one bit.
“About what?” she echoed. “What are ye nae tellin’ me?”
He let out a slow breath. “The thing is, Alaina already has a maid. Her name is Flora, and she’s Ewan’s wife. She serves as Sophie’s nurse, and she’s good at what she does. We love her and trust her, and Alaina would never stand for her being replaced. I wouldnae replace her meself, in fact. But throwin’ in a second maid into the mix is too heavy-handed. Alaina is clever enough to see through it.”
“I see,” Megan responded cautiously. “So then what?”
I kent I shouldnae have trusted him. He’s dangerous; I just ken it. He cannae be trusted. If it wasnae for Da’s book, I’d run right out of this room.
Megan wasn’t entirely sure that was true. Part of her began to feel her feet rooted to the ground, refusing to let her move away.It was as if he were a magnet, drawing her toward him, and that was a worrying sensation.
Attraction, she knew, was a snare. It made a person forgive and forget when something should always be remembered, or hold on to something that should have been let go long ago.
And yet here she was.
“As I said, Alaina will hate ye if ye are introduced to her as just another guard,” Ryder sighed. “She’ll try to escape ye, and I imagine it’ll be easier for her to escape just one person instead of a whole fleet of guards.”
“So, what will I be introduced to her as, then?”
He tilted his head, grinning wolfishly. “Why, as me betrothed, of course.”
CHAPTER 4
Frankly,Ryder had been poised to receive a slap. No, not a slap. Megan didn’t seem like the slapping kind. She seemed like thepunchingtype. Yes, that seemed right. She’d deliver a cracking blow to his chin or something like that. It would be impressive, but hardly a knockout blow.
She only ran her hand across her forehead, though, staring at him as if he’d grown a second head.
“Betrothed?Betrothed?” she yelped. “Are ye mad, man?”
He narrowed his eyes. The lass was far too cheeky. Ryder was used to people stepping carefully around him, minding their manners, and saying what they thought he’d want to hear. Oh, of course, that grew irritating after a while. Sometimes it seemed that the only person who would tell him the truth and speak their mind was Ewan.
Steady now,he reminded himself.She might be able to keep Alaina safe, but that doesnae mean ye can trust her with other matters. Never forget that a laird has nay friends. None. Nae one.
“Can ye think of any other solutions?” he shot back, recovering.
Megan’s eyes flared. She came stamping toward him, a little too close for comfort, peering up into his face. Her face was flushed with anger, those sky-blue eyes dancing and jumping in her face.
She’s beautiful when she’s angry,Ryder thought, and immediately wished he hadn’t. It would be the easiest thing in the world to snatch her up in his arms and press her against him. He could turn her around and set her on the desk.
He wanted to kiss her.
This was a horrific development. Ryder could have married a dozen times over, of course. Just about every lady in the Keep would like to marry a laird, aside from a few more sensible women like Flora. Desire only clouded the mind, and Ryder had no time or inclination for love in his life at all.
So he turned pointedly away, breathing through his mouth so as not to breathe in Megan’s scent—which was a herby sort of smell, deliciously laced with lavender—and cleared his throat. He wished he had the uncomfortable MacCulloch throne to sit on, to banish the tendrils of arousal creeping through his gut.
“There must be somethin’ else,” she said at last. He couldn’t read her expression, on account of havin’ his back turned to her.
“Well, then, let’s hear yer ideas,” he said heavily.
There was a silence that stretched on for a moment.
“I could be yer cousin,” she said at last.
He snorted. “These are me sisters. They know that there’s nay hidden cousins.”
