She crossed her arms. She couldn’t believe she was arguing with a stranger, but Dorothea’s little hands grasped her sodden skirt, and Catriona decided then and there that she was willing to argue with anyone if it meant keeping this little girl safe.
“Who are you?” she asked, not moving.
Clearly this man expected her to move. The fact that she hadn’t sent surprise skittering across his face. “Excuse me?”
“I think you heard me just fine.”
“The audacity of this woman. I sincerely hope you are not bold and mannerless with everyone you meet.”
“Only a select few receive the luxury of my brashness,” she stated with a humorless smile. “And you, good sir, have landed yourself at the top of my list. You’re obviously frightening her, so I do not feel comfortable stepping out the way when I do not know your intentions.”
“Nor do I know yours,” he growled.
A thrill went through her body. Catriona stood her ground though something told her that she was playing with fire. “My only intention is to protect her.”
“You do not know her.”
“You do not know that, nor does that matter.”
He said nothing, only glaring at her, so she glared back. Sensing the tension, Nina trotted to Catriona’s side and let out a low growl.
The man sighed suddenly, rolling his eyes to the heavens. His lips moved, but Catriona didn’t hear what he said, as if he was whispering something to himself.
“Dorothea, come out,” he called.
The tiny hand gripping the back of her skirt disappeared, and Dorothea appeared at her side. Catriona resisted the urge to pull her back behind her.
“I’m sorry, Daddy.”
Daddy?
Suddenly, Dorothea let it all out. “I knew I shouldn’t have snuck away from my lessons, but Mrs. Hansen was not paying me any mind, and I grew bored, so I thought that I could come down to the river like we used to since it’s been a while, and then before I knew it I went beyond the fence, but then I saw Nina, and she startled me, and I fell in the river and then?—”
“Dorothea, breathe.” To Catriona’s surprise, his voice was gentle. He lowered himself down to meet Dorothea at eye level.
Dorothea took in a large breath, blowing it out her mouth, making a small breeze that stirred the man’s dark hair. “She saved me. She pulled me out of the river.”
“You know that you shouldn’t come down here by yourself, Dory. You cannot swim.”
“I wasn’t planning on swimming!” Dorothea protested immediately. “I was just going to dip my feet in for a while. I didn’t expect there to be anyone else.”
He sighed, looking as if he was struggling to figure out what to say next. As if he was crossed between chastising her and telling her that everything was all right.
He must have settled on neither because he simply rose and faced Catriona. Catriona pulled her shoulders back, bracing herself.
“I take it Nina is your dog?” he asked.
She nodded slowly. “She is.”
“You need to keep her on a leash. Or under control at the very least.”
“Does she not look under control to you?” Catriona challenged without a moment’s hesitation. Nina, to her credit, simply sat back on her haunches. “She is far more well-mannered than any dog you may own yourself, I assure you.”
The man looked less than impressed which irked Catriona more than anything else. But to her surprise, he said, “Forgive me. I should not have been so aggressive earlier. I was simply worried sick as I’d been searching for my daughter all over.”
Catriona nodded, reining in the irritation. He was simply a concerned father. She couldn’t truly blame him for his actions because of it.
“Apology accepted,” she told him.
