“I’m here, me Laird!” she announced, her voice bright despite the exhaustion in her eyes.
Murdock stopped a few paces away, crossing his arms over his chest. He kept his expression cold. “Why?”
She blinked, some of the brightness fading. “Well, ye saved me life… so it’s yers now!”
The words hit him harder than they should have. He ruthlessly ignored the feeling.
“And them?” He gestured to the red-haired boy beside her, who was trying very hard to look brave, and the cat, who chose that moment to hiss at him with impressive malice.
“Well, by savin' me, ye saved them too,” Leona said, as if that explained everything.
Murdock narrowed his eyes. This was a complication he didn’t need. Didn’t want. “A word? In private?”
He saw a flicker of panic cross her face before she masked it with a smile. “Of course, me Laird.”
He led her down the corridor to his study, acutely aware of her presence behind him. She smelled of horse and heather and something sweet beneath it all. Something that made his jaw tighten.
Inside the study, he closed the door and turned to face her. This close, he could see the dark circles under her eyes, the way her hands trembled slightly as she set the cat down. The animal immediately began exploring, tail high.
“What does this mean?” Murdock demanded, keeping his voice hard. “I thought we parted ways nae owin' each other anything.”
Leona’s smile faltered. “I wish that were true, me Laird. But after ye left, Ragnall—that is Keith’s brother—took over. He wants to marry me, to finish what Keith started.”
Something dark twisted in Murdock’s gut. Another man wanting to possess her. Another threat to her safety. He crushed the feeling ruthlessly.
“And?”
“And I didnae ken what to do. I had nowhere to go. So I… thought to visit.”
“How long?” The question came out sharper than he had intended.
Leona bit her lip, and Murdock’s eyes tracked the movement before he could stop himself. “Well, maybe about… five years?”
“What?” The word exploded from him.
“Until me brother is old enough to take over the Lairdship,” she said quickly. “He’s only fourteen now, but in five years?—”
“Absolutely nae.” Murdock turned away, needing distance from her, from the hope in her eyes. “I willnae risk another war, lass. I have a daughter to protect. Ye can spend the night here and then leave.”
The silence that followed was deafening.
When he turned back, Leona’s eyes were bright with unshed tears. But she blinked them away, straightening her spine with visible effort. That stubborn tilt to her chin returned.
“Of course,” she said softly. “Ye’re right, me Laird. I apologize for the imposition. And thank ye for allowin' us to stay the night, it’s very generous of ye.”
She moved closer, and Murdock’s body tensed. She was so small compared to him, barely reaching his shoulder. But there was steel in her spine, strength in the set of her jaw.
Her hand rose, and before he could react, her fingers brushed the scar Keith’s guard had carved into his cheek. Her touch was gentle, almost reverent, and it sent heat racing through his veins like lightning.
“How are ye healin'?” she asked softly, her eyes searching his face.
Murdock’s jaw clenched. “Fine.”
Her gaze dropped to his stomach, where his tunic covered the wound there. “And the other one?”
“Fine,” he repeated, more harshly this time.
But she didn’t flinch. She just smiled, sad and small. “Good. I’m glad.”
