“I treat him well. The secret to most everything in this life. He gets plenty of exercise and fine food, and he’s always rewarded for difficult journeys. I train with him often. Do you know my wife used to sneak out to feed my first warhorse apples whenever he brought me home safely from battle? She thought I didn’t know, but I could tell just by the way he always nudged her, his muzzle targeting the pockets she used to sew in her gowns.”
“Didn’t the horse hold more loyalty to her?”
“Nay, he sensed my relationship with her. Now back to that other issue.”
“Issue?” Derric had no idea any issue had been raised.
“Treat others well. I’m pleased you have an interest in my granddaughter, but I must act in my son’s place since he is not here. What are your intentions with Dyna?”
Derric had to catch himself from falling off his horse. Alex glanced over and arched a brow at him. Swallowing hard, he decided honesty was the best approach. He doubted he could fool someone so wise and experienced. “’Struth is I’m unsure. I like Dyna, but with the war going on, we haven’t had enough of a chance to see if we suit. I’d like to find out. I came to visit Joya, but I also wished to spend more time with Dyna. She’s a fine lass, my lord. But I don’t know if she has any interest in me or in marriage.”
“You’re willing to offer marriage?”
“I would like to explore the possibility.” Derric cleared his throat. He hadn’t expected such direct questions, although he respected the man for being clear.
Unlike Els and Alasdair.
“Where do you go from here? And where is your permanent home?”
“I don’t have a permanent home. Ever since my parents were killed, I’ve traveled the land of the Scots to fight for our freedom, first with William Wallace and now with King Robert. The forest is my home. I quite enjoy a cooked meal and a soft bed on occasion.”
“Feel free to offer for her, or discuss the possibility with Dyna, but make sure my granddaughter isn’t in that soft bed unless you’ve said your vows. Our clan accepts handfasting, so do not think to get her with child without handfasting first.” The man kept his eyes straight ahead, Derric blushing with sweatdripping out of his pores. He’d never dealt with the father of a love interest.
He’d never had another love interest.
The man wasn’t going to leave him be. Perhaps fighting the boar might have been easier.
He supposed he needed to make a comment about that statement, so he mumbled, “Understood.”
“What is it that draws you to my granddaughter?”
Her arse probably wasn’t the best answer, though it was his first thought. But Dyna had many other fine qualities. “Many reasons, if I’m truthful with you. I enjoy bantering with her—she has a biting sense of humor that I quite enjoy. Of course you know she’s a beautiful woman, and she’s fierce and highly skilled with her bow.” He hoped he’d given enough reasons. He couldn’t think of any others at the moment. Gripping the reins was becoming a challenge so he alternated hands, wiping the sweat from his palms onto his trews.
Alex’s next statement served as a warning. He could tell in the way he held his profile. “You will be kind to her soft heart. Do not do anything to damage it or change her. If you will promise me that much, you have my blessing to pursue her. I don’t worry about your travels. She would prefer to wander the Highlands, I think, as if she’s honor bound to protect the land herself. I cannot stop her from traveling, but I trust you to treat her with respect and guard her soft heart. That much I must insist on.”
“Her soft heart?” Derric was so stunned by those words, words he’d never tied to the lass, that he wasn’t sure how to react. “I’ve never seen any evidence of a soft heart. She’s a hardened warrior, no disrespect intended, my lord.”
Alex Grant stopped his horse and turned him to face Derric. “I suppose I could understand that comment since you’ve only been around her during verra trying times, but my instinct is to send you away for that. Dyna has the softest heart of any of mygrandbairns. If you haven’t taken the time or invested the effort to see that truth, then you don’t deserve the honor of courting her. You have a short time to see if you can meet that quest, but if you still believe your statement after that, I’ll send you off MacLintock land.”
In that case, it was a good thing he hadn’t told the patriarch the reasoning behind his pet name for Dyna. While he’d seen glimpses of Dyna’s soft heart in the spring—what hard-hearted woman would set out to rescue a bairn?—but she’d been so full of rage toward the lassie’s uncaring father that it had eclipsed any show of warmth.
Alex turned his horse around and headed back toward their original location, stirring up a cloud of dust in his direction.
The wizened warrior had challenged him to a quest that he had no idea how to accomplish. How did one find out about a lass’s heart?
He may have escaped being attacked by a wild hog, but he felt like he’d just been strung up by his bollocks.
Chapter Sixteen
Alex makes a decision to save his family.
Alexander Grant stood in the middle of the forest, talking to the person whose assistance he’d sought.
“Are you sure about this?” the other asked.
“Aye. I aim to put an end to this. They stole my grandson, my daughter, and they’ve put my family through hell trying to get to me. DeFry and Busby came to MacLintock land and said Edward’s son will not stop until he has my head.”
“You think giving him what he wants is the answer?”
