He held his hand out to her. “How about that ride?”
“I’d love that.”
The invitation was much too difficult to refuse. She placed her hand in his. He closed his warm fingers around hers and led her to the stable. And for that moment, there was only her and Jamie and nothing else mattered.
But on their way to the stables, she shivered in the cold wind. She didn’t have her coat. “I forgot my coat.”
“Dinnae fash,” he said, giving her winning smile.
He unfastened his own cloak and handed it to her. She stared at the offering, her heart doing a quick ka-thud.
“Oh, I couldn’t.” She shook her head, but he walked around and placed the cloak on her shoulders.
“Ye can.”
The cloak was still warm from his body heat. She pulled it tighter around her frame, enjoying the feel. In this century, chivalry was stillalive and well. She could get used to that.
She followed him to the stables. She couldn’t help but notice his limp. It seemed worse today than it was the day before as though the pain was more intense. In the stable, the horses were saddled and ready, as though he expected her to arrive at any moment. That was endearing, really. She loved that he wanted to be with her.
Jamie called out to his brother that he was going to check the perimeter. He winced a bit as he climbed into the saddle. Clearly, the ache in his leg pained him. Once they were ready, they trotted through the bailey and out the portcullis. She kept pace with him as they headed away from the castle. He pulled his horse up next to hers and slowed to a walk.
“I dinnae ken what this trouble is with ye and yer sisters, lass, but I do ken Evie has been waiting for ye to arrive since ye first appeared in the tapestry.”
She appreciated his attempt to make her feel better. “I have a better relationship with Evie than I do with Chloe.”
“Why is that?” It was a genuine question of curiosity.
“I think Chloe thinks I’ve had a charmed life.”
He gave her the side-eye while smiling. Those dimples deep in his cheeks showed. It was starting to be her favorite thing about him. “Have ye?”
When she realized he was kidding, she laughed. “Hardly.”
She mulled over what to tell him as they took their time to walk around the perimeter of the castle. The sky was dotted with thick, gray and white clouds. Only a break here and there allowed slashes of morning light through. Being here in the Highlands, though, Brianna appreciated the wild, untamed, yet beautiful, landscape. Even if it weren’t for her. She longed for her sunny beaches and her warm ocean breezes.
“When our parents died, I was the one who took care of Evie and Chloe until they were able to make it on their own,”she said. “It was a hard period of my life. I was going through a bad relationship breakup at the time, so I probably wasn’t the most fun to be around.”
After the failure of her marriage, she decided she’d never marry again. She was done with that. As soon as she was able, she’d returned to Puerto Rico to finalize her divorce. He’d already found a new girl and was living in their apartment with her. That was the moment that had changed everything for her. The moment she’d decided she would throw herself into her business. The moment she’d decided casual relationships were better than commitments.
“I’m sorry for ye,” he said.
“Oh, don’t be. I brought a lot of trouble on myself.” She tried to say it with good humor.
“Mayhap ye should talk to them both to reconcile.”
Truthfully, she had thought about it more than once since they’d departed on poor terms. She couldn’t seem to bring herself to do it. When Evie called to invite her to the gala, she’d ignored the olive branch and tossed it aside. She should have taken it. She should have accepted her invitation. Maybe then, none of this would have happened. Or, maybe, things would have happened differently.
“Teothaidh an fhuil ris an fhuil.”
The sound of his native Gaelic language was lyrical as it lilted on his tongue. She tilted her head to one side. “What does that mean?”
“Blood warms to blood. Family will always support each other, no matter the reason.”
A modern phrase leapt to her mind.Blood is thicker than water.Perhaps Jamie was right. Perhaps she would find a way to clear the air with Chloe. She would consider it.
“Are you saying I should find a way to reconcile with her?” she asked.
“I’m saying that sometimes family is more important than anything else.”
