Hannah sighed, closing her eyes. “Daenae forget yer key. I mean it, Violet. If I nod off again, I daenae want to be woken.”
Life resumes as normal when ye return,she reminded herself.I cannae bury me head under the pillow and forget him forever, can I?
Violet didn’t respond, and Hannah propped herself up on her elbow, squinting. “Violet, I mean it! Take yer key!”
The door slammed shut in response. She could almost imagine Violet bouncing happily down the path, humming to herself.
Silence crowded into the cottage, still and intense.
It was the worst part, really. Violet was out of the cottage. While she was at home, she’d hum and whistle and sing, even talking to herself occasionally when not much conversation could be coaxed out of Hannah. All that chat made it difficult to bear the silence once she was gone.
There’d been a few visitors since Hannah returned home. Duncan came, of course. They all smiled sympathetically and congratulated her on returning home. Aiden was tactfully not mentioned.
I wish they’d mention him.I’m nae a wee bairn.
Well then,chirped up a voice at the back of her head.If ye arenae a bairn, daenae act like one, eh?
Shewasacting like a child. There was no getting around that. But life went on, and there was nothing to be gained by?—
Thump-thump-thump.
A quick, impatient knock sounded at the door.
Scowling, Hannah pushed herself up on her elbows.
“I told ye to bring yer key, Violet,” she muttered. “But did ye listen to me? Nay, of course nae.”
The knock came again, more urgently this time.
With a sigh, she scrambled to her feet and padded down the hall toward the door.
“What did ye forget this time?” she sighed, unlocking the door and wrenching it open. “I told ye to?—”
The words died in her throat.
It wasn’t Violet on the doorstep. Now, it seemed ridiculous to imagine that it mighthave been Violet.
Aiden stood there, watching her intently. The wind ruffled his plaid around him, mussing his hair, but aside from that, he was motionless.
“Good day to ye, lass,” he murmured, eyes watchful.
Her hands flew to her hair, sure that it was sticking up in the back where she’d been sleeping on her side. Oh, and itwas. She bit back a groan.
“What are ye doing here?” she stammered. “I…”
“I came to see ye, of course,” he replied smoothly, lifting his chin. “Going to invite me in?”
She paused. She could say no, of course. She could say that she was busy, or that she was just going out, or simply that she didn’t wantto see him.
What would he do, then? Would he insist? Would he slink off?
No, he wouldn’t slink off. Aiden wasn’t the sort of man who slunk anywhere, not under any circumstances.
Would he leave, perhaps? Leave and not come back?
Perhaps that would be better.
“Come in,” she heard herself saying instead.
