“Will you answer me?” he said sternly.
“What are you doing here?” said a voice behind him.
Jamie turned to see Colen enter the chamber, and then the girl dashed across the room and flew into Colen’s arms.
An unexpected jealousy took hold of Jamie. Here was a vision he had searched for, had dreamed of countless times. And she was in his brother’s arms. Colen had found her before Jamie had.
“Tell me what you’ve done to the lass,” Colen said angrily.
“Done!” Jamie exploded. “I’ve done naught but stand here and talk with her. But the moment she learned who I was, she acted as if I were the devil himself. I want to know why.”
Colen’s brows knit in confusion. “Sheena?” he tried to question her, but she clung to him and wouldn’t speak.
“Well?” Jamie demanded.
“Stop it, Jamie,” Colen replied. “Can you no’ see she’s upset?”
“I’m no’ too happy myself,” Jamie growled. “I want to know who she is and why you felt the need to lock her in your room.”
“She’s just a poor lass, Jamie, with no home or family to speak of. She was staying at the poorhouse in Aberdeen.”
“A beggar. I see. And the rest of it?”
“This is no’ the time—ouch!”
Sheena pinched Colen and shoved him away. “You’ll tell himallof it, Colen. Now.”
“So the lass has found her tongue.”
Sheena swung around to face Jamie but then backed away. She still couldn’t bring herself to speak to James MacKinnion, not after all she had heard about him.
If she had not been so frightened, she would have seen his resemblance to his brother, though Colen’s hair was reddish-orange and Jamie’s was yellow-gold. But The MacKinnion was so young looking and so handsome. There was not a mean line in hisface! Was this really her dreaded enemy? He was certainly not what she’d imagined the savage MacKinnion looked like.
Jamie sighed and sat down on the bed. “Colen, lad, I’m close to losing my patience with the both of you. I’m asking you for the last time to tell me what goes on here.”
Colen swallowed hard, then blurted, “I want to marry her.”
“Marry?” Jamie laughed. “You’ve already got her, so why bother?”
Sheena flushed bright red at the assumption being made. It was so typically arrogant, exactly what she could have expected of a Highlander—this one in particular.
Colen frowned darkly. “You’re no’ to insult her, Jamie. “Tis no’ what you think.”
“Marriage was her idea, no doubt?”
“She’s no’ made up her mind yet. It is I who want to wed.”
“Colen!” Sheena warned.
“All right!” Colen snapped, furious. “She says she willna marry me.”
“But she came here with you?”
Colen lowered his gaze. “I…I took her.”
Jamie fell back on the bed and laughed heartily. “Och, Colen, what am I to do with you? Have you no’ learned there are enough girls for the asking? You dinna have to take one who’s no’ willing.”
“There’s no other like Sheena.”
