Her footsteps faltered at the memory.
How could she have forgotten all the time he’d spent trying to carry out her father’s wishes for her? Had she been so determined to separate herself from him because of his hatred for her mother that she’d locked away all those little moments where he tried to show her kindness? And only now, when it was too late, she remembered.
Pain seared her heart at the knowledge of her loss. Her grandfather had cared for her. The realization brought a fresh onslaught of sorrow and memories.
She’d been thirteen. When he’d accused her of not trying hard enough to learn the Greek she’d yelled at him, demanding that if he wanted her to learn another language he should teach her in her mother’s language. His face had paled and he’d stormed from her room, and after he’d gone, she’d cried for hours.
The rains had lasted for days afterward, coming down so hard the bailey had been riddled with running water that looked like miniature rivers.
Her breath caught and she reached out to the nearest tree to steady herself.
That was it! That was what wasn’t as it should be.
She turned to run home, screaming when she smacked directly in the wall of man standing behind her.
“Christ, woman,” Robert panted, grabbing Isa’s wrists to keep her from pounding her fists against his already aching chest. “It’s me.”
She looked up at him then, gulping in great gasps of air, her eyes wild.
When it became apparent she was calming, he let go of her and she backed away, but not before smacking his arm with her open hand.
“What in the name of all that’s holy were you thinking, sneaking up on me like that?”
He hadn’t sneaked, hadn’t made any attempt to cover the noise of his approach. She’d been oblivious, and that had only served to spark his own anger.
“Do you never give any thought to yer own safety? I could have been anybody. One of Lardiner’s men or even the man himself. You were blundering about out here like some blind woman when I found you.”
Vacillating between anger and fear, he glared at her, making no move as she gathered her wits. Fear finally won and he reached out, pulling her to him, crushing her to his chest.
“Christ, Isa.” He hadn’t realized how worried he’d been until this very moment and now that he’d found her, unharmed, his stomach fluttered as if it might empty its contents right here on the forest floor. “Coming out here alone was an incredibly stupid thing to do.”
“Yer right. I admit it,” she said against his chest, making no attempt to pull away from him. “And I’m so glad you’ve come for me, Robbie. Everything’s gone all wrong, and I dinna ken what to do anymore.”
Her words were all he needed to hear.
“I’ll tell you exactly what yer going to do. Yer coming with me, and when we get back to the cottage, we pack up Jamie and head for MacQuarrie Keep. And I’m no letting you out of my sight until we reach there, so dinna even think of trying something like this again.”
“I promise,” she whispered, dragging her hands down her cheeks to wipe away the tears.
He hated seeing her so upset, but time was clearly running out for him. If this was what it took to get her to agree to leaving her home, then so be it.
They made their way back toward the cottage in silence, his arm protectively around her shoulders until she dragged her feet to a stop, pulling against him.
Robert clenched his teeth to keep from yelling out his frustration. If she’d changed her mind again, he thought, he might lose his mind.
“We’ve no time to waste, Isa.”
He nudged her forward but she ducked out from under his arm, turning to face him.
“Have you noticed what a lovely, calm day it’s been? No a cloud or drop of rain in sight?”
The weather? The daft woman wanted to discuss the damned weather?
“It’s a beauty,” he ground out, catching up her hand and starting forward, all but dragging her behind him. “An ab-so-freaking-lutely gorgeous damned day. All right? Now let’s get on with it.”
Isa planted her feet and pulled her hand from his, crossing her arms around her waist as if she were going to be ill.
“That’s just it. There should have been thunder and lightning, and the ground itself heaving up and breaking apart under our feet. I was that angry, Robbie.”
