Page 13 of How to Woo a Highlander

His jaw ticked as he suddenly wanted to explain himself further, to show her that his anger had been personal and uncontrollable for a good reason.

"It happened to me. I was only a lad, 17 at the time, when the English came and slaughtered me faither outside our home before burnin' it to the ground. Maither died a few years after as she couldnae go on without him. I have hated yer people ever since," he said.

Jane said nothing, and he was relieved that she did not. He was not sure he would have been able to tolerate it if she had apologized.

"I cannae tell ye that I will stop hatin' yer people, Miss Baxendale… but I nay longer believe that I need to hate ye." He left out the fact that he had wanted to stop hating her from the moment he saw her and how difficult it was for him to continue to convince himself to do so.

She smiled softly at his words, and his heart began to race at how beautiful her smile was. It was the first time she smiled at him, and all of a sudden, he forgot why he had been depriving himself of such a beautiful thing. He balled up his fist to keep his hand from reaching out for her.

"Thank you, Mr. Bain," she said, and for the first time since they met, Alastair gave her a small smile back.

"Ye're welcome," he muttered. She was looking at him with something akin to awe, but he was sure he looked the same. He knew that she was probably looking at him that way because it was the first time he’d smiled at her, but for him, he was marveling at how beautiful she was.

It was because they were both so engrossed in each other's gaze that when Lain spoke, it nearly gave him a heart attack, and they shot away from each other at lightning speed.

"Och, I ken that I was right, and I saw ye two!" Lain said heartily, even as Alastair stared at him with wide eyes. It was as though he had appeared out of thin air. Not caring to ask if he could join them, Lain plopped down between the two of them and leaned back to lie in the grass with his eyes closed.

“Ah, that took a lot out of me. I was walking for so long!” he complained.

Alastair exchanged a look with Jane, who seemed just as surprised as he was at Lain's sudden appearance. He could not help but feel somewhat unhappy as his time with her had been cut short, but he swallowed his disappointment and instead nudged his friend's shoulder with his elbow.

"Are ye a ghost? Where did ye come from? What are ye even doin' here?" he asked. Lain popped one eye open and pointed at Alastair.

"To keep an eye on ye, of course," Lain said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Alastair gave him a confused look. "To keep an eye on me?" he asked even as Jane began to giggle.

"William told me that ye were to take Jane to see the clan lands. I just ken that ye would bring her here to make her feel bad, so I followed ye two to make sure that ye didnae bully her."

Alastair looked up to meet Jane's gaze. Now that Lain was with them, she seemed more relaxed, and she was grinning. He felt a pang at the fact that he could not make her smile like that but suppressed it. He had no business thinking of such things, and it was his fault that she was more comfortable with everyone else than with him.

"I didnae bring her here to make her feel bad!" he defended to which Lain only arched a brow.

"There are other villages, ye ken. Ye chose this one just to bully her, admit it," Lain said. Alastair sighed exasperatedly, turning to Jane.

"Miss Baxendale, have I bullied ye in any way?" he asked, allowing himself to slip into the banter Lain was starting. Jane gave him a playful grin, making his heart skip a beat as she pretended to consider if he had or not. He chuckled and shook his head.

"A little bit," she teased. Lain let out a mock gasp of surprise.

"Only a little bit? Oh me heavens, then that is a shock."

Alastair could only shake his head at them both as the two continued to joke. He had wanted her to see what his people were going through,but it was not because he was trying to make her feel bad. It was to show her since she had said she knew nothing about them.

Next time, he would take her to see the other villages and show her the beauty of his clan.

"I still cannae believe ye came all the way here just because ye suspected we would be here. Ye truly have nothin' to dae now, dae ye?" Alastair asked, allowing himself into their conversation.

"Alas, such is the life of a handsome and leisurely prince," Lain said with a flourish, causing Alastair to snort.

"Ye are nay prince, ye dobber," he said, laughing when Lain pounced on him, trying to roll him down the hill.

Instead, he tossed Lain off him and watched as he rolled down the slope before coming to rest at the bottom of the hill. The three laughed, and ended up spending the rest of the day in each other’s company.

Chapter Seven

That morning marked the eighth day that Jane had spent in the Highlands, and things were a lot better than they had been when she first arrived. She was now on amicable terms with all three men in the castle. The only person left who still gave her hateful glares was Suisan.

Alastair had explained that Suisan's past was similar to his as the English had murdered her parents. At breakfast, Suisan looked at the men as though they’d betrayed her, and she was always the first to leave.