Page 68 of A Dangerous Highland Affair

“Aye, we have hard times, but most of us have a family who can help us out or friends in the local area who can get us work… but my family, we, didnae have that…,” Neacal broke off, feeling the tide of emotion ride up in his body.

“What do ye mean?” Teasag asked him curiously. Her pure blue eyes bored straight into his. “When ye said ye didnae have any family, was this what ye meant?”

“Aye,” said Neacal, after a pause. “I’ve been on my own since the age o’ eleven… younger really, because for years afore that my ma was too sick to work or look after us…”

The wind rushed around the lea, shaking the trees in the forest behind it. Neacal glanced over to where the village in the woods lay shrouded.

Then, he continued, trying his hardest to put the emotion from his voice.

“From the age o’ six, I looked after my mother, an’ sisters, doing whatever I could to bring in coin…,” he said, looking Teasag in the face. The wind had picked her out, whipping her hair around violently. She was struggling to put it back in place, but without much success.

“It wasnae just me who was hungry, it was all o’ us. My mother was wasting away, it was her illness…Teasag, she more or less starved to death…”

Neacal’s voice trembled as he struggled to control his tone. Eventually, he continued. “So, sometimes I had to turn tricks… every Thursday the town was busy wi’ market day, that was when I did my first job, in the local inn…”

He looked away, not able to meet Teasag’s gaze any longer. He simply couldn’t bear the look on her face as he explained.

“I see,” said Teasag, in a tone which was hard to decipher.

Here, Neacal’s voice faded, as he was aware of Teasag’s eyes pressing down on him, boring into the back of his neck. He knew what she was thinking.

Heart beating fast, he pressed his hand into the center of her palm, squeezing it tightly. It had been burning him up, being that close to her without touching, and even though he knew the timing was all wrong, he just couldn’t leave it any longer.

Instantly, Neacal felt a warm sensation shoot up his spine, invigorating his every sense. He felt his hand glow and light up, tingling with her touch.

He had missed this, the silken feel of her on his skin. And it had only been a matter of hours since they had been together last.

Neacal’s mind reeled from the stupidity of it all. He had known this girl a mere forty-eight hours and now couldn’t think of anything but her.

Gathering her hand in his, he squeezed it tight, wishing he could summon up the courage to go further.

Teasag looked at him. “Och, I ken… things must have been hard, Neacal…”

She brought her hand forward to embrace him, stroking his face briefly. Then, Neacal laughed, suddenly taken by a wind from somewhere, pulled up his plaid, and showed her his knee.

“Neacal?” Teasag giggled. “That’s a braw leg, Neacal, but…”

“Look,” said Neacal, pointing to his kneecap. Teasag brought her face closer so that he felt her breathing against his skin. “There…”

Just below the knee was a slight but notable scar that Neacal traced with his fingers. “Right there, that’s where I got a dart in my knee—about twelve…”

He brought Teasag’s fingers over to it as she gently pressed down on his kneecap experimentally.

“Does it hurt?” she asked him. Neacal shook his head.

“Nae, but it did at the time. I was hopping about like a madder a rabbit for weeks after. Still, I got away wi’ the coin…an’ it was just as well because none o’ us had eaten for three days afore that…,” Neacal’s voice drifted off.

“I dinnae ken what ye must think o’ me,” he said, and then paused. “Well, I do. It’s what all honest folks must think. I mean, what were ye doing at twelve?”

He looked intently at Teasag, aware that they had been talking only about him, but all he really wanted to know was more about her.

“By eleven, I was apprenticed to the McCallum keep,” said Teasag, earnestly. She pushed the errant hair that kept escaping from around her ears back. “An’ that’s all there really is to it,” she announced.

Somewhere, on the road outside, Neacal could hear the faint beating of hooves coming along the side of the lea. Nervily, he looked about. Hopefully, for now, they were safe enough. Still, it gave Neacal the perfect opportunity to direct Teasag to come a little closer and snuggle down against the tree.

“Nae, I’m sure there’s much more to it than that,” said Neacal, now captivated.

It looked as if Teasag was coy, so Neacal decided to try and flesh out the details for himself. “I’m sure that tis nae all there is to it,” he said, pressing his face closer to hers. Her lips were so soft and sweet, and Neacal had an overwhelming desire to kiss them.