Highland Thunder (Isle of Mull Series) by Lily Baldwin Read Free Book Online Page B

ready for battle.
    When Ewan was alive she kept her silence for his sake, but he was gone. No longer would she feign indifference. She was blameless, and Duncan needed to be called to task. More than that, a storm brewed within her, and a part of her liked it. Whatever planted the scowl on his face merely served to fuel her mettle.
    She stood tall and with an expression meant to convey a simple message: Duncan MacKinnon, I would tread carefully if I were you.
    “Who plowed your field?” Duncan said.
    “What? No good evening. How are you, Brenna? Or perhaps an apology for your consistent rudeness.”
    “Answer the question, Brenna,” he growled.
    “My land is not your affair.” She crossed her arms over her chest, which drew his eyes to her hands.
    He walked closer, his eyes fixed on her bandages. He did not speak. He did not demand to see her hands. He just stared.
    Long moments past, and she grew uncomfortable beneath his quiet gaze. Then slowly he reached out his hand, but just as he was about to touch her, he stepped back, raking his hand through his hair and muttering a curse under his breath.
    Did the idea of touching her repulse him that much?
    Squaring his shoulders, he took a deep breath and turned back to face her. She stared at the hand reaching out to touch her once again. It was almost imperceptible, but she was certain his hand shook. His fingers grazed the top of her bandages and then folded around her hand, drawing her arm toward him.
    His gentle touch and nervous bearing doused Brenna’s fury, leaving confusion in its wake. Her feet shifted as she searched for something to say to break the silence, but then he stepped closer, cradling her hand and began to unwind the bandages. Despite his soft administrations, the fabric, having dried to the open wounds, pulled her skin. She winced, and he whispered an apology, encouraging her to be still.
    The final unraveling revealed at least a dozen ruptured sores across her palm and lining her fingers. The red exposed flesh burned. The harm done was greater than she had realized.
    “The other hand is the same?” he said. She lifted her eyes and drew a sharp breath, startled to meet his gaze. He never looked at her. He always faced away, but there he was, staring into her eyes, his face tense with worry. She sooner would expect the ground to open and swallow her whole than to feel his tender touch, but that was not all.
    She felt rather than saw something other than concern in his gaze—something restrained, choked back from the surface. His breathing was shallow, and despite his soft handling of her injuries, the muscles in his shoulders and arms flexed with tension.
    “Aye,” she said, realizing she had yet to answer his question. “The other hand is the same.”
    He nodded, wrapping an arm around her waist. He led her inside to a seat at her table. “Do not remove the other bandage. Wait for me here.”
    Dumbfounded, Brenna watched Duncan’s tall figure duck beneath her door frame and disappear.
    She expelled a long breath. Her heart pounded. She stared down at the sores on her hand. Some oozed with puss, others with blood. Her injuries surely were the cause for her unrest. Confusion is certain to accompany pain, and the pain, she had to admit, was not insignificant. Still, what of the knot in her stomach?
    She exhaled again, shaking her head. Accustomed to his indifference and even his contempt, she did not know what to make of the softer side of Duncan. She kept jumping at the slightest noise, thinking he returned, but who would walk through the door? Indifferent Duncan, contemptuous Duncan, or this new confusing Duncan? She decided then and there she did not enjoy surprises. Her breathing became shallow as she thought of his strong hands and the strange emotion she witnessed in his black eyes.
    Sweet Jesus, what was wrong with her? Flustered, confused, and not unaffected, it was clear that Duncan MacKinnon just unraveled a great deal more than her