Highlander's Reckoning (The Sinclair Brothers #3) by Emma Prince Read Free Book Online Page B

the lass’s discomfort.
    “She came with us when we moved here three years
ago,” Rona replied, “but within a matter of months, she moved back to Dunure.
She said it was too drafty here. She’s never been very…hardy.”
    Nothing like her daughter, then ,
Daniel thought.
    “And what of the rest of your family?”
    “I have three older brothers—had.” She swallowed but
went on levelly. “Philip was killed fighting for the Bruce. John is at Dunure,
running the clan and keep in our father’s stead, and Bran…well, Bran is still
finding his way.”
    No wonder the lass and her father had bristled when
their loyalty to the Bruce was called into question. He hadn’t known that they
had already lost a member of their family to the wars for independence.
    “Your family sounds a lot like mine, though we have
been fortunate—we haven’t lost anyone to the wars. As you have so politely
pointed out, I am the third son of the Sinclair clan in the northeast corner of
the Highlands.”
    She shot him a look of horror, but he sent her back
a crooked smile to let her know he was only teasing her. Her hand relaxed more
on top of his, increasing the contact.
    “I also have a cousin who is of an age with my
brothers and me, so it has often felt like I have three older brothers.”
    “Did they pick on you, as my older brothers did to
me?” she asked with a sideways glance at him.
    He snorted in amusement. “Oh, aye. They left me in
holes they dug, forced me to climb trees up to the thinnest branches, and
regularly pummeled me in our play-wars.”
    That actually drew a giggle from her.
    “My childhood suffering amuses you, Rona?” he
teased.
    “Nay, it just sounds all too familiar!” she said, turning
her radiant smile on him. His chest squeezed as he gazed at her sparkling eyes
and merry grin. His eyes lingered on her lips, and for an instant he thought he
might kiss her, but then she turned away again.
    The silence stretched as they began their second
loop of the courtyard.
    “I suppose,” he said quietly after another moment,
“that we should thank them for all their torture.”
    She glanced up at him quizzically.
    “For our older brothers’ rough treatment of us has
made us what we are today.”
    “And what are we?” she asked softly.
    “We are strong. We do not bend to the slight breezes
around us, or even to the strong winds—for better or worse.”
    She stopped and turned toward him but kept her hand
on top of his. The light of recognition glowed in her eyes as she studied him.
But then her eyes shifted to the ground.
    “Mostly for worse, in my case. Sometimes I think
life would be easier if I weren’t so stubborn and hot-headed,” she muttered
    “I’ll take that as fair warning for our impending
marriage,” he said with a raised eyebrow.
    He started them walking again, savoring the delicate
amiability they were building. It was certainly an improvement on their first
encounter.
    “What else should I know about you before we are
married?” he said.
    Somehow, yet again, he had said the wrong thing. She
stiffened.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Do you have any other interests or skills? Surely
as the daughter of the Laird of the Kennedy clan you must have some talents or
expertise. Needlework, perhaps? Or can you sing?”
    “Nay, my lord.”
    “Daniel.”
    “Nay, Daniel,” she said mechanically. “I am a
disappointment in the ladylike arts.”
    Why did he get the impression that she was holding
something back? He glanced at her face and noticed that her eyes shifted
restlessly across the yard and her lips were compressed.
    “Is there something you’re not telling me?” he said,
suddenly wary.
    “Nay! There is nothing.” Her voice was strained
though.
    He halted them again and turned to face her, but
before he could interrogate her further, she withdrew her hand from his and
bolted for the tower keep.
    Daniel watched her go, a growing unease creeping
into his mind. One minute they were building