Journey to the Highlands: Robbie and Caralyn (Clan Grant Series Book 4) by Keira Montclair Read Free Book Online

do with him. Why had she gone from one extreme to the other? He didn’t understand the workings of the female mind.
    Well, if Caralyn didn’t want his touch, she had a different way of showing it. Totally lost, all he could think about was seeing her again, talking to her. He wouldn’t just walk away. He couldn’t.
    The abbess cleared her throat. “Mayhap you can return at a later date. She may be ready to see you then. Good day and may the Lord be with you and your men during this trying time.” She nodded and headed back down the well-worn path.
    Robbie’s gut clenched in response to his cold rejection. A hand grasped his shoulder from behind, and he jerked his head around to see Tomas standing there.
    “Och, the lass was living alone for some time. ‘Tis very unusual, especially at the outskirts of her clan. There weren’t many in the village since the Crauford House is a distance away. Who knows what lies in her background? We have orders from Dundonald to return to camp because the Norse could be at our doorstep at any moment. Consider your priorities, Grant. We must go.”
    Robbie nodded, knowing that everything Tomas said was true, but his gut argued with him. True, in the Lowlands, the clans were often referred to as houses, but he expected Scottish honor still directed them to protect their members. Someone had failed Caralyn.
    He pivoted and followed Tomas to their horses, lost in his thought, but the feeling of being watched crept up his neck. Glancing back at the abbey, he saw a wee lass with yellow curls and a very serious face standing at a distant wrought iron gate, her hands grasping the cold metal. As soon as he looked at her, a tiny hand came up by her face and waved. No smile, but Gracie had at least said goodbye in her own way. He smiled and blew her a kiss.
    ***
    Caralyn stood by the window, peeking through the fur and watching as Gracie tried to chase Robbie down the walkway. One of the sisters latched onto the wee lass and pulled her back. Why was Gracie trying to follow him? She hated Malcolm and any man he brought along.
    Captain Robbie Grant was special, even for her daughter. Slow moving tears slid down her cheeks as she stared out at the lush grounds of the priory. The sister carried Gracie down a separate path before setting her onto the soft grass next to her sister, Ashlyn. As soon as the nun’s hands released her, Gracie darted toward a small side gate, peeking out at the group of warriors and their horses.
    Caralyn could hear the woman talking to her daughter not far from the window. “Cluck, cluck, my wee one. Those horsies are too big for you. Why, they would trample you in an instant.” The sister raced after Gracie, but stopped to let her stare at the horses. “Can’t hurt to let you watch them, now, can it?” The nun stood with her arms crossed as Gracie clung to the wrought iron bars of the gate, staring at the group of Grant warriors and their prancing destriers.
    Caralyn had started crying as she watched Robbie Grant speak with the prioress. He had done his best to convince the good lady to let him in, but she had done as Caralyn had requested and denied him. She swiped at the tears running down her face, blurring her vision. She would never forget him—his kind eyes, his touch, his way with her daughters. He had done more for her in two days time than anyone had ever done for her. In return, she had done something she would live to regret. She had gone and lost her heart to him in a day. How did one fall in love so fast? Was it even possible?
    Her body struggling with sobs that wrenched her very core, she couldn’t pull herself away from the window. Robbie’s shoulders visibly slumped as he moved toward his horse. An unknown force seemed to tug at him and he stopped, glancing over his shoulder in time to see Gracie lift her hand and wave at him from behind the gate. He smiled and blew her a kiss. Watching them, Caralyn placed her hands on either side of her head and