Read Online How to Handle a Highlander (Hot Highlanders) by Mary Wine - Free Book Online

craved, he wanted to ask her in private.
    “Ye want something from me. What is it?”
    Gahan’s expression changed. She ended up staring at him because he’d always been so intense around her that this transformation was startling. He’d dropped his guarded look and appeared almost uncertain.
    “I want ye to give me yer hawk,” he said at last. “Make a gift of her to me.”
    Surprise held her silent for a moment. Gahan drew in a deep breath and angled his head as he looked down at her.
    “Me men will make sure she comes to no harm.”
    She gasped. “How do ye know about Bari’s threat?”
    He shrugged. “It’s always wise to keep a few of the stableboys friendly with me. I’m sure they will put the silver to good use. Most of them do nae have shoes.”
    That was a shame in a castle as great as this one was. Those same boys would man the cannons should there be an attack. They should have been clothed. It was the duty of the laird to see it was done, and a shame that the overlord’s son was noticing it was not done. Achaius was a miser, and that often destroyed loyalty. But she would soon be his wife, and she’d have the power to right the wrong.
    “Thank ye for telling me. I’ll see to the boys.” Apparently they were as much in need of her doing her duty as Alba. If she failed to wed Achaius, the Matheson castle folk would continue to suffer, for no one would notice. Her throat tightened, like there was a noose knotted around it.
    “And yer hawk?”
    “Why do ye offer me help?” Maybe she was being foolish to question him, but she just couldn’t control her curiosity. Maybe it was because he was the only person she could speak her mind to.
    He shrugged, and for a moment she was distracted by the way his shoulders moved beneath his shirt. There was something about him that fascinated her and made her heart beat faster. She wanted to look at this man, actually stare at him. It was like being under a spell.
    “Maybe I want to strike at yer brother any way possible. Or perhaps I’ll admit that I’ve raised hawks since I was a boy, too, and cannae stomach knowing yer brother will harm one out of spite. I dare say, if he were in your shoes, he’d nae be standing as straight as ye are.”
    “He’s never allowed me to call him brother, because my mother was common-born.” It was a slip, an admission she had no reason for sharing with him. Bari hated her for her blood. She’d do well to remember that hatred…
    “There are plenty of Highland lairds who have the same blood in their veins. There are many who claim it keeps the blood strong. Yer father wed her, so the matter should nae be questioned.”
    She was at a loss for a long moment, unsure what to say, for he was offering kindness when she had never expected it. Not from anyone—least of all from him.
    “Athena is yers, and I thank ye.” Her voice was full of relief.
    “Ye should nae have to.”
    He half turned and let out a whistle. She heard someone around the bend in the hallway start walking away. Those footsteps threatened to send tears down her cheeks, for she knew Athena would be hers no longer.
    She had to recall why and be content.
    “Bari is a knave for bringing ye here. What else has he threatened to do if ye do nae wed Achaius?”
    She was staring into his eyes again, this time because she just couldn’t understand why he cared. His lips twitched into a grin that was beguiling. He was one handsome brute when he softened his expression.
    She jumped and looked away, her cheeks hot with shame. “Well…hmm…does it really matter?” Her mind was cloudy, and her thoughts formed slowly. But she forced herself to focus and make sense. “What I mean to say is, doing me duty is something I will nae shirk. Wouldn’t ye honor a contract made by yer laird? Even if the bride was nae to yer liking?”
    She covered her mouth with her hand when she realized she’d admitted her true feelings. “Nae that I dislike Achaius.” There really