Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 101336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
For a man who claimed he was unkind, not knowing if he could love, he knew how to comfort, and that revelation changed things for Sky. It meant that one day it was possible that he could at least come to care for her.
She lingered there letting the initial shock wear away and the pain of such news subside before she tilted her head back slowly to look up at him. “What else can you tell me about this?”
He wiped at her tear-stained cheeks with his thumb and though tears shined in her eyes, he was glad no more fell. He detested seeing her cry.
“I have so-called friends far and wide, learning long ago it was wise to know people in many places. They are mostly people who owe me favors, many of them large favors for what I have done for them. I have several of those so-called friends in the Lowlands. It helps to know what is going on there and it keeps me abreast of any matters that might affect the Highlands. One such person discovered this news.”
“How can you trust what he says when you trust no one?” Sky asked, looking for anything that could prove the startling news was false.
“I do not trust him, but I know he would not report falsely to me for fear of what I would do to him if he did. He would only send me news that he confirmed beyond a doubt.”
Her stomach roiled as she asked, “So, you believe that Elsie and Leora are not my sisters?”
“Not your blood sisters, but as you said yourself, sisters, nonetheless. You were raised together and as such have a bond that only sisters could have. It matters not if your blood does not run through each other’s veins, it only matters that you care and love each other as sisters do. Ross and I are not brothers, but that does not stop me from thinking of him as my brother. We have shared things through the years that only brothers can, including my father and brother’s deaths. He will always be a brother to me as your sisters will always be your sisters. I know this is difficult for you, but you will realize it for yourself soon enough.” He raised his hand, his finger reaching for the corner of her right eye where a tear lingered, as if not sure if it should fall, and he brushed it away. “Besides, you are not alone. You will always have me. We will be together for the rest of our days until death parts us, wife.”
He kissed her, not out of passion but out of need to comfort her.
It was a gentle kiss that Sky favored, and it was a kiss that to her sealed his words as a promise, that he would always be there for her.
When the kiss ended, she smiled softly and said, “You are kind.”
“I am not,” he insisted.
“I cannot deny what is in front of me.”
“You do not see clearly,” he admonished lightly.
Her heart skipped a beat, sure she had caught a slight turn of his lips, the start and quick ending of a smile that was near to being born, a playful one. “The animals have taught me to see more clearly than most.”
He purposely frowned. “If it is the animals who you see clearly, then you must think me an animal?”
She gasped. “Never would I think that.”
“But you said—”
She pressed her fingers to his lips. “You twist my words.”
He brushed her fingers away. “I heard them. They were clear.”
Again, she thought she caught a smile so light that she could be mistaken, but she did not believe herself wrong. She wanted to believe he was being playful with her, trying to ease her pain.
“Perhaps you are right, husband, for if you are an animal, it will be much easier to tame you.”
She saw it again, slight as it was, only this time his smile warned rather than teased.
“Some animals are too wild and vicious to tame, and I am one of them.”
The sudden coldness in his voice and emptiness in his eyes should be enough for her to pay heed to his warning, but she didn’t.
She rested her hand on his cheek, its warmth seeping into her. “Maybe, or maybe you never felt the touch of a hand gentle enough to trust.”
CHAPTER 9
Slayer watched Sky as he stacked firewood near the cottage. She was busy fashioning a wreath from slim branches she had collected. She appeared content but he could tell by how her brow scrunched now and again that her thoughts were busy.
They had spent much time talking last night not only about the news concerning her and her sisters but also about what Rory had told him. She asked pertinent questions and offered suggestions that proved wise. While he had never considered discussing important matters with a wife, he found talking with Sky valuable and enjoyable. He was beginning to think that their marriage could prove beneficial in many ways.