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Frustration flared hot within her. She slammed the ledger shut and rose to her feet, spine stiff. “I’ve been running this household fine by myself, Broderick. I don’t need you storming in here and telling me how to do it.”

“Ye dinnae understand—”

“I understand perfectly!” she snapped, rounding the desk, her boots tapping defiantly as she marched toward the door. She stormed across the foyer, her anger boiling through her veins.

“Where th’ bloody hell are ye goin’?” Broderick’s voice chased her, rough and exasperated.

“We made an arrangement,” she said over her shoulder as sheclimbed the stairs, each step punctuating her fury.

“And ye got a better arrangement than ye planned fer!” Broderick shot back, his heavy footsteps closing in behind her.

She ignored him, her pace quickening as she reached the landing. “Which means you should be on your way fulfilling your end of the contract.” She pushed open her chamber door and faced him. “That means you need to leave.”

But before she could shut it in his face, his hand slammed against the wood, halting it mid-swing.

“Damnit, Davina,” he growled, stepping inside and slamming the door shut behind him. The heavy thud reverberated through the room like a warning bell. “I’m only tryin’ tae protect ye!”

“From what?” she demanded. “From myself?”

“Nay!” He dragged a rough hand through his hair, pulling some of the strands free from his leather tie. His chest heaved beneath his shirt, and his emerald eyes burned with fierce purpose. “From Veronique. From anyone else who thinks they can come in here and harm ye or Cailin.”

Davina planted her fists on her hips, fire flashing in her eyes. “If I didn’t know any better,” she said, her voice tight with simmering fury, “I’d think you actually cared about us.”

“God’s blood, woman! Why d’ye think ye have tae do everythin’ alone?” His voice crackled with frustration, rich and raw as thunder rolling over the moors.

“Because no one offers aid without wanting something in return,” she snapped, her chin lifting in defiance. “What are you after, Broderick?”

“Nothing, except yer safety!” His brows furrowed deeply, genuine bewilderment softening his rough-hewn features for a fleeting moment.

Davina’s heart clenched, but she pushed aside the spark ofdoubt. “You must want something,” she pressed, her voice trembling though she held her ground. “You’ve already had me in your bed—twice now! Was this your plan from the start? To lure me into marriage so you could take hold of my estate? Is that what all this was about? So, I’d yield without a fight?”

“Och, aye!” Broderick flung his hands skyward. “I went through all the bleedin’ trouble o’ readin’ suitor’s minds so I could eventually trick ye into my bed.” He laughed bitterly. “I could’ve saved meself the time an’ just took Tammus’s bloody offer the first day he mentioned it!”

Though his sarcasm stung, it was a point she’d wrestled with herself. Her thoughts twisted in turmoil. “It is that very fact that’s made me wonder whether or not your intentions were true. But I just couldn’t fathom why someone would want to marry me and walk away from it all. I have to hand it to you, that was a masterful move. A prosperous business and lands, with a village to look out for? You’d have to be insane…or have a plan.”

Broderick’s eyes pinned her with a look as dark as a storm at sea. “Neither, lass,” he growled, quiet but deadly. That low rumble sent a cold shiver racing down her spine. Broderick was a mountain of a man, far larger than her late husband, larger even than her father and brother had been. Tempting his temper was like poking a cornered beast, but Davina’s resolve held fast. She needed the truth, no matter the risk.

“Then why are you doing this?” she demanded, her voice cutting through the tension.

“Because I care about ye, woman!” he boomed, then stood still, caught off guard by his own words, mouth ajar and eyes wide as if he couldn’t believe what had just escaped his lips. Broderick scrubbed a rough hand down his face, muttering under hisbreath, “Bloody hell, when did ye get under my skin, Blossom?”

His soft-spoken confession thundered through her chest, leaving her breathless.He can’t say such things. Damnit, I can’t let him do this to me. I won’t survive!

“Say somethin’, lass,” he urged, his voice gravelly, but no less fierce. “I just laid me bleedin’ heart out for ye tae slaughter. Yer walls are so thick, I cannae even feel yer emotions. Why are ye blockin’ me out?”

“Because the last time I didn’t, I was used and betrayed and left to clean up the mess,” she bit out, her throat tight. She locked her jaw to hold back the storm of tears threatening to spill. “Too many people are counting on me to be strong.”

“Och, Davina. Ye’re the strongest woman I know, Blossom,” he said, his tone roughened with admiration. His gaze softened as he stepped closer, his fingers lifting to brush the back of his knuckles down her cheek in a touch so gentle it undid her.

Davina wrapped her arms tightly around herself, bracing against the pull of his tenderness, terrified of yielding.

“But I ken how ye feel,” he murmured, voice low and weighted with shared sorrow. “I swore I’d never marry again after the betrayal of my wife.”

His eyes darkened as they drifted to her mouth. His thumb traced the curve of her bottom lip, igniting a tremor down her spine.

“Amice told me how your wife’s betrayal led to the slaughter of your family. She died that day?” Davina’s voice wavered, barely above a whisper.

Broderick stiffened, a shadow crossing his features. “Aye. She died that day.”