Page 72 of A Highland Bride Disciplined

Scarlett leaned a little toward the desk. “Then tell them it’s for safety, and if they want to argue, they can speak to me… or the laird.”

Her eyes slid to Kian as she said it, almost a challenge. He could see she was testing him—not to undermine, but to see if he’d step in.

Kian gave a slow nod. “They can speak to me. And I’ll tell them to take it up with the ground if they dinnae like it.”

That earned him the faintest flicker of amusement from her.

They moved through the rest of the points with surprising ease. Scarlett’s suggestions were measured, not demands, and she seemed content to let him have the final word. Tam, wise enough to keep his own comments brief, kept scratching notes in that cramped, careful handwriting of his.

When they’d reached the bottom of the list, Kian sat back. “That covers the layout. What have ye told the villagers?”

Scarlett’s brows rose. “I’ve told them they’ll have yer answer tonight.”

Kian arched a brow. “So they’re expecting me to send word?”

“Aye,” she said simply.

Tam glanced between them. “Want me to take the message, Laird?”

Kian considered, then gave a short nod. “Aye. Ye’ll ride with them tonight. Take the same two guards that came with her. Make sure the vendors all get some sleep, and we can start shifting early tomorrow.”

Tam tucked the parchment into his coat. “I’ll fetch them now.”

Scarlett turned toward him. “Can ye also tell the musicians I’ll be in the village mid-morning to see the stage? I want to be sure it’s fit before they set up.”

Tam bobbed his head and made for the door.

The moment the latch clicked shut behind him, the room seemed to tilt subtly. The easy flow of practical talk ebbed away, leaving the two of them staring at each other across the desk.

“Ye’re quieter tonight,” Kian said.

Her mouth curved, faint and knowing. “Because ye’relisteningtonight.”

He leaned back in his chair, letting that sit between them. “So, that’s all it takes? Me sittin’ still and nae barking orders?”

“Sometimes,” she said, with a light shrug. “Other times, it takes more than that.”

Her tone wasn’t sharp, but there was weight to it. Something in his chest tightened. “Ye think I’ve nae been listening?”

“I think,” she said carefully, “ye’ve been so used to leading alone that ye forget someone else might be worth listening to.”

The words should’ve nettled him, but instead they lodged somewhere deeper. He wanted to tell her she was wrong. That he’d taken her lists seriously. That he’d been working every day to keep the clan from falling apart since his return. But she was watching him with that calm, steady look, and all that came out was, “Maybe I have.”

That seemed to surprise her. For once, she didn’t have an immediate retort.

He pushed away from the desk, coming around to stand closer. Not so close so as to give her the wrong idea, but near enough that she tilted her chin up to meet his gaze.

“Ye’re making it a habit to put yerself in the middle of things,” he said. “The villagers. The vendors. Now the guards. I’ll nae tell ye to stop, but I will tell ye this — if ye’re goin’ to stand in the middle of thing, ye stand there as Lady Crawford, me wife. Which means the next man who sees ye as separate from me will regret it.”

Her lips parted slightly, but she didn’t look away. “Is that a warning?”

“It’s a fact,” he said, voice low. “And a fact that I’ll enforce to protect ye, if I have to.”

Something flickered in her eyes then — annoyance, maybe, but also something warmer, more dangerous. “Then I’ll be sure to remember it.”

They stood like that for a moment, the air stretching taut between them. He was almost certain she could hear his pulse, and he was damn sure he could hear hers.

Finally, he stepped back just enough to break the hold. “Tam will send the message. That means tomorrow’s yers to prepare however ye like. But tonight” He gave her a pointed look. “ye’re going to get some sleep.”