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SETTLING INTO THE booth opposite Kerr, Rose questioned the wisdom of accepting his offer.

Time was, she’d have told him to choke on his noon meal, yet today she’d meekly accompanied him into the Ardshiel .

In truth, she was grateful for the offer.

She’d slept badly the night before. The inn she’d stayed in was noisy and the bed lumpy, yet it was all she could afford.

After a busy morning haggling over the price of furs and loading her basket with provisions, she didn’t relish the journey home.

The basket was much heavier than on the way here, and even strapped to her back would tire her.

“How is it ye are in town on yer own?” Kerr asked, leaning back in his seat.

“Ailis offered to come with me,” Rose admitted, hoping her burning cheeks had cooled a little.

She wasn’t usually prone to blushing and was unsure what had come over her earlier.

“But she and Kenna have done so much for me of late, I wanted to make myself useful. They’re busy with the garden now, so I said I’d go.

” She paused then before grimacing. “However, I underestimated just how tiring the trip is on my own. I could have done with Eara’s handcart. ”

“I haven’t seen ye with the alewife in a while,” Kerr observed. “Have ye stopped working with her?”

A hollow sensation settled in Rose’s belly at this question. She missed her friend. Eara hadn’t been happy about her decision, even when she’d explained her reasons for it.

“Aye,” she murmured. “Eara’s association with me was harming her business.”

Kerr frowned. “So, ye are staying away from the village?”

Rose tensed, catching the edge to his voice. “I’m not letting them intimidate me,” she replied crisply. “This isn’t about me at all … but Eara.”

Kerr nodded, although his brow remained furrowed.

A serving lass, comely with a thick mane of auburn hair and a twinkling moss-green gaze, bustled across to the booth then. “Well, if this isn’t a bonnie surprise,” she greeted Kerr with a grin. “It’s been a while since ye graced the Ardshiel with yer presence, Kerr Mackay.”

“Good day, Anne.” Kerr smiled at the serving lass, although Rose marked the way he shifted awkwardly in his seat as he did so. “I didn’t expect to see ye serving at this hour.”

“Aye, well, Elspeth’s got a bad head today, so here I am.”

He nodded stiffly. “How are ye faring?”

“Well enough,” she replied before favoring him with a saucy wink.

“Although yer absence has been felt.” She glanced over at Rose then, acknowledging her for the first time.

“This lad doesn’t say much … but he knows how to treat a woman, if ye know what I mean,” she said, smirking now. “Ye’re a lucky lass.”

Heat rolled over Rose. Her lips parted as she stared back at Anne, at a loss for words. Clearly, the woman thought she and Kerr were together. An awkward silence drew out, while neither of them corrected her.

Meanwhile, faint spots of red appeared on Kerr’s cheekbones, and he made a soft choking sound. “We’ll have the braised mutton, oaten bread, and two tankards of ale, thanks, Anne.”

The serving lass flashed him another grin, this one wicked. “Aye … right away.”

Anne then sashayed off, hips swinging. After her departure, silence fell over the table.

Rose leaned back in her seat and observed the man opposite. “Ye two seemed … familiar,” she noted.

“Aye.” His blush hadn’t yet faded, and Rose found his embarrassment oddly endearing. “We were … familiar once.”

Rose continued to watch him. In the three weeks since the attack, she’d often wondered about Kerr and had even found herself worrying about his wounds. She’d been irritated with herself whenever she caught her thoughts straying in his direction, but they still did.

He looked well enough, if a little thinner in the face than the last time she’d seen him.

“Whatever there was between Anne and me… it ended a while ago,” he added, his tone brusque now.

Rose shrugged, smiling. He didn’t need to explain himself to her. “Ye are healed from those arrow wounds then?”

He nodded. “I never thanked ye properly for taking care of me so well.”

“I’m sure ye did.” Now it was her turn to be embarrassed.

His sea-blue gaze never wavered. “I didn’t … but I will now. Thank ye, Rose.”

Another pause followed, and Rose looked away. “Ye are welcome,” she murmured.

A heavy silence settled over the table, although Kerr made no attempt to break it. The serving lass was right about him. He was quiet, yet with an intensity that simmered just beneath the surface.

Eventually, Rose cleared her throat and forced herself to meet his eye once more. “So,” she said, feigning a nonchalance she didn’t feel. “Any progress with the outlaws?”

His gaze narrowed, and she immediately regretted bringing up the subject.

Of course, speaking of The Black Wolves would remind him of that savage attack and the loss of his fellow warriors.

“No,” he replied, his jaw tightening. “Although, now that the king’s men have arrived, that should hopefully change. ”

Her gaze widened. “The king’s men?” Since Rose lived apart from everyone these days, she had little idea about the goings-on in Dun Ugadale.

“Aye, King James has loaned us twenty of his soldiers.” His tone roughened then. “We’re all riding out tomorrow … heading toward the Drum Crags, where we always seem to lose them.”

Rose stilled. His mention of those rocky hills northwest of her aunt’s cottage made a memory tickle in the back of her mind.

However, before she could retrieve it, Kerr spoke once more.

“I’ve got a new dirk and claidheamh-mòr now.

” His gaze shifted to the sword he’d unstrapped from his back before sitting down, and propped up next to him.

His handsome face hardened, violence sparking in his eyes. “I’m ready to face them.”

Anne arrived then, bearing platters of food and drink.

Rose expected the serving lass to tease Kerr again. However, Anne cut him a quick look, marked his shift in mood—for the glower upon his face was intimidating—and departed without a word.

Glancing down at the large dish of braised mutton, accompanied by a generous wedge of oaten bread, Rose’s mouth watered.

Her belly was empty, for she’d eaten nothing more than a few bites of dry bread upon waking at dawn.

The inn charged extra for fresh bannock with butter and honey, and she couldn’t afford it.

Taking a bite of mutton, Rose suppressed a groan.

It was delicious and tender. It had been a long while since she’d eaten a dish as good as this.

Across the table, Kerr began his meal, and so Rose dug in too.

Neither of them spoke as they ate. However, when Rose wiped up the dregs of gravy with her last piece of bread, she heaved a satisfied sigh. “That was a meal to remember.”

“Aye,” Kerr replied, lifting his tankard to his lips. “Ye always get hearty fare at the Ardshiel .” His mood seemed to have righted itself again. The fire in his eyes had dimmed, and the groove between his eyebrows had smoothed.

“I can’t remember the last time I ate roast mutton,” she admitted.

His features tightened. “Ye have had a hard time of late, Rose.”

She shrugged. “Some have had it harder.” It was true.

At least she hadn’t been widowed and left with bairns, as Athol Mackay’s wife had been.

And she had a roof over her head, although she was imposing at her aunt’s.

Kenna and Ailis were both too kind to say so, yet they often tripped over her in that small cottage.

She sometimes went outdoors to prepare food and eat, just to give them some time alone together.

As if reading her thoughts, his mouth quirked. “Things are a little cramped at yer aunt’s?”

She sighed. “Aye … as soon as I’m able, I shall find my own lodgings.”

“I’m sure Kenna doesn’t mind.”

Rose took a sip from her tankard. The ale was stronger than she was used to, yet delicious. It also relaxed her, easing the awkwardness between them.

“Ye shouldn’t be made to feel like an outcast in yer own village,” Kerr grumbled then, his brows drawing together.

His gaze hardened, the anger that seemed close to the surface these days bubbling up once more.

“Next time ye come in, I can accompany ye, if ye like? No one’s going to insult ye with me as yer shadow. ”

Despite herself, Rose’s mouth curved into a smile. “My own bodyguard?” she teased.

He nodded. “If that’s what it takes, lass.”

Their gazes held, the moment stretching out.

Warmth crept across Rose’s chest. However, it wasn’t embarrassment this time, but another sensation.

He’d touched her. She wasn’t used to being taken care of.

Her father and brothers had treated her like their lackey most of the time.

They’d never looked out for her. Their treatment had given her a tough hide, one few people ever manage to penetrate.

But at that moment, Kerr did. His words gave her a taste of what it would be like to be protected. Cared for.

“I’ve misjudged ye all these years,” she said dropping her gaze to her tankard. “Haven’t I?”

Silence followed her question, stretching out so long that Rose eventually glanced up to find Kerr watching her. His gaze was veiled. “Ye had yer reasons.”

Rose swallowed. “I was awful to ye at Samhuinn … when ye asked if ye could woo me.” She inwardly cringed as she recalled how viciously she’d spurned him. “I’m ashamed of it.”

His head inclined, a challenge sparking in his eyes. “So, ye no longer think I’m Lucifer?”

“No.” She faltered then. “But I’ve never understood why ye were so taken with me.”

He huffed a soft laugh. “There are plenty of reasons for me to like ye, lass.” His eyes softened then as their gaze drew out. “Ye are strong, loyal, and courageous … and lovely enough to make a man lose his wits.”

Warmth crept up Rose’s neck before she cleared her throat, embarrassed. “Ye exaggerate.”

He held her eye. “No, I don’t.”

They lapsed into silence again. Moments passed, and Rose took another gulp of ale, noting that she was nearly finished. Her chest constricted then, not because she wanted another—although she wouldn’t have said no—but because it signaled their time together was ending.

After the initial awkwardness, she’d enjoyed sharing a meal with Kerr. Strangely, his company relaxed her and loosened the tension in her shoulders. And his words just now had thawed something deep inside her.

But their meal was at an end.

Kerr drained the rest of his tankard and set it down on the table. It was a signal that he was ready to leave, and so Rose finished her ale.

They then rose from their booth, and Kerr picked up his sword and handed over a penny to Anne.

“Hopefully, ye’ll pay us a visit one eve, Kerr,” the serving lass said, flashing him a coy smile.

Kerr’s gaze met hers before his mouth lifted at the corners. “I don’t think that’s likely,” he replied gently. “All the best, Anne.”

He turned then and walked outside. Rose nodded to Anne before following him.

The wind had gotten up while they were indoors, and the scream of gulls and the slap of water against the quayside greeted them.

As usual, fishermen were hawking their wares from baskets along the quay that thrust out into the water, where fishing boats bobbed.

Local women haggled with them for the best price, their voices mixing shrilly with the gulls.

Rose pushed her hair out of her eyes as she walked after Kerr to his horse, a magnificent bay stallion tied up a few yards distant. She recognized the beast—it was the laird’s. Above, the sky had clouded over a little, and she wondered if rain was on its way.

Hefting her heavy basket against her hip, Rose waited while he unhitched the horse from the railing and tightened the saddle’s girth.

“Are ye sure about this?” she asked, hesitant now. “My basket is a bit cumbersome.”

Kerr glanced over his shoulder, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he favored her with a proper smile—his first in a long while.

Rose’s breathing hitched. The Saints forgive her, that smile lit up the day like the sun, and the warmth in his eyes revealed that her company pleased him. She was relieved to see she’d chased away his anger for a short while at least.

“Aye,” he assured her. “The horse won’t mind the extra weight. I’ll tie the basket to the back of the saddle … while ye ride in front of me.”

Rose nodded, even as her belly fluttered at the prospect of sitting so close to him. She’d never been in such proximity to Kerr before and wasn’t sure if accepting his offer was such a wise idea now.

Kerr took the basket from her and used a length of cord hanging from the back of the saddle to tie it into place. He then vaulted lightly into the saddle before reaching down a hand, favoring Rose with another smile. “Yer turn, lass.”

She reached up, her fingers wrapping around his. The contact made her breathing catch once more, yet she tried to ignore it. Instead, she gathered her skirts with her other hand, placed her foot on his boot, and let him pull her up in front of him.

The moment Rose settled into the saddle, adjusting her skirts so that they covered her legs, she was aware of just how close they were sitting. The curve of the saddle brought her bottom up against his groin, her legs pressing against his thighs, and the front of his body was flush with her back.

It was intimate, and yet at the same time comfortable. Strangely, it felt right to sit with him like this.

All the same, Rose’s breathing grew shallow and fast, and an odd fluttering began in her lower belly. Lord, how was she supposed to sit like this with him all the way home?

Seemingly oblivious to her reaction, Kerr adjusted the reins so he held them one-handed, his free hand resting on his thigh. He then turned his mount right, and they headed off down the dock, weaving their way through the throng.