Page 14 of The Highlander’s Auctioned Hellion (Auctioned Highland Brides #4)

“I have commissioned more men from the village to guard the main gates at night,” Alexander said, his finger moving over the castle plans.

“We are well protected in all the key areas, but vulnerable to the east. The trees make it harder to see an approaching force.”

Callum leaned over the desk, staring down at the plans and trying to concentrate on his defenses.

He was relieved to have something to occupy his mind, but the uneasy feeling that he had felt with Lydia and the girls prevailed, no matter how hard he tried to push it from his mind.

“And how dae I ken these new men are loyal to me,” he asked. “Me braither was Laird far longer than I have been. They could be in Moira’s pocket.”

Alexander leaned back and frowned at him.

“Dae ye really think I would bring men here who would betray ye?”

“I think people who ye have kenned yer whole life can betray ye with the right motivation.”

Alexander scowled. “I dinnae deny that, but these are men I’ve fought with. Men me wife kens from the village. They’ll serve their Laird.”

Callum grunted under his breath as Alexander sighed.

“There is every chance Moira willnae attack. Her faither may be tellin’ the truth, and all of this is now dead and buried since Angus’s death.”

“I dinnae believe that woman kens how to give up on somethin’ she wants. How she could abandon her own children and disappear to her faither’s castle baffles me.”

Alexander shrugged a shoulder. “I think the Laird’s passin’ was a shock for her.”

Callum’s fingers clenched at his sides as he drew in a long breath, glancing up at Alexander’s stoic face.

“Was it quick?” he asked.

I shouldnae care; he banished me from this place.

“Aye, he was writin’ a letter. I found him with ink on his fingers, the inkwell shattered on the floor. I believe his last thoughts were of ye.”

Callum swallowed, stepping back from the table.

“Angus wanted to see ye, M’Laird,” Alexander insisted. “When he found Moira’s letters, he was devastated. I dinnae think it ever sat well with him, banishin’ ye like he did.”

“Woman had her talons in his heart,” Callum grumbled, but his thoughts scattered as there was a high, piercing scream from outside.

Spinning around, his hand moved to the handle of his knife. He saw Amy and Eilis sprinting through a stone archway on one side of the gardens at full speed, looking behind them fearfully.

“Call the guar—” Callum began, thinking that perhaps someone was chasing them. But instead, a crimson vision appeared behind them.

Lydia’s hair had fallen loose, and she was running with a broad smile on her face, the bright red skirts billowing behind her as she sprinted after the girls.

Amy and Eilis scattered, shrieking with delight as she chased them, attempting to grab one and then the other.

Amy had the kitten clutched against her chest, and the grin on her face was wide and happy. Callum had never seen the girls look so delighted, realizing now how morose and quiet they were in his presence.

Lydia’s eyes were bright, beautiful, and alert, her high laugh breaking free and reaching him even through the thick windows of the study.

She is stunnin’ both inside and out. Why did her father have to auction her off? Surely any man would have begged to marry her.

“She certainly has a way with the wee ones,” Alexander said, following his gaze. “Ye have chosen a good companion for yerself.”

Companion?

Callum unhooked the curtain and pulled it across the window, the same awkwardness rising inside him.

For years, he had been accustomed to misery and loneliness. They were his old friends, like familiar blankets wrapped around his shoulders, keeping him warm.

The idea that they could be replaced by joy, with Lydia and the girls bringing happiness back into his days, left him feeling off balance and uncertain.

“Go and secure the castle,” he barked, “and report back to me when all the guards are in place.”

“That is what I have been tellin’ ye, man. They are in place, and the castle is secure.”

“Well, go and check again!” he thundered.

Alexander didn’t flinch, simply scooping up the plans on the desk, nodding once and leaving the room.

Callum collapsed back in his chair, scowling at the door as it closed behind him.

Lydia isnae me ‘companion’. She cannae be. She is here to be with the wee girls, and I dinnae need to spend any more time with her than I have already.

He certainly didn’t need to touch her again—at all if he could help it. Every time he did, his mind switched off, and he was ruled by his body.

I cannae afford to start carin’ for me bride. I would be twice the fool if I did.

Lydia left the girls with their maid, a woman who appeared rather bewildered by their hyperactivity.

Amy and Eilis were more animated than ever before, insisting that Lydia come back and visit them later that day. She was happy to agree to that—she loved spending time with the girls, their energy was contagious.

After she left them, she made her way through the long corridor, counting the doors and trying her best to find her way.

Rounding a corner, she almost collided with Alexander, who had a handful of parchment under one arm.

The man-at-arms retreated, bowing low with a soft smile.

“M’Lady,” he said warmly.

“Good afternoon, Alexander,” she said. “Am I going in the right direction for the Laird’s study?”

Alexander’s eyes widened, and his lips pursed as if he were trying not to smile.

“Not quite, M’Lady. Perhaps I could show you the correct way?”

Lydia’s shoulders sank in defeat. “I was sure I had it right this time.”

“All the passages in this castle look the same, M’Lady. It will take a little time.”

They turned back in the direction they had come, but as they did so, Lydia’s dress caught on something behind her, and she was brought up short.

She gasped in dismay as there was a ripping sound and a sharp nail in the wall ripped a long slit in the train of her dress.

“Oh, blast it!”

She sank to her knees, gathering up the beautiful cloth and examining the damage.

Lydia sighed. “I have never had such a fine gown, and now I have ruined it.”

Alexander laughed, and Lydia looked up with a frown.

“Forgive me, M’Lady, I am nae laughin’ at the damage, just that me wife will be very happy to hear ye like yer new clothes. I am sure Kristen can fix that in a moment, dinnae fret.”

Lydia stood, lowering the train to the ground.

“Your wife?”

“Aye, she is a seamstress. The Laird asked her to make ye some new gowns. She is makin’ yer weddin’ dress and some more besides. Havin’ the time of her life, I think. It is her passion.”

Lydia smiled broadly, touched to think that the Laird had arranged such a thing for her.

“Please tell her I love them. I adore my nightgown too.”

Alexander beamed. “I shall be sure to tell her. She was very proud to be dressin’ a lady. A lot of the things she makes are for women in the village, simple fare but practical.” He leaned in conspiratorially. “I dinnae think she has had brocade and velvet to work with for a while.”

Lydia laughed. “Well, if the Laird agrees to furnish me with some more, I shall be commissioning many dresses from her.”

A few moments later, they reached the door to the study, and Alexander bowed, shifting the papers beneath his arm and going back in the direction they had come.

Why does Callum seem to dislike him so much? He is such a kind and generous man.

Lydia turned to face the door, allowing the irritation she had experienced with the girls to surface again, and barged inside without knocking.

Callum was leaning back in his chair, a glass of whiskey in his hand, staring up at the ceiling with a brooding expression.

As she burst inside, he looked up, jerking out of his chair and putting a hand to his belt. His fingers curled around the handle of his sword, and Lydia crossed her arms over her chest, raising her eyebrows at him angrily.

“Are you expecting an invasion?” she demanded.

“And what if I am, lassie, are ye goin’ to be the one to fight the warriors?”

“I am sure if we women were taught to fight, we would be far superior to men about it.”

“Is that so?”

“It is,” she said confidently, and then as her eyes traveled over his enormous frame, she licked her lips. “Perhaps without such a height advantage.”

Callum snorted, releasing his sword and placing the glass on the table.

“Was there somethin’ ye needed?” he asked gruffly.

“Well, I doubt this meeting can be classed as—what did you call our interactions? Ah, yes, absolutely necessary, but I wanted to ask you a question.”

“Och, aye? Go on then.”

“Why do you never spend any time with the girls?”

Callum’s gut clenched at the question, and he would have liked to down the whiskey and pour himself another as a response.

What business does this vixen have askin’ me about me family?

“Is that all ye wanted to ask? Because I have things to be gettin’ on with.”

Lydia blinked at him and then stalked forward, a slim finger pointed at his chest.

“You brought me here to care for your nieces, did you not?”

“Aye.”

“Well, then, I am caring for them by ascertaining from their uncle why he ignores them every chance he gets. A mother is important for a little girl, but a father is just as necessary.”

“I am nae their faither,” he growled, his patience snapping like a cord. “This isnae yer concern, woman.”

“Well, then, what is my concern? They tell me their mother barely spent any time with them either! That their father was in his study from dawn until dusk, forcing them to play with their maids rather than get any attention from their family. Do you think you are helping them by treating them this way?”

Callum’s blood was pounding between his ears, his chest tight with tension.

How dare she tell me how to care for me own nieces.

Lydia arched a knowing brow at him, and the superior look on her face was the final straw. She gasped as he stepped forward, lifting her off her feet and carrying her toward the wall.

She let out a small oomph sound as her back hit the rough stone, and he pressed her up against it, growling at the back of his throat.

“Ye willnae speak of the wee ones again, is that clear?”

“No,” she retorted without a hint of fear. “I will hold you to your obligations.”

“Me obligations?”

“Yes. You have two children to care for, Callum. No matter how much you wish to push everyone out of your life and lock up your heart with an iron key, you still love them. I can see it in your eyes.”

I like the way me name sounds on her lips.

“Ye dinnae ken me, woman,” he whispered.

He had intended to teach her a lesson, frighten her to make her run from the room.

Instead, they were inches apart, Lydia panting against him, his hands gripping her upper arms, not allowing her to move. Her breasts rose and fell less than a foot beneath his chin, and he was struggling to keep a handle on his control.

“You are a coward,” she spat and winced as his fingers tightened around her arm.

“Is that so?” he rumbled, stepping closer to her, listening to her breath hitch.

He wanted her face turned up to him again, begging, pleading, telling him that she needed him. The unwelcome desire made Callum angrier than ever.

“Dae ye ken what I dae to men who defy me, Lydia Turner?” he growled, hoping a new threat would mollify her.

“Is it worse than what you have done to those children? Because I would say abandonment and cold rejection are more painful than any scar you could inflict.”

Callum sucked in a sharp breath, the weight of her words dragging him down like an anvil around his neck.

Nay. She is wrong. I havenae injured those girls. I have cared for them.

Lydia moved forward, her breath brushing against his lips, and Callum’s whole body went rigid.

He kept his hands still, fighting the urge to push her up against the wall, pin her there with his hips again, and feel the heat of her body.

“You may wish to shut everyone out, M’Laird, ” she whispered, her hands coming up to touch his waist. “But you only get so many chances to prove yourself worthy.”

Callum groaned, crowding her, his nose brushing against hers as they panted together, Lydia’s body trembling beneath him.

“And have I proved meself worthy of ye? I didnae hear ye complainin’ when I kissed ye,” he murmured, pushing closer still as she shuddered against him.

But then her hands were shoving him away, her gaze cold as ice as she stepped out from beneath his body.

Callum stared after her, missing her heat immediately as she walked to the door. She opened it, turning to face him with one last look.

“Those girls will give up on you, and I hope you don’t come to regret it.”