Page 19 of When a Highlander Vows (Enemies to Lovers #1)

19

L ucas was in a better mood now, after fighting with Archie and seeing that Caitlin had been watching him with her lovely lips parted in surprise, and her soft cheeks colored red.

It had made him feel ten feet tall to see her reaction to him. Lucas was not unaware of the effect he often had on women, but it was all the more satisfying to see it on the face of the woman who had driven him mad since first laying eyes upon her.

When she’d come back at him with a retort of her own, he’d been both surprised and impressed. A wave of heat and desire flushed through him anew as she sparred with him, all under the watchful eye of his grandmother.

“Well, again, an admirable quality, Caitlin. To be able to read for so long and so thoroughly.”

“Och, stop that, Lucas,” Nan said, slapping at his elbow. “The lass may dae whatever she pleases in this castle, now her home.”

“Thank ye,” Caitlin turned away from Lucas then to focus on her food.

For the next little while, his grandmother spoke of castle matters. He knew that she was just as excited as he was about the feast and what Caitlin’s reaction would be. He hoped she didn’t ask anything, for he wanted it to be an entire surprise. He wanted to be the one to see the look on her face after it happened.

For the very first time in a long time, it felt like he had something he truly was looking forward to. It would be the closing of a terribly sad chapter, and yet it would be like a new beginning. He had lost Seamus, but he had now gained Caitlin in his life.

Whether she wanted to or not, she was helping him not focus so much on his loss. Even though he’d at first been itching to get away to aid with the skirmishes, he’d been eager to return home as soon as he’d crested the first hill away from the castle.

“Lucas, ye will have to teach the lass to dance; she says she doesnae ken how very well,” his Nan said, breaking suddenly into his thoughts.

He straightened up and looked between them. “Aye, but surely there are others better able to teach her. Ye ken that I am nay skilled dancer, Nan.”

“Nonsense!” she cried with a laugh and turned to Caitlin. “He dances as well as I, and so he should with me blood in his veins!”

“Please, I daenae need any assistance. It would nae make sense for me to dance either, for I cannae see the other dancers well, or the space in which I am dancin’. It would be a strange thing for me to learn.”

Caitlin was smiling, but Lucas could see the sadness in her eyes. He remembered their brief discussion before the fateful ride by the sea. How they spoke of the merriment of clan feasts. And merriment was one thing that Caitlin needed in her life.

“But surely ye would be able to see yer dance partner. He is the one who should lead ye, anyway, so ye wouldnae have to worry about yer feet or where ye step.”

“Exactly,” Nan replied while Lucas looked to Caitlin, her eyes watching his.

“Aye, true enough,” she whispered, turning away to drink her wine.

“Good, then it is all settled. Tomorrow we will start in the noontime, and we will dance as much as ye please. Ye will have a wonderful time, me dear. I promise ye.”

He was tempted to let his grandmother take Caitlin up to bed. But after they reached the first step, he called out to them, the decision made before he had enough time to catch up with it.

“Caitlin, I wonder if ye would walk with me a little,” he said hurriedly, unable to think of anything else.

“Aye, of course,” she said, hesitantly at first, but then she turned fully around, and Nan beamed at him as if he was the sun, moon, and stars.

He resisted the strong temptation to roll his eyes and scowl.

“Good night to ye all,” she said, waving, winking at him before she ascended the steps.

“Where would ye like to go?” Caitlin asked softly.

“The gardens again, if ye wouldnae mind. And I think this time, we willnae be locked in.”

He did not offer his arm this time, afraid that her touch would only spur on the lust and then he wouldn’t be able to think straight. What was he doing? Was this foolish or was it wise? He couldn’t tell anymore. He used to be able to trust so fully in his opinion. But now, ever since the day Caitlin set foot into his Castle and into his world, his mind had become muddled.

“Follow me,” he said, pausing only once at his study to grab a bottle of whisky and join her again.

“Is there a reason ye drink whisky there but nae at dinner?” she asked innocently, and he shrugged.

“I find whisky is best to drink when there is a bit of melancholy about one. It helps ye to think, refines yer thoughts a bit once they have become mixed up in yer head.”

“Och,” she said, her expression showing that she understood perfectly well what he meant.

He led her through the winding corridors until they reached the door that led to the gardens. It was strange. Usually, he always sought out the gardens, the secret alcoves, nearly every day in order to spend time with his own thoughts. But he found of late, that there was far too much to do, far too much going on, and of greater interest than the secrecy and safety of isolation.

“Ye can go in first,” he said, opening the door and stepping aside.

As she walked by, he closed his eyes, getting another whiff of the rosewater she so loved to use.

Keep yer head on, Lad.

He shut the door behind him, and when she turned, he held up his hands.

“Nae locked,” he said with a sort of half smile or what he would call a smile.

“I dinnae think it was,” she replied, her eyes lingering on his before she turned to face the dark garden. “I can see why ye like this place. I have come now a time or two, with Colin in tow.”

“Good Lord, then ye wouldnae have had any peace,” he said, making Caitlin laugh.

Just like it had before, the laughter broke up something hard inside him, spreading the pieces and tossing them away. He stood taller, not knowing what that really meant.

“True, but I dae enjoy the kinship. I was alone for a long while, even with me companions. I wanted more than just one person about me.”

He nodded, walking alongside her as they made their way down the narrow path. A few times their arms brushed, and even though it was a simple touch, it only creating fresh longing inside him.

The kiss had been a mistake. Forget it.

And at dinner, they’d come to a sort of teasing comfortability, which he liked. It was new territory for him, but it was also better than stark coldness or dislike, not that he’d ever, even for one moment, disliked her.

“Let’s sit,” he said, stopping at one of the wooden benches carved for the very purpose of reposing in the castle gardens.

When they sat down, he uncorked his bottle of whisky and passed it to her.

Hesitantly, she took it, but after her first sip, she smiled. “Lovely.”

For whatever reason, the fact that she had taken her whisky so boldly without a hint of sputtering or regret, made his desire for her all the more. His head was already fuzzy with alcohol, and he knew how simple it would be to just lean in, but he bit the inside of his cheek and leaned back.

Touching the bottle to his own lips, he also tried not to think about the intimacy of sharing. “I think so. I have already enjoyed a bit this evenin’.”

“Aye, I can smell it on ye.”

He grimaced. “Sorry about that,” he said, and she shook her head, reaching out a hand to touch her fingertips to his arm.

Instantly, his eyes went there, and his drunken mind stumbled across a vast emptiness.

Words, words, words.

“Nay, I like it,” she said. “Spicy, warm. I think it is something that makes me think of ye.”

His eyes opened wide. Really, this lass had a way about her that was like no other. But before he could respond with some idiotic statement of his own, she asked him, “What did ye want to ask me about?”

“Och, aye,” he said, rubbing a hand over his chin. “Right then.” He searched for an appropriate excuse. Then, thinking about his plans for the morrow, he asked, “How dae ye feel about gifts?”

It was a question he truly wanted to ask, for he feared that his and Nan’s secret plan to host a funeral for Seamus might be overreaching the proper bounds. He commended himself on his quick thinking despite the whisky.

“I like them,” she said, smiling again, pulling her fingertips back from his arm. “Why dae ye ask?”

Now he had to think of another good response and quickly.

He shrugged. “Just to ken, since ye will be livin’ here with us, and it will be Hogmanay at some point as well as yer birthday. When is it?”

“September Sixth, but I would never expect a gift.”

“Ye will receive one, daenae ye fash. Nan, as ye might have guessed, loves to give gifts, and she willnae tolerate nae givin’ one. She gives each of the servants one as well. Nae one of them is ever missed.”

“She’s so kind.”

Lucas handed her the whisky again, and she took another sip, longer this time. He tore his eyes away from the lovely sight of her lips clasped around the bottle.

“Well, that’s all,” he said, standing up quickly.

His skills at holding back his desire were growing thin, and it was better they left before he lost all inhibitions.

“All right,” she said, this time taking his arm as they walked back through the castle to the edge of the stairs. “I will walk meself,” she said. “It’s good practice.”

She threw him another kind smile that made that flutter in his chest again, and he cleared his throat.

“A good night to ye.”

“And to ye.”

He watched her go up the stairs, taking another hour to make sure that all was prepared for the feast on the morrow. Then, he took himself up to bed, and when he fell upon it, sleep came to him instantly.