Page 4 of The Fierce Highlander

She was stubborn to a fault, and worse, she thought to command. He had thought that he would be forced to carry out his threat about physically removing her from her home. He still wondered what or who had turned her agreeable. He wondered if it was something her sister Elsie had said to her. Cavell had a good and wise wife, holding her tongue when necessary and speaking when necessary. She had plain features, but her eyes lit with love every time she looked upon her husband, and you could see the same bold love in his eyes when he glanced at her. It was rare to see such a strong love as theirs, and Noble could not help but envy it.

Love or not, Leora was his wife, and they would make the most of their marriage. This was not a temporary arrangement. It was a commitment, and he would honor it… no matter how difficult. That meant protecting his wife and keeping her safe, and he had a feeling that she was not going to make it easy for him to do.

“I do not envy you, Noble.”

“And why is that, Finley?” he asked, turning to face the man that had been his second in command since the Gallowglass troop was formed several years ago and knowing what the man would say.

“Having a wife can be difficult enough, but having a beautiful woman for a wife is far too hard of a task to bear.” Finley shook his head. “Look at the way the men stare at her, though they try not to, but it cannot be helped. Her smile, which is more constant than not, is like a ray of sunshine from heaven and her bold green eyes glow with—” He stopped abruptly and shook his head again.

Noble tilted his head, a glare in his blue eyes. “Do finish what you were going to say.”

Finley continued shaking his head. “It was nothing. Nothing at all.”

Noble did not force a response. He knew what Finley was about to say. He had recognized it himself.Passion. It flared in her eyes when she smiled, spoke, argued. That she was a passionate woman was obvious and if she was that passionate about life itself, he could only imagine the passion she possessed when coupling.

“Warn the men to keep their eyes off my wife,” Noble ordered.

“I already have, and you can see how much good it did,” Finley said, looking around the camp at the glances men were sneaking Leora’s way.

Noble stepped forward, the strength of his voice carrying throughout the camp. “Eyes off my wife!”

Every head turned, not daring to look at Leora, and Noble caught his wife shaking her head directly at him as if chastising him. He could not recall the last time he had been chastised by anyone.

“We leave at dawn,” Noble said without looking at Finley and went to join his wife.

He lowered himself to sit on the ground beside her in front of the campfire.

“I am too tired to talk now,” Leora said, not looking at him. “It will wait for another time.”

“Then you can listen to me talk, wife,” Noble said, giving her no choice and annoyed at the command in her tone. “First, don’t ever shake your head at me again. My word rules among my men and I will not have my wife undermining my rule. Second, as I said before, only death will end this marriage.”

Leora was unable to hold her tongue. “Do not tempt me.”

His smile caught Leora by surprise and once again she felt a strange tug in her stomach. The thought crossed her mind that she was either feeling unwell or her husband irritated her since there was absolutely no way the tug had anything to do with finding her dictating husband appealing. The thought alone was laughable, though his response was shocking.

“I thought the same myself.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” she said, her eyes narrowing.

“Then shall we agree not to kill each other, so neither of us need to worry about that?”

“Is it a truce you seek from me?”

“When it comes to killing each other, aye,” he said with a chuckle.

He might be fierce, but Leora was caught off guard by his lighthearted laugh.

“No killing,” she agreed, not having the stomach for it anyway, even with all her earlier bravado of poisoning him if necessary. Life was precious and she did not truly know if she could rob someone of it unless she was left with no choice. She continued, needing to have her say. “I only learned of our marriage. I was never given the opportunity to agree or to reject it. I dislike very much that it was forced upon me, and I have yet to decide if I wish to remain in it.”

“I am afraid that is not an option,” Noble said. “We all have our duties and yours is to accept the marriage your da arranged for you. I will be a good husband—”

“Describe what you think makes a good husband,” she said, annoyance in her every word.

“A man who provides for his wife, protects her, keeps her safe, and gives her many sons and daughters to look after.”

“And you think that pitiful explanation makes for a good husband?”

Noble could not understand how her annoyed smile could be attractive, though the spark of passionate anger in her eyes was what really caught his attention. It was a fiery green that held an invitation of even more passion.

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