Page 18 of Intrigued By A Highlander

Dru clutched her chest in mock pain. “You wound me, Knox.”

She couldn’t blame him. Trust wasn’t easy for her either. Her past had seen to that.

“Tell me why he was chasing you.”

She tilted her head, curiosity sparking in her eyes. “I will tell you if you tell me something about yourself first.”

Knox’s gaze narrowed. “What do you want to know?”

“When did you join the mercenaries?”

“I didn’t join them. I was sold to them when I was eight years.”

“Who sold you?” she asked softly almost as if she didn’t want to know.

She imagined him as a lad—perhaps large for his age, or maybe small and skinny, handed over to ruthless men. Her heart squeezed with pain for him.

“My parents,” Knox said without feeling. “There were eight of us. Too many mouths to feed. The mercenary leader, Phelan, offered good coins for me. It was the last time I ever saw any of them.”

“You never wanted to see your family again?” she asked.

Knox didn’t answer right away. His gaze was distant, lost in memory. Then, suddenly, he said, “There’s no point. It’s been too many years. They wouldn’t know me, nor I them.” He looked down at her. “Now, your turn. Why was that man chasing you?”

With what he had shared, she had no trouble telling him the truth, at least part of it.

“Hennie was boasting about men—how some were exceptional lovers, making any man who followed seem disappointing. Birdie said she wished she had one. If Seth had found out, he’d have beaten her senseless, so I lied to misdirect him.”

Knox arched a brow. “To you?”

“Aye. Birdie stood no chance with him. I knew I could outrun him.”

“And if he caught you?”

Dru grinned. “I had a secret weapon… you.”

Knox let out a sharp breath, shaking his head. “And what if I hadn’t intervened?”

She chuckled. “There were enough turnips there to knock him out.”

Their laughter faded into thought and silence settled between them.

He didn’t want to think of what might have happened to her if he hadn’t been there. Seth had enough bulk on him to do her serious harm. And if he had… he would have made him suffer for it.

Dru could see the wheels turning in Knox’s head—just as they were in hers. There was much to consider, much to be concerned about, much that could prove dangerous, but what thought was the foremost in her mind?

Her slight hesitation when he asked her if she was fond enough to make the marriage permanent? Why the pause? She had no answer and that troubled her.

As dusk fell followedby a crisp autumn night, Knox found a place for them to camp. They ate some of the food the nuns had generously packed for them while few words were exchanged.

“You need to sleep,” Knox said, seeing the way she struggled to keep her eyes open. “Once we’re done at Dugan’s place, we’ll head on. It will be a long day.”

“Aye, I could use the sleep,” Dru said and stretched out on the ground, wrapping her threadbare wool cloak around her as tight as she could.

The fire spread warmth, but the ground was cold, and her worn cloak held little protection against it. She couldn’t stop the shivers from settling in down to her bones.

Knox added more wood to the fire, hoping it would help ease her shivers. When it didn’t, he went to her and lay beside her, taking her in his arms. He tucked her tight against him and shared his cloak, throwing it over her, and tucking it firmly around her.

She would have never allowed a man to get as close to her as Knox had, but he had made it clear when she was naked in front of him that he had no intimate interest in her. So, she had no worries about that. Besides, the heat that radiated off him was a comfort she gladly welcomed.

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