Page 63 of Intrigued By A Highlander

“Aye, it matters.” His voice was rough now, sharp like the steel of a blade. “You think I’d let you walk away after what Mave said? That I’d stand by while you—” He stopped himself as he raked his fingers through his hair. “You mean to tell me you’d rather die than be my wife?”

She stiffened, her breath catching. If only it were that simple.

It wasn’t just her life at stake. It was his. If he knew who she was, remaining his wife would put him in danger. And she could not—would not—be the cause of his possible death.

She forced the defiant, sharp-tongued Dru to speak for her. “And are you telling me you care enough to remain wed to me?”

“Too fearful to answer me,” Knox accused, glaring at her as he waited for an answer.

“I told you I never planned on getting myself a husband.”

“Plans change,” he snapped. “Now tell me why you would rather die than remain wed to me.”

Dru’s throat tightened. She opened her mouth, but no words came.

Because I love you too much to let you suffer. Because if I stay, you will die. Because I am not the woman you think I am.

But none of that could pass her lips.

She turned the onus on him once again. “I am not what you want in a wife. Why sacrifice your life for me?”

The air between them went utterly still.

Then, Knox’s voice came, low and unyielding. “I have come to care for you.”

His remark shocked them both.

He hadn’t expected to say that and didn’t know why he did. Maybe it was the twisting ache in his heart that wouldn’t leave him after hearing Dru could die and be gone from his life forever.

“I have no idea why I have come to care for you since you can be annoying at times, but I do care for you—to my astonishment—and I would do anything to keep you safe… including staying married to you.”

But would he stay wed to her if he knew who she truly was, or would he surrender her to Lord Torrance and have their marriage voided? Remaining wed to her would lose him the dream of owning his own land, not that Torrance would allow that. It could cost him even more if Torrance decided it would be easier to see Knox dead so he could wed her to another.

Living on the road as she did, she never expected to live a long life and when she learned Torrance had sent Knox searching for her, she feared what might happen if he caught her. She never expected to come to care for Knox, to love him, something she was still having difficulty accepting. Perhaps because loving him might be the worst thing she could ever do to him.

Her heart would allow her to say only one thing. “I have come to care for you as well.”

A quick catch to his heart, as if it missed a beat, caught him unaware. He never expected her to feel that way about him or say it aloud. No one had ever spoken those words to him. That she truly cared for him sent an overwhelming surge of what had to be joy through him. He couldn’t recall ever feeling this happy, and he would do anything to shield it and never lose it.

“We can make this work, Dru. We could share a good life together. We will find Autumn and we will have land to settle on and grow a family together.”

How could a heart soar with joy and break at the same time? If only it could be so. But she couldn’t do this to him. It wasn’t fair. She loved him too much to put him in harm’s way.

“What do you say, wife?” Knox asked, as if referring to her that way sealed his proposal.

Dru remained where she was as he walked slowly toward her. There was a part of her that screamed,RUN!And another part that waited for him to take her in his arms and never let go.

She grinned when he stopped in front of her. “How will I ever tolerate you?”

He ran his finger faintly over her lips. “We have tolerated each other well so far. It can only improve from here on.”

Don’t let him kiss you. Don’t… But I want him to. I so badly want him to kiss me.

And Knox did.

One arm was enough to circle her slim waist and lift her off her feet and bring her lips to meet his. He refused to allow himself to admit how badly he’d been wanting to kiss her. Her lips had tempted him time and time again. He didn’t know how long he could go without kissing her again, yet he had refused to acknowledge it, until now.

That he would spend the rest of his life being able to kiss her, couple with her, brought even more joy to him. The thought of having his own land had filled him with purpose. Now having Dru by his side to share it, her having feelings for him, and he for her, was a dream come true. That was something he never thought he’d ever find with a woman.

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