Page 44 of Saved By the Cruel Highlander
Cole stood beside Elias, standing straight and mimicking some of his movements.
“I ken that I sometimes dinnae treat the people around me with the respect they deserve, so I wanted to… apologize for me tone the other day, and I thought we could take a walk in the village.”
Cole rolled his shoulders back a little, and it was amusing for Holly to see the young lad try to act like a grown-up when he was only eight years old. She looked from the child to Elias and saw something more in his eyes.
Have ye come here because ye think his parents might be in the village? Do ye mean to take him from me?
She could not claim the boy, but she had grown to like him. And the way he mimicked Elias was interesting. As was the way Elias tolerated the boy, when he tolerated very few.
“Why did ye really bring us here?” Holly asked, suspicious.
If the Laird saw the people staring at him from behind market stalls or as they passed, he showed no signs of it. They were far enough from the castle that he would not be known as well in these parts, but he had a long scar on his face, so people must know who he was.
He stepped closer to her, away from the boy, and her fears were confirmed—he wanted to say it, so the boy couldn’t hear it. He would find his parents, then what? He’d punish them or give the boy back?
A clean smell came from the Laird. He had bathed before coming out with them that day, and Holly appreciated the effort. Atop that was a strong sandalwood musk, simple and elegant.
“I, uh…” he started. He had never had trouble saying anything before, but he faltered now. “I ken this is where ye used to come with yer faither, and I thought to make up for the beastly way I threw ye around me room the other day, I could buy ye new clothes, jewelry, and mayhap some new ribbons for yer hair.”
“Och!”
Holly couldn’t help the tears streaming down her face. She pulled out her handkerchief quickly and wiped them before anyone saw. Few people were looking at her when the Beastly Laird was in their presence.
“That is what yer faither used to do, is it nae?” Elias asked.
“Aye,” Holly said with some confusion. She tried to make sense of it all. “Ye brought me back here to buy me things and ribbons?”
“Do ye nae want that?” Elias asked.
Holly moved as if to embrace him but then quickly stopped herself. “Aye, I do want that. I want that very much.”
She looked at the man before her, not recognizing him.
How could someone so fierce and angry be so compassionate and kind? She didn’t know quite how to react. It was not only that he was doing something kind for her, but that he had remembered what she had told him and he had stored that information away to use it later.
Holly leaned close to him this time so Cole wouldn’t overhear. “I really didnae mind the way ye treated me in yer room. In fact, I might have liked it.”
Elias smirked for a second before his expression turned stoic again. “Aye, is that a fact? Then maybe we need to do it again.”
He stepped away from Holly before she could respond to that, and she felt herself blush in the middle of the marketplace.
Elias tussled Cole’s hair—an action he had repeated many times since the lunch they shared. “And we can get somethin’ for the lad, too.”
Cole looked over at Holly and beamed before quickly wiping the smile from his face to better mimic the Laird.
“Where to, first?” Holly asked.
“To the merchant that sells ribbons,” Elias said. “I want to make good on me apology and buy them now. After that, ye can go get fitted for some clothes as the castle’s seamstress isnae done with our order yet, and I’ll have a pint at the tavern. Does that sound fine?”
“That sounds wonderful,” Holly agreed.
Buying ribbons was a more emotional process than she had expected. She chose some of her favorite colors, along with some nicer ones that might do for her wedding day. Elias gave the shopkeeper some coins and received the wrapped ribbons in return. When he handed them to Holly, she almost broke down in tears again.
She saved them for later. She didn’t need to become a blubbering mess in front of Elias and Cole when they were out together to enjoy themselves. So much emotion whirled inside her. It was not only sadness at remembering what happened to her father; it was also the memory of her father’s final act of love and protection as he gave his life to save her from a life of servitude and violence.
She admired her father, and that admiration was transferred over to Elias as he bought her ribbons.
She moved a little closer to him enough to inhale his musky scent. “Thank ye.”
