Page 33 of Married to the Icy Highlander
Neil’s jaw tensed, and only then did he glance at her—but for only a moment. “Nay, the dress is bonny.”
“Then what is the matter? Ye’re actin’ as if ye fell in poison oak,” Ceana huffed, turning her focus back on the road.
She was more hurt than angry if she was being honest with herself. She had thought that he might like… Well, she had thought that…
At her side, Neil exhaled slowly, releasing her arm to slide his hand around her waist. How was it possible that even the slightest touch left goosebumps all up and down her sides? It shouldn’t be possible.
Her breath caught as he leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I wish I hadnae set so damn many rules…”
His lips brushed the shell of her ear as he spoke, his nose tracing the curve softly as they walked. His hand tightened around her waist ever so slightly before he dropped it again.
How had the night gotten so warm all of a sudden?
Ceana had to grab her skirt to keep from fanning her face with her traitorous hand. Her cheeks felt as if they could spark kindling.
“Which rule do ye wish to take back right now, M’Laird?”
“Neil,” he reminded her, and all she did was grin. “Seein’ ye in that dress damn near brought me to me knees.”
If she could have melted into the earth, she might have just become one with the ground. He had no right to sound so damn alluring while speaking so casually. Her legs stopped working, and Neil smirked as he continued walking without her.
15
“Ceana! Ceana!” Peter’s voice cut through the crowds mingling in the square. He was jumping up and down, waving his hand over his head to be seen because of his short stature. “Ceana!”
The night had truly turned out perfect, and her heart was light. They couldn’t have asked for better weather, and nearly everybody from the village was attending—perhaps some from the neighboring village too.
“I see ye! Nay need to shout!” Ceana called back, but she knew that he was unlikely to hear anything she said.
She had lost Neil and Jeanie over an hour ago. Jeanie was gorging herself on every sweet that she could find, and Ceana wasn’t going to be personally responsible for putting her to bed when she was vibrating with excitement. No. She would leave her husband to trail after his daughter and tell the spirited young lass ‘no’ to something that she wanted as badly as sweets.
Besides, it might give them more time to bond, at the very least. That was what Ceana was truly hoping for. They had arrived after the piper had been playing for a while, and the dance floor had been far too crowded for young Jeanie to join in, but Ceana had promised to help her with her dancing before the evening was over. At least, that was her current plan.
But Peter very clearly wished for her company as well.
Ceana wove through the crowd, hiking up her skirts to make her movements easier, only to nearly trip as something furry darted between her ankles, nipping her calf like a damned snake. She hissed and jumped back to see if she was, in fact, bitten by a snake. That would ruin her whole night. The very last thing she needed at a time like this was to have a swollen leg that stopped her from dancing.
But it was only Myrtle, blinking up at her from between her legs. He walked a few paces away, and then sat, blinking at her again, clearly wanting her to follow him to his master.
“As if I werenae goin’ that way anyway,” she muttered to herself. “Bein’ herded like cattle by a damn cat.”
It would never cease to amaze her how close her brother was with that cat, or how they seemed to be able to communicate with one another mentally. She had never heard of another person being so close to a pet before. Most people weren’t even close with other people like that.
Myrtle disappeared the moment she was close enough to Peter to wrap an arm around him and pull him closer to her. “What are ye yellin’ at me for?”
“There’s a fortune teller here!” Peter cried. “I asked her to tell me about Myrtle’s past! She says that we have always kenned each other’s spirits! I told her that makes sense, given that Myrtle’s me best friend.”
Such a sweet boy, with a heart too kind for the cruelty of the other rougher children. But what made her the happiest was that Peter was so set in his ways. He had always been so steady in his beliefs and never let the opinions of others get to him. She wished that she had the same inner strength that he had. Another thing that she was grateful to Myrtle for was that he always seemed to protect Peter in his own way.
“Ye’re goin’ to tear me arm off, Peter!” She giggled as she trailed behind her brother, leaning this way and that to make room for her full skirt.
“Ersie said that she would hold a place for ye! Wanted to make sure that ye got a chance!”
“I dinnae want me fortune told!” Ceana attempted to protest, but Peter was having none of it.
“It’s just for fun!” he insisted, pulling her toward one of the smaller tents.
It smelled of syrupy sweet candles and a musky incense that she couldn’t place. But it was somehow welcoming instead of overpowering. A gypsy was sitting at a round table, with a small bowl for coins in front of her. It seemed that she hadn’t had a very busy night.
