Page 53 of Hunting for a Highlander (Highland Brides 8)

Aulay gave her hand an affectionate squeeze before she withdrew it from his arm, and then he was past and she was continuing to the bedside.

Smiling at Geordie, she asked, “Are ye hungry or thirsty?”

“Both,” he said on a sigh.

Nodding, Dwyn settled on the edge of the bed and glanced over the tray. “Broth, cider or mead first?”

“Cider,” he decided, and she helped him drink, allowing him to have more than a few sips this time.

When Geordie said, “Thank ye,” she set the cider down and picked up the bowl of broth.

“Aulay said ye’ve been dribbling broth and cider down me throat the whole time I’ve been sick,” he said as she scooped up a spoonful of broth.

“Aye. I thought ye might be hungry, and ye could no’ tell me nay,” Dwyn teased, and lifted the spoon of broth to his mouth.

Geordie eyed it with a grimace, obviously not pleased that he had to be fed like a child, but finally opened his mouth for her to slide it in.

“Mayhap ye should just pour it in a mug and help me drink it,” he said wryly after the second spoonful. “I feel like a child having to be fed like this.”

“It will no’ be for long,” Dwyn said sympathetically. “Ye’ll regain yer strength quickly now ye’re awake.”

“I hope so,” Geordie sighed, and opened his mouth again when she lifted another spoonful to his mouth. After swallowing, he asked, “What happened to yer gown?”

Dwyn paused and glanced down at herself, but the new forest green gown seemed fine. There were no small tears, or stains on it. When she raised her confused gaze to his, he explained, “The neckline’s no’ as low as I’m used to.”

Dwyn’s face split into a wide smile at that, and she nodded. “Aye. The women and I have all been sewing while we visited. We managed to get a couple o’ new gowns done while ye slept.” She noted the dissatisfaction on his face, and frowned with concern. “Do ye no’ like this one? I thought ’twas pretty.”

“Aye, ’tis,” Geordie assured her roughly. “The color suits ye, and the style is nice . . .”

She raised her eyebrows in question when he paused, hearing a silent but.

Finally, he admitted, “But I miss the low necklines.”

“Ah.” Dwyn bit her lip to hold back a sudden grin. “Well, I still have those gowns too, and will be happy to wear them fer ye. But I am a bit more comfortable no’ being so much on display around the soldiers and the men in yer family.”

“Oh. Aye,” Geordie said with understanding, and opened his mouth when she moved the spoon to his lips again. He swallowed the liquid almost before she removed the spoon this time, and as soon as he was able, he asked, “How are yer feet? Aulay said ye injured them again dragging me through the woods and Rory only gave ye permission to walk again yester eve.”

Dwyn’s mouth twitched with irritation. “He was most annoying about me feet this time. I was beginning to think he’d never let me walk again.”

She caught the grin that crossed Geordie’s face at her annoyance, and arched an eyebrow. “Ye’ll no’ be smiling when ye want to be up and about and he’s insisting ye stay abed longer.”

Geordie’s expression dimmed at that, and then he said, “Ye should have left me in the woods and run for Buchanan.”

“I’d no’ have left ye alone, m’laird. If the other men had come looking for the two men ye dispatched, they’d have killed ye.”

“I suspect they did come looking,” Geordie said grimly.

Dwyn raised her eyebrows at that. “Why?”

“Because Aulay said their camp was empty when the men found it and they managed to escape Buchanan land before Simon and the other soldiers could catch up,” he announced, and then pointed out, “They had to have prior warning somehow, and it seems likely they may have grown concerned, looked for the two men and found them dead. That would have been enough to make them scramble off our land. Although it must have been close else I’m sure they would have pursued us, and with ye dragging me across the forest floor on a plaid, our tracks would have been easy to follow.”

Dwyn stared at him, recalling the sound of a branch snapping behind them just before she’d heard Aulay and the other men thundering toward them on horseback. Had one or even two of the men found their comrades and been creeping up on them when they too heard the approaching riders? If so, she was lucky he or they had decided to flee rather than try to drag her off again. She was also lucky they hadn’t taken the time to slice Geordie’s throat before fleeing, Dwyn thought with horror. Dear God, she shouldn’t have left him alone even for those few minutes while she’d run out onto the path to stop Aulay and the others.

“Lass, ye’ve gone pale. What is it?” Geordie asked with a frown.

Dwyn opened her mouth, and then paused and glanced to the door when a knock sounded. Sighing, she shook her head and set the bowl back on the tray, surprised to see that it was empty. Standing then, she moved to open the door, unsurprised when Geordie’s siblings and their mates greeted her.

Managing a smile, Dwyn backed up and let them in, realizing only then that she hadn’t thought to warn Geordie they were all coming up to visit him.

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