Highland Master Read Online Free PDF Page B

when I need to rest, and women to help me with all the work that needs to be done about here. I am a verra fortunate lass and must cease craving what I cannae have.”
    Triona nodded. It always helped to remind herself of all she did have, things many another woman would kill to have. Life was not perfect, and she doubted she would ever completely cease to wish for something just a little different, but most of the time she was content with her life. In many ways she had the large family she had always craved. She had all the people of Banuilt.
    When thoughts of a man with dark green eyes crept into her mind, she frowned. She did not need a man, she thought crossly, but that did little to push away the image in her mind or the way her heartbeat quickened as she thought of Sir Brett Murray. He was too handsome for his own good, but that did not stop her from appreciating his fine looks, as far too many women undoubtedly did. Neither did reminding herself that she was no beauty, and she suspected he was a man who was all too well acquainted with many beautiful women.
    Cursing softly, she sat up and then moved to get a drink of cider. She was too old to be infatuated with some man just because he looked so good. Appreciating his beauty, his strength and manly grace, was acceptable, but letting him invade her thoughts to the point that he disturbed her rest was not. Her marriage had taught her that one did not get much benefit from having a husband. Hers certainly had not made her feel much less alone than she had growing up in her family’s unloving home.
    Once back in bed, she closed her eyes, determined to clear her mind and get the rest she needed. She growled when she had the sudden thought that Sir Brett would probably give a woman many children, all strong and handsome. He might also cause her to enjoy the making of those children. Triona flopped onto her back and glared up at the ceiling. It was going to be a long night, she decided.
    Even as she finally managed to relax enough to reach for sleep, the alarum was rung and Angus burst into her room screaming, “Fire in the blue field!”

Chapter Three
    Brett studied the charred ground in the far corner of the field. It had not taken them long to put out the fire, despite the plentiful fuel for it to feed upon. What truly roused his curiosity was why, if the fire was meant to destroy the whole field of crops, had it been set in a place so easily seen from the walls of Banuilt? Not only that, but it had been set in a place easily reached, where there was little risk of many feet and a cart crossing the field and damaging the crop. It was possible that the men who had set the fire were simply witless fools, but he had some strong doubts about that. It was hard to believe any men could be quite that witless.
    He looked at Triona, who stood by his side. It troubled him that he had such a fierce urge to brush the loose strands of hair from her face, and he clenched his hands into fists at his sides as he fought it. Despite what his family thought, he had turned away from women. If they ever uncovered that truth, a lot of questions would be asked, and he had no wish to explain why he allowed everyone to think him such a dissolute man when he was far from it. He did, however, need to remind himself of those reasons when he was near Triona.
    “Why is the field called the blue field?” he asked, praying that talking to her about the trouble they had just dealt with would distract him from his growing attraction to her.
    “Naming the field makes it quicker for everyone to ken which one we must all rush to,” replied Triona.
    “And ye all have to rush off to tend to a field often, do ye?”
    Triona sighed. She was so tired. The first troubles had begun only a fortnight after the well-trained men who had survived the fever had sailed away to France to seek their fortunes fighting for whoever offered them the most coin. Over the following nearly two years there had been few times