Highland Sons: The Mackay Saga Read Online Free PDF Page B

ride out alone.
    Would she?
    Kenzie pressed her nose against the stallion’s neck. In a stable filled with animals, of course she would be drawn to his horse. Her fingers combed the silky black mane in a rhythmic pattern.
    “He’s not for me.” She leaned back and looked the horse in the eye. “You understand that, don’t you, Night?”
    “Nay, he does not. And neither do I.”
    She whirled, falling back against the large animal. “Laird Mackay.”
    “Bane. When we’re alone, I want you to use my given name.”
    He came to a stop but a foot away, so that she had to look up to meet his gaze. They stood that way for long moments. Kenzie was afraid to move, afraid to breathe for fear of breaking the spell. Why didn’t he simply kiss her? His eyes told her he wanted to, and wrong as it may be, she wanted him as well.
    He placed his hands along the back of the stallion, one on each side of her head, embracing her without touching. “Why do you run?”
    “Because, I . . . Mayhap, I’m not used to kisses.” She ducked under one of his arms and crossed to the feeding trough.
    He turned, but didn’t follow her. “Aye. I’ll believe that, but ‘tis something else your not telling me.”
    So he didn’t like her kiss? Well, she’d never kissed a man before. See if she’d kiss him again.
    And as for the other.
    Cold seeped into her soul at the thought. “I do not like to think about it. Besides, it shouldna matter now.”
    “The past always matters.”
    “Mayhap, I was but a wee bairn, barely 5 summers when the men came to our cottage. ‘Twas a long time ago.” She could still remember every detail of their appearance, the stench of whiskey filling the tiny room, the lust in their eyes as they gazed at her mother. Both men were members of their clan.
    Bane crossed his arms and waited. It was his lack of expression that allowed her to continue.
    “Mama made me hide in a trunk, but I could see through a knot hole.” Her fingertips dug into her palms. “I tried not to look. They kept calling her ‘witch.’ Laughing that they were sending her back to the devil.” She met Bane’s gaze. “They hurt her. After they left I tried to help, but there was so much blood.” She pressed her lips together to keep them from trembling, then took a deep breath, expelling it slowly. “We ran the next day. I guess we’ve been running ever since.”
    A muscle in Bane’s jaw jumped, but there was compassion in his eyes. “What they did was wrong. Your father let this happen?”
    “My father had another family by then. We were not his concern.” The truth still made her heart ache.
    Bane came to her. She couldn’t help comparing his approach to what she would use with a wild animal. He was so careful, but she had no intention of fleeing.
    Her hand wasn’t steady as she reached up to brush a stray lock of hair from his forehead. “I’ve been searching for someone with your eyes.”
    “Meaning?”
    “Once I became a woman, every man I met had the same look as the men who came to our cottage that night. Everyone but you. Why is that?”
    He reached up and placed his hand over hers, pressing her palm against his cheek. The start of a beard pricked her skin, but the warmth in his eyes made her wish they could stay that way forever.
    “I don’t know. Mayhap, ‘tis because you confound me.” He smiled and released her hand. “I’ve not met anyone like you.”
    She leaned back and tilted her head, pursing her lips. After meeting Lady Mackay, she suspected much had to do with the woman who’d borne him. He values people for who they are.
    All thought ended abruptly as his lips closed over hers. The kiss started as barely a brushing of his mouth against hers, but deepened when she moved into his embrace. Curiosity filled her and she stretched her fingertip against his chest like a kneading cat. The image of him, bare-chested, came to mind. Through his shirt, hard muscle rippled under her hands as she slid them upward