Itâs been more than eight years since you kissed her good-Âbye. This landâs in English hands now. That lass of yours has a father or a brother somewhere whoâll show his face to chase us off, and weâll be on the next ship to Australia.â
Callum shifted his weight. âPerhaps we should wait to be certain sheâll marry you, Captain.â
Logan squared his shoulders. âHave no worry on that score. Iâll be making certain of it. Tonight.â
Â
Chapter Three
O nce sheâd reached her decision, Maddie washed her face, sipped some brandy, and readied herself to go out and confront Captain Logan MacKenzie.
She got as far as the doorwayâÂwhere he appeared, looking for her.
His gaze swept her up and down, leaving her painted with gooseflesh.
âYou look as though you could use some air, mo chridhe. Letâs take a stroll and talk, the two of us.â
âVery well,â she agreed, a bit dismayed that it wasnât her idea now. She wanted to be in control. Or at the very least, holding her own.
But how could she ever hold her own with a man like this?
Maddie struggled to keep up with him as they walked out of the castle and through the arched stone gateway. His long, easy strides translated to a brisk pace for her.
They emerged from the castleâs shadow into the afternoon sun and walked out toward the lochâs edge. The weather was deceptively cheeryâÂsunny and warm for April, with a gentle freshness in the breeze. The sky and water seemed to be having a contest to out-Âblue one another.
Captain MacKenzieâs eyes bested them both.
âWhat a bonny afternoon to walk along the waterfront,â he said. âJust like old times, in Brighton.â
âYou can stop teasing me. Iâm well aware that I was a fool at sixteen. But I didnât stop maturing when I stopped writing you letters. Iâve grown into a woman.â
âOh, have you now?â
âYes. An independent woman. One who manages her own household and affairs. So let us be direct.â
They came to a halt on a small spit of land that extended into the loch like a gnarled green finger.
Heavens, he was so tall. Maddie realized that she was going to have an ache in her neck from staring up at him. She stepped onto a large, flat rock, closing their height difference to a more manageable amount.
Unfortunately, closing that distance only brought her closer to his handsome features and breathtaking eyes.
His attractiveness didnât matter, she reminded herself. This was not a long-Âabandoned dream miraculously come true. This man was not the heroic Captain MacKenzie sheâd invented. He was just a soldier who happened to share the same name.
And he certainly wasnât in love with her.
No, this man wanted something, and that something wasnât Maddie. If she could learn what his goal was, perhaps she could convince him to go away.
âYou said you donât want money. What is it youâre after?â
âIâm after this, lass.â He nodded toward the loch. âThe castle. The land. And Iâm prepared to do anything to get it. Even marrying a deceitful English minx.â
At last, here was an explanation she found credible.
Unfortunately, she also found it terrible.
âYou canât force me to wed you.â
âI willna need to force you. Youâll wed me eagerly enough. As you say, youâre an independent woman now. âTwould be a shame for these lettersââÂhe pulled the yellowed paper from his breast pocketâÂâto fall into the wrong hands.â
He cleared his throat and began to read. â âMy Dear Captain MacWhimsy. This morning, the dreadful Miss Price came to call. Lavinia is always prodding me for stories about you. Today she asked if we had kissed. I said of course we had. And then of course she had to ask me what the kiss was like.â â
As he read,