Highlander's Trials of Fire

“I hope that means ye arenae so opposed to me as ye first were.”

“Nay,” she spoke simply, shaking her head. “It is only because I would prefer to refer to ye as Matthew and thought it would be fair. It doesnae mean I am any more welcoming of ye as before, though I am flattered by yer proposal.”

Matthew chuckled.

Aye, a tough one she is.

“Ye daenae sound very flattered at all, Jonet.”

“Does that offend ye?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

Matthew could not stop himself from admiring the slender curve of her neck before he met her brown eyes. “Nae at all. If anythin’, I’m even more excited to get to ken ye.”

“I wonder why,” she held a soft musing tone before walking off to settle into a cushioned armchair. Slightly intrigued, Matthew chose to sit in the chair he had vacated before.

“Are ye nae pleased that I am here?” he asked.

“Why would ye ask that?” she responded. She sounded slightly sarcastic. “After all I’ve said when ye first came here, I cannae imagine why ye think I am nae happy to see ye.”

Matthew chuckled. “Ye havenae even asked why I am here.”

She blinked at that. Then nodded. “Fair enough. Why are ye here, Matthew?”

“I wish to go for a walk with ye.”

Matthew took a lot of pleasure out of watching her eyes grow wide as she frowned in confusion. “That doesnae sound any different from what I was thinkin’.”

“Well, it wouldnae do w

ell for me to come all the way here only to be turned away without puttin’ up a bit of a fight, would it?”

“I am afraid ye are only wastin’ yer breath—”

“One hour,” he made sure not to sound desperate. Instead he affected that sweet, cajoling smile he had often given to the toughest of his con victims. Her frown deepened and Matthew told himself that it had to be because it was working. “That is all I ask for. Surely, ye have one hour to spare for little auld me.”

She stared at him. Studied him—openly and with such heavy judgment that he could not decipher her very well. Matthew felt as if his life hung in the balance while she drank him in, and he desperately wished he had the ability to read minds. With such a talent, maybe then it would be easier to deal with her.

When she nodded, Matthew’s heart sang with relief. “All right. One hour. That’s all ye’ll get.”

“That is all I need,” he grinned.

They both rose at the same time. Jonet turned and made her way out of the room without waiting for him. He did not mind, happy as he was to have overcome that small obstacle. He could not understand why she was so opposed to him, but he was as focused as ever to break through that barrier to reach the tender woman underneath. From his experience, the harder the exterior, the softer the inside.

He walked by her side as they made their way out of the castle. He glanced at her a few times, wanting her to notice that he was. To make her wonder if he were so enamored with her that he simply could not take his eyes away. It was not very far from the truth. Her beauty was unlike anything he had seen before, and he was happy that when he would take the Lairdship as his own, he would at least have a wife he would enjoy looking at.

“Ye say that is all ye need,” she said once they were walking into the open expanse of land stretched out before the Castle. It broke the silence that had fallen over them. Matthew was happy she did, so he did not have to. “What did ye mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said, Jonet,” he replied. “I can tell that ye do nae like me very much and I am hopin’ that this walk will allow ye to get to ken me.”

“What is there to ken?” she asked. “Ye are a wealthy merchant who wishes to marry me because of what ye heard in the village. What else would I need to ken?”

Matthew wasted no time listing things off. “What I like and dislike. Me hopes and aspirations. Me favorite meal. Me favorite time of day. Me favorite things to do. There are a whole host of things, ye ken.”

Jonet huffed a laugh, but Matthew knew it was not in his favor. “I daenae mean to be rude, Matthew, but if we will nae be married then I ken nay reason to ken such things.”

“Truly? Nae even the things I like to do when I wake in the mornings?”

“Least of all that.”