It was obvious he and the word “refinement” were complete and utter strangers and yet there was something about this rugged, tormented man she found completely captivating and she wondered if he’d always been so morose. Surely as a lad, he’d been laughing and carefree.
Hadn’t he?
“Have you always been so large?” she asked.
He cast an evil glare over his shoulder. “Aye. I came from my mother’s womb at full height. The shock of it almost killed her.”
She grimaced at his humor. “Do you always walk so fast? I can barely keep up with your strides. I feel like a small child running after a parent.”
When she stumbled on the rocks, Ewan quickly caught her and set her back on her feet.
To her chagrin, her hands went flat against the strength of his arms and she felt the incredible power of his body. The man was a wall of well-toned muscles. One that made her breath catch in her throat and her body erupt into heat.
Against her will, an image of his nude form went through her mind.
Aye, she knew all too well what primal masculine charms were concealed by his saffron shirt and trewes. All six-foot-six of him.
“Take care, my lady,” he said sharply. “I have no wish to take you home mangled.”
In spite of his rough words, there was a gentleness in his touch that belied his tone. Her ogre wasn’t the fierce beastie he let on to be. She was rather sure of it.
“Why do you wish to live out here alone?” she asked as he withdrew from her and took up his lead again.
“I like my solitude.”
“But doesn’t it get lonely?”
He hesitated. “Nay.”
She learned something about him then. His nose wrinkled ever so slightly when he lied.
“Don’t you miss being with your brothers?”
A deep, dark sadness fell over his face and his entire body tensed. “My lady, would you please hold your tongue for a bit? I’m not used to conversing and I find myself quite worn out by it.”
“I shall refrain if you will answer one more question.”
“And that is?”
“Why does everyone say you killed your brother?”
Three
“Because I did kill my brother.”
If Nora lived a thousand years, she would never forget the look on Ewan’s face as he said those words. She saw his grief. His pain.
It wasn’t the face of a man who had killed his brother. At least not on purpose. It was the face of a man who was tormented by the loss. One who would do anything to have his brother back.
She probably should stay silent, yet that wasn’t in her nature. She wanted to know the truth behind that pain. “What happened?”
His blue eyes turned arctic. “What do you care? You didn’t know him. Hell’s toes, you barely know me and I’ve no wish to speak of it.”
Nora would respect that. It was more than obvious that he felt deeply for his brother and whatever had happened to him.
Over the years, she’d heard a number of stories about the death of Kieran MacAllister. Some claimed Ewan had cut his brother’s throat while he slept. Others said he’d cut out his heart.
Some were much more lewd.
