Page 41 of Taken By the Savage Highlander

Miss Crusoe watched him, reaching out to hit the corners of the pages as he searched. When he pulled out the letter he was looking for, she stood on her hind legs, swatting at it. She didn’t stop until he picked her up and tucked her against his chest.

“Perhaps it is time that I help me cousin with the granary he’s been meanin’ to rebuild,” Cameron muttered as he read through the missive. “He’s been askin’ me for nearly half a year.”

Miss Crusoe mewed, sounding as if she were upset with him. He let go of her, pocketing the parchment and walking toward the door. When he stopped, he turned back, expecting to see the kitten following him.

“Ach, as I said,” he said at the threshold of the door, “ye’re just like Margo; a confusin’ wee thing.”

He spent the next few hours informing his Council of his upcoming absence and making arrangements to keep the castle running. On his way to his quarters, Gavin stopped him with a palm to his shoulder.

“What are ye rushin’ around for?” Gavin asked, his tone conversational, but the look in his eyes anything but. “I heard that ye called a meetin’ with yer Council.”

“Ye were lookin’ for me,” Cameron said, allowing himself to be stopped.

“Ye werenae in the Great Hall,” Gavin explained, dropping his hand from Cameron’s shoulder. “I was worried that somethin’ may have happened.”

“Nay, nothin’ has happened,” Cameron reported. “I will be goin’ east to assist me cousin with his granary. I will leave tomorrow at first light.”

“And ye willnae even give yerself a day to rest?” Gavin said, narrowing his eyes and scanning Cameron’s face. “Ever since ye got back from England, ye have had one task after another.”

“The work doesnae stop,” Cameron said. He would not rise to whatever bait his friend was attempting to dangle in front of him. “I have been pushin’ off the granary project for months. If it waits any longer, it may nae just be repairs that need done.”

“Ach, I suppose ye’re correct,” Gavin said. “I am still of the opinion that ye should spend a day here. I’m sure yer wife would appreciate havin’ some time with ye.”

“She’s occupied with her kittens,” Cameron replied, sidestepping his man-at-arms and continuing on his way to his chambers. “I trust ye to look after Lady MacLeod and her sister while I’m away.”

“Does she ken ye’re leavin’?”

The question nearly made Cameron’s stride skip. Clearing his throat, he said, “She doesnae need to bother with logistical concerns. Let her be carefree.”

Refusing to give Gavin a chance to prolong the conversation, Cameron rounded the corner. He made it to the wing of the castle he shared with Margo without crossing paths with another soul. As he passed by her door, he hesitated.

I should tell her that I will be leavin’.

Just before he knocked, the sound of claws scurrying over the stone stopped him. He paused, watching as Miss Crusoe came bounding down the corridor with Friday in tow. When the kittens reached the threshold, they squished themselves down as close to the floor as they could and dragged themselves underneath it.

So that’s how they’re gettin’ into every crevice of this buildin’.

Shaking his head, he went to his chambers. It would be better for both of them if he did not see her before he left. He no longer trusted himself not to pull her against him, to devour her mouth the same way he had by the cliffs.

Yet, as he prepared for sleep, his eyes kept drifting to the door connecting their rooms. It would be so easy to walk through it and indulge the desires that were driving him mad.

But I willnae.

A kitten’s tiny paw tapping Margo’s nose pulled her into consciousness. She glanced around her chamber. The morning sun was streaming in, and all five kittens were lounging on her mattress.

“Have you decided you’re too good for the basket that Cameron made for you?” she asked, removing Miss Crusoe from her chest before sitting up and stretching her arms above her head. “Or perhaps you’re all hungry?”

Instead of waiting for an answer that wouldn’t come, Margo got out of bed. As she shuffled across the floor, Tilly knocked on the door twice before pushing it open. When she saw Margo was up, her eyes widened.

“I dinnae expect ye to be awake,” she said apologetically as she slipped inside. “I was just stoppin’ by to feed the kittens; Eleanor was worried about them.”

“I did sleep longer than I intended,” Margo admitted as she walked over to the window. Broken pieces of conversation and laughter drifted through the air. “I had a bit of trouble sleeping last night.”

“Was it the kittens?” Tilly asked, setting down the incredibly unappetizing mixture of milk and fish. “Now that they’re bigger, they do nothin’ but get themselves into trouble.”

“No, no,” Margo said, looking away from the activity below. “My mind just refused to quiet down.”

She admitted to herself she was understating the depth of her sleeplessness. The kiss, the teasing in the courtyard, the conversation with Eleanor, it all circled through her mind again and again. She’d had far too much time in her hands to over-analyze everything.