AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What kind of question is that? Love is nae somethin’ I can afford,” Olivia said. Deep within her heart though, she knew that was precisely what she wanted. She wanted a love that was unquenchable. One that could burn her and cause her cheeks to flush with the flame of desire.
But that moment, that connection was lost on her. After all, she clearly had to have done something to cause Conner to up and leave so abruptly. By all accounts, she was not the woman he wanted to be with. If she were, he would have stayed with her. She would have woken up in his arms and felt his love flow freely from him and crash into her. Yet, there was nothing during the limited time she had with him.
“That doesnae answer the question,” Ana said with a smirk. “I think ye dae love him.”
“Even if I did,” Olivia said as her eyes remained locked on Conner’s desk, wishing he was sitting there, if only to steal a glimpse of him. “It matters nae. I donnae believe the laird is in love wit’ me.”
The smirk on Ana’s face vanished as her shoulders dropped. Olivia didn’t want Ana’s pity. After all, that was the fate of women of wealth. Marriages were hardly about love but convenience and power.
“I cannae think that,” Ana mumbled. “The laird is a good man.”
“That has nothin’ to do wit’ love. A man can be kind and generous, but it does nae mean that they will give their heart freely to their wife.”
Olivia glanced over at Ana and placed her hand on the servant’s shoulder. Trying her hardest not to let the situation get the best of her, or let the rejection flood her, she smiled. “Come. We have much work to dae.”
“Aye,” Ana said, bobbing her head as she followed Olivia down the hallway. Although Olivia wished she could have such a love in her life, she found contentment in arranging the castle to her liking. It seemed that with each room she went through, rearranging and adding color, she found herself a bit happier.
By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, Olivia had at least three rooms of the castle done and all the chains of sorrow she had wrapped around her this morning were gone. Conner was the last thing on her mind as she stepped into the dining room.
“Yer back,” Olivia said with a start as she noticed Conner at the head of the table. He looked up with his dreamy dark eyes and flashed her a weary smile. The mere sight of him caused her heart to skip and dance within her chest. All the hard work she had done to push thoughts of him into the darkest parts of her mind came undone in that single moment.
“I told ye I’d be here for dinner, did I nae?” he asked as he rose to his feet.
Moving to the empty seat, Olivia nodded, completely stunned by his mere presence. “Aye, that ye did. I just didnae think…”
“Ye didnae think I’d show?” he asked as his eyebrow arched with concern.
“Aye,” Olivia answered truthfully as she slipped the napkin from her plate and placed it over her lap. “I didnae even ken ye’d come back.”
“Ye should ken I am a man of my word,” he said, taking his seat once again. “If there is nothin’ else ye learn about me, ken that. I told ye I’d be here.”
“And dae ye want to be?” Olivia asked. The words slipped from her lips before she could retract them.
“What makes ye think I daenae want to be?”
“Ye left so quickly this mornin’,” Olivia said, a lump of fear forming in her throat, making it difficult to speak.
“There were issues to handle in the field,” Conner answered as she noticed his gaze remained locked on her. Slowly she drew her eyes to meet his and swallowed hard.
“Is everythin’ alright?”
“I believe so,” he answered, setting his glass down and clearing his throat. Olivia glanced at him through her long lashes before shifting her attention to her plate.
“And how was yer day? I noticed a few changes about the castle.”
“Aye, I made a few,” Olivia said as heat rushed to her cheeks. Her lips twitched as she fought back a smile.
“One in particular caught my attention right away.”
“Oh?” She didn’t look at him for fear of letting out her laughter. With a stern hand she grabbed her glass and took a sip to steady her nerves.”
“Aye, I must say, it was a bit of a shock to find my study wit’ a bit more eyes on me than usual.”
Olivia couldn’t help but giggle. Quickly she covered her mouth with her napkin to mask her smile. “Ye told me to make the place my home.”
Smirking, Conner bobbed his head. “Aye, that I did, didnae I? Remind me nae to get on yer bad side. I fear I’ll end up wit’ snakes in my bed.”
“I’d never,” Olivia said with a gasp.
