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Keir heaved a deep breath.
“What is it?” Sarah asked, before she craned her neck to look beyond her shoulder.
Keir knew the moment she spotted Kenna because he felt the muscles in her arms and back tense. Yet when she turned back to look up at him, there was confidence in her eyes.
“Will you give us a moment?”
Rather surprised, Keir smiled at her and nodded his head. “I always knew ye to be a fierce one.” He released her hands and watched her step away, then turn around and walk toward Kenna.
Aye, she’s the one.
Chapter Forty-Three
HE’S MINE
Sarah’s hands trembled as she made her way across the garden and toward Kenna. The young woman’s face showed a hint of surprise; however, it vanished quickly, replaced by the same scowl Sarah had seen upon her face from the first.
Kenna crossed her arms over her chest as Sarah came to stand in front of her. “Why are ye here?” she demanded in a hiss, her brown eyes cold and yet filled with pain.
Compassion welled up in Sarah’s heart; after all, she knew the pain of losing Keir. How often had she imagined the next moment to be their last together?
“I think we should talk,” Sarah said gently, hoping that Kenna would see reason and they would not have to part as enemies.
Kenna scoffed. “Aye, perhaps we should.” Her arms fell to her sides, and she took a step toward Sarah, her eyes sparking with animosity. “Ye dunna belong here, and ye should return to where ye come from.”
Holding Kenna’s gaze, Sarah slowly shook her head. “I will not. I cannot. You know that.”
Kenna’s jaw tensed. “How arrogant of ye,” Kenna snapped. “The English have already taken far too much from us. And now…” She settled her hands on her hips, leaning forward. “Now ye claim one of our men for yerself and see nothing wrong with that.”
Kenna’s accusation made Sarah feel defensive; yet she could see that the young woman’s anger was merely a mask to hide something much more painful. And so, Sarah refused to rise to the bait. “Do not pretend this has anything to do with fairness,” she said calmly. “This is not about being English or Scot. This has nothing to do with borders and treaties. There is no need for us to be enemies. You know that, Kenna.” Sarah raised an eyebrow, daring the other woman to acknowledge the rightness of her words.
Yet Kenna’s anger still blazed. “Before ye came here, Keir was mine.”
Sarah shook her head. “That is not true.”
“How would ye know?”
“Keir told me, and I believe him.” Indeed, there was not a single doubt in her mind or heart that nothing had ever been between Keir and Kenna.
With her lips pressed into a tight line, Kenna glared at her. Her hands balled into fists, trembling as her whole body seemed to shake with emotions she barely managed to hold in check. “Before he left for England, he kissed me.”
Again, Sarah shook her head. “No, he did not.” Somewhere in the back of her mind, Sarah felt amazed at the certainty of her words. Indeed, Keir had not told her everything, and she was uncertain if she wished to know. Yet he had told her enough, and she knew that whatever else might have been had been of no importance.
Kenna looked more and more aggravated as her words failed to anger Sarah. “I’ve wanted him all my life,” she spat, and now her voice rang with sorrow rather than fury. “For years, I pictured the life we would’ve had together. And now?” She shook her head, an almost forlorn look upon her face.
“Do you truly want him?” Sarah inquired gently, remembering what Keir had said about Kate’s feelings toward him. “Or did he perhaps simply suit the dream you held dear?”
“I dunna care what ye say,” Kenna shot back, a furious glare back in her eyes. “I want him.”
Sarah inhaled a slow breath, then she straightened, squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin as she met Kenna’s gaze. “I want him as well,” Sarah replied calmly. “I will not give him up. Never. I spent my entire life doubting myself, doubting whether I even have the right to demand happiness.” She shook her head, determination sparking in every cell of her body. “No more. Now that I found Keir, I will never give him up.” She took a challenging step toward Kenna. “There is no need for us to be enemies, but if you intend to fight me, then beware. He is mine, and you cannot have him.” Sarah felt strength flow through her as never before as she held Kenna’s gaze, her own unwavering, staking a claim upon the man she loved.
For a long moment, neither one of them moved, their eyes locked, each testing the other, trying to glimpse what would happen next. And then Kenna began to tremble as the dam broke, tears welling up in her eyes. Her lips were still pressed into a tight line, and Sarah could see that the young woman was furious with herself for showing such emotion.
Such weakness, perhaps.
“I’m sorry,” Sarah whispered, wishing there was something she could say to ease Kenna’s pain. “I truly am. I never meant to hurt you.”
Kenna’s eyes closed, and she bowed her head. A shuddering breath made it past her lips before she lifted her chin once more and met Sarah’s gaze. “Ye’re not the woman I thought ye to be,” Kenna murmured, her voice now almost gentle, devoid of anger but filled with resignation and sadness.
