Loving Her Highland Enemy, Samantha Holt [rainbow fish read aloud txt] 📗

that. Ye light the fire. I’ll bring the food.” She waved a hand at Leana. “Ye rest and I’ll get the food and he’ll light the fire.”

Leana chuckled as Maggie left. “She means well.”

“I’m glad ye’ve had someone to look after ye all these years.”

“She’s as close to a mother as I’ll ever have. She tended to me after the fire and has been at my side ever since.”

“I was thinking it must be a hardship not to be able to tell her the truth.”

Leana sank onto the bed, curling arms around her legs while Tavish set to work lighting the fire. The daylight outside vanished swiftly, giving way to the long winter night in a gray blanket of light that would soon turn to black. The flickering light of the fire sent out a warm glow and illuminated one side of Leana’s face.

“Yer the only person to know apart from Da’.”

He rose from the fireplace and seated himself next to her, the bed dipping beneath his weight. “I’m glad ye admitted the truth to me.”

She gave him a little nudge with her shoulder. “Ye forced it out of me more like.”

“Aye, but I dinnae regret that.”

“I dinnae regret it either,” she admitted.

He twisted and she turned to face him too. “I dinnae regret a few other things too.”

“Like what?”

He pressed a finger under her chin. “Like kissing ye,” he murmured, leaning in.

The door burst open, slamming against the wall so hard that the walls vibrated with the impact. He dropped his hand from Leana’s face. “What the devil...?”

Maggie sucked in a breath, bent double for a moment then straightened. “Ye must come quickly, Tavish. Yer Da’...he’s been poisoned.”

Chapter Eight

Tavish shot to his feet. “No.” He issued the denial in a harsh breath.

A chill ran through Leana. It couldn’t be.

Maggie twined her hands together, her gaze lowered. “Aye, ‘tis true. I’m sorry, Tavish. He’s in his chambers. He’s awake but he’s no’ well, I’m afraid.”

“No,” he muttered again, rubbing a hand over his jaw and finally meeting Leana’s gaze. His eyes were hard, accusing. He thrust a finger toward Leana. “Did ye do this? After all ye said?”

She shook her head furiously. “Nay.”

He grabbed her arm. “Was this some sort of a distraction? To ensure I couldnae protect my father?”

She tore her arm from his grip, wincing as pain speared through her. “Nay!” she repeated, rising to her feet, her breaths hot and fast.

“What do ye mean?” demanded Maggie. “What does Leana have to do with this?”

“Ye’ll have to ask her,” he muttered, gesturing in her direction. “She’s the one who’s been lying her whole life.”

Maggie’s brow furrowed and she glanced to Leana. “Whatever does he mean?”

Leana ignored the question, closing the gap between her and Tavish. “I didnae do this. You know I did not.”

He eyed her for a few moments, a painful furrow between his brows.

“This must be what my captor meant about his plans. Likely he hoped with me gone, I would be blamed for the poisoning. After all, we’re still enemies until we’re betrothed.”

She tried to put a hand to his arm but he dodged her touch. All she wanted to do was to be there for him, but he didn’t trust her and that stung far more than the pain in her arm. She shook her head at herself. To think she’d even been close to imagining...

“I must go to my father.” He twisted on his heel and moved to the door. He turned in the doorway. “Ye’ll stay here,” he ordered, thrusting a finger toward Leana. “A man will be stationed at yer door. Ye’ll go nowhere, do ye understand?”

Leana clamped her jaw tightly, fighting the temptation to spit fire at him. Hurt littered his features. Getting angry with him wouldn’t help anything at the moment.

And she couldn’t blame him for his anger too much, despite the stabbing ache that reminded her how much it hurt that he didn’t trust her. The chief might not be her real father but she’d fretted about him plenty while he’d been ailing and she could not imagine how much it would kill her for something like this to happen to him.

He slammed the door shut and she heard a few words issued between him and someone else, the words muffled through the door. When she inched open the door, sure enough, a burly man was stationed outside. She shut it gently.

“He’s put someone at the door.” She retreated to the bed, sinking back onto it. “We willnae be going anywhere now.”

Maggie remained silent for a moment, wringing her hands together over and over. She drew in a long, audible breath. “Tavish...what he said—” She paused, frowning. “Whatever did he mean accusing ye of hurting the laird?”

A tightness looped around Leana’s throat. Of all the people she lied to, it hurt her the most to lie to Maggie. She didn’t have a deceptive bone in her body and forgave easily. Even if Maggie had lost everything she’d ever known, she’d likely still forgive the culprit. Leana almost wished she could be more like her. How much more pleasant life would be.

“I wanted revenge,” she finally muttered.

“Revenge?” Maggie echoed.

Leana lifted her gaze. “Aye. For my mother. For the clan.”

Maggie dropped onto the bed next to her and stared ahead. “For the fire.”

“Aye.”

Leana saw her twist to face her from the periphery of her vision. “Ye were going to poison the laird? But how did Tavish know such things?”

Dropping her face in her hands, she spoke against her palms. “I admitted I wanted revenge. It wasnae a leap of the imagination to decide I had done this.” She lifted her head. “But it wasnae me, Maggie. I couldnae go through with it no matter how much I swore I would be strong and brave.”

Maggie made a clicking noise with her tongue. “Ye are strong and brave. Ye came through a fire that took everyone from ye.” She smiled softly. “I still remember what a