The Highlander's Hope - A Contemporary Highland Romance by Cali MacKay Page B

hard.  Hand.”
    Iain ’s knuckles were scraped and already swelling.  Angus carefully worked his way down each finger, his lips pursed in annoyance. “So are ye going to tell me what the hell is going on around here?  I know something’s up.  I’m not an idiot, Iain.”
    “No, ye’re the most brilliant man I know.  And if there was something going on and I could tell ye, I would.”
    “But ye can’t tell me.”  Angus looked from Iain to Cat.  “Well, I’m here if ye need me.  Ye lucked out on that hand.  Ye didn’t break anything, though ye still may have a fracture.  I’d tell ye to ice it and have it checked, but I know ye won’t.”
    “I appreciate it.  All of it.”
    Angus slipped out of his seat and got ready to go.  “ Take care of him, Cat.  And you—call me if ye need me, Iain.  For anything.”
    “Aye, man.”  Iain watched his friend go, before turning back to Cat.  “I hate not telling him, but I’ll not put him in harm’s way.”
    “About James… you shouldn’t have gone after him, Iain.  He’s got a nasty streak and won’t think twice about retaliating.  This could easily get out of control.”
    “ It got out of control when he stole yer research the first time around.  As for now?  He’s the one who started this.  And I’ll be damned if I’m just going to stand by and let him threaten ye and invade my home.” 
    He lo oked at her with such intensity, it all but took her breath away.   And when he kissed her, with the adrenaline from the fight spurring them on, it was like the world had fallen away from beneath her feet.  She lost herself in him, feeling herself tumble. 
    She knew she should just take things as they come, whether it turned out to be nothing more than a fun romp or something more.  And yet... it felt like her heart was on the line.   “Iain… what are we doing?” 
    He kissed her nose.  “Ye can’t control this sort of thing, Cat.  Ye just need to let it go where it will.”
    Maybe he was right.  But could she really take such a risk?  It hadn’t turned out so well in the past.  And this time?  She could already tell that if she gave into the feelings she’d been trying to ignore, she’d fall hard.
    “Is that what you normally do, MacCraigh?  Just let things happen as they will?”
    H e smiled shyly.  “No, love.  But I think I might give it a try this time around.”
    ***
    After dinner, they made their way back to Iain’s and settled in the library once more.  Cat poured over the journals, while Iain continued to analyze the paintings.  Most of the writings were unrelated to what they were looking for, and more about the crops and weather, along with details of marriages and births.
    “I’m not finding too much here.  How about you?”  Cat got up and stretched before heading over to Iain, who also stood and proceeded to yawn.
    “ I need a cup of tea.”
    “You realize it’s close to midnight, right? ”  She was normally in bed and sound asleep by ten.
    “Do ye need to be somewhere at the crack of dawn?  I was thinking we might sleep in.” 
    The look in his eyes and the way he’d said ‘we’ had her heart tripping over itself.  It sounded far too much like he expected them to be waking up together—as in tangled-limbs-and-naked-the-morning-after together.
    “Ye’re blushing.”  He took a step closer, and her additional step back had her falling over a bronze dog statue, just as he caught her in his arms and pulled her close.  “Careful there, love.  I wouldn’t want ye hurting yerself.”
    “Could you please stop looking at me like that?”
    “Like what?”  His eyebrow quirked up in amusement.
    Her breath caught in her throat, and her voice sounded thin, like she couldn’t quite get enough air into her lungs to speak.  “It’s like you’re a cat that’s caught a mouse and you’re going to play with your new toy until you’re ready to devour it.”
    “That sounds about