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"I disappointed you," she whispered

"No"

"No?"

"You didn't disappoint me"

She waited for him to explain He didn't say another word, which really shouldn't have surprised her, as she already had noticed he wasn't one to embellish any of his remarks The flaw obviously extended to co inordinately pleased with herself now, and all because she hadn't disappointed hi, difficult day, after all, and that hy she was being so emotional

He carried her back to his blankets and set her on her feet again When she tried to turn away fro and hard

Her knees eak, and when he let go of her she gracefully collapsed to the bed

She regained her strength a minute later After he'd stretched out on the blankets, she tried to kneel over hi none of that He pulled her down beside hiainst his chest, and wrapped his aro of her He knew she hadn't forgotten his promise to tell her exactly why he'd married her, and he wasn't at all certain how she would react to hearing a few of his reasons He didn't want to have to get up and chase after her again Women, he had learned, could be peculiar about et their feelings injured quite easily; at least Alex's wife, Jamie, did Brenna seeet her feelings injured, she also insisted on telling Connor about it The fact that she'd told hih

He was astounded she'd needed his reassurance She hadn't tried to hide her vulnerability at all

Yes, she astounded hiht, and pleased hiht possible

"Connor, you were going to tell hters," she rereed "I told you my reason earlier"

She tried to turn so she could look at hiShe rested the side of her face on his upper arainst her cheek, then yawned loudly

"But why did you hlands"

"You asked me"

"Please don't use that excuse We both know you would never have held a child to her word"

"No, I wouldn't"

"Do you remember any of it? Surely you…"

He re with her father, of course "Are you going to keep ht?" he asked, irritably

"No, of course not I didn't mean to stray froto do with my father Is that true?"

"No," he answered "My feud is with MacNare He went after Quinlan's family He burned their home, destroyed their crops, and killed their stock He wanted their land to add to his own I had only just heard about this atrocity when another one of e to report"

"And because your men are loyal to you, you went to war on their behalf"

"Yes"

"There had to be another reason as well, for surely others have come to you in the past with stories of mistreatment, If you married each time, you'd have ten wives by now"

"I have another reason, but I don't wish to discuss it now"

"Soht then Will you explain what our e has to do with your war?"

"It's simple, Brenna MacNare wanted you"

"And so you took me away from him Why didn't you just kill me?"

"I don't kill women"

"I didn't mean to insult you You tellthem, do you?"

"When it's necessary"

"Why didn't you siainst hihlander has vengeance in his heart, no loss is substantial I was fortunate though There were injuries, but none of my own died My brother ordered me to end the feud Alec has become what some would call a mediator in our land, and he has the power behind hi you was my last…"

"Insult?"

"It is, only if you choose to think it is"

"What would you consider an insult then?"

"Destroying aa soldier is a rievous e You think like a woths"

"I'm my father's son I am also a practicalhiain

She tried to be practical about it all and told herself it could have been worse She couldn't i used No woman did She didn't think he would understand how she felt, though

"In future, I win learn now to become practical," she whispered Her voice shook, and she didn't say another word for a long while because she knew she would start crying She thought she'd rather die than let hie he'd done to her hopes and drea practical s and her heart, then she would beto realize how foolish she was being She didn't want to live without love, and that e his attitude, and hoould she ever be able to do that?

The task was disheartening and see it rain on a sunny day She squeezed her eyes shut as soon as she realized how teary she was becoht prayers in hopes the ritual would occupy her thoughts

Connor sought to close his ainst the hurt he'd just caused her so that ridiculous thoughts of guilt wouldn't bother himent of the full truth that he realized how cold it made him sound to a woman as emotional as Brenna She couldn't possibly understand, and he wasn't about to explain further

His hatred for MacNare was burning hih he still hadn't found any evidence to make him culpable in Donald MacAlister's death, Connor still wanted to believe what his father had suspected, that MacNare and MacNare's father, along with their relatives, had been involved in the planning of the attack on his home He was determined to find the proof before he killed all those he suspected of participating in the slaughter, even if it took hi years to find the truth Until then, he would have to be content with insignificant attackshis duty more difficult, of course His brother knehat Donald MacAlister had said before he died, and Alec had also tried to find proof of MacNare's treachery When he could find nothing, he decided that the suspicion was groundless Noanted the strikes against the MacNare clan to stop Connor kneould have to accommodate his brother, but only for a while, until Alec becaotten, and Connor's hatred wouldn't lessen, but intensify He was, after all, his father's son

"When did you make your decision to marry me?"

Her question jarred him back to the present "As soon as I heard MacNare was hters"

Would the insults never stop? "Then you didn't even know that I was the one sent to MacNare? Dear God, you didn't know, did you? The proposals had nothing to do with your decision The jest's on you, Connor I wasn't supposed to marry MacNare, Rachel was She's the pretty one," she instinctively added

"Why didn't she co found out and put a stop to it He wanted Rachel to marry a baron he favored"

"And so your father substituted you"

"Yes"