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"I found her"

"You found here?" Jamie looked incredulous "Like a lost penny?"

He winced "It’s not like that When I left here I found her near the river She was injured Unconscious"

Paget sirl he remembered "You rescued her"

Jao all soft and dreaet’s "Has she no family? Is there no one you can return her to?"

"It’s coh he didn’t entirely believe that to be true He had no intention of filling in all the details for his brother

Paget looked knowingly to her husband "Remember when Owen rescued that injured falcon?"

And that was so very Paget--seeing only the best in hiet" Jamie looked him over He knew him better than that "She was at your house when I visited? How is it you never mentioned her to me then?"

Owen shrugged "It never occurred to aze on him "You’ve taken this wo about her?"

Owen nodded, a slow s his lips For ahis older brother and getting beneath his skin "Yes"

"And what do you plan to do with her?"

Paget tsked "Ja He doesn’t answer to us"

"Indeed" Owen nodded once "Since when am I required to keep you abreast of allher into ht to know"

The san to sih Anna were soht you wanted et rushed to his side and pulled on his sleeve with her free hand "Please, Owen, stay You and your guest Anyone can see she’s harlad you are here You know Ja older brother It’s an old role to shake"

Jaive me We don’t want you to leave I just worry about you" He sighed "Although I know I have no call You’ve been a grown et dropped her hand fro little Brand "Ito introduce you to a few ladies new to the area since you last lived here, but I can see that would be aard now that you are here with your, ercoet"

"Oh" She blinked and nodded as though she understood, even though she could not possibly understand How could she when he hiht, well, the way you looked at her" Her cheeks turned pink "And the way she looked at you"

He resisted the urge to ask her to elaborate on how precisely Anna had looked at him Instead he shook his head decisively "No It is not like that at all between us"

And yet even as he uttered those words, he could only think about thatkiss he had just shared with her The taste of her, the sounds she made in the back of her throat as he touched her, her hands in his hair It was etched in his ed forever in his blood

Brand started to whi sounds "Gentlemen, excuse me Owen, I’ll see you at dinner" Her look was pointed as she added, "With Anna, I presume"

He nodded

She started to"Forgive , Owen, but you really should find her soown doesn’t even fit properly I hazard to guess that the rest of her wardrobe is no better"

He set to concern herself with suchin satisfaction, she left the roo after his wife and son with his heart in his eyes He couldn’t help chuckling

Jaaze shot back to hiet When ere children I didn’t think you could abide her"

Jamie smiled "Yes, well, want to know a little secret?"

"What’s that?"

"I was always a little bit in love with her"

He lifted his eyebrows "Indeed?"

"Sometimes it just doesn’t make any sense" He shook his head, his expression serious "Logic doesn’t apply Only what’s in here" He tapped his chest, directly over his heart

Owen stared at hi "Didn’t take you for a roet saw to that And soh for a woman to make a ro dis that filled his head was the female one floor above He doubted there would ever be a woman in existence to make a romantic out of hi desire that ain His hand curled into a fist as he battled the urge to corner her upstairs and continue where they had left off

"Well, well, brother," Jaht in his eyes "Perhaps that day is sooner arrived than expected"

"I don’t knohat youmyself further with your Miss Anna"

Owen frowned andover his shoulder, "She is not my Miss Anna, Owen"