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“My conditions,” Morgan repeated “Do you think I want to be saddled with two lovesick women?”
“Then let us take them,” Brodick reasoned
The suggestion earned hilare “I can see froht want to tell her so, son, and soon, because she’s gotten it into her head that you don’t care about her at all”
“She’s my wife Of course I care about her”
The baron snorted “She’s spirited”
“Yes, she is”
“And stubborn I don’t knohere she comes by that flaw, but she is”
“Yes, sir”
“You won’t be able to crush her spirit”
“I don’t want to, sir”
“Good, because if there’s any crushing to be done, she’ll be doing it I don’t have to tell you to treat her well because knowingwos”
“Sir, you mentioned conditions?” Ramsey reminded him
“Yes, I did,” he replied “I love id as well I won’t have her thinking I’ her out I a it The way I see it”
“Yes?” Ramsey asked when the baron hesitated
“You’ve got toencouragethe them,” he added “You broke their hearts; now you mend them”
After giving thean left the hall to personally fetch the ladies Ramsey and Brodick paced while they waited
“The baron reer on who it is,” Ramsey remarked
“I swear my own father never talked to me the way Gillian’s uncle just did”
“Your father died before you were old enough to know him”
“It was hu, damn it He sure as certain wasn’t what I expected The way Gillian talked about hientleentle Is the woman blind? How in God’s name can she love such a crotchety old”
Rahter, breaking Brodick’s train of thought “It’s you”
“What?”
“Morganhe reminds me of you My God, Gillian married a man just like her uncle Look at the baron and you’ll see yourself in twenty years”
“Are you suggesting I’erent, foul-tempered old man?”
“Hell, you’re already belligerent and foul-tempered No wonder she fell in love with you,” he drawled
“I’ht”
Rarew serious again
“I cannot believe Bridgid thinks she’s going to stay here”
“I expected my wife to welcome me with open ar her home, I will,” Brodick said
“You wished to see me, Laird?”
At the sound of Bridgid’s voice, both Ramsey and Brodick turned “Where’s my wife?” Brodick demanded
“Upstairs,” she answered “She should be down shortly”
“Could you give us so to Brodick, not you, Bridgid Come back here”
With a sigh she turned around and walked to Raainst the table, folded his arms across his chest, and smiled at her She didn’t smile back She bowed her head so she wouldn’t be distracted by his adorable dimples
She was acting shy and ti now because he knew Bridgid didn’t have a timid bone in her beautiful body
“Baron Morgan said you wanted to speak to me”
“Yes,” he answered “I have so important to say to you, but first, I want you to tell ed it”
“Managed what, Laird?”
“Bridgid, look at me”
“Yes, Laird,” she said, bracing herself She looked up, and still her heart raced, and she got that fa in her stoht, and that ludicrous ie made her calm down just a little
“Have I said so?”
“YesI mean, no, of course you haven’t”
“Then why are you s?”
She lifted her shoulders “Would you like me to stop?”
“For God’s sakes, Bridgid,” he said “Pay attention”
“I a attention”
“I want to kno youstopped or killed”
She thought about the question a long“I used trickery and deceit”
“I want a better explanation”
“All right,” she agreed “I tricked Proster into believing Gillian needed to see Annie Drummond, and ere on our way, I told him the truth I hope you don’t blao back”
“And because they’re so young, they didn’t know they should have dragged you back houed with them”
“They shouldn’t be punished”
“I have no intention of punishing them They stayed by your side and did their best to protect you, and for that they’ll be rewarded You didn’t make their duty easy”
“I hope you won’t blaet us to go home, but ouldn’t listen to her”
“Why did you sneak away from the soldiers and follow her inside Dunhanshire?”
“I thought I could help by pretending to be her sister, but as it turned out, I beca?”
“What is it?”
“What happened to all of the soldiers and the servants at Alford’s estate? Uncle Morgan’s servants returned here, but what about the others?”
“I i to serve a new baron We don’t kill the innocent”
“And the soldiers?”
“They weren’t innocent”
He refused to elaborate and Bridgid didn’t think she needed to know the grueso home soon?” she asked then
“Yes”
She nodded “Good journey to you, then” And with that she tried to leave
“We aren’t finished yet”
“What more do you want from me?”
“More? I haven’t asked anything of you yethave I?”
She shook her head
“Coid”
“I’m fine where I am”
“Come closer,” he commanded, and there was a thread of steel in his voice now
She wasn’t going to miss his bossiness, she decided as she walked forward She stopped directly in front of him “Is this satisfactory?”
“Closer,” he ordered
She s “Is this close enough for you?”
“For the moment”
He was obviously enjoying her discohly confused Ra with her, and that didn’t ony it was for her to be so close to him and not touch him God, how she wished she didn’t love hi him leave made her want to weep, but she vowed she’d die before he saw one tear
“Uncle Morgan said you wanted to tellWhat is it?”
“Uncle Morgan? When did he become a relative?”
Her chin came up a notch “I’ve become very close to him”
He rolled his eyes “You aren’t staying here That’s what I wanted to tell you”
“I’ve made up my mind to stay”
&nbs
p; “Then un home with me”
Bridgid was suddenly so angry with hi such a stupid, obstinate man, her temper exploded