Highland Lover. Hannah Howell
out from beneath the blanket amusing. It was watching her as closely as Gregor was. Alana wondered if there was any chance they could simply ignore the lie.
“Ye have a cat upon your back,” she said and could tell by the look in his eyes that Gregor knew what game she tried to play. That look also told her it was not going to work.
“I am aware of that,” he drawled.
“Where did it come from?”
“Whoever lived here obviously decided to abandon it when they left. How old are ye, Alana?”
The abrupt question startled her so that she answered without hesitation. “Two-and-twenty.”
Gently turning so that the cat removed itself from his back, Gregor lay on his side facing her. “Why are ye searching for your sister?”
“How do ye ken that?”
“Ye told me.”
She obviously became far too talkative when gripped by a fever, Alana decided and grimaced. It was also clear that she had revealed enough that it was foolish to try to hold fast to her secrets now. Since she and Gregor were united in trying to escape the Gowans, it was better if he knew the whole truth anyway.
“Aye, I am looking for my sister, my twin sister Keira,” she said. “We have heard nothing from her since her husband died several months ago. Weel, nothing but some very alarming rumors. Her husband had been cruelly murdered, her lands had been taken by a vile mon, she had been wounded badly and fled, or died, or was being held prisoner. Dark tale after dark tale.”
“Did none of your people go to her keep to find out the truth?”
“Two. When the first did not return, another went. He returned but only lived long enough to tell us that Keira was not being held captive, that rumor said she had been wounded but had escaped, and that the devil himself held fast to her lands.”
“And so ye set out to find her?” Gregor rose from the bed before he gave in to the strong urge to take her into his arms.
Alana stared at him as he got out of the bed. He wore only his braies. As he stretched, she watched the muscles in his broad back and long, well-shaped legs flex and felt as if her fever had returned. She had to bite back a soft protest when he began to dress. The man was such a pleasure to look at, it seemed a sin to cover all that beauty. She forced her wanton thoughts aside and put her mind back on the matter of the search for Keira.
“My brothers Artan and Lucas decided to go ahunting for Keira. I wished to go with them. Keira is my twin, after all. She would wish me to be at her side, especially if she was hurt. No one would heed my wishes, however. So I slipped away and followed my brothers, intending to join with them once we were far enough away from home so that they couldnae send me back.”
It was not the full truth, and she felt a little guilty about that. Caution was necessary, however. People clung to a lot of superstitions concerning twins. Sometimes people still set the second born out to die or killed the child themselves. Learning just how close a bond there could be between those who had shared a womb only added to those unreasonable fears. Although Alana could not sense such foolishness in Gregor, she reluctantly admitted that she was too great a coward to test it.
Gregor built up the fire and set the pot of stew over it to warm. “And ye lost your brothers’ trail?”
“Aye, although I believe I could have found them if the Gowans hadnae arrived.”
“Considering the danger they may be riding into, are ye truly surprised that they didnae wish ye to ride with them?”
He had turned to face her again and was giving her one of those manly looks, the one that said she had behaved like a witless female driven by emotion and not wisdom. It made her teeth clench. Alana took a few deep breaths to calm her rising temper. Considering the trouble she had stumbled into, he probably thought his opinion justified. It was tempting to point out the fact that he, a big strong man, had stumbled into the same trouble, but she bit back the words. She recognized what the hard set of his jaw meant. Arguing with him would gain her nothing more than a throbbing headache.
“Keira is in trouble. ’Tis my duty to be with her.”
Although he could understand her need to help find her sister, Gregor still thought she had acted recklessly. He had the feeling she did, too, but he would probably be ten years dead before she admitted as much. There was nothing to gain in arguing the matter, anyway. He was more interested in who she was and what she planned to do once they had shaken free of the Gowans.
“Do ye have the strength to dress yourself?” he asked, deciding to wait until after they broke their fast to question her some more.
“Aye,” she replied, certain she could at least get herself more modestly covered before she might be forced to ask him for some help.
Gregor handed her her clothes and then left the cottage to tend to his personal needs. Now that she was no longer insensible, he knew he would have to be more considerate of her modesty. He would also have to find the strength to keep his lust tightly leashed if he did have to help her. He could only hope that she regained her strength quickly so that she could tend to herself without any help from him.
By the time Alana had donned her shift, braies, and hose, she was so weak she was shaking. She sprawled on her back and struggled to steady herself. The fever had obviously badly sapped her strength. It would probably be several days before she and Gregor could leave this cottage, and that worried her. Alana was sure the Gowans were hunting for them. This sanctuary could all too easily become a trap. Thick-witted though the Gowans were, she doubted the men would allow her and Gregor another chance to escape if they captured them. The dark, damp pit would be made even more secure.
Alana shivered at the thought of returning to that lightless prison. It shamed her a little, but her first concern when considering the possibility of being imprisoned again was not for her sister. It was for her own sanity. Alana hoped she proved as robust as she usually did and regained her strength quickly. She was eager to put herself far out of the reach of the Gowans.
Gregor returned just as she was reaching for the rest of her clothes. Alana blushed, but did not refuse his aid when he moved to help her. Despite a few moments of rest, she was still feeling unsteady, and pride would not get her dressed.
Embarrassment kept her silent as Gregor wrapped her in a blanket and carried her to a small stone privy behind the house. Considering what intimate quarters they had been sharing until just a few days ago, and all he must have done for her as he tended her fever, Alana did not know why she was embarrassed. She supposed it could be because now she was not sick and it was not dark.
When Gregor carried her back into the house, he set her on her feet but kept a firm grip upon her shoulders. “Can ye stand here for a wee while, lass? I am going to put the bed back together.”
“Aye.” She leaned against the wall. “At worst, if my legs prove too weak, I will just slide down the wall and sit upon the floor.”
He laughed softly but hurried to get the mattress back on the bed, making it up with the blankets as he had when it had been on the floor. There was now much more wood at hand and the weather had improved, so he felt he no longer needed to have her sleep right in front of the fire. By the time he walked back to Alana, she actually was in danger of sliding down the wall to sit upon the floor. He picked her up and carried her to the bed.
“The fever has badly weakened me,” Alana murmured as she sat on the bed, her back against the wall and the blanket spread over her legs.
“It had set in hard, true enough,” Gregor said and moved to get her some of the broth from the rabbit stew. “Try a wee bit of this. If it sets weel in your belly, then later ye can try some of the heartier fare that was cooked in it.”
Alana sipped at the broth and welcomed how it warmed her insides. It was not the best tasting she had ever sampled, but it was good enough for now. Most men knew how to make camp food, and Alana had to admit that Gregor had obviously