fell in love with her.” He pounded the table with his fist. “There I have admitted it. I love your bullheaded sister. Why? I have no idea.” He threw his hands up in the air. “She questions what I say and do. She challenges me constantly. She wields her sword with the same damn strength she wields her mouth, and she sets my blood to—” Tarr stopped abruptly and shook his head. “Like a fool I confide in my enemy.”
Raynor’s eyes crinkled at the corners and his smile looked ready to burst.
“Laugh again and I shall silence it with a fist to your face.”
Raynor clamped down hard on his lips while his eyes sparkled with merriment.
“You think this funny? I hope that one day you meet a woman who is ten times more chaotic than your sister.”
Raynor’s humor vanished instantly. “Bite your tongue, and wish no such prickly woman on me.”
“Fiona is not prickly.” Tarr’s fist slammed the table once again. “She has a good heart and is caring, though she demonstrates it oddly at times. And she is adamant in protection of her sister. I sometimes wonder if that is why she skilled herself in weapons and fighting.”
“She has protected Aliss since birth,” Raynor said. “The gossip was that Fiona made it easy for Aliss to follow her grand entrance into the world. Aliss cried little as a babe, and when she did, Fiona would wail endlessly until Aliss was placed beside her. They would quiet, then cuddle next to each other.”
“I will not see them separated.”
“That sounds like a warning,” Raynor said.
“Nay, it is my pledge to protect them both.”
“I never doubted you would and that protection may be more necessary than you know.”
Tarr lowered his voice. “What do you mean?”
“It may be just my own fear of losing my sisters again, but I worry. If someone wanted them gone so many years ago, what will happen when that person discovers they have returned?”
Chapter 22
Fiona felt trapped, not only in the keep but also by her thoughts. The day was blustery with a strong wind blowing from the north and bringing with it a chill that tasted of a winter’s storm.
Everyone around her seemed content, settled in routines. Aliss slept exhausted from tending new mother and her son. Raynor was nowhere to be found and Tarr . . .
“What do I care about him?” she mumbled to herself.
She had come to the conclusion that while she had wanted to love, hoped to love, she was actually inept at loving. She had expected it to be a much easier process, and it had been nothing but angst since the beginning. And had that changed any?
“No,” she near shouted, then recalled her sister was asleep and she did not wish to disturb her.
Then there was the fact that Tarr had occupied her thoughts almost all day and then some since he had also managed to invade her dreams.
She wanted him out of her head and she wanted her heart to stop aching. Aware of her stubborn nature, she knew she was probably causing herself more worry than necessary, but she could not help it.
She wanted Tarr to sweep her up in his arms like a gallant knight and proclaim his love for her. That he was a warrior unskilled in gallantry made not an ounce of difference. That she was being obstinate made not an ounce of difference. That she should see and accept him for who he was made not an ounce of difference.
She would have love and she would have it her way.
She shook her head. Good lord, she sounded like a spoiled child, but then did she not have a right to love and not just settle? She realized how unreasonable she could be at times; she could even irritate herself, but her stubborn nature had seen her through many difficult times. Or perhaps those difficult times created her obstinate nature.
Whatever the cause, she had to be true to herself or she would surely be disappointed.
Annoyed at her frustration she did what she had not done in some time. She dug into the small satchel she had brought with her and pulled out a pair of tan leggings and brown shirt.
With a quick change, she was wearing male garments. She twisted her hair up and pinned it to the top of her head, yet not all her massive curls could be contained. Most protested and fell in a frenzy around her head and shoulders.