them. And yet, it wasn’t the hills he loved so much. The pastures were not the same, the people were different, and the lochs had no monster in their depths, he thought with a smile. At home, the land and the people were as much a part of him as his own body, and he missed them with a ferocity that he couldn’t have imagined.
He could finally admit that he had been wrong about coming here. He had been so adamant to do so, had fought his father and his brother about it, and eventually, he had come because of his own stubborn will. To return now, to admit that he had been mistaken… he didn’t know if that would be a worse fate than staying here.
He shook his head to clear it. He couldn’t think of this now. Instead, he would put it to rest for the moment, and simply focus on the trail and the task ahead of him.
Roderick’s head jerked up, and he reminded himself of his intention to stay awake despite the fact that his body continued to fall asleep in the heat of the day.
He dipped the brim of his hat over his eyes, trying to shield them from the fiery ball in the sky that seemed to have been put there in order to make him feel as if he were in the bowels of hell. He had been stationed on the bench on Broadway Avenue for hours now, and he groaned aloud as he thought of coming days holding a similar fate. At least he wasn’t wearing his wretched coat. He had changed before beginning his patrol, so as not to scare away the Doc Malone Gang.
“Stay awake, Rod,” he heard Callum’s voice from behind him, and he didn’t look at his brother as he defended himself, though he knew Callum stood beyond the rail to the side of the brick building.
“I am awake. I’m simply resting,” he said, hearing the yawn on his voice.
“There is no resting when you are on patrol,” Callum said, slightly exasperated. “I see Victoria heading toward the doctor’s office. Are you fine on your own for a moment?”
“Of course,” Roderick said, allowing his indignation to show. Did Callum really think he was so incompetent that he couldn’t determine when a gang of thieves might arrive?
As Callum stalked off, Roderick glanced out over the currently quiet street. It was dusty in the summer heat, and they needed a good rain to wash everything down. Roderick could practically feel the dirt in his throat — another reason he preferred the Highlands to a town like this.
His roaming gaze was caught and held, however, when he noticed the vision walking toward him.
The woman’s hair attracted him first, though it would anyone who saw her. It was a brilliant red, the kind he had seen so often at home, and yet, the way the sun shone off it, highlighting bits of gold, captivated him. She wore half of it in waves flowing down her back, bouncing as she walked at a fast pace, clearly intent on her intended task, whatever that might be. As she neared, Roderick could see the frown she wore on her lips, and a need to bring a smile to her face rose within him.
His heart raced a little, and his loins strained a bit as she approached, and he realized it had been some time since he had been so attracted to a woman.
“Good afternoon, darlin’,” he said, standing as she climbed the stairs to the veranda he currently sat upon. “Lovely day, is it not?”
“Fine,” she said curtly, barely pausing in her step, although she slowed enough that Roderick caught wide green eyes over a slightly crooked nose. She was tall, he realized, and while she wasn’t plump, she certainly wasn’t a slight thing either. She looked… strong, he decided, and that sent his blood pumping a little more.
“In a rush, are you?” he asked her as she continued past him. “No time to brighten the day of a lonely Scot in search of company?”
“I’ve had enough of Scotsmen,” she said, looking back at him with a look of vexation. “I’ve no time for another.”
“Come, now, lass,” he said, hearing the slightest Scottish lilt in her own voice. “That’s no way to treat a fellow countryman, is it now?”
“I have business to attend to,” she said curtly. “Good day to you.”
“Until we meet again!” he said with a wave, suddenly not so tired after all.
Chapter