The Scot's Angel - Keira Montclair Page 0,23

but also guilty, because she wasn’t as sad as she felt she should be.

The first time she saw Thorn after Cordell died, he’d taken her hand and looked intently into her eyes. He’d told her how sorry he was for her loss. He had always been so thoughtful, kind, and considerate.

Every time Thorn had visited after that, he’d sought her out, taking the time to visit with her, bring her sweet treats, and show her in a dozen different ways that he cared. She hadn’t realized how deeply he’d found his way into her heart until recently. But now her heart ached with worry for him.

Two hours later, she was on the road with Dyna and Derric, with six guards trailing after them. Not much of a traveler—leaving the safety of the Grant land had always terrified her—she had no idea how her sister and her husband went about patrolling. “So where will we go first?”

“We’ll head down the mountain, see what reivers we see, any of our neighbors patrolling, ask questions. We’ll take the main path. Derric is verra good at tracking people, so if we see something that looks disturbed, shows recent travelers, we’ll follow the path.”

“I understand. Do you think we’ll find him?”

Dyna snorted. “Of course we will. He can’t hide from us. Derric got a message from Loki just before we left that they have not seen him, and he was not at Castle Curanta. Loki said to head south. ’Tis what Nari told him to do. He thinks Thorn may have gone searching for his sire.”

“But he always said his sire died at sea. Why would he search for him? I don’t understand.”

“I spoke with Nari for some time before they left,” Derric said. “Their sires were friends. While Nari accepts his father is dead, Thorn never fully believed it. He thinks his sire might still be out there somewhere. Nari is convinced Thorn’s guilt over Sela’s fall drove him to seek the man out.”

“And where exactly would Thorn look for his father after all these years?”

“Edinburgh.”

“How long will that take?” She hadn’t been anywhere besides Grant land or Ramsay land for a long time.

“Two days, probably.”

Dyna added, “And let’s hope we get there before the storm blows in.”

“Storm? What storm?” Claray asked.

“There’s a blizzard coming. And please don’t panic on me. I know you felt lost in that storm two years ago when we returned from Castle Curanta, but we found you,” Dyna said. “You just get anxious because you never leave Grant land.”

“But I couldn’t see the horses in front of me. The storm dropped out of the sky with no warning. I thought I’d be lost forever. I’ll never forget it, Dyna. Thorn saved me.” Her voice came out hushed, almost reverent. “He always does.”

“We’ll know when it’s coming. Do not fear.”

“What? How can you tell?”

“Early on, we watch the snowberries on the bushes. They were big and early this year. That usually means lots of snow. Then we watch for a change in the winds. When winter gets closer, we watch the clouds, the winds, and then watch for one more sign.”

“What?”

“When the red squirrels disappear, they’ve hunkered down in their nests. If it’s too cold for them, its liable to storm.”

Claray didn’t like the sound of a blizzard. She hated them.

But she didn’t see a squirrel in sight.

Chapter Ten

Thorn woke up in the middle of the night, his gut churning. They’d be in Edinburgh on the morrow. Was it possible his sire was still alive? And if so, why did he wish to find him?

If he was still alive, he had chosen to desert his son, not an admirable quality in a man. Perhaps he’d put his fist in his father’s face.

He’d tell him how fortunate he and Nari had been to run into Connor Grant and Gregor Ramsay, who had taken much better care of them than their fathers ever had.

Henry got up and relieved himself, then came over and sat on a log not far from Thorn. “So, Taylor. Are you ready to tell me what you’re running from?” He picked up an apple from the ground, rubbed the dirt off onto his shirt, then took a bite. “This one is still good. Didn’t know the ones way up high stayed good for so long.”

“I’m not running from anything.”

“The hell you aren’t. Grant warriors don’t go out on their own. They travel in packs. You’re alone. So what happened?”

“Naught.” He would never tell Henry the truth. He wasn’t