had spilled out of her so easily, without any premeditation, and she understood why—her father would never let her travel with Derric if he knew the truth. “Grandsire made him promise to bring me to Grant land. He was with us for much of the journey.”
“So he must trust him, which is a good sign. I’m aware of the presence of the guards, but I was young, too. He gave you his heat when you were shivering, did he not?”
“Aye, but I barely recall it. I was too sickly. He acted honorably.”
“Good to hear. But I’d like to have a chat with young Derric,” her father said, rising from his chair. “You sleep. You’re going nowhere in your present condition.”
She knew what that meant—yet another of her relatives was about to threaten Derric, and her father was the most intimidating of all. He’d probably run like the wind.
She rested her head down on the pillow and murmured, “Papa?”
“Aye?”
“He’s already been threatened by Alasdair and Els, plus Grandsire had a long talk with him. Please don’t frighten him away.”
His father smiled. “Then he does mean something to you.”
She sighed, unable to deny what her heart told her. “Aye, I do like him. I must thank him for bringing me safely home.”
Would that convince her father to stand down? She could only hope.
***
Derric was in the lists, practicing with Alick. Although he’d been impressed with the men on MacLintock land, Grant land was another world. The warriors here had sword skills the likes of which he’d never seen. And the land itself…
He enjoyed the view of the snow-topped mountains and had even ridden out to the loch earlier, the water rippling in the wind in a way that calmed his soul.
A strange thought had passed through his head on the heels of that one.
He could spend his life in a place like this.
“Pay attention,” Alick said. “Is your mind wandering, or are you just thinking of Dyna?” He smirked as he said it, but at least he hadn’t threatened him with a wild boar. Yet.
The tallest man he’d ever seen stalked toward them, his gaze directed at Derric. He knew without asking that it had to be Dyna’s sire. He’d heard about Connor Grant’s sword skills and his abilities as a leader of Clan Grant. He also bore an uncanny resemblance to his father, Alex, and to Dyna. If he wondered why Dyna was so tall for a lass, the answer stood in front of him.
Some whispered that Connor Grant was the finest swordsman in the land. Others insisted that honor belonged to his cousin Loki. Derric had never seen either man fight.
He lowered his weapon, nodding a greeting to Connor, and Alick turned to see what had caught his attention. “Uncle Connor,” he said in greeting, and his uncle stepped forward and clasped his shoulder.
“Take a step back, Alick. I’d like to see if this man has any skills.”
Alick provided an unnecessary introduction—“Derric, this is Dyna’s sire, Connor Grant.”
“Greetings to you, Laird Grant. My thanks for your hospitality. I don’t plan to impose on it for long.”
Connor Grant stepped closer to him, his keen eyes assessing everything he could in one look, if Derric were to guess. “You’re welcome anytime. You brought my daughter home safely, and I know she can be a wee bit stubborn. With a fever, she’s nearly unbearable. But we raised her to be a strong lass. My wife and I don’t believe there’s a difference between the strength of men and women.”
Derric arched a brow at that statement. He wished to argue with him. After all, men were on average larger than women. Better swordsmen.
As if reading his mind, Connor said, “Physical strength isn’t everything. We raised Dyna to be skilled in archery, and her mind is as keen as any man’s.”
“I’ll not disagree with you there, Chief.” She was smarter than most of the men he knew. “She’s a talented lass.”
“Spar with me, Corbett?”
“Aye.” Doing his best to hide the sudden tremors shooting through him, he turned away, giving the man a chance to stretch his muscles. He’d heard once that older men had to be more careful about such things.
“Take the first swing, Corbett,” Connor said, signaling he was ready.
Derric turned back to find the man staring at him intently with a narrowed gaze. It was intimidating enough to make him consider leaving, but he decided to stand tall and do his best. This was exactly the reason he’d been fighting and practicing with