menacing glare and handed Aenos the empty pitcher. “Take her inside to finish her meal, Aenos. I’ll be back later.”
“Where are you going?” Nora asked.
He didn’t answer. He merely headed off into the woods.
“Leave him be for a bit,” Aenos whispered. “He’s only going to work out some of his anger.”
“How?”
“He chops wood. I’ve enough of it now to fuel the whole village through the harshest of winters. But it calms him down, so I never say anything. Come, my lady, let’s get you inside so that you can get dried off.”
Nora followed him back to Sorcha inside their worn but cozy cottage.
“Where is Ewan?” Sorcha asked while she was cleaning Ewan’s trencher.
Aenos pulled his cap off and replaced it on the hook by the door. “The woodpile.”
Sorcha sighed. “Poor lad. At the rate he’s going we’ll be able to build a castle.”
Nora retook her seat. “Is he always so angry?”
“He’s a man in pain, my lady,” Sorcha said quietly as she returned to the table to keep Nora company. “He’s forgotten how to live without it. Forgotten how to find joy of any sort.”
“Remember when he was a boy?” Aenos asked, retaking his own seat.
“Aye.” Sorcha smiled as she wiped a cleaning cloth over her area of the table. “He was such a happy lad. He used to get up and stagger down the stairs asking, ‘Where’s my Kieran?’”
She smiled at Nora and explained her comment, “He thought he owned his brother. And Kieran, bless his heart, very seldom ran out of patience with him. I don’t think I ever saw one without the other.”
“Until they fell in love with the same woman,” Nora breathed.
“Aye. Isobail was an evil lass,” Aenos said. “Turning them against each other so that she could get what she wanted. I know the devil’s saving a special corner of hell for her.”
“Aenos!” Sorcha gasped. “Watch your tongue before the lady.”
“Sorry,” he muttered. “But ’tis truth.”
Nora ate in silence as she thought about the lonely man outside in the woods.
What would it be like to live with such guilt?
She couldn’t imagine it.
Once she finished her meal and had changed her clothes, she left them and headed outside again to find Ewan. There was a small path that led from the back of the cottage into the woods.
It didn’t take long to find him. She could hear his chopping even from a distance.
What she didn’t expect was to find him shirtless. His body was covered in a fine sheen that fair glowed in the moonlight.
He was beautiful.
Manly.
Powerful.
And as soon as he saw her, he did what she expected. He cursed. It seemed to be the only greeting he could give her.
“Unless you come bearing more ale, I suggest you head back inside.”
“And if I come bearing an apology?”
He didn’t even pause as he swung the ax. “I’m in no mood to hear it.”
“Be that as it may, I am in the mood to give it. I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry I dragged you into my problems when it is obvious yours are much worse.”
He tugged the ax free of the stump, then buried it into the wood again. “What do you know of my problems?”
“Truly, nothing. You just seem incredibly sad and angry. I should have left you passed out in your cave.”
He struck the wood again. “Aye, you should have.”
Nora watched him with fascinated interest as he picked up the logs he’d made and carried them to the large pile. Sorcha and Aenos were right. It was quite a mountain of lumber.
And he was quite a mountain of delectable male flesh. A man whose body rippled with every move he made.
Ewan wiped his face with his arm, then retrieved the ax from the ground and headed for another tree.
She swallowed at the strength and sight of him working. The muscles of his back rippled and flexed, making her body strangely warm and needful.
“Tell me,” she said, “does it help? Does ale really alleviate your feelings?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“In the event I
“Where are you going?” Nora asked.
He didn’t answer. He merely headed off into the woods.
“Leave him be for a bit,” Aenos whispered. “He’s only going to work out some of his anger.”
“How?”
“He chops wood. I’ve enough of it now to fuel the whole village through the harshest of winters. But it calms him down, so I never say anything. Come, my lady, let’s get you inside so that you can get dried off.”
Nora followed him back to Sorcha inside their worn but cozy cottage.
“Where is Ewan?” Sorcha asked while she was cleaning Ewan’s trencher.
Aenos pulled his cap off and replaced it on the hook by the door. “The woodpile.”
Sorcha sighed. “Poor lad. At the rate he’s going we’ll be able to build a castle.”
Nora retook her seat. “Is he always so angry?”
“He’s a man in pain, my lady,” Sorcha said quietly as she returned to the table to keep Nora company. “He’s forgotten how to live without it. Forgotten how to find joy of any sort.”
“Remember when he was a boy?” Aenos asked, retaking his own seat.
“Aye.” Sorcha smiled as she wiped a cleaning cloth over her area of the table. “He was such a happy lad. He used to get up and stagger down the stairs asking, ‘Where’s my Kieran?’”
She smiled at Nora and explained her comment, “He thought he owned his brother. And Kieran, bless his heart, very seldom ran out of patience with him. I don’t think I ever saw one without the other.”
“Until they fell in love with the same woman,” Nora breathed.
“Aye. Isobail was an evil lass,” Aenos said. “Turning them against each other so that she could get what she wanted. I know the devil’s saving a special corner of hell for her.”
“Aenos!” Sorcha gasped. “Watch your tongue before the lady.”
“Sorry,” he muttered. “But ’tis truth.”
Nora ate in silence as she thought about the lonely man outside in the woods.
What would it be like to live with such guilt?
She couldn’t imagine it.
Once she finished her meal and had changed her clothes, she left them and headed outside again to find Ewan. There was a small path that led from the back of the cottage into the woods.
It didn’t take long to find him. She could hear his chopping even from a distance.
What she didn’t expect was to find him shirtless. His body was covered in a fine sheen that fair glowed in the moonlight.
He was beautiful.
Manly.
Powerful.
And as soon as he saw her, he did what she expected. He cursed. It seemed to be the only greeting he could give her.
“Unless you come bearing more ale, I suggest you head back inside.”
“And if I come bearing an apology?”
He didn’t even pause as he swung the ax. “I’m in no mood to hear it.”
“Be that as it may, I am in the mood to give it. I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry I dragged you into my problems when it is obvious yours are much worse.”
He tugged the ax free of the stump, then buried it into the wood again. “What do you know of my problems?”
“Truly, nothing. You just seem incredibly sad and angry. I should have left you passed out in your cave.”
He struck the wood again. “Aye, you should have.”
Nora watched him with fascinated interest as he picked up the logs he’d made and carried them to the large pile. Sorcha and Aenos were right. It was quite a mountain of lumber.
And he was quite a mountain of delectable male flesh. A man whose body rippled with every move he made.
Ewan wiped his face with his arm, then retrieved the ax from the ground and headed for another tree.
She swallowed at the strength and sight of him working. The muscles of his back rippled and flexed, making her body strangely warm and needful.
“Tell me,” she said, “does it help? Does ale really alleviate your feelings?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“In the event I
Similar Books
