Chapter Sixteen

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

H annah had to admit that Colby was not who she expected him to be.

"… and we almost missed the boat that time, which would have left us stranded for days, without means of returning home!" Colby finished his story of his last trip abroad, which Hannah was listening to with only one ear. The other was reserved for Olivia's gasps of surprise and admiration.

Hannah was still trying to make up her mind about this man. The truth was, she expected him to be quite unlikable, to be someone in dire need of a wife for whatever reason, mostly financial. Colby Johnstone did not seem to have any such concerns, which of course was a good thing.

"So, ye travel quite a bit, Mr. Johnstone?" Hannah asked, leaning over to fetch her cup of tea.

"Why, yes I do," he nodded, eager to continue talking. It was obvious that he was someone who liked to be the center of attention. Hannah decided not to hold it against him. Perhaps, he was merely nervous because he was supposed to leave a good first impression on the sister of the woman he intended to court and could not prevent himself from talking too much.

"And ye are a merchant?" Hannah continued.

"Yes," he nodded again. "That has allowed me to travel extensively."

Just as she was intent on asking him about whether this was the sort of life he planned to continue as a married man, he answered that question in a heartbeat.

"I have been blessed in many ways," he said mysteriously. "Traveling the world is one of them. However, one does get tired of not having planted his roots anywhere, and this is what I feel like I am missing in my life." He paused importantly to look at Olivia, who blushed fervently under his gaze. "I don't think I will be doing that much traveling, unless my future wife wishes to join me as well."

Hannah expected Olivia to say something to this, but Olivia kept staring at the man seated next to her as if he were heaven incarnate. Hannah could see it clear as daylight that her sister was not only smitten, but she was madly in love with this man, and there would be no making sense to her.

"That sounds reasonable," Hannah smiled.

"Thank you," Colby smiled back, suddenly glancing at the door. "Laird McCann shan't be joining us today?"

Hannah was taken off guard by this question. She didn't know that her husband was expected to be here.

"No, I daenae think so," Hannah replied politely, putting the empty teacup back down onto the small, silver tray. "Did ye wish to speak to him on this occasion?"

"Oh, no, no," Colby shook his head apologetically. "I've wish to bother him by no means. I am merely in his castle again, that is twice in two days, and I don't mean to be rude by not speaking to him."

"Oh, he wouldnae mind," Hannah assured him. "He is very busy in his study, and he asked not to be disturbed."

"Of course," Colby nodded, but there was a tone of disappointment in his voice.

"It is such a lovely day," Hannah suggested. "Shall we go outside for a stroll?"

Colby once again glanced at the door, half-expecting to see someone. Hannah could only assume that this someone would be Alistair. Only, she didn't understand why. Perhaps because he felt that in Hunter's absence, Alistair was the one who needed to give his judgment whether or not Colby was deemed right for Olivia. And he seemed rather eager to get that approval. He didn't say so in words, but Hannah could sense it in the air.

"I think that is a splendid idea," Olivia seconded Hannah's suggestion, and the two sisters were already standing up. All Colby could do was follow suit. He did so, smiling.

Within the next couple of minutes, the three were strolling languidly through the garden, enjoying the summer breeze, which would a bit later turn chillier. For the time being, Hannah could feel it still caressing her cheeks, and the warm touch immediately made her think of Alistair.

At that moment, she saw Haggis running over to her, and suddenly, he stopped. He was staring at Colby, who was obviously at a loss what to do. He could see that all eyes were on him.

"I'm sorry, I… I was bitten by a dog as a child," he explained his sudden inability to move, as Haggis kept baring his teeth, growling softly at him.

"Haggis!" Hannah shouted, crouching by Haggis' side head. "What on earth has gotten into ye, lad?"

Haggis reacted to her caress instantly, although he refused to calm down.

"I don't seem to get along well with dogs," Colby explained regretfully, turning to Olivia, whose eyes were filled with sympathy. "I don't know what it is about me that makes them so antagonistic towards me."

Hannah was about to say that Haggis was a good judge of character, but then she remembered that Haggis growled at Alistair as well. Only that was in the beginning when they first met. Now, Haggis… well, he tolerated Alistair, and Alistair tolerated him. Maybe Haggis wasn't such a good judge of character as she thought he was, but she still loved him, nonetheless.

"What happened?" Olivia asked tenderly, touching him on the elbow, an act that made him focus solely on her.

"All I wanted to do was pet the dog," Colby was explaining. "And for a little while, he allowed me. Then, he turned around and all I saw were these big, sharp teeth that dug into my arm."

For proof, he unbuttoned his shirt, lifted his sleeve up to his upper arm, showing a line of three healed scars.

"Did it hurt?" Olivia asked again.

"I was a child," Colby smiled. "I assume it did. Although I have little recollection of it."

"Ye poor thing," Olivia gushed softly. Then, she turned to Hannah. "If Mr. Johnstone feels uncomfortable around Haggis, why don't ye send him away?"

Hannah didn't like the idea of punishing her dog just because he did what a dog was supposed to do. She petted Haggis, who had calmed down slightly, but it was obvious that he still saw Colby as a threat.

"We're all right, lad," she whispered to him, petting his head. "Why daenae ye run along now, and I'll come feed ye later?"

Haggis looked at her with such a human gaze that she thought he would reply in human words as well. Sometimes, she felt that his understanding surpassed the border between the canine and the human world. This was one of those moments.

Licking her hand just once, he turned around and disappeared where he came from. Hannah stood up, and they continued their stroll. This time, Hannah allowed Colby and Olivia to do most of the talking amongst themselves. After all, she was merely the chaperone here.

However, she was listening to their conversation intently. It seemed to her that, despite the fact that they had known each other for such a short time, they were completely smitten with each other. Hannah was worried about that because smitten people were always in a rush.

Alistair knew that he could not avoid Hannah all day. Of course, he could, but that would at some point become obvious. His own mind was a thorny tangle of emotions, where he had no idea how to act, so he wouldn't end up getting hurt. It seemed that avoiding her was as anguishing as spending time with her, knowing that he could never make her truly his.

"Laird McCann?" His thoughts were interrupted by Hannah's sister.

He lifted his head from his plate. He had to admit he wasn't very hungry, but it was a good distraction, to pretend to eat. Also, they weren't alone. He couldn't trust himself with her alone, because his heart would seem to take over every single time, reminding him of all her wonderful qualities. Banishing those thoughts from his mind was almost impossible, so company was more than welcome.

"Aye?" he asked, wondering what she would have to ask him, with her sister seated right next to her.

"How do ye ken Colby Johnstone?" Olivia wondered, sounding genuinely intrigued.

"Colby Johnstone?" Alistair echoed, scratching his chin. "I cannae recall that name. Why?"

"Ye cannae?" Hannah's brow furrowed.

He shrugged. "He was here for the weddin' festivities?"

"Aye," Hannah nodded.

"He could be one of me brother's friends, or some distant relative," he offered a few explanations. He honestly wasn't certain. The name didn't ring any bells. "Why?" he asked, but he assumed he was the reason that Hannah's sister had suddenly decided to stay with them for a bit.

He didn't mind, though. In fact, he hoped that Olivia's presence would create a wall between him and Hannah, a much-needed wall.

"He was here today," Hannah informed him.

"He was?" Alistair repeated.

"And I think he wanted to see ye," Hannah added.

"Well," Alistair shrugged again. "I was busy. Perhaps another time."

Their conversation quickly took a turn towards less strenuous topics, and about fifteen minutes later, Olivia had excused herself to retire to her chamber. Alistair thought Hannah would follow, but she stayed, much to his surprise.

When the doors closed, he could see her staring at him, with a mysterious smile on her face. "I dinnae think ye were the kind to disappear off into the night," she teased. That much was obvious.

"I dinnae disappear," he said, clumsily, feeling like a fifteen-year-old, in love for the very first time. "I merely went to me study. I've had much work these days, waitin' on me."

"Of course," she nodded, refusing to reveal whether she believed him or not.

He tried to convince himself that he didn't care what she thought.

"I ken ye are a busy man," she added, almost as if teasing him again. Then, she put a grape into her mouth. He wondered if that was a arouse. Whether or not she wanted to spur a reaction from him, she did.

"Do ye like the grapes?" he wondered, watching her mouth roll into a silent O, imagining how her tongue was twirling around the slippery piece of grape inside her mouth.

She waited a moment to swallow, then replied. "They are delectable. I really do like dessert."

He was now watching her as if she were his dessert. He looked around. They were alone. He could easily pull the tablecloth off the table, making every single item on it fall to the floor, leaving a clean, flat surface for him to prop her on top of. He would inhale her scent. He would bury his tongue into her mouth, tasting that sweetness. His fingers would find that wet spot between her thighs and gently caress it until she exploded again and again, like the last time.

But that was all in his mind. He had to control himself.

"Ye should try some," she suddenly said, bringing him a plate, with several grapes on it. They rolled playfully around, until she placed them on the table before him. "Here."

"I'm nae hungry." He shook his head. The truth was, he wasn't fond of grapes.

"Just one?" she smiled innocently, picking up one and bringing it to his lips. "A wee one?" She said it so sweetly that he couldn't say no.

He opened his mouth and allowed her to feed him one grape. As she did so, she gently grazed her index fingers against his lips. He tasted the grape in his mouth. He expected it to be sour, but it wasn't. The taste was rather pleasant.

"Good?" she asked, grinning, like a little girl who just won an argument.

"Mhm," he nodded, swallowing. "But that doesnae mean I want another one."

She chuckled. "Fair enough."

It was such a silly conversation to have. Downright ridiculous. Yet, it brought him that long forgotten, sweet sense of pleasure that he didn't think he could bring back any longer. That chuckle he heard, the way she fed him that silly little grape, it all made him feel like a little child himself.

Suddenly, he got up, pushing his chair back.

"It's getting' late," he announced, not having the slightest idea what time it was, other than it was the right moment for him to withdraw to his chamber, and hopefully, fall asleep without thinking about Hannah.

She seemed slightly taken aback by this sudden interruption, but she was as always, courteous and understanding.

"Of course," she nodded.

Then, without warning, she got up, walked to him, and stood on her toes, as she aimed to kiss him on the forehead, but since he was so much taller than she was, she ended up kissing him on the nose. This made her chuckle, and he couldn't resist but join in. Everything about her was so effortless, and that was what he feared the most: falling in love with her, without even noticing it.

"I think I like ye, Laird McCann," she announced, again like a little girl who had come to a life-altering conclusion after much consideration.

"Far more than I thought I would."

He didn't know what to say to this. Fortunately, he didn't have to say anything, because she was the first one who headed towards the door, bidding him a quick goodnight, before she disappeared into the darkened hallway, allowing only faint echoes of her footsteps to remind him of what just happened.