True Love Brides 02 - The Highlander’s Curse Read Online Free Page A

perceive something in each other, though we cannot name it as yet.”
    “Like what?”
    He shrugged and glanced away, as if intent upon hiding his thoughts from her. Annelise dismissed the idea as it made little sense. “Who can say? In old tales, one of us would have a strength to compensate for the weakness of the other.”
    Annelise was delighted by this. He loved old tales as much as she did! “The other way, as well,” she said.
    He nodded. “Together a pair is greater than the sum of the parts.” Annelise nodded happily. He was watching her, his eyes bright and his firm lips curved into a slight smile. He seemed enchanted by her, which was a wondrous thing, for Annelise was certainly intrigued by him. She had never met a more alluring man, never come under the protection of one, and certainly had never been kissed by one. She studied his mouth, unable to help herself, remembering the feel of his lips against her own. Something fluttered in her belly and she felt warm in a way that made little sense.
    She spoke quickly, wanting only his promise, and immediately feared she had demanded too much. “Then you will come to Seton Manor tonight?”
    “I will try,” he said, his reserve unmistakable.
    “It is not far. I walked from there myself just now. The road will take you to the very gates…”
    His warm fingertip landed across her lips, silencing her. Indeed, the roughness of his skin, so different from her own, sent a surge of heat through her. Her heart skipped and her mouth went dry.
    How she yearned for another kiss.
    The hunter leaned close, his voice low with intent. “It is not distance that will keep me from your side, my lady.”
    Annelise stared at him, uncertain what to think.
    “I will try to come to the hall,” he pledged, then bent and replaced his fingertip with his mouth. Annelise closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of him even as she savored his caress. She felt the dappled sunlight on her head and heard the quiet murmur of the stream. The wind moved through the trees, and the glade seemed to hold the moment still in time. His mouth moved against hers once more, provoking an even greater response than before.
    When he broke his kiss this time, Annelise kept her eyes closed, wanting to be sure she never forgot this moment. She hoped that it was but the first of many they would share, then opened her eyes.
    The hunter was gone—as surely as if he had never been.
    Even the carcass of the wolf was gone.
    There was blood on the ground, proof that she had not dreamed this interval.
    Annelise turned in place, straining her ears but hearing nothing beyond the usual sounds of a sunlit glade in a forest. Her lips still tingled and she could taste his skin upon hers. He was no figment of her imagination, but a man skilled in moving silently in the woods.
    Surely he would come to the hall?
    Annelise had to believe it would be so.
    Which meant that she had to tell Isabella, to ensure that the hunter was made welcome when he did arrive. Annelise picked up her skirts and hastened back to Seton Manor, anticipation making her journey quick.

Chapter Two
    Murdoch, the laird of Seton Manor, paused in the act of donning a clean shirt and turned to look at his wife. “Annelise met a suitor in the woods?” he repeated, certain that his opinion was more than clear. “Why was she even in the woods alone?”
    “She went to the glade to pray.” Isabella smiled at her husband, clearly undaunted by his skepticism. “ I met a suitor in the woods,” she reminded him. “It seems to me the marriage resulting from that encounter is working out rather well.”
    “It was not the same,” Murdoch insisted. “And the first time I met you was in your brother’s keep. It was the second time we met in the forest.”
    Isabella waved off this detail. “I think she is quite smitten.”
    Murdoch gave her a look. He was feeling the burden of his responsibility in taking Isabella’s sister into his care. He had pledged