Page 24 of Her Reluctant Highlander Husband

It didn’t matter. He’d not leave her there alone again anyway.

All that mattered was that his wife was alive. He’d promised to take care of her and had failed. Again. He’d keep her close now, so he could watch over her better.

The dog followed after, occasionally brushing Bryce’s leg. The maids might have something to say about him allowing the beast into the hall, but Bryce would deal with them. He couldn’t put Rascal out, and not just because he wasn’t sure he’d win that battle.

“How is she?” Lach asked as soon as he made it into the hall. Kenna was at his heels.

“She’s hit her head. She hasn’t woken up, even with the bouncing on the way up here. Can you help her?” Bryce asked Kenna.

She frowned and came closer, carrying a lamp. “Let’s see.”

Bryce stood close by as she felt around Dorie’s head and neck, then moved to her arms, legs, and the rest of her body.

“It looks like there are no other injuries. She just bumped her head. Let’s try some cold water. I’ll clear away the blood. It’s already stopped bleeding. That’s a good sign.”

Bryce wasn’t sure if she was talking to him or herself, but he relaxed because she didn’t seem frantic.

“How can I help?” Mari asked as she stepped up to offer her sister assistance. The more the better, Bryce thought, and stepped back to let them get closer.

Cam strode into the hall looking grim. “It’s gone.”

Bryce didn’t care about the cottage. It was just a building. He’d burned the last one down on purpose and rebuilt. He could rebuild again. People were different. They were irreplaceable.

“Will she be all right?” he asked Kenna as soon as the blood was washed away.

“I think so. It will depend on how much smoke she breathed in and for how long.”

Before she’d finished talking, Dorie began to cough. Her eyes fluttered open and darted from face to face until she found him. He stepped closer and took her hand as she began crying.

He didn’t know how, but he knew she was upset over the cottage. He was only upset about her.

“It’s all right. The cottage doesn’t matter as long as you’re safe. Are you well? Does anything hurt?”

She shook her head too quickly to have done a thorough assessment first.

“Dorie, look at me,” he insisted, raising her head. “What hurts?”

She blinked and he could tell she was cataloging and prioritizing her injuries. After a moment she pointed to her head. Then her wrist. Her eyes went wide and she turned in his arms, looking for something on the ground.

Again, he knew what she needed.

“He’s under the table. He wouldn’t let you get far from his sight,” Bryce said, pointing. Rascal lumbered out from under the table and she hugged the dog.

Bryce was standing close enough to hear her whisper, “Thank you,” to her furry protector.

“Bryce,” Lach called, and he stepped away from the reunion to speak to the laird. Cam followed.

Bryce expected his cousins to encourage him to have Dorie stay with him at the castle. He’d already planned to do so and didn’t need a lecture from them.

“We’ve a problem,” Lach said with a frown and took a few steps farther from the group. “Cam thinks the fire was intentional.”

“Why do you think that?” Bryce turned to the larger of the men. He hadn’t had time to consider such a thing, but given the poisoning, it made sense someone might try again if they’d failed with the first attempt on her life.

“There were footprints leading off to the forest. Blood drops. And this.” He held out a scrap of cloth. A tartan in the McCurdy colors. “There were paw prints. It looks like the dog gave chase. He might have gotten a bite of one of the bastards.”

“A McCurdy bastard,” Bryce said, keeping his voice low. “Why would they want to hurt her? They didn’t seem to care for her much, but to risk getting caught at murder…” He shook his head.

Lach ran his hand over his face with a curse. “I should have suspected the blighter was up to something.”