Chapter 10 #2
Her mood faltered, but she kept petting the horse and appreciating the way it leaned into her touch.
“Did ye hear what I said?”
“I heard ye. Just because I cannae have this one does nae mean that I cannae pet him. Or are ye putting a rule in place for that as well?” she questioned, her voice gentle and sweet in the presence of the horses.
Horses were keen enough on people’s feelings and she didn’t need to stress the horses with more than she already carried inside.
Hunter huffed but didn’t say anything. As much as she knew she should be the bigger person in all instances of life to be a true, remarkable lady, she was beneath that at the moment.
Hunter had demanded to come along to oversee her selection of a horse, one that wasn’t Campion, so she would take her sweet time in getting to know every horse.
Petty revenge was all she had, so she would savor it.
Stall by stall, she went along, petting the horses, speaking to them delightfully, feeding them sugar cubes, and getting information on each from the stableboys.
If she spoke too long to the stableboys, she noticed that Hunter would interrupt to let her know that horse wasn’t one she could have.
And on the process went for over ten horses.
When she began to pet the next in line, a gray speckled female horse that was well into her prime, Hunter stepped next to her. “This is the one. Let’s go.”
Kira shook her head. “I’m nae done. I want to see all the horses.”
“Ye’ve seen plenty. This one is suitable,” he countered.
“Ye said we would select the horse. Are ye nae a man of yer word?”
Hunter glared and she didn’t falter. He wanted her to shrink, to submit, to stop being defiant.
But she wasn’t going to compromise or settle with the only ground she had gained since being back at Galbraith Keep.
And yet at the same time, they stood too close, the tension in the air between them was too high, and her confidence wasn’t wavering.
She couldn’t tell if they were ready to strangle one another or kiss again.
Hunter had a strange habit of looking kissable and killable all at once, especially with the way his hazel eyes caught the sunlight and made them look like a sunbathed forest floor covered in moss and bark and leaves.
“Ye’ve wasted enough of my time, Kira. I have other things to do. This horse is fine,” he said, his voice low.
Kira stepped closer and tilted her head upward until they were nearly nose to nose. “Ye’re wasting an entire lifetime of my time by forcing this marriage. I’m merely taking back some of it right now.”
Hunter’s jaw tightened and his nostrils flared, but he didn’t say anything in response.
Instead, he turned and headed for the field while barking orders at the stableboys to be sure her horse was slow and reliable.
Once he was out of sight, Kira immediately searched for Campion.
But stall by stall, her heart was a little heavier that he wasn’t there.
He must have been out grazing in the pasture.
She had hoped to be able to use Hunter’s quick exit and lack of instruction to the stableboys as a way to get one last ride on him.
After she truly had a look at all the horses, she decided on an older female horse by the name of Aithne.
She had a similar reddish-brown coat to Campion with dark legs and mane and was apparently just a year or two younger.
She was gentle and kind and would make a good companion, though there wouldn’t be a replacement for Campion in her heart.
Once the horse was fitted with riding gear, she walked her out by the reins to the pasture.
But almost immediately, her face landed on none other than her beloved Campion.
Hunter was standing next to him, petting his back as he looked out over the hills.
Kira quickened her step to find her way to the horse, the two immediately nuzzling one another in greeting.
“I’m sorry to say, Camp, I gave out all my sugar cubes whilst in the stable. Ye should have been in there, ye naughty boy. I would have snuck ye an extra,” she cooed as she pet him.
“Why on earth are ye so attached to this horse?” Hunter questioned.
Kira could have been snarky and continued to argue with him, but she simply didn’t want to when around Campion.
“He holds many of my fondest memories in life,” she confessed.
“I quite enjoyed annoying yer faither with the name choice. And ye and I spent many mornings caring for him when he was just a wee colt. Even when it was cold, we would sneak away after breakfast just so I could give him my leftover fruit and vegetables.”
In her mind she could see the lanky, awkward Hunter that was still on the outer cusp of boyhood and the annoyed look on his face as he guided her to the stables. He never scolded her, never told her no, and was forever looking over his shoulder to keep them out of trouble.
“And all those rides we took together through the hills. He’s the horse I always took. I suppose in many ways, he’s the only friend I have left. The only one who…” Sees me. The final words were left unsaid and she let them die out in her throat.
Kira Fairbairn was a monster to all at Galbraith Keep, except this horse and perhaps Edine.
There was a long silence that Kira didn’t mind, as she hadn’t expected him to say anything.
She just spent that time adoring Campion and thinking about her past—something that seemed another lifetime ago at that point.
And then, there were hands on her waist. She was lifted and placed on Campion’s back.
When she peered down to Hunter, he was mounting Aithne.
“I thought ye said I could nae have Campion,” she muttered.
“I’m nae saying ye can,” he clarified. “Aithne is faster than Campion. So, I’ll be riding her.”
With that, he kicked his horse into movement.
Kira watched as he rode just a touch ahead, her heart feeling an overwhelming sense of conflict.
Had she gotten through to him a bit, or was he mad that she had brought up their past so fondly?
Whatever it was, she would figure it out as they went along.
Kira gently pressed her heels into Campion’s sides to get him to move.
Before long, Kira and Hunter were at a gentle pace, side by side; close enough that if she were to really reach, she could touch his arm.
Kira breathed in the fresh air and admired the beauty that was the Galbraith land.
It had changed in the last couple of years, but not by much.
Trees were taller and some overgrowth had been trimmed, but it was still the Galbraith she knew.
“Ye’ve changed quite a bit since yer younger years,” Hunter commented. It felt out of nowhere and surprised her that they weren’t laced with hatred. Was it a trap?
“I would certainly hope so. I’m a woman now, nae a little girl,” she muttered.
“Aye,” Hunter nodded. He was still looking straight ahead, not so much as sparing a glance in her direction.
“Ye have always been a girl who kenned what ye wanted. Whether it be yer freedom or to feed a baby horse or play with servant children. But back then ye were quiet and measured beyond compare.” At last, his eyes found hers.
“Ye’re nae that innocent or shy anymore. ”
“I’m nae,” she said confidently. “Because I am nae longer living in the terror that is my faither’s shadow.
” When he cocked a brow, as if telling her to explain, she did.
“Believe all ye want about me, M’Laird. That all that came before the fall of yer parents was an act…
but it was nae. Nae for me, at least. Home was never pleasant and it was where I was taught to be seen but never heard, or else.
And so my time here, with ye and yer family, was childhood to me.
It’s where I return in my mind when things are hard and I need somewhere soft to land, even if only a memory. ”
For the first time in too many years, Hunter was looking at her. He wasn’t studying her for underlying meaning, he wasn’t plotting his next move. If anything, the gleam in his eyes was uncertain but sincere, as though he were imploring if he could trust her.
It was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up to finally make headway with him and build a bridge toward their future that wasn’t laden with contempt.
“It’s fine if ye dinnae trust me right now. I dinnae expect ye to. But if we are to marry, I hope there’s at least part of ye that wants to. So that one day, we can come to terms with this life of ours.”
Ours. Speaking about them as a pair felt strange on her tongue, and she hoped it wouldn’t perturb him too much. He was completely unreadable in that moment and she knew no reassurance would come from his words; he had never been a man of many words to begin with.
When he looked past her, she braced herself for their ride to become cold and silent.
This was the most they had spoken without it being riddled with reminders of who had power and who was the sinner.
And she could feel it then, in her chest, that she was hoping for more.
More of that moment where it didn’t feel like they were total enemies—
Her lamenting was cut short with Hunter lunging in her direction, tackling her from the horse.
For a fleeting moment, she thought he was attacking her.
But his arms around her were tight and unwavering, his massive form blocking out the world around them.
She could hear Aithne whinny and run off into the distance. And there were footsteps. Footsteps.
When she craned her head to look past his shoulder, she saw it then. An arrow was sticking out of the back of his shoulder. They weren’t alone and even with all his hatred for her, Hunter was protecting her in the face of danger.