Page 30 of Ruined By the Ruthless Highlander
She opened her mouth to say something in response, but then stopped, returning her attention to the corridor ahead of them.
Finally, they reached a staircase.
Marian took the torch from him, and Lachlan leaned casually against the wall, folding his arms as he watched her search the area. She glanced at him a few times as if to say something, and he continued to watch, barely hiding his amusement.
Marian walked to the mouth of the staircase and stopped behind a chest.
Lachlan’s eyebrows arched slightly as he watched her stare up the long flight of stairs.
Does she think it climbed those?
She stepped forward, still without looking down.
Her skirts brushed against the chest, and a faint creak sounded from beside her feet, causing her to still. She looked first at him,then at the chest. Her expression was a fascinating mix of terror and excitement.
“I think I caught it,” she said, stepping away from the chest as quietly as she could. “Here.” She pointed at it.
Lachlan stepped forward, wearing a serious expression on his face.
“Careful,” Marian whispered as he crouched beside the chest, her voice laced with genuine worry.
His lips twitched slightly as he opened the chest and reached into it to pull out a large gray barn cat.
Marian’s eyes widened. “A cat?” she gasped.
She stared at the creature as though it had personally betrayed her.
As for the cat, it looked at her with complete indifference. It yawned, baring sharp teeth. Its gray fur was patchy in some places, and one ear was slightly cut.
Lachlan held it up slightly. It looked well-fed. Too well-fed for a mouser.
“Meet the terror of Glen Carrick,” he said, gently stroking its fur with a small smile on his face.
Marian huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “You knew?”
Lachlan stood up, still holding the cat. He watched her for a brief moment, weighing just how far he could push her before she truly lost her temper.
A dangerous glint entered his gaze, then he shrugged lightly. “Aye. I ken every member of me clan.”
Marian narrowed her eyes at him, a frown crossing her features. “And you let me believe I was being haunted? For two days?” There was a hint of disbelief in her voice.
Lachlan released the cat, and it calmly padded away down the corridor.
“If that makes ye come runnin’ to me in the middle of the night,” he rumbled, taking a few steps toward her. “Then aye.”
His eyes darkened, and the space between them vanished again, just as it had earlier in the corridor.
Marian’s lips twitched. It was clear she was trying not to smile and failing miserably.
“You are insufferable,” she said, turning her back to him.
But her voice lacked bite, so he stepped even closer, his lips curling into half a smile.
“And yet ye’re still here, Mairi.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Ido not fancy that name,” Marian said, rolling her eyes as she turned to face him.
