The Highlander's Secret(31)

It was hard to describe the joy he felt after finishing a project. There was a sense of pride that came along with it that couldn’t be understated, so even though it brought temporary discomfort, Alan knew the end result would be worth it. It was familiar, and he was good at it. Very good in fact, even though he was Bruce’s apprentice, the majority of the work fell onto him.

His master received a series of new orders while they were gone, and Gregor’s horse needed shoeing. On top of that, there was a helm which needed repair and two more blades waiting for completion after that – it was a never-ending cycle. With the time and energy he put into the work, it was no wonder that years had made him strong.

Alan heaved an exhausted sigh and paused to wipe his brow with the sleeve of his shirt. He looked up when he heard the front door open, expecting to find Bruce. Instead was met by a pair of emerald green eyes and shining red hair.

“Good morrow, Jain. I wasn’t expecting to see ye here.”

She smiled back at him, adjusting the basket in her hands as she stepped inside. “Good morrow, Alan. I was hoping we could talk. Mam had me bring some meat pies to thank ye fer helping with the roof.”

He grinned, setting down his tools and resting his hands against the anvil. “Thank ye, Jain, but yer company was thanks enough. Ye dinnae have to do this.”

“Well, I wanted to.”

Alan’s grin widened. He cleaned his hands off on a rag and came to accept the meal. Jain handed him the basket and he lifted the cloth to peek underneath and smell the delicious blend of herbs and spiced meat. Alan breathed in the aroma hungrily and looked up at her. “Aye, that’ll be a treat,” he muttered. “I’m surprised yer cousin dinnae come along herself to make moony eyes at Rodrick.”

Jain’s smile faltered at the mention of Aileen. “I’m sure she would, but I’m afraid she’s fallen ill and wasn’t able to come this time.”

Alan’s expression softened when he heard the news, instantly regretting the subtle jibe. “Nothing serious, I hope.”

“Not at all. Her mam is headed back from Inverness and should be arriving within a day or two. She’ll be back to herself by the weekend.”

Alan took the basket and set it on the workbench. “That’s good. I wish her well and hope she makes a swift recovery.”

“I also wanted to think ye fer everything that happened yesterday. I cannae begin to tell ye how much it meant to me.”

“Jain, please. It was nothing,” he assured her. “Beside ye’ve already paid me back a thousand times over.”

“How?”

Alan smiled, taking a step towards her and said, “Ye kissed me back.”

Jain’s cheeks flushed instantly, and they stood there for a moment not knowing what to say. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came.

Alan sensed her hesitation and raised an eyebrow quizzically. “Was there something else?”

Jain let out a nervous laugh and looked up at him through full lashes, causing Alan’s heart to skip a beat. “Aye. There’s something I need to tell ye, but I’m afraid.”

“Of what? Jain, ye can tell me anything.”

Alan brought his hand up to her cheek and brushed his thumb across her lip while he cradled it adoringly. A secret voice in the back of his mind wondered what it would taste like to capture it in his. “My little bird,” he cooed. “How I long to see ye fly.”

When she stepped away from him, Alan frowned and looked at her confused.

“What is it?” he asked. “Did I do something wrong?”

Jain laughed quietly and said, “Nae, ye’re perfect. Too perfect in fact – it’s distracting me. But this is important and ye need to understand. I just dinnae think ye’ll like me very much once that happens.”

He smiled, reaching out to take her by the hand and weaving their fingers together. “That’s impossible. Ye’re the most interesting lass I’ve ever met. The more I see ye, the more I want to ken.”

Alan would have kissed her if she had let him, but Jain held a piece of metal in her palm and offered it to him.

“What is this?” he asked.

“Ye ken that Eamon and Moira are not my birth parents. They adopted me,” she reminded him.

Alan nodded, taking the brooch from her and glanced down at the curious craftsmanship.

“Ye spend all day working metal,” she stated calmly. “Tell me what ye make of this.”

Alan brushed his finger across the pinnacular clasp to the dragonhead pattern on the end. His eyes narrowed as he examined the design, realizing it could not have come from anywhere in Scotland. “Tis beautiful,” he told her. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Where did it come from?”

“It belonged to my birth father before he died.”

His eyes widened in understanding and looked up at her in surprise. “Yer da?”

Jain nodded.

“Where did yer family come from? I thought Eamon found ye in a village on the northern coast.” Understanding struck him like a bolt of lightning when Alan realized what she was saying. “Ye’re parents weren’t Scottish, were they?”

Jain stared at the ground for a while, appearing nervous, and didn’t speak. Alan sighed, taking her gently by the hand and pressing the brooch back into her palm.