Not that she deserved his support, she decided with some bitterness. Since her presence had caused their party no real danger, she knew that Lachlan’s anger stemmed more from the fact that she had deliberately disobeyed him. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, she had to admit to herself – and ultimately to him – that her decision to accompany them had been more one of stubbornness than logic. That realization did little to calm her fluttering stomach. As Catriona dried her hair with renewed vigor, born of frustration, Cook stole quietly into the room. Without a word, she took the toweling from Catriona’s hands and took up the task herself. Catriona closed her eyes, relaxing at the feel of her friend’s warm, strong hands on her scalp. She could almost imagine she had never even left Boyne; that things were as they had been years before and the intervening events had never happened. She was surprised to realize that this filled her more with emptiness than relief. “Does it feel good tae be home again?”
