The Dragon's Heart (Lochguard Highland Dragons #3) (2 page)

Although, Fraser had come close to that line earlier. To be honest, the lad had hit close to home with their row.

Every day Ross wondered if Lorna would ask him to leave. The fact she hadn’t done so earlier, when asked point blank, made him think he might still have a chance with the dragonwoman.

He well knew Lorna mourned her dead husband still. Ross understood the feeling better than anyone considering his own wife had been murdered over a decade ago. Much like Lorna loved her dead husband, he’d always love Anne. Truth be told, Ross had never expected to find someone else, especially once the cancer had taken hold.

But the treatments his daughter had given up so much for had worked. A few weeks ago, he’d been declared cancer-free. For the first time in a long time, he had a future.

And while Lorna may be determined to keep her heart closed off, Ross wanted more than their chats or head shaking over their children. Not just because she was beautiful—although she was to him—but also because of her heart, vivaciousness, and humor. He could see them growing old together. Or, rather, older together.

Only because it was illegal for human males and female dragon-shifters to mate had he kept his feelings about Lorna a secret and delayed his plans to pursue her. Well, secret might not be the right word. But if the laws had been different, he would’ve coaxed a kiss from the fiery woman the day he’d learned his cancer was gone.

And yet, with the recent mating on the telly between a female dragon-shifter named Nikki Gray and a human male named Rafe Hartley, Ross was starting to think he might have a chance with Lorna MacKenzie.

Right, Anderson. The longer you put it off, the greater the chance someone else will steal her away.
As it were, he was surprised Lorna didn’t have a horde of men after her. Probably because the bloody woman only seemed concerned with taking care of everyone else and never herself.

That would soon change if Ross had anything to say about it. After Lorna helping him for so many months, he wanted to repay the favor and then some.

Just thinking of holding Lorna close and kissing her caused heat to rush through his body. He’d spent many a night dreaming of the woman.
 

It was time to make those dreams a reality.

He just needed to think of a plan. Sitting in the chair in the front room, Ross tried to think of how to get some alone time with the dragonwoman when he spotted Lorna walking away on the arm of a tall man through the window. The man turned his head with a smile. The bloke was too old and gray to be her son.

While Ross didn’t know everyone on Lochguard as well as most, he couldn’t recall ever seeing the man.

His heart skipped a beat. Maybe he’d been a daft fool and waited too long after all.

No.
He wasn’t about to give up until he knew more. The other man leaning down to smile at Lorna might be a friend or even a relative. Ross wouldn’t think the worst.

He would find a way to be alone with Lorna this evening and find out all he could. If there was even a sliver of a chance, Ross would pull out all the stops to convince the stubborn woman to give him a chance.

Lorna had spent decades raising her children and looking out for them. With them all grown, it was high time she had some pleasure for herself. And Ross was going to be the one to give it to her.

Chapter Two

A silence lulled as Lorna walked with Stuart MacKay and she decided she was done with pleasantries. “Why did you volunteer to come to Lochguard?”

Stuart raised his brows. “You don’t want peace between our clans?”

“Aye, of course I do. However, Fergus and Finn are in charge of the negotiations, not me. I want to know why you wanted to see me specifically.”

He winked. “You always did get straight to the point.”

“Of course. It saves a lot of time. Clan leaders would get twice as much done if they only spoke their minds.” She pulled gently on his arm. “So, why?”

Stuart looked to Fergus slightly ahead of them and back to her. He leaned down to whisper into her ear, “We were friends once, Lorna. I’d like to be friends again. So when I heard my brother was looking for a go-between for Lochguard, I volunteered.” He leaned closer and his hot breath tickled her ear. “As far as I hear it, you’re unattached.”

Not caring if Fergus heard or not, she replied, “That isn’t any of your bloody business.”

“Ah, so there is someone.”

She hesitated. Ross had come close to kissing her a few times during his stay on Lochguard, but he had never seen it through. Every time she’d accepted that they’d only be friends, the blasted male would take her hand, and a sizzle would travel up her spine, confusing her.

Her beast spoke up.
There’s nothing saying you can’t be the one to kiss him. Times are different now.

Ignoring her dragon, she tried to think of how to reply to Stuart’s supposition. She could say yes and drive him away. On the other hand, if Ross fancied someone else, it would be nice to have someone to talk to. After all, she and Stuart had been close once.

She wanted to slap her cheeks. For nearly thirty years, she’d never once thought about pursuing another male. And yet there she was, thinking about two in a day.

Goodness gracious, she wasn’t much better than a teenager.

Clearing her throat, she answered, “You focus on your meeting and negotiations and we can talk later.”

Determination flashed in Stuart’s eyes. Maybe he’d taken it as encouragement.

Stuart nodded. “I look forward to that.”

Lorna had no idea if Fergus had heard her conversation with Stuart or not, but her son never turned around to interject. Unlike Fraser, Fergus knew how to hold his tongue. Well, unless his mate or family’s lives were at stake. Then all bets were off.

The lad was more like his father than he’d ever know.

They arrived at one of the entrances to the Protectors’ central command. Unless she wanted gossip to spread like wildfire and reach Meg Boyd’s—her friend but also rival’s—ears, it looked like Lorna would have to continue her conversation with Stuart later.

Her dragon spoke up.
It also gives me time to change your mind.

Who says I’ve made up my mind?

Interesting. You’ve sworn off males and love for nearly thirty years. Maybe Stu is what you were waiting for? The human would bring risk, but a dragon-shifter would be safe.

At one time, Lorna might’ve thought that about Stuart MacKay. When she’d kissed Jamie MacKenzie and fallen into the mate-claim frenzy, she’d cared about him but hadn’t yet loved him. It hadn’t taken long for her auburn-haired dragonman to win her heart, but for a brief amount of time, she hadn’t ruled out going back to Stuart if Jamie didn’t work out. All dragon-shifters had the right to refuse their true mate if they didn’t fit well. While fate usually did a bang up job, there were always cases when it didn’t work out. Some clans might force it, but in recent history, Lochguard hadn’t been one of them and still wasn’t.

Yet, as she looked at Stuart from the corner of her eye, Lorna had to admit he’d aged well. The laugh lines around his mouth and crinkles at the corner of his eyes only added to his appeal.
 

Of course, Ross had a dimple in one of his cheeks when he smiled. And his brown eyes were more like whiskey than chocolate.

Her dragon huffed.
Then go after Ross. He wants us.

What are you talking about? Ross has never once moved to woo me. Every time I thought he’d kiss me, he backed off. We get along. That’s it.

For such a clever female, you’re missing something.

She mentally rolled her eyes.
And what’s that, you oh-so-clever beast?

Until a few weeks ago, Ross didn’t know if he had a future. Now that he’s cancer-free, he does. You saw the look in his eyes earlier when you didn’t order him out. He fancies us.

Lorna nearly missed her step and her dragon laughed before adding,
You know it’s true. The question now is, do you want Ross or Stu?

She dismissed the choice as ridiculous since Lorna didn’t need a male in her life to complicate things when they reached the meeting room. She forced herself to pay attention to her son and the current negotiations. Her silly male problems could wait.

Her dragon merely sat at the back of her mind with a smug expression.

Lorna would deal with that headache later.

Once Fergus shut the door to the private conference room, they all sat down around the table before he spoke up. “Right, then. Let’s go over the points of our latest agreement and see if we can’t get it signed.”

As Lorna watched her son and her former lover discuss an alliance, she wondered what she’d do if her dragon was correct about Ross and Stuart. For the most part, the males on Lochguard knew she wasn’t interested. But Ross, and even Stuart, didn’t fit those parameters.

The real question was whether she wanted a new mate or not.

Lorna knew the answer but was afraid to admit it. While Jamie taking her away from Stuart had been bad enough, Lorna now had her children and nephew to worry about. They were all grown and protective of her. It was sweet, considering Lorna could take care of herself. But it was only a matter of time before their protective Stewart and MacKenzie genes kicked into overdrive. The last thing Lochguard needed was drama, let alone dragons challenging each other in the sky. Fergus might restrain himself, but Fraser and Faye most definitely would not.

Her dragon chuckled.
Then you are going to pick one. I can’t wait.

Lorna resisted a sigh. She might have a few battles coming to her. The question was whether she looked forward to it or dreaded it.
 

Or, was it a bit of both?

~~~

Later in the day, as the sun moved lower in the sky, Ross picked up a twig from the ground and twirled it in his fingers. He hoped Lorna would come.

He’d left a note for her to meet him in one of the hidden clearings toward the back of the clan. Ross had spent every afternoon walking around Lochguard as part of his recovery and had stumbled upon the clearing by mistake.

It was a wide-open space, with trees ringing the edge. If ever there was a place he could convince Lorna to shift for him and only him, it was here.

He only hoped he wasn’t being daft, especially since the air was still chilly in early April and his joints didn’t tolerate the cold as they once had. The only saving grace was that it wasn’t raining, or he would have to postpone, which he wanted to avoid at all cost. He’d made his decision, and Ross intended to see his plan through.
 

He knew that unless Lorna shared both halves of herself with him, they would never have a shot at a future together. He needed to see Lorna in dragon form.

He was also determined to find out whatever she was hiding because he was positive she was afraid of something.

He paced back and forth. He wasn’t fond of the whole text messaging trend, so he’d written a letter and left it for her in the kitchen. Ross hoped she had found it, or he’d be waiting a long time.
 

Glancing at his watch, Ross noted that Lorna had three minutes before she’d be late. The closeness worried him since Lorna was punctual to a fault.

However, he heard someone pushing through the underbrush. Looking up, he spotted Lorna walking toward him with a curious expression.

Despite being wrapped in a big coat, the combination of the wind gently blowing her graying blonde hair and the flush on her cheeks sent a rush of heat through his body. Before he could think too hard about it, he blurted out, “You’re beautiful.”

Lorna frowned as she stopped a few feet from him. “Pardon?”

Ross’s heart beat double-time inside his chest. It’d been a long while since he’d had to woo a lass, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him. “With you always going on about how keen your hearing is, I know you heard me, woman. You’re beautiful.”

Lorna searched his eyes before answering, “Aye, I heard it the first time. But I’m wondering why you said it.”

Taking a few steps closer, he reached out and tucked a section of hair behind her ear. Lorna drew in a breath, and he smiled. “That’s what I thought.”

She took a step back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ross Anderson. You left me a cryptic message to meet you in the middle of a blasted clearing. Why am I here?”

“Because,” he answered as he closed the distance again, “I want to see you shift.”

Lorna tried to move away again, but Ross reached out and pulled her up against his body. As he stared into her eyes, uncertainty flashed. Considering how strong of a woman Lorna was, Ross didn’t like it.

Lorna spoke up before he could speak again. “I’ve told you once, and I’ll tell you again—I don’t shift much anymore. My old bones can’t take it.”

Her pupils flashed to slits and back. A corner of Ross’s mouth ticked up. “I think your dragon is already calling you a liar.”

“So you speak dragon now?”

“Don’t be silly, Lorna. But what else could your dragon be saying? Especially since all the other clan members our age shift all the time.” He moved a hand to her back and stroked. He waited to see if she’d still or pull away, but Lorna’s expression didn’t change. It gave him the encouragement to keep pushing. “I want to know why you keep dismissing it. You rarely ever lie that I’m aware of. So, why are you afraid of showing me your dragon, Lorna MacKenzie? Is it because I’m human?”

Her brows furrowed again. “Of course not. Being human or dragon doesn’t influence my opinion one way or the other.”

“Then what it is?”

After holding his gaze a second, she sighed. “You aren’t going to let me go unless I shift, are you?”

“No,” he answered with a grin.

“You do remember that I’m stronger than you, right?”

He growled and moved his head closer. “We’ve long established you’re stronger than me with better hearing and eyesight. You don’t have to keep kicking a man down.”

Snorting, Lorna patted his chest. “But it’s so much fun.”

Moving his hand from her back to her cheek, he murmured, “I can think of something else that’s fun.”