Refusing to let her attitude damper his fine spirits, Gabriel shrugged and pulled back the curtains of the window. Digging his fingers into the box, he tossed the coins from the window as the carriage started down the road.
The laughter of children racing for the carriage brightened his mood a bit. Although his bride was far from pleased, he wasn’t going to let her dictate his emotions.
“I ken ye daenae like me,” he said.
“Hate,” she interjected. “Use the correct word. I hate ye.”
“That’s such a strong term, daenae ye think? But even if ye do, there’s nay gettin’ out of our contract. We’re wed now, whether ye like it or nae.”
“I daenae like it, nae one bit. And I’m nae goin’ to spend my life pretendin’ I do.”
“Why such animosity towards me? Do ye nae think a man can change?”
“I think ye married me to torture me some more. That is what ye do, isnae it? It’s what ye’ve always done. Traits like that daenae go away, nae fully.”
“I’ve never tortured ye,” he said as he tossed the remaining coins to the children and closed the box.
“Ye and I have a different account of what happened in the past I’m sure,” she answered. Gabriel couldn’t help but smile.
At least she’s talkin’ to me. That’s an improvement.
“I must say, ye look-”
“Daenae say another word if ye respect yer life. I swear, Gabriel McAllister, I’ll claw yer eyes, I will.”
“Feisty,” he chuckled. “Well, I see ye havenae changed since we were children. Suppose yer right, people cannae change.”
“Oh, I’ve changed,” Elena growled. “My hatred for ye has only been purified and refined.”
“Why lose yer venom on me? What have I done to ye to deserve such things?”
Elena’s lips tightened as she glared daggers at him. “I suppose ye would forget all the horrors ye put me through.”
“Perhaps a bit of forgiveness will go a long way,” he said holding the smirk on his lips. “Ye ken as I recall it was ye who had it out for me since we were young.”
Elena’s eyes widened, the rage became an inferno as her cheeks flushed a darker red.
“Wasnae it ye who stole my horse and caused it to go lame tryin’ to jump the fence?” he asked as his eyebrow arched.
“I did nay such thin’.”
“Aye, it was ye. Ye got the bright idea to run away from home and ye took the wrong horse. I remember yer faither findin’ ye in the moors, scraped up and cryin’ because ye couldnae find yer way home.”
“Yer thinkin’ of my sister, Anna,” Elena said.
“Nay, I’m certain it was ye,” Gabriel said with a nod of his head.
“And that’s why ye chopped my hair? Because ye thought I stole yer horse?”
Gabriel let out a laugh that rocked his body. He had nearly forgotten he had done such a thing. Looking back though, the memory became solidified in his mind. The way she looked in the hay with her eyes closed, book on her chest stole his breath.
“Would ye believe me if I told ye I wanted a lock of yer hair to keep?”
“Why? Why would ye take all of it?”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Gabriel pursed his lips as the memory played back in full detail.
“Well, I may have taken too much, and for that I’m sorry,” he admitted as he caught her eye.