Fraser 02 - Highland Quest Read Free

convinced he’d not survive the night.
    “Och, Bryce, what evil twist of fate has brought you back into my life? A woman’s heart can only take so much torture.” She lightly stroked his cheek, but he did not respond. “When last we parted, I never thought I would see you again. And now—”
    She choked back a sob. The last few days they’d spent together at Fraser Castle were bittersweet. True, the joy of seeing Connor and Cailin united in marriage had made her heart soar, and Andrew’s birth was a time for celebration. But she also remembered standing outside the great hall while the bride and groom took part in their wedding dance, wishing for one brief moment it were her and Bryce who had just exchanged their vows.
    A beautiful bride, Cailin stared up at her husband with such love and devotion. Judging by the way Connor returned her moonstruck gaze and possessively held her close, it was obvious he shared her sentiment.
    Would a man ever look at her with such adoration? The fact that she might never experience such a moment was almost too much to endure. She wrapped her arms around her waist and turned, only to find Bryce standing directly behind her.
    “Bryce,” she whispered his name when their eyes met. Her stomach did a nervous flip. She fisted her hands in her skirt to keep them from trembling and glanced at the floor.
    Undeniably a handsome man, she’d found him appealing from the moment he arrived at the Scott’s Castle, but there was something more than mere physical attraction that drew her to him.
    While they’d met in passing, and in actuality had spent very little time alone together, it felt as if she’d known him for years. There was something familiar about him and a level of comfort she experienced when in his presence, a sense of calm and acceptance that had eluded her when in the company of most people she encountered.
    While her unwelcome premonitions focused primarily on death and illness, she had experienced the odd vision of happy events yet to take place. On more than one occasion she’d seen a brown-haired man walking toward her, which according to Scottish lore was a good sign. A dark-haired woman kept pace at his left side and if the legend held true, she was likely the lass he was meant to marry.
    When the woman inclined her head, Fallon saw her own image. But when her suitor grasped her hand and brought it to his lips, he disappeared in a wisp of smoke before she could see his face.
    Was the mysterious man in her dream Bryce?
    She shook her head. While she wanted to believe they were destined for each other, the fact she’d never seen her intended’s features could only mean one thing. She would never find her true love.
    Mayhap a life of solitude was for the best. From the time she was a wee lass, she believed herself cursed. Everyone she dared to love had died. Seeing their demise and being helpless to stop it weighed heavy on her mind and heart.
    The first visions of pending death and misfortune occurred when she had barely seen four summers. Aside from her parents, most people kept their distance. An only child, she’d spent the better part of her life alone, an outcast because people feared what they didn’t understand. Taibhsearchd was deemed a gift by some. Her mother thought second sight was a blessing, one passed down from mother to daughter and a reason to rejoice. But Fallon considered herself very unlucky.
    Then again, mayhap she didn’t want to find a mate. Aside from her father, her uncle, Laird Scott, and a few others she respected, she found most men to be domineering brutes. They expected their women to subserviently await their orders and held little or no revere for their wives, beyond what they could offer between the plaids. If a woman dared to speak her mind or show any initiative, they were quickly put in their place. If given a choice between an oppressive, loveless marriage and a life alone, she’d pick the latter.
    She shuddered at the thought of