Free The Warrior's Touch by Michelle Willingham

lad?’
    Ewan shrugged and pointed toward the door. Aileen didn’t want to leave, but at last relented. She set the tea in front of Connor, realising too late that he could not drink it without help.
    But then, whatever Trahern wished to say would not take long. Outside she followed him, walking along the edge of her field. High above them, the sun burned brightly.
    ‘You’ve known our Connor for many years, haven’t you?’ Trahern began.
    ‘I have, yes.’
    ‘And does he seem to you a man who wishes to take advantage of others?’
    ‘No, of course not.’
    ‘Has he harmed you in any way?’
    Aileen levelled a hard stare at Trahern. ‘What is it you want?’
    Trahern’s green eyes softened with kindness. ‘I think he would heal and grow stronger, were he to stay under your care. You are more skilled than he knows.’
    The flattery did not have its intended effect. Aileen bristled, wishing they would all leave the matter be. It was true, he might heal and help her prove her skills to the tribe. But what if he didn’t heal? What if he was right, and she lacked the ability to restore his strength?
    Being around Connor brought back all her feelings of awkwardness. She felt herself slipping back into the shadow of the girl she had been, the girl who felt unworthy of being around him.
    ‘If Connor wishes to stay in Banslieve with the Ó Duinne tribe, then stay he will,’ Trahern asserted. ‘A grown man, he is, with a mind of his own. A man who does not want to face his tribe until he is whole again.’
    ‘His hands, you mean.’
    ‘Cinnite. Can you not understand why he would rather remain here than face his men? He’ll not want to return until he is healed.’
    ‘And if he does not heal?’ Aileen asked.
    Trahern’s face turned grim. ‘Then he may never return home.’
    ‘You speak of him as though he intends to die.’
    ‘A warrior who cannot use his hands is as good as dead. We all know it.’ Trahern circled their path back towards Aileen’s hut. ‘The question is, will you help him?’
    ‘I have helped him to the best of my ability.’
    ‘No.’ Trahern stopped to regard her. His long beard brushed his chest, his dark hair spilling over his shoulders. She had to tilt her head up to look at him. ‘There is more you can do for my brother. It is this that I ask you. In return, I will grant you anything within my power.’
    ‘What more can I possibly do?’
    ‘Help him to become the fighter he once was.’
    Aileen lowered her gaze, shaking her head. ‘You ask too much of me. I cannot change his injuries. I know nothing of a soldier’s training.’
    Trahern’s expression softened. ‘You have lost much, just as he has.’ He reached out and joined her hand with his. ‘Think upon my words.’
    She knew it. Connor’s stubbornness rivalled her own. But the longer he stayed, the harder it would be to keep the secret of Rhiannon. She’d hidden the truth for so long, she didn’t want to destroy Rhiannon’s memories by revealing that another man was her father. It would hurt her daughter, and she couldn’t bear that.
    Worse, Connor might insist on making decisions about Rhiannon’s future. He had every right, especially since she had hidden his own child for so many years.
    ‘You knew the man he once was, Aileen,’ Trahern said softly. ‘If you bear him any friendship at all, I ask you to help him.’
    She closed her eyes. Once, he had been much more than a friend to her. He had been the man she loved.
    Trahern saw her waver and closed in for the kill. ‘Until the end of the summer, Aileen. Just until his hands have healed. Can you not grant him this?’
    Tears gathered in her throat, but she managed a nod. As penance for hiding Rhiannon, she’d allow him to stay. And, God willing, he’d never learn what she’d done.

Chapter 5
    T he following morn, his brothers had returned to Laochre. Connor rested easier now that they were gone. Aileen had hardly spoken a word since she had agreed to let