The Highlander's Folly (The Novels of Loch Moigh Book 3) (23 page)

Edward nodded toward Hunter. “One of our clan’s wisewomen had a foreseeing. ’Tis how I kent Hunter still lived amongst the MacKintosh clan. Young Hunter will rebuild our clan, bring us strength and lead us once more into prosperity.”

Meghan’s chest filled with pride for Hunter. He was a born leader. She’d recognized that right away, and now he would lead an entire clan. She needed to talk to him, or listen at any rate. She couldn’t bear seeing him so torn up.

Malcolm grunted and rubbed his forehead. “This comes as quite a shock. His mother and I have missed him sorely these past five years, and he’s just recently come home to us from the continent. Now you tell us he’s to return to the MacConnells to fight your battles for you?”

“Aye. ’Tis so. We would ha’ come sooner, but . . . first we had an errand to attend to.” Edward pulled a folded piece of vellum from his sporran. A blob of dark-red wax with an emblem pressed into it sealed it shut. “Our king has already recognized Hunter’s succession.” He held it out. “I did no’ wish to take any chances. Young Alastair’s patents have been drawn and recorded. He has already been granted the title and all of the lands and estates that come with it.”

Hunter lunged to his feet and snatched the vellum from Edward. His hands trembled as he broke the seal, opened it and read. Handing it to Malcolm, he glared at the MacConnells. “If I refuse to accept, is there someone else to—”

“You canna refuse to accept, my lord. Your king has recognized you as the new baron of DúnConnell, and that is who you are.” Edward reached again into his sporran, this time drawing forth a signet ring. He handed it to him.

Hunter studied the ring. It held a crest with a bloodred ruby set above it. He dropped it into his sporran. “Baron or no, mayhap I’ll leave for the continent.” He lifted his chin. “The MacConnells have done naught for me. I see no reason to do aught for them.”

“Hunter, you don’t mean that.” The words left Meghan’s mouth before she knew she meant to say them.

“Do I no’, my lady?” He turned his bitterness toward her.

Instinct drove her, and she shot off the bench. “If you will excuse us”—she strode to Hunter’s side and wrapped her hands around his biceps—“the baron and I need to talk. I need to—”

“Knock some sense into him?” Erin quipped.

“Exactly,” she muttered, scowling at him. “A moment of your time, my lord?” The pain she glimpsed in his eyes brought a sting to hers. She needed to get him out of the solar and away from Edward and his sons.

“Go, lad,” Malcolm said softly. “We’ll speak of this again on the morrow.”

Hunter’s head snapped up. “We are to leave at daybreak for Inverness.”

“Under the circumstances, I think we can wait one more day.” Once again she wanted to wrap her arms around him. He was definitely channeling the lost little boy he’d been after his granny died.

Hunter glanced at the MacConnells where they continued to stand, and then his eyes swung to hers. “Aye, let us take a stroll, my lady.” He ushered her to the door and into the corridor.

“Where can we find some privacy?”

“To the loch . . . where we skipped stones across the water.” He gripped her hand again.

“OK. To the lake.” Neither of them spoke as they left the keep. He practically dragged her through the kitchen, ignoring the startled stares of the cook and her helpers. They continued on along the path through the herb garden toward the postern gate.

How could she get through to him? What could she say that would break through the shield of anger he’d wrapped around himsel
f
? Once they were through the gate, they followed the path to the same place where he’d nearly kissed her right out of her tunic and tights. Her pulse kicked up, and her breath caught in the middle of her throat.

Sunlight danced along the surface of the lake. Like tiny dazzling creatures from another world, its brilliance skimmed and hopped across the crests of the waves stirred by the breeze. She shielded her eyes against the brightness, wondering what time it was. The days grew longer and longer this far north, and the sun finally disappeared around eleven.

A slight fishy odor hung in the air. Not a bad or rotten smell, just a lake smell. Thick pine boughs sheltered the spot from prying eyes, and a lone oak stood at the edge of the clearing. How many couples had taken advantage of the seclusion for a bit of privacy? What did she have to do to seduce Hunter into . . .

Ack. What was she thinking? “Talk to me,” she ordered, turning to face him.

“I dinna ken what to say.”

“You’re angry.”

He began to pace along the shore. “For certes. Would you no’ be? Mayhap if things had been different, my ma would no’ have died of a fever. I would ha’ grown up without a doubt about where I belong or of my rank.” He stopped and plowed both hands through his hair. “By the saints, I’m a baron. If I’d remained with my clan or been sent to foster with an allied clan, I would no’ have been reduced to beggary.” He glared. “Would such no’ make you angry?”

“Yep. You have every right to be angry, but it’s preventing you from seeing the big picture.”

“What
picture
is that, Meghan?” He continued to pace.

“Stop, Hunter.” She blocked his path and placed her hands on his chest. “Let go of the anger for just a minute. Try to get past the hurt. You’re not thinking clearly.”

He grunted.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her cheek against his pounding heart. “The people who loved you did what they did to keep you safe. They did what they thought best. You can’t blame Edward or your clan for your mother’s death. She may have died anyway, no matter where you were hidden away.” She peered into his stormy gray eyes.

“You heard Edward. Your gnarly old granddad was a zealot. If you had remained anywhere near him, you couldn’t have kept your fae abilities a secret for long, especially if he’d been looking for them. He banished his own son. I shudder to think what he might’ve done to you.”

His arms tightened around her, and he rested his chin on top of her head. Some of the tension left him. “Edward could have placed me with another sect of the MacConnell clan. There are still MacConnell holdings scattered along the western coast. I should have been raised as a noble, whether or no’ my grandsire acknowledged me.”

“Yes, you should have, but your mother wanted to come home. Anyway, thanks to True and Malcolm, you kind of were raised as a noble.” She placed her hands on either side of his face and drew his gaze down to hers. “You would not be the man you are today if you hadn’t gone through what you did as a child. It’s your early years that have shaped you and made you the great leader that you are today.”

“Humph. You think me a great leader?” He brushed his lips across her forehead.

“Of course I do. Set aside your anger and grief. Think about the people who desperately need your help. Think about the innocent lives you can save. Would you condemn your clansmen, knowing they had nothing to do with the decisions your grandfather made? Do you really want to leave them leaderless and without direction or hope?”

“Nay.” One side of his mouth quirked up. “What am I to do about you, Beag Curaidh?”

Her heart bounced around in her chest. “What do you want to do with me?”

“What is right.” He drew her closer and nuzzled her temple.

“What might that be?”
She held her breath, anticipation and—she had to admit—a smidgeon of dread obliterating her ability to think. What if he asked her to stay? Would she? Could she be happy here knowing she’d never see her family again? How had she managed to find herself straddled between the future and the past?

“I snatched you from your time and from your kin. I have sworn to return you to your place and time.” His gaze roamed over her face, uncertainty once again clouding his features. “Have I no’ vowed to do so? And yet . . .”

She waited for the rest of the sentence, but he said nothing more. Impatient, she poked his chest. “And yet?”

He shrugged his broad shoulders. “I find myself loath to part with you.” He stared into her eyes, his expression one of consternation. “I have come to rely upon your counsel. You alone give me respite from the barrage of emotional jetsam I must endure each day.” He cradled her face between his large hands and ran his thumbs over her cheeks. “More than anything, I wish you to come with me to DúnConnell.”

Her heart filled to overflowing. He wanted her with him. “As what? What am I to you, Hunter?”

At her question, he stepped back. Tension stiffened his posture, and she felt his withdrawal keenly. His face a mask, once again he hid behind the walls of defense he’d built around himself. Sky was right. Hunter feared giving his heart. She wanted to shake him silly until the ambivalence toward her fell out of the holes in his thinking.

“Why, I would have you train my garrison in the ways of mixed martial arts, of course. You would help me adjust to my new position and act as my topmost advisor.” He averted his gaze. “Mayhap I’ll put you in command of my garrison. What say you to that?”

“I don’t think it would go over very well with the rest of your men.” Her hopes skipped and sank like the pebbles they’d tossed into the lake. “You should make Tieren your commander. He’s the perfect choice, and you can trust him.”

“See how you aid me? If Tieren will accept the position, ’tis done.” He turned her toward the path to the keep. “I will do what is honorable and see that you are returned home as I have vowed. How will I get on without my most valued advisor close to hand?”

“What about Sky?”

“Ah, Sky . . .” He grunted again and placed his hands on her shoulders to propel her forward. “We must return to the keep. I wish to speak with the earl and my foster father, and I want you there.”

What did “Ah, Sky” mean? Now that he held a much higher rank, did he intend to keep hounding his foster sister until she caved and married him? Probably. Suddenly her heart weighed a ton, and she had a tough time keeping her tears at bay.

A few minutes later, she found herself once again in the earl’s solar, only this time, she was the only woman present. Tieren had joined the group, which consisted of Hunter, Malcolm, the earl and Edward. Hunter seated her on a bench nearest the wall, and if the others found anything strange about her being there, they gave no clue. He took a seat beside her.

“I’ve a favor to ask of you, my lord,” Hunter said, facing the earl. “I need soldiers to quell the assault upon my clan. Will you loan me one hundred men?”

“You dinna even have to ask, Hunter,” William said. “You have our aid, whatever you may need.”

“Rest assured. The MacConnells and the MacKintosh are now closely tied.” Malcolm grinned at Edward. “In fact, my wife is a MacConnell, but that is a tale best left for another time. ’Twill take a few days to gather the men. We’ll take fifty from Loch Moigh and fifty from Meikle Geddes. I’ll send word to some of our smaller holdings to have men from each keep come to us to ensure we are no’ compromised whilst so many are away.”

Edward shot Meghan a look so filled with gratitude, it brought a flush of heat to her cheeks.

“My heartfelt thanks, my lords. Your aid is most appreciated and welcome.”

“Your clan, Hunter?” Tieren’s brow furrowed, looking from Edward to Hunter. “What have I missed?”

Hunter arched a brow at Tieren. “I am baron of DúnConnell and laird to clan MacConnell.”

Tieren let out a raucous laugh. “How did this come about?”

“I will tell you later. I ken you have accepted a place at Meikle Geddes, but I am hoping you might consider coming with me. Will you accept the post as commander of my garrison, Tieren? I can think of no one more qualified. I want no other guarding me and mine.”

Tieren’s brow rose, and he glanced at Meghan. “What of Inverness?”

“I see no reason to delay our journey, and I have need of my armor and gear. It appears I’ll be shall be using them oft in the foreseeable future.”

He turned to Edward. “Once our men are gathered, you and your sons will accompany the MacKintosh soldiers to DúnConnell. Make haste, and have the men begin patrolling our borders in groups augmented with our garrison. Get word out that we are now allied with the MacKintosh and that the earl of Fife is kin to me. The MacKenzies are no’ enemies with the MacKintosh at present, and I trow they will no’ wish to become so in future.”

“Aye, my lord.” Edward gave him a slight bow.

Hunter turned once again to Tieren. “We shall depart for Inverness at daybreak as we planned. I dinna wish to thwart Cecil’s plans, whatever they may be. He must be dealt with before I take up my responsibilities at home.”

He’d gone from an angry little boy to a decisive commander in a nanosecond, and Meghan reveled in the fact that she’d helped him make the transition. Maybe that’s what she’d been sent here to do. Her heart gave a painful squeeze. She was torn between longing for her family and longing to stay with Hunter, and lately, the scale was tipping more in favor of remaining by Hunter’s side. Sky had said he needed her, and that’s why she’d been brought to him. Why didn’t Hunter see it? Frustration banded her chest. Why did he fight so hard against what they felt for each other?

No matter how she felt, in a week or so, Hunter would send her home. She’d leave this place and the people she’d come to care for so much—separated forever through time from the man she loved.