Highlander's Rebellious Love (31 page)

Hunter did what she had asked, knowing it was the wisest thing to do. “How long until we leave the Dark Dragon’s land?”

“A day and a half ride and we will reach the Dark Dragon’s border. Once we cross it, I fear what your brother may do, and there has not been sufficient time for my message to have reached my father, which means extra men are yet on the way.”

“I do not care for the odds,” Hunter said. “Do you know what clan borders the Dark Dragon’s land?”

“Clan MacTavish, though I doubt the clan is aware of its infamous neighbor.”

“Do you call the MacTavish clan friend?”

“There have been sparks between us over the years, but my da has always managed to make certain they never ignited,” she said.

“Would they aid us if need be?”

“I suppose that would depend on if Greer has struck a bargain with them or not,” she said, the thought setting a worry in her. “The Clan MacThore sits next to the MacTavishes and also borders Macinnes land. They have always been an ally of our clan and my da has been there for them whenever needed. Clan MacThore we can count on.”

“Then perhaps you should send a message to them and ask them to meet us at their border,” Hunter suggested.

She smiled. “We do think alike. I had Edward send a man out shortly after we departed the abbey.”

They continued discussing different scenarios they might face along the way and various ways to avoid them or confront them while they traveled with caution to their surroundings. A quick rest mid-day saw Ewan returning to them.

Patience was eager to hear his news, though one look at his face told her she was not going to like what she heard.

“I saw not a trace of the ghost warriors,” Ewan informed her and Hunter when they joined Ewan and Una.

Una broke the silence that followed. “That is good news, for it means they continue to hunt for Heather.”

Patience threw her arms around the woman and hugged her. She wanted to believe that Heather was free of the Dark Dragon and that she was safe and on her way home. She had to believe it, for to believe anything else would mean that Heather was worse off than when she was with the Dark Dragon, and that thought tore at Patience’s heart.

Chapter Twenty-eight

“I am not going to argue this with you, Patience,” Hunter said, adding more broken branches to the campfire. The camp was finally settling down for the night, warriors getting ready to change posts. “You have given yourself little time to rest and heal. Tonight you will rest. Your warriors will see to guarding the camp. You do not need to take a turn.”

Patience was ready to protest when a yawn hit her hard.

“And there you have proof of my words,” Hunter said, walking over to her to wrap his arms gently around her. “You do not need me to tell you what you already know, but I have no trouble reminding you of it. You will be of no help to anyone, especially your sister if you let your strength wane. And your warriors do not expect you to share in the duties tonight just as you would not expect it if one of them had suffered an injury. So do what you must and rest.”

She thought to ask him if he would rest with her, but that would be much too tempting and to be truthful she was much too tired and her body much too sore.

With a look of surrender in her green eyes, she said, “I am tired.”

“And no doubt your body is feeling the effects of your ordeal. Lie down,” he said, though there was a hint of command to his tone. With an arm around her waist, he helped her down on the blanket he had arranged near the campfire, then he joined her, stretching out beside her. He covered them with another blanket.

Patience cuddled close to her husband, wanting the comfort of his arms around her and the warmth of his body against hers. Content, her eyes closed and in minutes she was asleep.

~~~

Patience did not know what woke her, perhaps it had been the hiss and spit of the campfire, or the stillness in the air. Whatever it was had disturbed her sleep and brought her fully awake. She realized then that her husband was not beside her and wondered if that was what had woken her. She was used to having him close and when he was not there, she felt the loss.

She sat up and looked around. The camp was quiet, everyone asleep, except for the guards posted at various spots. She could not tell how long she had slept, though if she went by how rested she felt, then it had to have been several hours.

Hunter was probably at his post, and she decided to go find him and see if she could relieve him so that he could rest. She kept her footfalls light so as not to disturb those sleeping and went to find her husband.

She knew where Edward would post the guards and found Hunter at the third post she checked. She stopped a few feet from him, admiring his silhouette. Even the shadows could not hide his handsome features or distinct muscled body. It was easy to see why women favored him, but he belonged to her now and that brought a smile to her face.

“Are you going to just stand there or come over here and give me a kiss?”

“That would distract you,” she said, walking over to him.

“I will leave one eye open.” He reached out and snatched her arm to tug her against him. “You should still be sleeping.” He gave her a quick kiss.

While she would have liked a more lingering kiss, she was pleased that he took his duty seriously and kept his focus on what was most important... guarding the camp.

“I woke and felt well-rested and came to relieve you so that you could get more sleep.”

“I am pleased that you got a good night’s sleep, and I got enough myself. Sunrise is only about an hour away.”

“Then we can watch it together,” she said and slipped out of his arms, though took his hand and walked to rest against a nearby boulder.

Hunter came to rest beside her. “You winced now and then in your sleep. Are you sure you feel well?”

“An ache and pain now and then, nothing more,” she assured him.

“Some aches never fade, and some grow with time.”

She slipped her hand in his. “Never healing. I think my sister Heather suffers from such a wound, though she bears no scar to show it.” She squeezed his hand. “I think you bear a wound that shows no scar also, though I believe it continues to fester. It might do well to clean it out and let it heal.”

Patience waited, hoping her husband would confide in her about Greer and his father. She had told herself to be patient, a near impossible thing for her, that he would tell her when he was ready. Though she had remained silent, curiosity continued to plague her. Now she hoped he would talk with her about it.

After a long silence, he finally said, “How can a son possibly kill his father?”

Patience knew he sought no answer from her, so she remained silent and listened.

“I tried endlessly to tell my father what type of man Greer was becoming, but he refused to listen. He claimed I was jealous of Greer because he was the firstborn son and would one day lead the clan and inherit the land. And of course Greer continued to feed my father’s misgivings about me. I was appalled at my father’s denial of the obvious. How could he not see the power-hungry man Greer was becoming?” Hunter shook his head and grew quiet a moment. “It was when my mum spoke her own thoughts on the matter to my father that things grew worse.

“My father felt that my mum favored me and that I had convinced her that Greer was not to be trusted. I do not know if my father ever realized how much it took for my mum to speak out against her own son. I believe she did so because she realized her husband’s life was in danger.

“Greer saw what was happening and was careful in all he did and only ingratiated himself even more with our father. Until it seemed that he trusted no one as much as he did Greer.” Hunter stopped, lost in memories.

“What of Rab at this time?”

“Rab always looked up to Greer and never found any fault with him. His foolish devotion to our brother is what made my father believe that my concern for his life and the future of the clan was nothing more than petty jealousy. He discovered too late how very wrong he was.”

“What happened?”

“A day of hunting was planned so that the storehouse could be stacked for the coming winter. I did not know that Greer and my father went on ahead of the others and when I found out I went after them.” He took in a deep breath. “I got there too late. Greer was nowhere to be seen and my father lay in a pool of blood dying. When I got to him, blood was running from his mouth and oozing from his chest and I could not stop it.”

He held up their joined hands and stared at them as he spoke. “I took his hand and he grabbed mine, with what strength was he had left, and clung to it as if it would somehow keep death from taking him. He had difficulty speaking but managed to tell me he was sorry. That I was right about Greer and that I was to protect my mum and let her know he loved her. He wanted my word on it and I gave it. His last words were garbled, but he fought to get them out. He claimed me the rightful heir and laird of the Clan McLaud. But there would never be any way for me to prove it.”

“I am so sorry,” Patience said, stunned by the terrible injustice he had suffered at the hands of his own brother. It was unimaginable to her that a brother could do that to another brother. But she had seen many in the Highlands who had allowed the desire for power to corrupt their morals. She was grateful her father had not been one of them.

“So am I,” Hunter said, anger punctuating his every word. “Greer took my father from me long before he killed him and for that I will never forgive him. As my father lay dying, unable to speak any longer, I swore to him I would revenge his death. With what little strength he had left, he squeezed my hand and barely nodded his approval, and then he died.”

“How horrible for both of you,” she said, tears clouding her eyes. “But at least he died a proud man, knowing his son had not spoken falsely or that he was jealous and that his son was a man of his word and would honor him.”

Hunter brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “I do not think I will ever stop feeling as lucky or blessed as I do to have you as my wife.”

She smiled. “Give it time, you might change your mind.”

Instead of returning her smile with one of his infamous grins, his expression turned serious. “Never. I will always feel lucky and blessed that you are my wife and even more blessed that you love me.”

Damn, there he went again tugging at her heart. She went to step away from him for their own good, but he refused to let go of her hand, refused to let her move too far from him. And with one strong tug, he brought her up against him.

She pressed her hands against his chest to keep him at a distance. “I cannot trust myself to be this close to you, since I have an overwhelming urge to devour you. And now is not the time or place for such a wicked thought.”

He took hold of her wrist and yanked her arms, spreading them to her sides, so that her chest fell against his. “You tempt me to shirk my duties far too much, wife, but my respect for you as a leader has me holding fast and thinking how I will make it up to you later.”

She smiled again. “Promise?”

“Believe me,
mo chridhe
, you have my word on it.” He kissed her quick and released her with a slight shove, not trusting himself to keep her close.

Patience was relieved when he released her at a distance. If she remained in his arms, she feared she would make him surrender, not that it would take much to do so, and that had her smile growing.

She forced her smile away, and asked, “No sign of the ghost warriors?”

“None, which makes me wonder if your sister truly has escaped the Dark Dragon and he and his men are now busy hunting for her.”

Patience paced in front of her husband. “The more I give it thought, the more plausible it seems.”

“You would know better than anyone if Heather was capable of such a feat.”

“I think that is what would have helped my sister the most, the ghost warriors thinking my sister too frightened and incapable of escape. Heather may look sweet and kind, but there is a strength to her none see. I sometimes think my father is unfamiliar with the depths of his daughter’s strength. The Dark Dragon probably assumes my sister too fearful to do anything but comply with his demands.”

“Even in fear there is strength.”

Patience stopped pacing. “My sister said the same to Emma and me one day. She told us that we were never to be ashamed of being afraid, for in fear there was strength and knowledge to be learned.”

“Your sister is as wise as me. I look forward to meeting her.”

Patience’s smile returned and she nodded. “I believe Heather will like you.”

His infamous grin surfaced. “Of course she will, all women do.”

Patience approached him and with a quick jab to his chest said, “Remember one thing, you are now my husband. You belong to me and only me and if you so much as dare look at another woman I,” —she jabbed him in the chest again—“why are you laughing? I am serious.”

“I know,” he said, trying to contain his laughter, “and I love that you are jealous, though believe me when I tell you that you demand enough of me to keep me from wanting any woman but you. Besides, all women pale next to you. I want you and only you and I love you and only you.”

Patience planted her hands on her hips. “How is it you always know the right thing to say?”

He straightened up away from the boulder, his shoulders going back, his chest wide, and his chin up. “It is easy when you speak the truth.”

“See,” she said, wagging her finger at him, “you did it again.”

He laughed again. “And I always will, for I will always speak the truth to you.” He stepped forward, took hold of her waist and turned her away from him, though kept her in his arms. “The sun rises.”

Patience leaned back against her husband and watched as light began to inch its way up past the trees to illuminate the sky in an orangey glow before the sun blazed across the land.

Patience sighed. “Sunrises are beautiful.”

“More beautiful when you share it with someone you love,” Hunter whispered near her ear and gave her cheek a kiss.