My Daring Highlander (40 page)

Once they were far enough away from
Talia, Seona would have to figure out how to escape Haldane and his
men. She might grab Haldane’s dirk and stab him with it. But he was
the one protecting her from the rest of the brutish men. If she
killed Haldane, any of his men might rape or kill her. No telling
what McMurdo would do… most likely kill her without a second
thought.

Chapter Thirty-One

Earlier, in the field in front of the
tavern, Keegan had snatched one of the Murray guard’s swords, then
bested Graybeard, leaving him with several cuts, but spared his
life. He’d sent the next one who’d challenged him running away with
a deep slice to his sword arm. And now, another of the men who’d
invaded their room over the tavern charged him with a sword. He
parried and thrust, then drove the other man back several
feet.

Keegan darted a quick glance around
the field at the crowd of onlookers and noticed Chief Murray a
hundred feet away, scowling this way and that, murder in his
eyes.

Where was Seona? He must not have
found her in the room.

Rebbie stood not far from Murray,
looking pale and dazed, his forehead and doublet bloody, but he
held a sword in his hand. Keegan was glad he’d awakened.

Fraser, on horseback, rode in behind
him, leading Curry. He motioned Keegan forward.

He landed one final blow and sent his
opponent’s sword flying, then he hastened toward Fraser.

“Haldane took Seona,” Fraser said in a
low tone.

“What?” A sharp blade of fear and
outrage sliced through Keegan. “When?”

“A short time ago. Her sister showed
up and told us. Haldane kidnapped her first, then released her when
he lured Seona out.”

“Which way did they ride?”

“East.”

Dermott approached on his horse,
tossed Keegan’s boots to the ground in front of him, then handed
him his sporran and sheathed dirk. “I found these behind the
tavern.”

Last time Keegan had seen them, they’d
been in the chamber. “Seona must have dropped them there.” Fear for
her life making his hands unsteady, Keegan pulled on his boots then
swung into the saddle. “Let’s go.”

“Lady Talia said they went this way.”
Fraser took the lead, kicking his mount into a gallop; Keegan and
Dermott followed. Hunched low in their saddles, they rode past
boulders and into the forest.

Keegan would kill Haldane. To imagine
someone harming Seona was like a dagger to the gut. The roughed-up
tracks through the leaves and pine needles were easy to see, but
when they came onto a muddy road, thick with tracks which forked in
two directions, they drew up.

Hoof beats pounded behind
them. Keegan glanced back.
Rebbie?
Surely, he was not up to this.

When he halted beside them, Keegan
asked, “What in blazes are you doing here? You’re injured.” Indeed
the earl still looked pale, blood matting his hair.

“’
Tis naught. When I saw
you lads riding like the devil, I knew something had to be
wrong.”

“Aye, Haldane abducted
Seona.”

“Saints!” He glanced along the two
roads. “North or east?”

Keegan examined the tracks on the
muddy ground. “Fresh tracks go both ways. Two of us take one road,
and two the other.”

Rebbie nodded and rode off toward the
east, Dermott following.

Keegan and Fraser traveled north,
their mounts charging at full speed. A pistol shot fired somewhere
in front of them.

“Who the hell is shooting?” Keegan
said between clenched teeth. He prayed Seona was not in the line of
fire.

Two horses waited beside the road up
ahead, one shifting about anxiously. Behind a stand of bushes,
swords clanged.

Keegan pulled back on the reins, leapt
to the ground, and drew his sword. He was aware of Fraser following
on foot, but he kept his attention focused forward.

Sticking his head through the bushes,
he found McMurdo fighting a younger man with a bushy brown beard.
Another man lay on the ground, blood pooling around him. What the
devil was going on? Where was Seona?

A scream sounded in the distance,
ahead but to the left. A female. It had to be her. He raced
forward, the prickly gorse bushes snagging his clothes and
scratching his skin.

Up ahead, a red-headed man
had someone wearing black thrown over his shoulder.
Haldane.
Rushing closer,
Keegan saw ’twas indeed Seona he carried. She kicked, elbowed him
in the back, and fought to free herself. Even though her hands were
tied, she yanked his hair.

“Ow! Damn you, lass!” Haldane bent
forward, attempting to dump her to the ground, but Seona held onto
his long hair.

Haldane glanced his way just before
Keegan reached him. He shoved Seona away and lifted his
sword.

She did not appear to be injured,
thank the saints.

“Let me have her, Haldane.” Keegan
forced himself to use a reasonable tone.

“Nay!” He sliced the blade through the
air. “Back away.”

Seona’s ankles were bound as well, but
she tried to roll away from Haldane.

“Don’t force my hand, cousin.”
Although Keegan could not say he and Haldane had ever truly been
close, they had trained together since they were lads and eaten
many a meal together at Dunnakeil.

“You are not my cousin since you are
loyal to that imposter you call a chief,” Haldane
snarled.

Haldane knew good and well Dirk was no
imposter, but Keegan wasn’t going to argue the point.

“Why did you kidnap Seona?” Keegan
knew why, but he wanted to distract Haldane.

“That is none of your
concern.”

“Aye, ’tis, considering she is my
wife.”

“Your wife? Ha!” Haldane’s pale green
eyes glinted with feral energy and he bared his teeth. “Well, if
that is true, I can easily make her a widow. She was to marry the
MacKay chief, which I will be since Dirk is dead.”

Icy cold slithered through Keegan. To
imagine Dirk dying was like enduring a strike to his vitals. The
man was like a brother to him.

“Dirk is not dead,” Keegan assured
him.

“How do you know?” Haldane smirked.
“You haven’t seen him in several days, have you?”

“He’s recovering in a safe
place.”

“You hope. But what if he got a grave
fever from that arrow wound?”

Dirk had endured a minor fever, but
seemed improved last time he’d seen him. Keegan was not going to
worry over him now. Seona was his main concern.

“Release Seona before you injure
her.”

“Nay.” Haldane advanced, sword in
guard position. “Back off or you will cause me to hurt her. If she
dies, ’twill be your fault.”

Fraser stepped from the bushes behind
Haldane, snatched Seona from the ground, and kicked Haldane
forward. He stumbled to his knees but quickly leapt to his feet,
looking about wildly. But Fraser had already disappeared back
through the bushes with Seona.

Keegan charged forward, ready to kill
Haldane in one-on-one combat. ’Twas not what he wanted, but
something he had to do in order to protect Seona and to ensure
Dirk’s safety.

A glint of fear flashed in Haldane’s
eyes and he bolted, fleeing through the gorse.

Nay!
Keegan chased him. “Coward!” He shoved through the thorny
branches after Haldane, running, dodging in and out of the bushes.
But after a few moments, all was quiet and still up ahead. He
paused. No movements around him. Only the sounds of swords clashing
far behind him.

“Haldane!” Keegan shouted. “Come back
and fight like a man.”

Silence met his ears.

“Bastard.” Keeping his sword in hand,
he took out his dagger, too, as extra protection should he be
ambushed, and proceeded back through the gorse bushes.

Where had Fraser taken
Seona?

At the spot where McMurdo had been
fighting another man, three scruffy outlaws—he assumed Haldane’s
recruits—lay on the ground, apparently dead, given their wounds and
the blood surrounding them. Keegan was disappointed McMurdo was not
among them. Dermott and Rebbie stood nearby, catching their
breaths. Dermott held a cloth against a cut on his upper arm.
Seeing they were well, Keegan hastened away in search of Seona and
Fraser. He found them in the narrow road by the horses.

Upon reaching Seona, Keegan sheathed
his weapons and drew her into his arms, her slight, curvy frame
conforming perfectly to his. Thank God she was alive. “Are you
well? Did Haldane hurt you?”

She shook her head against his chest.
“Only a few bruises from his rough handling, I think.”

“That bastard.” Keegan glanced at
Fraser. “I thank you for helping her.”

“My pleasure.” Fraser gave a slight
grin.

Seona pulled back but kept her arm
around Keegan’s waist. “Indeed, I appreciate the help, both of you.
Did you see my sister?” she asked Fraser.

“Aye, the bonny lass was hiding in the
brush behind the tavern. She resembled you so much, I knew she had
to be your sister.”

“Was she hurt?”

“Nay. After she told me you’d been
kidnapped, I asked her to wait there with one of the trusted
MacKenzie guards protecting her.”

“Oh, I thank you.”

Rebbie emerged from the bushes,
Dermott following. “Did you kill Haldane?” Rebbie asked.

“Nay.” Keegan wanted to kick himself
for not accomplishing what he needed to. “He ran like the vile
rodent he is.”

“Coward. He always flees.”

“Aye.”

“Next time. McMurdo got away, too. He
took off when Dermott and I showed up.” Rebbie strode toward his
horse, then hoisted himself into the saddle.

Keegan glanced down at Seona. “Why did
fighting break out among Haldane’s men?”

“One of his new recruits decided he…
wanted me and attacked Haldane.” Seona’s face reddened. “Haldane
shot him, then his friends joined in the fray. I took advantage of
the situation and ran, but Haldane caught me and tied my hands and
feet.”

Keegan’s stomach knotted when he
imagined her in such a precarious situation. “Are you certain he
didn’t hurt you?”

“Aye. I thank you,” she said, darting
a quick glance from his eyes to his lips and back.

He leaned down and placed a soft,
sweet kiss on her mouth, grateful she wasn’t injured.

“Where is
my
‘thank you’ kiss?”
Fraser teased.

Seona pulled away, smiling and
blushing.

“Shut your gob, Fraser,” Keegan
muttered, trying to hide his grin.

A multitude of hoof beats approached
from the south, drawing Keegan’s attention and darkening his mood.
He knew who they were even before he saw them.

A moment later, four of Murray’s
guards reined in their mounts and surveyed the scene. “We’ve come
to escort Lady Seona back to her father,” their leader
said.

Keegan stepped in front of her. “I’m
taking her.”

Smirking, the head guard shrugged. “As
long as she goes back to her father, I don’t care who takes
her.”

Seona tugged at his
clothing.

He turned to her. “Aye?”

“You stay here,” she whispered. “I’ll
go back with them.”

“Why?” Keegan frowned.

“Is it not obvious? I don’t want my
father and his men to kill you.”

“They won’t kill me. They may try, but
chances are they’ll get a blade in the gut.”

“Stubborn,” she muttered.

“Indeed, I am.” Keegan lifted her to
his horse and climbed on behind her. He wished he could’ve stolen
her away, but he knew she would never leave her sister
behind.

Even though he would enjoy holding her
in his arms for a few minutes, he had to figure out how the devil
they were going to retrieve Talia, then escape Murray and his
men.

***

Seona didn’t wish to return to the
village or the castle, but she had no choice if she wanted to
ensure her sister’s safety. And she didn’t want Keegan anywhere
near her father now that his men had surely told him they’d found
her and Keegan in bed together at the inn. Her father would be in a
killing rage. She prayed he hadn’t already punished Talia for
running away.

Riding in front of Keegan, his strong
arm around her, Seona turned to him. “We must find
Talia.”

“Aye, we will,” he whispered against
her ear, then kissed it. Delicious shivers slid down her body. She
would love naught more than to sink down into the pleasures Keegan
knew how to indulge her with, but now was not the time. She had to
focus on finding her sister.

Keegan guided his horse
toward the back of the tavern, his friends following. But as soon
as they rounded the corner, her father, a few of his men, and
Wentworth came into view. Nausea rose within her.
Saints!
Exactly who
she
didn’t
want to
see.