My Daring Highlander (5 page)

“I thank you for your advice,
cousin.”

Dirk nodded and slapped him on the
shoulder. “’Tis time to eat.”

They headed back toward the center of
the camp.

Keegan had been hungry earlier, but
after almost kissing Seona, a different sort of hunger gnawed at
him. He craved a taste of her beautiful lips. She would be as sweet
as flower nectar. He had no doubt of it. She certainly smelled
sweet, he’d noticed as he’d strapped the knife sheath on her arm.
He’d had a wild impulse to bury his nose in her hair and breathe
her in.

As they all sat or stood around the
camp, eating roasted rabbit, grouse and bannocks, he tried not to
stare at Seona. Suspecting that anyone who caught him observing her
would see his desires written clearly on his face, he only slipped
a glance her way now and then.

Because she sat by her aunt, she
seemed equally determined to avoid eye contact with him.

A quarter hour later, darkness
descended a bit more and Dirk approached him. “We’ll stay here
while ’tis dark and allow the ladies to sleep and the horses to
rest. Half the men will guard the first part of the night, then the
rest will guard the second half. We’ll leave early in the morn,
just after daybreak. I’m concerned Haldane and his band of outlaws
will attack again.”

“As am I,” Keegan said, watching Seona
and her aunt disappear inside the tent with the maids. At the last
second, Seona cast a quick glance his way and gifted him with a wee
smile. Joy burst through his chest.

Saints!
He was tempted to crawl in after her. To hades
with her aunt.

“Are you too distracted to guard?”
Dirk asked.

“Nay,” Keegan said, perhaps a bit too
loudly. He wanted to kick his own arse for allowing Dirk to see
he’d been distracted for a few seconds. No one had ever questioned
his ability to perform his duty.

“If you are, ’tis naught to worry
over.” Dirk gave an almost imperceptible grin. “I ken how that can
be. Take the night off.”

“I’ll guard the ladies’
tent.”

Dirk nodded. “I’m certain you will
protect Lady Seona better than anyone else.”

Keegan was a bit ashamed he’d allowed
a lass to ensnare his attention so completely that it was obvious
to the chief, and likely everyone else. But what could he do about
it? He’d already tried banishing her from his mind. It didn’t work.
The more he told himself not to think of her, the more he thought
of her.

The men allowed the fire to burn down
to coals. With several lanterns around the perimeter of the camp,
the guards could see if anyone approached.

Dirk disappeared inside his tent with
Lady Isobel. Keegan couldn’t deny he was envious they got to sleep
together when he could not… ever… sleep with Seona. How could he
live never knowing what it would be like to hold her close and
sleep with her the whole night through?

***

In the darkness inside the tent, Seona
pulled back the sleeve of her smock and placed her hand around the
knife and sheath on her forearm. She’d been careful to hide it from
Aunt Patience.

The leather sheath still held Keegan’s
distinctive and entrancing male scent. The knife was like the man
himself, sharp and lethal but also protective and comforting. He
wanted to provide a way for her to protect herself when he wasn’t
there. Her heart warmed.

But she didn’t want to think about him
no longer being there, nor did she truly want to go home. Who would
brighten her days with a single glance? No one had Keegan’s smiling
blue eyes. Every time she looked at the summer sky, she would see
his face. How would she survive? She couldn’t imagine life without
him.

He had been within close proximity for
many months. How could he not know how important he was to her? Of
course, she didn’t have the courage to tell him. It would mislead
him into thinking there could be something more between them than
was actually possible. She would give anything not to be a lady at
the moment… or the daughter of Chief Murray. Of course, the
position came with certain privileges, but also heavy
restrictions.

She pulled the sleeve of her smock
over the knife sheath again. Her aunt could never see it. She would
not approve of Seona carrying a weapon. Nor would she approve of
Keegan teaching her how to use it, especially in private. Seona
smiled, imagining Keegan giving her another knife-wielding on the
morrow.

***

Haldane MacKay crouched behind gorse
bushes next to Donald McMurdo and watched the lanterns flickering
in the distance around the MacKay camp. “You kill Dirk and I’ll
snatch Lady Seona,” Haldane whispered.

He could easily see the four tents and
eight or nine guards patrolling the area. Half of them were
obviously sleeping now so they could take a later watch. Dirk was
canny to bring so many guards, but Haldane could be equally
shrewd.

He glanced at the dark blue sky,
seeing a scattering of wispy clouds, a full moon and a few faint
stars. Summer evenings had a long period of gloaming and it would
not be full dark for a while. Although Haldane was not known for
his patience, he’d had to learn the virtue over the past several
months since his infuriating older brother had taken over Castle
Dunnakeil.

Once Dirk was dead and Haldane had
Lady Seona in his possession, he would have everything he wished
for—he would be chief of Clan MacKay and Seona would be his wife,
as she was always meant to be.

“I like your plan,” McMurdo said, his
voice raspy. His black eyes intensified in the dimness. “When I
kill him, you will give me what I asked for, aye? What your father
promised me.”

“Indeed. The tomb in the church will
be yours.” Haldane still didn’t understand why McMurdo was so
obsessed with being buried in Balnakeil Church. Sane or not, the
man was a devious assassin. His long gray hair and pock-marked,
wrinkled skin said nothing about his lethal cunning. The man was
like a well-used, ancient sword—scarred and worn but he could still
easily get the job done. At least, Haldane hoped he could. McMurdo
had not yet succeeded at killing Dirk, despite a couple of
attempts. The first time, everyone had thought Dirk was dead, but
then he’d surfaced twelve years later. Haldane didn’t want that
happening again.

“I want to see his dead
body.”

McMurdo grunted. “How about his head
on a platter?”

“Even better.” So long as Dirk was
well and truly dead, Haldane didn’t care.

Nolan MacLeod slipped up and knelt
beside him. “What’s the plan?”

“I’ll take two men with me and head
toward the tent where Lady Seona is sleeping,” Haldane said. “You
go with McMurdo and kill the guard nearest Dirk’s tent so McMurdo
can kill the bastard inside.”

“What about Lady Isobel?” Nolan
asked.

“What about her? I don’t care.”
Haldane knew Nolan had a bad itch for Isobel. The word was he’d
almost raped her, but the lady had bashed him on the head and
knocked him out. Haldane could understand his need for revenge, but
he didn’t want Nolan botching the whole attack because he wanted
retribution. Nolan certainly had no feelings for Isobel, not like
Haldane had for Seona.

“What if she is carrying your
brother’s heir?” Nolan asked.

Hell, he hadn’t considered that. If
she was carrying a male bairn, that child would inherit the baron
title and become chief when he grew to manhood. “She’ll have to
die, too, then.”

“Nay. I want her,” Nolan said, his
eyes gleaming like those of a madman. That didn’t faze Haldane.
Several of his men verged on madness.

“Have her then, but make sure you kill
her when you’re done with her. I don’t want any of Dirk’s spawn
running around.”

Nolan grinned.

“But you’ll have to help McMurdo kill
Dirk first. Isobel is in the same tent.”

“My pleasure.”

“I don’t need his help,” McMurdo
grumbled, glaring at Nolan. “I can kill that whoreson with my bare
hands.”

“I know you can,” Haldane said. “But
use your dirk. I always thought it would be fitting that Dirk be
killed with the weapon he’s named after.” Haldane
snickered.

A half hour later, Haldane, Finlay and
Gil slipped closer to the camp. Gil was the best archer he’d ever
seen.

“Take out that guard, the one closest
to us,” Haldane whispered to him.

Gil hesitated. “I cannot do that. He’s
my cousin.”

“Do you think I give a damn? Dirk is
my brother and I’d kill him if I had half a chance.” Haldane
narrowed his eyes, observing the tent Lady Seona, her aunt, and
their maids had disappeared into earlier. Keegan stood in front of
it, then paced back and forth. “Looks like I’m going to have to
kill my cousin, as well.”

“But you hate Keegan. I’ve never had a
quarrel with my cousin. We got on good last time I saw
him.”

“If you can’t do the job I’m paying
you for, I’m kicking you out.”

Gil had been Haldane’s friend for
years, but he was an annoying whiner at times. He needed a fierce
kick in the arse.

“You’ve never paid me,” Gil
said.

“I didn’t let you starve this winter,
did I?” Haldane demanded in a harsh whisper.

Gil shook his head.

“Besides, I will pay you and everyone
who’s helped me when I’m chief and wealthy. I’ll make you my
sword-bearer. You’ll have a generous income.”

Gil’s eyes widened. Even in the near
darkness Haldane could tell he was mulling that over. “Come. Let’s
move closer. Once you kill one of the guards, the others may be
alerted. I want to be able to make it to Seona’s tent.”

Haldane hunched low and crept through
the bushes, Gil and Finlay behind him. McMurdo, Nolan and another
man were stealing into the camp from the other side. The rest were
entering from the east.

Haldane crouched again and peered from
behind the bush. “There now, the guard closest to us is Balfour. No
kin of yours, is he?”

“Nay.”

“When I give the signal, you shoot
him.”

“Aye.” Gil knelt, nocked the arrow and
drew back his bow string.

“After you kill him, shoot Keegan
next.”

Chapter Five

Seona awoke to men yelling, a shock of
alarm ringing through her. At first, she didn’t know where she was,
then she remembered being inside a tent. She sat up, listening to
the running footsteps, curses and swords clanging outside. Cold
fear slid through her. What on earth? Had Haldane attacked? She
fingered the knife hidden on her forearm, wondering if she should
pull it out.

Beside her, Aunt Patience bolted
upright. “What’s happening?”

“I know not. I think ’tis an attack.”
Seona crawled forward to peer through the tent flap.

Two blades clashed nearby, sparks
popping off them in the near darkness. She could only see the
outline of two shadowy figures.

“Haldane!” It was Keegan’s voice.
“I’ll kill you. Have no doubt of it.”

God protect
us
, Seona prayed silently.

More men joined them in
battle.

Seona drew back. “Everyone,
wake up,” she whispered loudly, grabbing her
arisaid
to wrap about her. “We may
have to flee.”

“Lord, help us. Is it a battle?” one
of their maids asked. Someone was sobbing and another of them was
praying aloud.

“Aye. Haldane and his band of outlaws
have attacked. We must dress and ready ourselves to run,” Seona
whispered.

A knife blade sliced through their
tent’s fabric over the maids’ heads. Her aunt and the maids
screamed as they scrambled toward the opposite side, a couple of
them crawling over Seona.

“Remain calm,” she said, pulling her
legs free of them.

She couldn’t draw her knife now or she
might inadvertently cut one of the other women in such close
quarters. They sat frozen in fear as they listened to the sounds
outside—men’s angry yells, footsteps thumping, blades
clashing.

Someone burst into the dark tent.
Seona’s heart felt as if it rammed up into her throat.

The maids shrieked and scrambled
backward.

“’
Tis me, Keegan. Come, all
of you.”

A couple of the maids were crying in
earnest now, one of them frantic.

“Calm yourselves!” Keegan commanded.
“Lady Seona, where are you?”

“Here,” she said, regaining her
breath.

He took her hand and dragged her from
the tent. She saw MacMillan and a couple more guards standing
outside, holding horses.

“Wait!” Seona said. “I have
not—”

“There is no time.” Keegan lifted her
onto the bareback horse as if she weighed no more than a child,
then, grabbing the reins, he leapt on behind her. He wrapped a
strong arm around her and kicked the horse into a
gallop.

“What about Aunt Patience?” she asked,
turning and attempting to look back, but she couldn’t see beyond
his shoulder.