Marti Talbott's Highlander Series, Volume 4

by Marti Talbott

  Still, from that night on she couldn’t seem to help noticing him. Then she found herself trying to avoid him, but week after week, it became harder and harder. Ben MacGreagor had what she wanted - daily contact with the clan’s many animals.

  Not spending time with the animals made her homesick and lonely. She missed sharing her secrets with her cow or talking things over with her horse. She was allowed to go riding and sometimes her brother-in-law, Slade, managed time to take all the sisters who wanted to go. Yet Neil didn’t like for the women to ride alone, and Alison didn’t want to encourage any of the unmarried men by asking them to take her. It wouldn’t be right to ask a married man, she assumed. So she had to be satisfied with just watching men like Ben work with the animals from afar.

  Alison simply was not used to such careful regulations and not one bit happy about it. Sometimes she walked to her mare and was tempted to mount and ride away. She knew several men would chase her if she did, and that would only get her a lot of unwanted attention. Even just going to visit her mare sometimes caught the wrong kind of attention, and she had to walk away to avoid one man or another. So on most days, she just stood or sat at the end of one of the village paths and watched from afar. Ben, she noticed, never tried to approach her, which she appreciated very much.

  SPRING WAS A TIME FOR flowers and new arrivals, especially in the animal kingdom. Able to clearly discern which ewe, mare or cow was about to give birth, Alison made it her business to study each for most of every afternoon. Avoiding a look or two at Ben was not so easily done, since he spent time watching the expectant mothers as well. She managed to be looking where he wasn’t most of the time, and he didn’t seem interested in her anyway. She counted six ewes, five cows and three mares she was sure would produce little ones. Alison smiled. Nothing gave her more pleasure than welcoming the babies into the world.

  BEN HADN’T FORGOTTEN the beauty with eighth sister, delicate features, raven hair and blue eyes he watched with the fawn that day in the forest. Far from it. The competition for her notice was fierce, but she seemed to seek him out more often than he looked for her. He suspected her attentions were paid more to the animals than to him, since she rarely looked his direction, but it was an advantage over the other men—slight though it may be. He also noticed how she walked away as soon as any man even looked as though he was going to approach her. Therefore, he made a point of not approaching her. Perhaps one day she would find a reason to come closer or even speak to him. He hoped so...he hoped so very much.

  In the meantime, he watched to see if any other man got her notice. If that happened, he might have to become bolder. Until then, however, he was willing to wait, just as he often waited for the newborn animals to make friends with him.

  AS WAS THEIR CUSTOM, the men placed their wagers, drank too much wine, slapped the expectant father on the back and went home. Except this time, it was Glenna who was in labor and Neil who looked like death warmed over. He paced up and down the great hall and prayed nothing would go wrong.

  Then at last, the midwife opened the door on the top floor of the Keep and called out. He raced up the stairs, walked to Glenna, knelt by the bed and kissed her. Then he took his baby daughter out of her arms. He opened his shirt, put the child on his bare chest and wrapped his shirt around her. He gently kissed the top of the baby’s head and smiled. “We will call you Anna, after my mother.”

  “Or Ceanna after my mother,” Glenna said just before she closed her eyes to sleep.

  “We will call you Ceanna.” He was pleased to have a daughter again after losing Leesil to the plague. A son had to grow up strong, but a daughter could be held and pampered far more often. He pulled a chair close to Glenna’s bed, sat down and let his wife and daughter rest. Soon his daughter would be hungry and Glenna was the one with milk. He touched the fluff of dark hair on Ceanna’s head and sighed. “Two healthy children and a wife that lives. God is very good to me.”

  MAYZE HAD HER BABY just days after Glenna and Taral’s child came soon after. They were all girls. Taral’s husband, Geddes, was just as proud as if he were the natural father, and now there were three new babies to cry in the night. The widow Millin MacClurg found it very annoying. In the past, the new families lived farther away and the babies could hardly be heard.

  Of the nine sisters, Edana and Slade were married, Charlotte would be as soon as the next new cottage was finished and even Slava had her eye on a particular MacClurg. The next in line of the sisters was Alison, but she was not in the least bit interested in marriage. Nessa was fifteen, let her be the next!

  CHAPTER III

  COMINE MACDUFF COULD not believe his luck. In the light of a full moon, Alison MacGreagor was out alone at night and coming his way. For days, he’d watched her, imagined her as his wife and lusted after her beauty. He watched her observe the animals too and was convinced she would make the perfect farmer’s wife, which he just happened to be.

  The first time he saw her, she was riding the most beautiful golden mare he had ever seen, and he couldn’t decide which he admired most—the woman or the mare. After that, he couldn’t get either one out of his mind. Comine entertained the idea of trying to win Alison fair and square, but the MacGreagors were so busy building and working they neglected to attend any of the festivals or venture out to visit the MacDuff clan. That meant only one thing—the MacGreagor men had no intention of letting others get near their unmarried women.

  Comine was not an unsightly man, at least he didn’t think so and his mother often assured him he wasn’t. Of course, a bucket of water was his only mirror and he knew for sure he wasn’t as handsome as some of the MacGreagors. His blond hair wasn’t wavy, his brown eyes were a little too big and his cheeks were a bit puffy, but he couldn’t help that. He kept himself clean and his hair trimmed, which meant he had as good a chance of attracting a woman as any man. At least he thought so and so did his mother.

  Yet for some reason the women in his clan simply were not interested. One woman said he had no sense of humor, but he thought he did—and so did his mother. He had to admit it took him a little longer than the others to catch on sometimes, but he couldn’t help that.

  Comine finally decided it was his missing tooth that made him unattractive and he sure as hell couldn’t help that. He practiced smiling without showing it, but laughing was impossible and as soon as a woman saw it, her whole demeanor changed. There was only one option left—kidnapping.

  Now was his chance. He thought to grab Alison just as she walked by. Still, he could not be sure she wasn’t out to secretly meet a man, who would come looking for her too soon. So he stayed hidden in the trees and just watched her walk into the pasture.

  He was wrong...it was not a man she came out at night to meet, but a mare about to give birth. Then again he was right...there was a man waiting for her, although he looked somewhat surprised to see her.

  THE MARE HAD BEEN SHOWING the signs all afternoon and Ben dared not leave her. The horse had only just lay down in the meadow when he heard someone coming, quickly stood up and put his hand on his sword. Then he caught sight of who it was and his jaw dropped. “Alison, what are you doing? ‘Tis not safe to come all this way alone.”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  “Did the guard not stop you?”

  “I managed to slip past the guard without his notice.” She quickly glanced at the frown on his face. “If you do not want me here, I will go back.”

  He lowered his gaze and tried to think of the best way to handle the awkward situation. “I cannot let you go back alone. This mare is about to foal, so if you will wait until I am sure the colt survives, I will...”

  “‘Tis why I came.”

  “I see.” He knelt down and patted the mare’s neck to keep her calm. “‘Tis almost time. Have you seen the birth of a colt before?”

  Alison rolled her eyes. “I have seen several. My sisters are cowardly when it comes to this and I usually end up caring for the newborns. I do not min
d. The birth is a wondrous thing.”

  “I feel the same. Perhaps you would like to name this colt.”

  She sat down next to him, smoothed her matching plaid and took over stroking the mare’s neck. “I would like that.”

  Ben moved away, visually checked the progress of the birth and then sat down to wait. “I am pleased you are finally talking to me. I hoped you would.”

  “Why?”

  “Why?” He was taken aback by such a direct question and thought to play the usual word games men and women play, but then he thought better of it. He appreciated people who could be direct. “For all the usual reasons a lad hopes a lass will talk to him.”

  “Oh, then allow me to assure you I do not intend to marry...ever.”

  “Not ever?” he asked.

  “Nay.”

  “May I ask why?”

  “The answer is right in front of you. It does not appear to be so for animals, but for lasses, giving birth is very painful. I do not intend to give birth and the only way to avoid it is to remain unmarried.”

  Ben smiled. “I understand and I do not blame you.”

  “You do not?”

  “Nay, if a lad had to give birth he might not be so eager to marry either.”

  Alison sighed, “You do understand. I am so relieved, I dare not speak of this to anyone and...”

  “Everyone expects you to take a husband soon.”

  “Aye.” She paused to take a deep breath. “If I say why I do not intend to marry, I will endure countless speeches from lasses with droopy eyes, who are certain they are put on this earth solely to convince me otherwise.”

  Ben laughed. He had not expected to like her quite so easily, but Alison was not only pleasing, she was delightful. “How large were your herds?”

  “We only kept a few cows, but we had over a hundred head of sheep from which we gleaned the wool, naturally. We also had several horses. Do you know you can train a horse in reverse?”

  “Reverse? I do not understand.”

  “‘Tis quite easy, really. From the minute they are born, you teach them that go means stop and stop means go. If the person can keep it straight, the horse surely will. Slava won a race once. When she yelled ‘whoa,’ the other horse stopped and hers took off.”

  Again Ben laughed. “What did she win?”

  “Just her freedom. She got so far ahead she managed to escape. All our horses are trained that way, which is why no one else can ride them save us.”

  “I am greatly impressed.”

  Alison was impressed too. Never before had she felt so comfortable talking with a man. Now that the marriage idea was put to rest, she felt she could tell him anything. “I worry sometimes about my animals. I suppose you have heard that our father played a trick on us as well.”

  “What sort of trick?”

  “The same sort we play with our horses. We were taught the lasses work and the lads do not. Anyway, if my worthless father and brothers are not caring for the animals, who is?”

  “I do not ...”

  “I know, there is no answer to that question. I think of going back sometimes just to see, but I would get caught and then sold to Laird Kennedy again and ... married off.”

  “That would not be good.”

  “Not good at all.” She liked Ben, but she had not forgotten her vow not to look in his eyes, and it was even more difficult being this close to him. “I am happy to be here in time for the birth. Most often, it has already taken place in the night and I have missed it. May I ask a question?”

  “Aye.”

  “Why do the MacGreagors think caring for animals is a lad’s work?”

  Ben had to think about that for a moment. “I do not know of an edict that says the lasses are not allowed. I suspect ‘tis more a question of the lasses being kept busy taking care of their children. My brother’s wife...”

  CHAPTER IV

  COMINE MACDUFF WAS not happy. He regretted not grabbing Alison when he had the chance and now all he could do was wait. From his spot behind a tree, it looked like it might be a long wait and he’d already been up most of the night. He thought about sitting down, but was afraid he might fall asleep. In the daylight, a MacGreagor might see his red kilt. In fact, in the daylight the MacDuff red stood out in the forest like a sore thumb, while the green in the MacGreagor and MacClurg plaids was the perfect shade. It was just one more thing the MacGreagors had that he didn’t. Once more, he strained to hear what they were saying but to no avail.

  “...I DO NOT BELIEVE SOME of our lasses would be happy working with the animals,” Ben finished saying.

  “I suppose not.”

  “How did you know to come tonight?”

  Alison smiled. “I watched her this afternoon. She kept lying down and getting back up. It was a sure sign her time was near.”

  “That was my guess too.” Ben looked again and he could see the tip of the white sack coming through the birth canal. “‘Tis time.”

  “Will she need help?”

  “I do not think so. She is a young mare and the colt is small. Yet if she does, I will help her.”

  “You will pull on the legs?”

  “Is that what you do?”

  Alison wasn’t quite sure if she should answer that question in the affirmative. What if she’d been doing something wrong? She decided she best be honest. “The mare will die without help.”

  “I agree.”

  “You do?” She took a relieved breath, stroked the horse’s neck and talked to the mare. “You are a good horse. All is well, you are doing just fine.”

  Ben smiled. “I think she likes you.”

  “I doubt she likes anyone right now. She has other things on her mind.” Alison felt the mare jerk her head and then lay back down. “She does not seem to be in much pain. Why do you think lasses have such pain in childbirth?”

  Ben was at a loss to answer that question. He thought he knew, but had never been in the position of explaining it to someone else. “Perhaps you should ask the Priest.”

  “Perhaps I will.” She noticed Ben quickly move back when the colt’s sack broke. “Is the head out yet?”

  “Came out just now.”

  Alison bent forward until her head was just a little closer to the horse’s head. “Now you must push the rest of your baby out and then get up. Your work is just beginning, you know. First, you must see that your little one is breathing. Then you must rid yourself of the afterbirth because it will make you sick otherwise. Do you understand?”

  The horse did not acknowledge Alison’s remarks, but Ben smiled. Indeed, she did know what she was talking about and was not in the least bit squeamish. Alison was smart, pleasing and would make a good wife. All he had to do was convince her of that. It would help if she looked at him, but so far, she avoided it. He wondered why, but he did not ask.

  As each always did, they held their breaths waiting for the mare to get up and then for the baby to take its first breath. “Do you thump it if it doesn’t start to breath?” Just as she finished speaking, the colt took a good gulp of air.

  “Thump it?”

  “Aye, in the middle of its head. It wakes them up sometimes. Not always, of course.”

  “I will try that next time there is trouble.”

  “Why do you think some of them do not take a breath?”

  “I always thought it was up to God,” he answered.

  “Yet why would God not want them to breathe?”

  “Well, suppose there is something wrong inside and the colt cannot eat. That would be a slow, painful death and God is merciful enough to spare him the suffering.”

  “I had not thought of it like that. I expect to have a word with God when I get to heaven. It seems so unfair for a mare to carry a foal for so many months only to have it not breathe after birth. It must break the mare’s heart.”

  He hesitated to ask for fear it might bring back unwanted memories. Yet she seemed to want to talk and she was the one who brought up the subject. “
Did one of your sisters not breathe?”

  “Nay, just my mother. After Aleen was born she stopped breathing.”

  “I am sorry to hear it. You could not have been very old.”

  “Just seven. I begged her not to die, but God took her anyway. I intend to have a word with Him about that too when I die.”

  There was nothing Ben could say. At least now he understood why she was against having children and he couldn’t say he blamed her. If she was that frightened, he wondered if he were man enough not to fall in love with her—if it was not already too late. Then again, another man may not be so kind as to care about her fear. No, he decided. If Alison married anyone, it would have to be a gentle man who was willing to wait until she was ready ... a gentle man like him.

  The birth took only an hour and a half from start to finish, the colt was up on all fours, breathing normally and feeding by the time Ben was ready to walk Alison home. The blackness of night was beginning to turn to the blue-black just before dawn and still she had not looked at him.

  When he spotted movement in the distance, he forgot that concern, put his hand on his sword and stepped in front of Alison to protect her. “Charlotte, what are you doing here?”

  “Looking for my sister. She leaned around him to look just as Alison peeked out from behind him. “I thought so. Every spring we find you up half the night hoping to be the first to welcome a lamb or a colt. I see ‘tis a colt this time.” Charlotte walked around Ben, grabbed her arm and pulled Alison away. “Yet sister, you must not come out at night alone. ‘Tis not safe.”

  “It was not safe at home and you did not mind it then.”