Marti Talbott's Highlander Series 1 (Anna, Rachel & Charlet)

by Marti Talbott

  Waiting was something she was not good at. Where was he? Quite some time ago she watched him head to the loch to bathe and it never took this long. She didn’t watch him bathe; she hadn’t done that since she was nine and her mother told her not to. Now she knew exactly how close she could get to the loch without accidentally seeing anything.

  Rachel smiled and her blue eyes sparkled. She didn’t think any of the men knew she used to watch them bathe; they never once caught her. If they had, her brother-in-law, Kevin, would have frowned at her for hours and then ask all sorts of embarrassing questions. She didn’t mind the questions so much, but she had much better ways to spend her time. Kevin never lost his temper with her, not even once, but he could frown the spots off her dapple-gray horse.

  The men in the MacGreagor Clan paid far more attention to keeping themselves clean than men in the other clans and Rachel had been close enough to unfamiliar men to know the reason why. She could sometimes smell them long before she could hear or feel their nearness.

  “Rachel.”

  She spun around, lost her balance and landed on her bottom at the base of the tree. Chagrinned, she flipped her long, dark curls behind her shoulders with both hands and looked up at the giant. She was caught. Rachel slowly closed her eyes and let the breath she’d been holding escape from her lips. Then she stood up, glared and folded her arms defiantly.

  “I will have a word with you.”

  “Of course you will.” She sighed and followed Laird Kevin MacGreagor away from the loch to a big rock she sometimes hid behind. Then she sat down and waited for what she knew was coming.

  Kevin’s shoes had the long leather straps the men customarily laced up to their knees. She was grateful the women didn’t have to go to so much trouble to dress. They wore matching pleated plaids held in place by leather belts. The women spread one length over their hearts and one shoulder, just like the men, but their plaids hung down to their ankles and they didn’t have to wear those cumbersome shoes.

  Rachel realized she wasn’t paying attention and finally looked up. Kevin had a pleasant face, blond hair, blue-gray eyes and he wasn’t frowning. He was, however, standing in front of her with his legs apart and his hands clasped behind his back. She rolled her eyes. “Well, get on with it.”

  “I have been meaning to thank you.”

  She was completely taken aback -- but not for long. She tilted her head to one side and looked at him suspiciously. Rachel was even more shocked when the giant sat down beside her on the rock. “Thank me for what?”

  “When you first came to us, you were very little and you followed a cat around for hours, watching to see how the cat caught the mouse. When he succeeded, you were as happy and as proud as the cat. By the time you were five, you began to sneak up behind the men and pinch them right above the knee.”

  Rachel smiled. “I remember.”

  “The first time you did it, I feared Clymer would throttle you. You got him twice more and after that, he became aware of where you were at all times. Do you know what I did then?”

  “What?”

  “I let you keep doing it.”

  “Why?”

  “Because we were not as mindful as we should have been, and I had not found a way to sharpen our skills. You did that for us.”

  “But Kevin, you have been scolding me for years.”

  “Aye, but have I ever told you to stop?”

  Her eyes shifted from side to side. “I do not believe you have.”

  “I have not. Yesterday, two of our lads became aware that someone was watching them. They were able to avoid a possible attack because you taught them so well.”

  “An attack? From whom?” she asked.

  “I suspect the Clan Ferguson.”

  “Our neighbors to the east, but why? We have done them no harm.”

  “True. I was once friends with Laird Ferguson, but he has passed and his son is a greedy man. He wants our land.”

  “Did our lads search them out?”

  Kevin threaded his fingers through his wet hair. “Nay, they thought it wiser to see what would happen. It was the right decision and the Fergusons left without showing themselves.”

  “Will there be a war?”

  “I hope not. However, I want you to help the lasses sharpen their fighting skills just in case. The lads will begin to train more often as well. We must not be caught with our guard down.”

  “I will do it.”

  Kevin put an arm around her shoulder, kissed her forehead and then looked into her eyes. “You have been a precious gift sent to us from God. See that nothing happens to you.”

  “I will be very careful, Kevin.”

  He released her and finally frowned that frown she was used to seeing. “Your sister and mother do not think it proper for you to be this close when the lads bathe.”

  “Oh that, I wondered when you would get around to that. I do not watch, I swear it.”

  “Good. In the future when the lads bathe I expect to find you a good distance away.” He waited for her nod, stood up and walked away.

  Rachel sighed. “It seems I am not as clever as I thought.” It was near time for the evening meal and she was hungry so she walked through the trees toward the large stone building the Highlanders called a keep. It was surrounded by a very high, three-foot wide stone wall that seemed to go on forever. Outside the wall was a moat with a drawbridge that was lowered in the morning and raised at night. Many families lived in cottages inside the wall, more lived outside and her brother-in-law, Kevin MacGreagor, was laird over them all. Her sister, Anna, was their mistress.

  The loch was to the east of the hold and a wide meadow, surrounded on three sides by forest, was to the west. Beyond that, were the hills and the Clan Cameron’s vast land. Rachel had never been any farther away than that -- not that she could remember.

  Suddenly she realized someone was watching her; she could feel it. It was probably just Connor; he was always trying to prove he was as sneaky as she was. Then again, Kevin just said two men were nearly attacked. She slipped behind a wide tree trunk, laid her back flat against it, pulled a dagger out of her sheath and listened. She stayed where she was for countless minutes trying to decide if she should attempt to catch whoever it was or just run home. It had to be Connor, she decided, no other man was as good at sneaking around as he was.

  Someone moved. The noise came from behind her so she quietly turned around to face the tree and peeked out. It was Connor and he was only a few feet away. But instead of smiling his success, he had a finger to his lips warning her to be quiet. She nodded.

  With dark hair and dusty blue eyes, Connor was too big to hide behind just any tree. He had to move and the tree Rachel was behind was his best choice. Drawing his own dagger, he was careful not to make a sound as he crouched down, quietly moved toward her, slipped behind the tree and stood up.

  Rachel had never let him get this close before. He was right behind her and she didn’t like it one bit. He was not touching her, but he was near enough to and it put her nerves on edge. Not quite convinced anyone else was nearby, she turned her head and glared up at him. But he wasn’t paying attention. Instead, he was searching the forest with his eyes looking for movement. Maybe there really was danger.

  Rachel turned to her side so he could move closer to the tree. He did the same and they stood back to back, each peeking around opposite sides of the tree. They heard a twig snap and then another. Not more than ten feet away, the lower branch of a tree moved.

  More twigs snapped, leaves on the ground rustled, another low branch moved, and it was clear the enemy would be easier to watch from her side of the tree. Connor turned around to face her same direction and felt her move closer until she was leaning against him. He smiled. He wanted her closer still, so he moved his dagger to his other hand, put his arm around her waist and pulled her firmly against him. Then he leaned forward to look around her side of the tree.

  She tried to look too, but he had her so tight she c
ouldn’t bend forward far enough, so she looked up at him instead. He wasn’t smiling and she held her breath. Another branch moved and she could see it, but it was farther away and hopefully the danger was leaving.

  Connor leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Go home.”

  She shook her head, but when she looked up he was frowning at her. He was about to become third in command and command was something everyone respected and obeyed. That didn’t mean she had to obey him now. Still, she was not at all happy with the hold he had on her and it was the only way to get him to let go. She pretended to be disappointed by letting her head fall forward and finally nodded.

  He couldn’t believe she let him get this close to her, and he loved the feel of it. He fully expected her to disobey and when she didn’t, he reluctantly released her. He watched her quietly head for home and softly sighed.

  Rachel was out of the forest before she realized she was still holding her breath. She relaxed, walked to the bridge and then turned around to wait. She wanted to know what was happening and she would hear it directly from Connor if she had to wait all night.

  How did Connor get so close before she heard him or felt his nearness? It had never happened before -- not even once. Was he getting better or was she getting worse? She decided she would have to give that some very careful consideration later. One thing she was sure of, it would never happen again.

  Rachel turned her attention to guessing who might have been in the forest with them. She hadn’t smelled anything except horse sweat and that didn’t tell her much. Everyone rode horses and everyone sooner or later got horse sweat on their clothing. Fergusons smelled more foul than most men, but even they bathed occasionally. What she wondered next worried her most. Was it the English?

  The MacGreagor land was long rather than wide and some imaginary line two days ride to the south separated the two nations. Most Highlanders had little use for the English and the English normally left the MacGreagors alone. Surely, they couldn’t come this far north without someone noticing and if it ever happened, Kevin would send men to warn everyone outside the wall.

  Kevin insisted they learn as much of the English language as possible. He often said being able to understand them could save lives. It was easy for Rachel since her mother and sister were both English and it was their first language.

  She knew Connor didn’t know that much English. She often spoke it when she was annoyed with him, and he never seemed to understand what she was saying. At least she could do that better than he could.

  When Connor finally appeared at the edge of the forest smiling and leading a young filly, she rolled her eyes. Of course, it was a horse! What else smelled more like a horse than a horse and she was extremely upset with herself for not even suspecting. He tricked her … she was sure of it. War with the Fergusons wasn’t the only thing Connor would have to worry about. He’d just shot the first arrow in a war with Rachel! In a huff, she turned and marched across the bridge.

  Just inside the wall, Charlet was waiting as usual. Charlet was two years younger than Rachel and she aimed to marry Connor if it was the last thing she did. As was her habit, Rachel winked as she walked by to let Charlet know Connor was coming.

  Charlet had just enough time to wet her fingers and pat her unruly red hair down before he rounded the corner. Her grin was wide, her green eyes sparkled and she couldn’t help asking, “Have you a new horse?”

  “Nay.” Connor answered, walking right by her as he led the horse toward the stable.

  Charlet was quick to follow. “Can I ride her?”

  “Not today.”

  “When?”

  Connor finally stopped and turned to the girl. He found her attentions flattering, but he could do without them. Even so, she was very young and he always tried not to hurt her feelings. Experience taught him that paying her just a little notice was enough to get her to go away. “This horse belongs to Angus. You must ask him if you wish to ride.”

  “But Angus is an old man and he is grumpy.”

  Connor smiled. “True.”

  His smile was all Charlet needed. Her heart fluttered, she made her excuse and hurried away. As soon as she did, Connor glanced up the path just in time to see Rachel duck back inside her cottage.

  It was true, she was just a child when Rachel came to live in the MacGreagor hold. She loved it there and all the people in it, save Connor. She thought him a twit of a man. He was too quick on his feet and she was hardly ever able to sneak up on him these days. It infuriated her. The last time she tried, he spotted her and asked her to marry him.

  Marry him? The man was daft! Marriage was the last thing on her mind and she certainly wasn’t going to end up with Connor. Why should she? All of the young men wanted her, she could tell. Some of the older men wanted her too, but every time she got one of “those” looks, she threatened to break an arm. She could do it too, her mother‘s friend, Athena, taught her how.

  It saddened everyone when Athena died. They mourned the loss of her for the better part of two weeks before anyone could smile again.

  When Rachel was younger, Kevin let her learn how to fight the boys using a wooden sword with a rounded tip. But he stopped that pleasure when she was ten and now she was only allowed to watch the men train. She watched their successes, their failures and planned how she could do it better. She even knew how to fix a broken nose by watching them.

  Rachel studied the warriors practicing in the meadow nearly every day from behind a tree in the forest and this afternoon she was especially fascinated. In the midst of the men in the meadow, Connor was challenging Kevin. Connor was one of their best fighters and more often than she cared to admit, she admired his skill -- but that was all she admired.

  She heard someone coming and turned to find her sister, Anna, walking to her. “Have you come to watch the lads fight?”

  “Nay, I do not enjoy watching my husband get hurt. Walk with me. Kevin is not sure it is safe and you might need to protect me.”

  Rachel grinned and curtseyed. “I will do my best, my lady.” She giggled when Anna rolled her eyes. She was happy to spend time with her sister and glad to walk with her. Anna knew all sorts of things she didn’t know and they never seemed to be alone together for long. “Have you slain my nephews yet?”

  Anna laughed. “Not yet. Sween has gone fishing with Donny. At the age of ten, he thinks he is already a man and displays far too much pride. Perhaps you might throw him sometime where his father can see.”

  “He is nearly as big as I am, it would be a fair fight.”

  “Fair? My dear little sister, you are a girl. He will be shamed and he deserves it.”

  Rachel pushed a tree limb out of their way. “And Neil? Do you think to kill him too?”

  “He is a loving child. Sometimes I think he is too loving.”

  “He is only six; won’t he grow out of that?”

  “I worry he is too timid. Perhaps you could teach him a few skills.”

  Rachel stopped to glare at her sister. “Kevin wants me to stay inside the wall.”

  Anna winked. “I told him you would not be so easily tricked.”

  “Perhaps I should throw Kevin instead.”

  “That, I would like to see. Try not to hurt him too badly.” She smiled and sat down on a log.

  Rachel meant to join her sister on the log, but a beam of sunlight through the trees illuminated Anna’s long, dark hair and she was suddenly mesmerized. It was as though she was seeing her hair for the first time and she had a strange urge to touch it.

  “What is it, Rachel? Does my hair displease you?”

  “Nay, I just never noticed how pleasing it is before.” She sat down on the log and started to smile, but wrinkled her brow instead. “Why do you have a lump on your nose?”

  In thirteen years, it was the first time Rachel ever asked about any of her old injuries and a shiver ran down Anna‘s spine. She wanted her sister’s heart to be at peace for as long as possible. The day might come when she wo
uld have to tell Rachel what happened all those years ago, but the memories were painful and she didn’t intend to tell her unless Rachel demanded to know. Anna held her breath when she answered, “I broke it many years ago.” She was relieved when Rachel changed the subject.

  “Is Kevin a normal lad? I mean, he gets upset when you are hurt. I thought he might pass out when Neil was born.”

  “He loves me and he was afraid I would die. Sometimes women have difficulty when a child is born.”

  “Yes, but is that normal when a lad loves a woman?”

  “I believe it is. Kevin says he does not want to live without me and I feel the same.”

  “But were you unhappy before you married him?”

  Anna lovingly brushed a stand of hair away from Rachel‘s face. “Why all these questions, Smudges? Are you thinking of a marriage for yourself?”

  “I do not need a husband and I doubt I ever will.”

  “I felt the same way once.” She wondered if she should tell her sister how glorious the love of a good man was for a woman, but decided it was not the best time. “We should go back, Emily is teaching me how to sew and I should not keep her waiting.” She stood and gave her little sister a hand up. “Poor Emily has been trying to teach me for years, but I do not learn on purpose.”

  “Why?”

  “When I first came here, it annoyed me when the lasses would not let me learn. But then I noticed the joy in their eyes when they were allowed to do things for me.”

  “Is that why you teach them English instead.”

  “I must have something to do or I will go daft.” Anna hugged Rachel and walked away. “Try to stay inside the wall.”

  Rachel watched until her sister was out of sight and then went back to her favorite tree to watch the men.