by L. L. Muir
CHAPTER SIX
Duncan watched Lainey steer the lorry through a large puddle covering the width of the dirt road. Red, muddy water sprayed high on the sides of the truck, covering the windshield. She sighed and clicked the wipers up a notch.
“We shouldn’t have tried to go today,” she commented. “It’s taking us twice as long.”
For the fourth time since leaving the ranch, Duncan cursed the elements. Slowing through mud puddles and slippery clay patches had used up precious time.
Not that he was unfamiliar with the vagaries of nature. ‘Twas warm here, even with the rain, but he’d gone to battle many a day in the cold, sleety rain of Scotland and fought through mud and bog. It had been so, at Culloden, and he’d do no less today, if necessary, to find Mark and accomplish his heroic deed before Soni came for him.
“Look out there, Duncan,” Molly pointed forward. “As soon as we get off of…what’s it called, Mama?”
“Quail Hill.”
“Yeah. Quail Hill, then we can see parts of the town. Maybe not too good in the rain, but Mama and me always have a contest to see who can spot it first. You want to play?”
Duncan laughed at her contagious enthusiasm. “Aye, lass.”
As soon as they started their decent, Molly leaned forward. “See it?”
He peered through the semi-circle cleared by the wipers, squinting to see past the flashing blades. “Nay. I doona see—”
“Right there,” Molly pointed. “St. George.”
“Ohh. Aye. Mayhap a bit of it, anyway. It looks to be a cozy place, nestled in those wee hills.”
“Yup,” Molly stated. “Cozy.”
Duncan smiled and ruffled her hair. “Is this where the authorities are that ye speak of, Lainey? Will ye visit them here, today?”
“No,” she replied. “The state line is just ahead. St. George is in Utah. Since my ranch is in Arizona, I report to the Littlefield authorities.”
“Is it far, this wee field?”
Lainey chuckled. “Not as the crow flies, I guess, but far enough by winding road. I’ll call them as soon as we stop.”
“The rain doesna seem so heavy now.” Duncan hoped it wasn’t his imagination and the storm was truly subsiding.
“No, it doesn’t, thank goodness.” Lainey turned the wipers to a slower pace.
As they entered the outskirts of town, Duncan’s head felt like a spit of water on hot iron. He couldn’t keep his gaze from skittering here and there, trying to take in all the strange sights.
Homes and buildings and carparks were all crowded together in tight spaces, and so many vehicles. And the noise! Auch. ‘Twas deafening.
Even having seen a bit of the modern world on the guard’s telly in their cottage at Culloden, all this confusion was an extraordinary lot to take in. The further they went, the more claustrophobic he felt.
“We’ll go to IFA first.” Lainey made her way through the heavy traffic. “I’ll pick up fencing material and order windmill parts.”
“Ye know him? Iefay? Ye’ve purchased goods from him before?” Perhaps he would know Mark and could tell Duncan how to find him.
Molly giggled until Lainey gave her a chastising look.
“It’s a store,” she explained. “A…merchant, who supplies goods to farmers and ranchers. IFA stands for Intermountain Farmers Association.”
“I ken,” Duncan said, turning back to the window.
They sailed past numerous streets full of more buildings, vehicles and people. ‘Twould have been interesting to explore this village, had he the time, but ‘twas not a place he’d want to settle. He preferred the space and quiet of Lainey’s ranch.
But, no matter, he’d no’ have the opportunity for either.
The rain had slowed to a drizzle when they stepped out of the lorry at IFA. The intense summer heat added a sticky weight to the air. Were it no’ so warm, ‘twould almost be like breathing Scotland into his lungs.
He followed Lainey and Molly inside, lingering a moment to savor the familiar, musty odor of grains and the earthy scent of leather.
Leaving Lainey and Molly to see to their purchases, he looked around, watching people wander past the shelves and around displayed items, most of them dressed in jeans, as Lainey did. Many also wore the type of bonnet he’d seen on the telly. The ones the Culloden night guards had called Stetsons.
Duncan noted several men gathered around some racks of saddles, discussing their preferences for one style or the other.
“Beggin’ yer pardon,” he interrupted them, “I’ve just arrived in yer city and I’m unfamiliar with the lay of things. Might ye lads ken where I could find Mark Saunders?”
They all stared at him, slack-jawed as they took in everything from his hair to his boots. One of them smiled, a crooked, cocky smile. “You’re joking, right? Are you in a play or something? Are they putting on some Highland thing out at Tuacahn? Who are you supposed to be? Braveheart?”
The others chuckled a bit nervously.
“Nay,” Duncan said tightly, fisting his hands in the folds of his plaid. “Just a mon askin’ for directions.”
They all looked at one another. The one who’d spoken earlier shrugged and shifted his weight, leaning forward a bit. “We don’t know him.”
Duncan held the man’s challenging gaze for moment before glancing at the others. He knew ‘twould no’ do to upset Lainey by teaching these lads some manners, though he itched mightily, to do so. “I thank ye for yer trouble.”
When he turned away, he heard the man’s mocking reply, “Thank ye,” followed by another round of snickers.
Everyone else he approached had a kinder, but still negative response to his inquiry. Naught a soul seemed to know of Mark Saunders. Or, perhaps, willing to admit they did.
“How about trying on some jeans and a T-shirt?” Lainey asked from behind him.
He turned, smiling at the welcome sound of her voice. “Nay, lass. Thank ye, but I’ll no’ be stayin’ long enough to need ‘em.”
A look passed between them, and his mind shifted to last night’s kiss and the hollowness he’d felt when she’d walked away.
Molly slipped her hand in his, raising her adoring gaze. “Mama said we have to drive around the back and get the fencing loaded, then go order the windows. Then we can have lunch. Are you hungry? She said me and you get to pick where we want to go.”
Duncan swung her into his arms, needing both a hug and a distraction. “Do ye have a favorite place, wee Molly?”
“I like Paula’s Cazuela the best,” Molly offered. “It’s Mexican food and they have chips and salsa and fried ice cream!”
“Ice cream?” Duncan carried her out the door to the lorry. He’d seen Culloden’s visitors eating ice cream and long desired to taste it. “I’m for that.”
#
Duncan felt lower than swine leavings, questioning Molly about where her father might be while her mother ordered the windows. After another fruitless round of questions to strangers, he’d talked Molly into going to the lorry with him, hoping she might have enough information to find the skulking coward.
“Do ye ever meet yer da for fried ice cream, Molly? Or go see him wherever ‘tis he lives?”
“My dad?” She shook her head and his gut twisted at the look of dejection on her face. “He doesn’t like to see me or Mama anymore.”
Auch. He’d done it, then. Turned into the very kind of blackguard he despised. To take advantage of a child, no matter what the goal, was vile. ‘Twould do no good to protect Molly if he hurt her to accomplish it.
“‘Tis muddled, he is, in the head,” Duncan offered. “Mayhap, in time, he’ll come to his senses.” He touched the silk of her cheek. “Were I granted a magical wish, ‘twould be to claim, ye, wee Molly, for my own bairn.” He looked out the window, needing something else to focus on. “Ye’ll forever be a part of me.”
Molly curled against his side and he was content for now to feel her weight and warmth. No yesterday. No imminent me
eting with a wee witch. Just this shared moment with the child of his heart.
~
Duncan sat his fork down, unable to eat another bite. The food had been every bit as good as Molly promised.
Were he a fanciful man, he might have pretended this shared time with Lainey and Molly to be any pleasant afternoon. Just a man and his family enjoying good food and each other’s company. But it wasn’t any afternoon. This was his last.
And this wasn’t his family.
Short of just coming out and asking Lainey exactly where she thought Mark was, he’d hit a stone wall. He’d hinted for answers all during lunch but Lainey had made it clear she didn’t wish to discuss Mark in front of Molly. And he knew she wouldna approve of the threats he planned to make to the man.
Threats, he’d no’ be around to carry out, so they had to be convincing enough to make a lasting impressing. And if Mark Saunders was no’ the man behind the deeds at Lainey’s ranch, perhaps Duncan could help him see his way to being a better father and protecting the family he’d turned his back on.
Rain pelted them as Duncan carried Molly to the lorry and set her inside.
“Wasn’t it yummy?” Molly asked as they headed to the hardware store.
“Ye mean the fried ice cream? Aye. ‘Twas bonny,” Duncan replied.
Rain pelted them as Duncan carried Molly into the lorry and . “Wasn’t it yummy?” Molly asked, still talking about the fried ice cream, as they headed to the hardware store.
“‘Twas bonny,” Duncan replied, wishing he could share a barrel of it with the other seventy-eight lads.
They parked amid a multitude of vehicles in untidy rows, with people scurrying to and from the sprawling building to get out the rain.
Duncan lifted Molly into his arms and walked beside Lainey.
“What goods will ye be buying from this merchant, lass?” He nodded to an attractive blonde woman who’d been looking him over since he’d left the lorry. Her smile and the lift of her eyebrow told him she wouldn’t be opposed to further acquaintance.
And him with a bairn in his arms. ‘Twas a brazen woman, that.
“Very pretty,” Lainey chuckled.
“Aye,” he responded without breaking stride beside her. “She is that.” He waited a few beats before adding, “But I’ve always had a yearning for the redheaded lassies, myself.”
They’d nearly reached the doors when Lainey said, “Nails.”
His brow furrowed as he turned toward her and held the door open. “Nails?”
“You asked what I was buying. Nails. Along with some other equally exciting items like paint, screws and lights and…well, stuff.”
Duncan smiled, enjoying each moment with her. She took his breath in her worn jeans and a T-shirt that hugged her perfect curves in all the marvelously correct places. But it wasn’t her clothing. Or her amazing hair - that he itched to thread his fingers into, again. Or her face - that he yearned to hold between his palms while he kissed her until her only thought was, more. It was all of it. Everything together, and none of it.
Something inside her reached out to something inside him and bound them in a way he hadn’t thought possible.
“Do you have the time?” A stranger asked, glancing briefly at him before looking expectantly at Lainey.
Nay, he thought, miserably. ‘Tis nearly gone.
“One fifty-five,” Lainey replied, looking at her phone.
The man thanked her and moved on as they continued into the store.
As before, he left Lainey to her purchases and wandered the isles asking about Mark. He wasn’t sure how he’d get to wherever Mark was, if he located him, or what he’d tell Lainey, but even if she refused to help him with his plans, he needed to accomplish this last thing. He couldna contemplate eternity not knowing if they were safe.
“Beggin’ yer pardon,” he stopped an older man wearing a small red vest with a name sewn on it. “I’m searchin’ for a lad and wondered if ye might know of him?”
The man glanced around. “Someone lost?”
“Mayhap,” Duncan agreed. “But no’ in here, I doona believe. His name is Mark Saunders. Would ye know of him?”
The man’s eyes narrowed and his lips formed a hard line.
“Ye do know him, then?” Duncan pressed. “Can ye tell me where I would find him?”
The man shook his head. “Nope. Can’t say I can. Ask those two fellers over in the next isle. They know him well enough.”
“Are—”
The man held up his hand as he turned away. “You’ll have to ask them.”
Duncan rounded the end of the isle, ready to approach them when he heard the men talking in hushed whispers.
“…can’t believe he’s sending us back out there again
tonight. Why is he in such an all-fired hurry? Why can’t he just let things simmer a few days? Especially after what we did yesterday.”
“Shut up, Abe! Someone will hear you. Grab those gas cans and let’s get out of here.”
An uneasy feeling coiled in the pit of Duncan’s stomach. He stopped and peered cautiously around the edge of the display at the two men gathering large red containers. What devilry were they up to?
“This time it won’t be brushed off as mischief, you know,” the shorter, heavier man spat out. “If we get caught, it’s jail time for sure. I can’t do time, Walt. I got Louise to take care of. Besides, his ex and kid’ll be there.”
“We ain’t going in ‘till after dark, you idiot. “She ain’t going to catch us,” the taller man hissed. “We got our orders. You can spend the whole miserable ride back out there bellyaching about it, but for now, shut up!”
Duncan’s gut twisted. His ex? Kid? He couldna mean Lainey? Anger boiled inside him. ‘Twould no’ take much to discover their plan and learn if Mark was behind it. Just a wee bit of persuasion out in the carpark. No need to mess up the floors in this fine business.
“Okay, okay. But I don’t half to like…”
Their voices faded as they walked toward the front of the store, arms loaded.
Duncan followed them, eating up the distance in long, deliberate strides. If it truly was Lainey’s place they were discussing, he didn’t mind bleeding them a bit for their part in what happened yesterday, or breaking a bone or two to discover Mark’s involvement. But most of all, he wanted to know where to find the gutless swine so he could deal with the man directly.
“I’ve been looking for you,” Molly said as he stepped out of the isle. “We’re ready. See? Mama’s checking out.”
“Looks like she found you,” Lainey said, waiting in a line a couple of people behind the men who were paying for their containers.
Molly slipped her hand inside his, leaning against his arm. “I’m tired, Duncan. My leg really hurts. Will you carry me to the truck?”
“I—” It was the first time he’d heard Molly complain about anything.
The men finished their purchase and were walking away.
“Duncan?” She held her arms up to him. The fatigue and strain he saw in her wide eyes worried him.
There was still time to run after the men, but there was no place he could take them that Molly wouldna be able to see out of the full wall of windows.
He couldn’t let them get away. “I have need to speak with those men,” he said quietly, to Lainey. Would ye keep Molly in here?
Lainey turned to look at the two men who’d exited the building. “Do you know them?”
“Nay,” he whispered. “But I will soon enough. I’ve a need to hurry, lass! Will ye no let Molly watch?”
She turned to face him, concern straining her features. “What’s going on, Duncan? Do they have something to do with you leaving today?”
How could he explain with all these people about, especially Molly, who still held her arms up, a confused and hurt expression creeping onto her face.
“No, Duncan. Stay with us. Please?” she pleaded.
He glanced over Lainey’s head to the window. Both men
were getting into a faded blue lorry. Even if he abandoned Molly, by the time he got outside, they’d be gone. By all the saints and stars! He’d let them slip away, along with his chance to find Mark.
“I’ll hold you, Molly.” Lainey held out her hands. “We’re almost done.
“But I want Duncan.” Molly’s lips mashed together and her chin quivered as she fought back tears. “Don’t you want me, Duncan?”
“Ahh, sweeting.” He grabbed her and held her close. “I want ye more than my verra breath. I’ll always want ye, lass. No matter what happens. No matter where I go. I’ll always, always want ye.”
As she slipped her arms around his neck, he looked past her fluff of curls, to see the blue truck pull out into traffic and disappear.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Duncan sat Molly in the lorry and helped Lainey load her purchases. She’d sent several anxious glances his way since he’d mentioned pursuing those men.
That there’d be no heroic deed for him to fulfill his bargain with Soni, mattered naught a whit. No’ anymore. But that Lainey and Molly would no’ be saved from their troubles, did.
He owed her an explanation at least, but ‘twould not take place in front of the bairn.
“Are we done shopping, Mama?” Molly asked, listlessly buckling her seatbelt, as Duncan climbed inside and closed the door.
“Yes, honey, we’re done. I know it’s been a long day with a lot of walking. Let’s get some cool air on you. I can’t believe how muggy it is with all this rain.”
She turned the key. The motor churned a few times and started. “Apparently, the rain is affecting everything.”
Lainey passed Molly a water bottle. “Have a drink and then you can sleep all the way home.”
“‘Kay,” Molly replied, leaning into Duncan’s side, half asleep already.
He nodded his thanks for the water bottle Lainey offered him and adjusted the air vent, grateful for some relief as he replayed the men’s conversation in his head. Could he have misinterpreted anything they’d said? How many ex’s and kids could there be back out there, wherever that was?