Laird of the Game

by Leigh, Lori

  Evan chatted about directions, and her eyes glazed over. It was useless to point out the sun rose in one direction or set in the other.

  “Ye aren’t paying attention,” Evan scolded. “We will review my instructions, ye ken?”

  Melissa looked at him with a frown. “Instructions?”

  Evan was frustrated beyond belief. “Och!” he scoffed and threw his hands up in the air. He had to walk away at that point or he was going to do something drastic like strangle her. He left muttering he had witnessed a miracle—she had somehow on this huge planet, managed to find them. It had to be divine intervention because she couldn’t find her way to the glen.

  She frowned again at his back because she honestly couldn’t remember what he was talking about. When Alex looked at her, she couldn’t think about anything. Evan was still ranting at her when he reached Alex at the list, and Melissa could see Alex laugh and give Evan a shove toward the training field. Evan shoved Alex back, and the fight began. Moments later Evan was running from the field, as both Alex and Daniel were about to teach him some patience.

  At supper that night they recounted their valor and Melissa listened intently. They had lost an important battle. She could tell by their quiet manner.

  Alex noticed her painting and looked at her wide-eyed. “Why did ye decide tae paint this?”

  She became alarmed at the look on his face. “It seemed the perfect view of the Kirk.”

  The painting got the same reaction from all of them. They looked at Iain who didn’t have an explanation because he had been detained inside the Kirk all day.

  “Do ye know what you’ve painted?” Alex asked.

  “The Kirk?” She didn’t have a clue what upset them.

  “The graves are for our ancestors,” Gideon said softly from behind her. “It’s where the Baron and Lisette are laid tae rest.”

  Melissa looked at the painting again. “The language on the markers was Gaelic, and I didn’t understand what it said. I just found a beautiful site and was captivated by the stone Angel and lovely garden.”

  Alex put his arm around her shoulders. “This painting will be treasured by all of us.”

  She sighed in relief. “Then it is a gift to your family.”

  Alex looked at it thoughtfully and swallowed past a painful lump in his throat. “Ye ha’e a wonderful talent.”

  They were called to supper, and Melissa sat down between Alex and Daniel.

  “By the way, I met your cousin today.” The emotion was thick in the air.

  “My cousin?” he said casually, but every muscle in his body tensed, and it was very quiet around her.

  “Yes. He stopped to chat while I was painting at the Kirk. He said to give you a message.” Melissa didn’t like the silence. They all waited to hear the message. “He was very charming and polite,” she reassured them.

  “Wha’ is the message?” Alex asked. His teeth were clenched together, and a muscle rippled along his jaw.

  She couldn’t help but notice that Iain looked like he was going to faint. “He said to say, touché and that you would know what it means.”

  “Did he touch ye, sweetheart?”

  “No—well he did touch my cheek.”

  They all stood at once.

  “That sneaky bastard,” Evan growled in Gaelic. “Where were ye, Iain?”

  “I was in the church keeping the Priest busy so he wouldn’t come out tae ask her any questions—as I was instructed tae do, remember?”

  Alex mentally tallied the points and then spoke quietly in Gaelic. “George gets the points even if he didn’t kidnap her. That’s a loss of 250 points. Prince George has just taken the lead. He expects retaliation tonight. Call a meeting of the Commanders.”

  “Are you upset with your cousin?” Melissa was confused.

  “I’ve got an idea,” William said from the far end of the table.

  Alex leaned forward. “Yes, William.” He smiled at Melissa and held up a hand to indicate he had heard her and would answer her shortly.

  “Send in two or three warriors and steal all of his horses,” William suggested. “We can engage a battle while they’re roundin’ up their beasties.”

  “That’s brilliant,” Alex commented. “Take the Marines, James and Jonathan, with ye.”

  Alex switched to English for her. “We will retaliate because he touched ye,” he explained to Melissa. It was only a slight exaggeration of the truth. They had lost points, but it also irked Alex to know that the Prince could have walked away with her today, and Alex would have forfeited the game to get her back. They had come too far to turn back now. His brothers were also thinking about that possibility and gave him a worried frown.

  “No one touches ye. With so many men around, it would be dangerous tae start something ye couldn’t finish. My cousin will no’ get away with that insult.”

  William stood and followed his orders. He called out to James and Jonathan on his way to the stables. There were two patrols coming in for reports, and William met them to get the latest information about troop location.

  Alex kissed her, and she couldn’t remember her name when he set her back on her feet. She felt like she was floating on air.

  ***

  At sunset, James and Jonathan were saddled and waiting for William. They rode out and would spend the entire night collecting horses.

  They had to sneak directly into their camps and that earned them fifty additional points. William and his cousins corralled the horses in a glen several miles from the Prince’s camp. The additional points almost put them back in the lead.

  The next morning, Melissa noted that Alex could give praise when a task was completed as planned. William received the recognition he deserved in proclaimed victories from the men.

  By mid-morning, the Prince had a chance to collect his horses and Alex rode out to meet him in battle.

  Melissa walked into the cottage to collect her paints, and William followed her inside.

  “I’ll only be a minute,” she said quickly and reached for her bag next to the table.

  “Melissa, I want tae speak tae you.” William’s voice was tender.

  The cottage grew smaller by the moment, and she bolted out the door. Distance, she thought and nearly ran out of camp toward the hills. Melissa couldn’t wait for Iain. She needed to put some space between her and William immediately. There was no logical explanation for her haste, but Alex was a jealous man and she wasn’t about to give the camp more gossip.

  Daniel, Gideon, and Robert were all Chiefs and led out three bands of men to harass the Prince, who was just about to find all his horses were missing.

  Daniel noticed Melissa running out of camp and then saw William come out of the cottage. They had three important battles to lead, and Daniel caught Evan and sent him in her direction to watch over her.

  “You’ve got tae have a talk with William,” Daniel said quietly to Gideon. His warriors waited for his command. “He listens tae ye, and he’s abou’ tae make a terrible mistake if he tries tae bed Melissa. She doesn’t seem tae reciprocate his adoration.”

  Gideon had noticed as had the warriors. He mounted and let out a long sigh. “I’ll have tae talk tae him some time soon abou’ him following her around. Alex is bound tae notice even if she doesn’t.”

  “Do it soon, Gideon, before Alex finds out she just bolted out of the cottage.”

  “Och,” Gideon became alarmed. “That boy is goin’ tae get his arse kicked.”

  “Aye and he’d deserve it to.” Daniel confirmed. “Evan will keep her safe today.”

  Chapter Ten

  Laird MacKenna’s ladies have loudly voiced their disapproval that a woman was allowed in the game. His Personal Assistant, Bridget, set fire to his office when she heard the latest gossip. I’m thinking, she didn’t take the news that he had found a new love, verra well.

  On the Streets, with Rosabel

  Evan knew every blade of grass in the surrounding area. He caught up to her just in time
to turn her away from walking into a nearby village.

  That evening, Melissa waited for Alex at the stables. She found out from Evan that Alex wouldn’t allow any other women in camp and asked him to explain.

  “We’d all quit fighting,” he said and took the saddle off his stallion. “If ye give a Scot a choice between a good fight and his lady, you might no’ get a fight out of him.”

  “I didn’t know Scotland was such a passionate country. The warriors are known to be fierce in battle but I had no idea they were also devoted lovers.” She lovingly stroked Yorath’s neck.

  “I’m a very devoted lover,” Alex agreed with a glint in his eye. They walked back from the stables, and she put her hand in his. She brushed the dust off his shirt, and he playfully reached down to bite her neck.

  They could hear Daniel yelling from across the field. “Iain, I’m goin’ tae have ye gelded! What were ye thinking? Are ye trying tae break all family records for the highest number of paternity suits?” Daniel yelled.

  He met Alex and Melissa on the path. I hae’ tae leave and meet with the parents of yet another young lady. Keep Iain in the camp.”

  Melissa asked, “How many paternity suits can one family have?”

  Alex realized the horrible blunder as Daniel rode away. His mind went blank. He just couldn’t think of anything to say to cover up the fact that they didn’t have paternity suits in the year 1745.

  She wasn’t sure if they didn’t have an accurate count or didn’t want to discuss such a delicate subject in front of the warriors.

  Alex had just enough time to eat, and he was out with the warriors again. This time, he wouldn’t be back until very late at night since it was already supper bells in the camp.

  Melissa was asleep when he dropped into bed next to her. Alex was asleep before she could even say goodnight. By morning’s light, he was gone from camp and leading another battle.

  Gideon’s gentle manner always soothed her loneliness. She didn’t visit his hospital tent too often because she couldn’t stand the sight of blood. By Thursday, the hospital tent was full of warriors, and they needed the cottage table to sew up a cut on his leg.

  She had just walked back from the loch and found the cottage filled with warriors. The small table was turned into an operating room, and Gideon brought in several candles for light.

  Melissa noticed the open wound and gagged. She could see the muscle protruding from the man’s leg and blood gushing everywhere.

  It suddenly got very warm inside the cottage and, she couldn’t seem to breathe at all. Her vision got fuzzy, and the room started to spin.

  “Melissa, good we need another pair of hands,” Gideon said. “Here, hold down his leg, while I—”

  Evan caught her before she hit the floor in a faint. He put her down on the bed tucked into the corner of the room.

  “There are smelling salts in my medical bag, but perhaps we should wait until I’m finished tae wake her.”

  ***

  Alex returned to the camp that evening to discover Melissa in an unconscious state. His anger was curtailed when he found out the reason and instructed them to set up an auxiliary hospital so Gideon had some extra room.

  Alex closed the door to the cottage and went over to the bed. Melissa’s complexion was still pale, and he gently lifted her head with a hand on the back of her neck. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at him.

  “Alex,” she spoke in a broken whisper. “That man on the table nearly had his leg cut off.”

  Alex tried hard not to distress her by laughing. “He go’ four stitches and they let him keep his leg.”

  “The wound looked far more serious than a few stitches,” she said frostily.

  “Are you feeling up tae supper now, or would you like tae wait until later?”

  “I can think of other things I would like to do later,” she said with a silky voice. “So you better eat now to build up your strength.”

  He liked the sound of that challenge. Their supper was out in the camp that evening, and Melissa got a chance to meet several of the warriors, including their cousins, James and Jonathan. Alex didn’t allow too much conversation with the warriors, she noticed beyond a casual greeting. He explained that if she were to favor one over the other, fights would break out and then he would have chaos on his hands.

  Alex also noticed she wasn’t eating very much, if anything at all. She nibbled on a slice of rye bread, and he realized it had never dawned on him to ask her if she was a vegetarian.

  Their supper was always boisterous with warriors walking around and shouting across the camp. His brothers ate with the group they commanded that day or sat with them.

  Alex usually didn’t eat with the warriors. During the previous eighteen years, it was his few moments of solitude. Since Melissa had joined them, she preferred sitting outside. The men appreciated her encouragement and enthusiasm, and it gave Alex a chance to see the warriors in a much different way. They were fun, friendly, and helpful to each other. Also, rude, crude, and ready to beat the hell out of each other if pushed.

  Evan was called upon again for a tale, and he stood in the clearing, looking thoughtful for a moment.

  “I think I have the perfect tale for this evening,” he started, and the warriors settled down to hear it. Evan spoke to Daniel for a moment and then nodded.

  Alex sat on the edge of the table and held Melissa close to his side. She never went very far away from him, enjoying their moments together beside the campfire.

  “My tale this evening will be in English for the lovely lady.” Evan bowed to Melissa. “The Guardian at the Well,” he began. “Or, Tae kiss a Hag.”

  Melissa groaned loudly. “Hag?”

  “’Tis a good story.” Alex smiled at her response. Melissa got worried where this story was going, but Alex only laughed and nudged her closer to his side.

  “Niall of the Nine Hostages,” Evan began his story.

  Evan’s voice was smooth as silk when he was telling a tale and there was a light in his eyes that Melissa loved to watch. He was their Bard; there was no mistaking his love of a fine tale.

  Evan waited until the crowd had settled down. He loved the drama and winked at Melissa. He cleared his throat and began in earnest.

  “Niall and his brothers were lost in the forest and they needed water tae cook the game they had killed. The oldest was the first brother who went in search of water. He found a Hag guarding a well who told him that he could have his water, but for one kiss.” Evan held up his pointer finger for emphasis and the warriors groaned in response.

  “Just one kiss,” Evan continued now that he had their attention. “The oldest brother took one look and couldn’t bear the sight of the old hag and returned tae his thirsty family empty handed.” Evan was looking directly at Alex, who only smiled.

  They all groaned. Evan strutted in that MacKenna swagger with his hands clasped behind his back around the circle of warriors.

  “The second brother went tae the well for water and the Hag again said yes, ye can have the water but for one kiss. The second brother looks at the hag and cringes. He canna bear the sight of her.” Evan held up his arm, shielding himself, but with a smile.

  There were more cheers. Melissa groaned.

  “Ye can imagine what that poor bastard was thinking,” Evan interjected his own thoughts into the story and there was a resounding agreement from the warriors. “If I can just close my eyes and kiss the hag I get the water. But no, he couldnae do it tae save his family. The coward walked away, and the old Hag still hadn’t been kissed.”

  Melissa choked. “Old Hag?”

  Evan enjoyed her discomfort immensely. He continued with his tale. “The youngest lad, Niall, journeys tae the well and finds the hag who tells the lad he can have the water, but for one kiss.”

  “Niall thinks about the offer for a moment and asks the hag, I get only one kiss? Now,” Evan interjected again. “He looks at the same task and instead of saying I canna’ kiss her
even once, he wants tae kiss her,” Evan looked fondly at Melissa, “over and over again. Niall looks at the old hag and asks her again for the water.”

  “Aye!” Evan loudly proclaims and the warriors joined in with a resounding “Aye!”

  Evan paused in front of Melissa for affect. “The lad kisses the hag.”

  There was a lot of cheering and whistling as Evan leaned down and kissed Melissa for effect. The kiss was more than an innocent peck on the lips. Alex noticed Melissa also accommodated Evan’s creative license. He scowled a warning at Evan.

  Evan straightened and let out a long, shaky breath. “Whew!” Evan smiled and continued. “And the old Hag turned into a young, beautiful, enchanted woman whose name is Sovereignty! The lad was given the water that saved his family. She told him that some day he would become King of Tara. The moral of this tale is tae look beyond what we see on the surface.” Evan bowed.

  “Ye stole a kiss,” the warriors yelled.

  Evan beamed. “Aye, I did! And I’m still alive!”

  “Smart lad,” was heard across the camp.

  Evan still had their attention. “Now, for my encore.”

  “Ye better think twice abou’ any more kisses from my beautiful wumman, ye ken?” Alex warned.

  Evan kept his distance and beamed. Daniel passed the gold coin to Evan. Evan had bet him that he could kiss Melissa right in front of Alex and he wouldn’t get killed. Daniel thought this was a fool’s bet because Alex wouldn’t allow anyone to kiss Melissa, especially in front of all the warriors.

  Melissa wound her arm around Alex’s waist. “That was a good story Evan. Thank you.”

  Alex stood and took her with him back to the cottage. He didn’t want anyone else getting ideas about stealing a kiss from Melissa. The camp was winding down for the night, and the evening patrols were checking in for reports and instructions.

  Robert took the reports and issued the instructions. It amazed Melissa to see them all work together. They shared the burdens and responsibilities of the camp as well as the ongoing battles.

  “Alex,” she took his hand and led him away from the cottage. “Let’s take a walk in the moonlight.”