Moonlight Warrior

by Janet Chapman

  She may have promised to stop treating Mabel like a child, but it was damn hard. Her mom was all she had left, and if anything happened to her, Eve didn’t know how she’d survive.

  She tossed several empty soda cans in the bin sitting on the ground, then grabbed a bunch of clothes and tossed them in, planning to sort everything later. She looked at her watch, realized her mom had been gone almost two hours, and scowled at the path that led down to the ocean.

  Two hours was too long for a morning walk.

  Unable to wait any longer, Eve tossed a lone shoe in the bin and headed across the yard. But just as she reached the path, Kenzie stepped in front of her.

  “Where are ye going?”

  She tilted her head back to squint up at him. “For a walk,” she said, trying to step around him.

  He moved to block her path again. “Don’t coddle her, Eve.”

  “She’s been gone two hours.”

  “The tide’s out. She’s likely sitting on her bench in the morning sun, welcoming the first day of May.”

  “Or she might be floating facedown in the ocean.”

  He shook his head. “She’s not.”

  “You can’t know that.”

  “If something was amiss, the animals would tell us.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Listen,” he said, canting his head toward the trees. “What do ye hear?”

  She was growing more frantic by the minute, and he was telling her to listen to…“I hear birds chirping.”

  He nodded. “Exactly. If there’s trouble of any sort in the area, be it human or animal, the birds will go silent—except for the crows. They would be broadcasting the news that something is wrong.”

  “I just heard a crow caw!”

  He shook his head again. “The sound they make when something is wrong is quite distinct. That one is calling its mate.”

  She tried stepping around him again. “Okay then, maybe I’ll go sit in the sun and welcome the first day of May.”

  He took hold of her wrist. “No, you’ll keep your promise to your mother,” he said, walking back toward the barn with her in tow.

  Of all the nerve! “Hey, you can’t just grab me like that,” she yelped, using her other hand to try to free herself. “Let me go!”

  The air brakes on a large truck suddenly released, and a massive tractor trailer pulled into the dooryard. Kenzie changed direction, picking up his pace, his grip still unbreakable.

  “My horses are here.”

  Eve stopped struggling, figuring he’d have to let her go to unload his horses.

  A Suburban, identical to Kenzie’s except it was pearl white, pulled into the driveway behind the semi. How many horses were they delivering?

  Kenzie stopped when the Suburban pulled up beside him. The passenger door opened and a very pregnant, absolutely beautiful woman jumped out. “Kenzie!” she cried, running up to hug him.

  Kenzie hugged her back, still holding Eve’s wrist. “Sister,” he said with a laugh. “I can see your condition hasn’t slowed ye down.”

  “Your farm is beautiful! I love the house, and the way it sits on a bluff looking out at the ocean.”

  The woman continued extolling the virtues of Kenzie’s new home—that he didn’t actually live in—but Eve stopped listening to study the man getting out of the Suburban. He had an amused look on his face as he studied her as well, his gaze dropping to Kenzie’s grip on her wrist before returning to her face.

  He was definitely a Gregor, his eyes the same gold as Kenzie’s but more…downright intense. And there must be something in the water in the Scottish highlands that produced drop-dead handsome giants.

  “Winter, this is Eve Anderson,” Kenzie said, giving Eve a slight tug to get her attention. “Eve, this is my sister-in-law, Winter, and my brother, Matt.” He thrust her arm toward Matt. “Could you hold on to her for me, please, while I go see to my horses?”

  Eve couldn’t believe it! She was handed from one shackling grip to another so smoothly, she didn’t even have time to pull free. Kenzie and Winter headed for the tractor trailer, leaving Eve to glare up at Matt Gregor—who was looking far too amused for her liking.

  “What exactly am I stopping you from doing?” he asked.

  “From going to save my sick, elderly mother from drowning.”

  “That mother?” he asked, nodding toward the path.

  Eve turned to see Mabel walking in the dooryard and sighed in relief. Matt Gregor let her go and she reached her mother just as Mabel stopped beside the tractor trailer. They both watched as the driver opened the side door and Kenzie vaulted up the ramp and disappeared inside.

  “Oh my,” Mabel gasped. “Will you look at that.”

  Eve gawked in awe. Kenzie’s horses were the size of elephants.

  “Whatever you do, don’t call them plow horses or ask why they never get put in a harness,” Winter told Eve and Mabel as she came to stand with them. “The men get very defensive.”

  “What are they?” Eve asked.

  “Drafts. The stallion is Percheron. One mare is a Clydesdale, the other two are Percherons.” She held her hand out to Mabel. “Hi, I’m Winter Gregor, Kenzie’s sister-in-law.”

  “This is my mother, Mabel Bishop,” Eve said.

  “Kenzie has told us all about the two of you,” Winter continued. “It’s very nice of you to stay and help him and Father Daar.” She made a comical face. “Daar can be a bit of handful sometimes.”

  “He’s been a perfect houseguest,” Mabel said with a laugh, “as long as we keep him well fed.”

  Winter pulled them back several paces, out of the way. “The stallion can be a handful sometimes, too. It took Matt over an hour to load him, before he finally persuaded Curaidh that we were bringing him to Kenzie.”

  “Curaidh?” Eve said.

  “It’s Gaelic for champion.”

  All three women turned at the sound of large hooves stomping down the ramp. Eve pulled her mother back even farther when Curaidh reached solid ground, immediately arched his neck, and whinnied so loud it felt like the air shook. The stallion then shoved his nose into Kenzie, nearly lifting him off his feet, and gave a soft fluttering sound that ended in what Eve could only describe as a horse sigh.

  The mares in the trailer grew restless, whinnying and fidgeting in place. With a laugh, Kenzie ran toward the barn, Curaidh prancing beside him with his tail and nose raised in the air. Matt led one of the mares down the ramp.

  “If they don’t work in harness, what do they do?” Mabel asked Winter, her face lit with excitement as Kenzie released Curaidh into the sturdy paddock he’d been working on for two days.

  “We ride them,” Winter said.

  Mabel grew even more excited. “Just like the ancient highland warriors used to do! They rode magnificent animals just like these into battle.”

  Winter nodded. “That’s what they were originally bred for.”

  “There are highland games down on the coast every summer,” Mabel told her.

  “I’ve been to them. Various members of my family go each year. They’re true festivals, just like in the old days.”

  Kenzie indicated that Matt should release his mare into the pasture on the opposite side of the barn, and came jogging back to the trailer. This time when he emerged, a baby horse followed his mother down the ramp.

  “That’s Curaidh’s firstborn,” Winter said. “Kenzie hasn’t named him yet.”

  Eve held out her hand when the colt skittered by. “He’s beautiful.”

  Kenzie brought the mare over. “Ye like the little one?” he asked, taking hold of Eve’s wrist to offer her hand to the colt. “Move slowly so ye don’t spook him, and let him smell ye.”

  “Will his mother mind if I touch him?”

  “No. She trusts me, so she’ll trust you.” He looked at Mabel, nodding her over also to meet the colt. “I will ask that you ladies not go near the stallion, though, unless I’m with you. He’s not a pet, and he can ge
t very aggressive.”

  “William already warned me about Curaidh,” Mabel said.

  Kenzie stiffened. “William?”

  Mabel shot her gaze to his, then suddenly laughed. “Oh, don’t mind me. I get names mixed up all the time. It must have been in Quebec, when I was a little girl, that a friend of my father told me never to turn my back on a stallion. Don’t worry, Kenzie, I won’t go near the barn if you’re not around. And neither will Eve, will you?” she said.

  “Nope,” Eve assured him, her attention on the colt, who nuzzled her sleeve. She tried to pat him, but he flitted away, running behind his mother.

  “I so need to use the bathroom,” Winter whispered, holding her protruding belly. “My darling daughter has been dancing on my bladder for the last twenty miles.”

  “How exciting that you’re having a girl,” Mabel said. “Come on, Eve. Let’s go make breakfast for everyone.” She looped her arm through Winter’s and led her toward the house. “You probably left Pine Creek quite early, and you must be starved.”

  Eve started to follow, but Kenzie caught her by the arm. “I noticed blueberries in the freezer when I stocked it the other day,” he said. “Could ye make us some blueberry pancakes?”

  She deliberately looked down at his hand on her arm, then smiled up at him sweetly. “The next time you manhandle me like you did earlier, I will break every finger in your hand.”

  He let her go, his eyes crinkling with amusement. “That’s right, I forgot you took lessons on how to defend yourself.” He rubbed the mare’s nose. “I’ll try to remember in the future.”

  “My mother is my responsibility, not yours.”

  He nodded. “I shall attempt to remember that, too. I believe there’s also some maple syrup in the pantry. Could ye heat it up for the pancakes?”

  Eve casually walked to the ramp, looked inside the trailer, then shrugged her shoulders. “Oops, it appears your brother forgot to bring you a cow—so I can’t churn up a quick batch of butter while I’m at it.” She gave him a cheeky grin and headed to the house.

  Kenzie watched Eve flounce off, looking quite proud of herself, and he couldn’t help but smile.

  Matt came over to stand beside him. “Did I just hear her threaten to break your fingers?” he asked, his voice laced with disbelief.

  “I can’t decide if her papa did her a favor or not by having her take self-defense lessons when she was growing up,” Kenzie said, absently scratching the mare’s forehead. “I fear they’ve given her a false sense of security.”

  “Fiona said you’re attracted to her.”

  Kenzie looked at his brother. “I can’t be. There’s danger heading this way, and I can’t risk Eve getting caught in the middle of the storm.”

  “I’ve sensed the growing energy, too,” Matt said, confirming Kenzie’s gut feeling. “But I can’t quite get my own energy wrapped around it.”

  “That’s because it’s coming for me. The old hag’s not happy that I’m helping William.”

  “Speaking of William, Fiona also told me that he might be getting out of hand.”

  Kenzie chuckled. “Our little sister always was one for carrying tales. She used to tattle on us to Mama and Papa every chance she got. William is hardheaded, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.” He looked at the house, then back at Matt. “The older woman, Mabel. Is there anything you can do for her? She’s slowly losing her mind.”

  Matt touched Kenzie’s arm. “I’m sorry, but no. Mabel’s illness is part of a much larger picture, and it’s not my or Winter’s place to interfere.” He also looked toward the house. “I suspect Mabel still has something to teach, most likely to her daughter.”

  Kenzie chuckled again. “It’s proving to be a hard lesson for Eve.” He had a sudden thought, and looked toward the woods. “Or maybe the lesson is for William. Mabel mentioned him by name earlier. I fear that beast has introduced himself to her, thinking it’s safe to befriend her because she’s touched in the head.”

  Matt settled an arm over Kenzie’s shoulder and started walking to the barn, the mare following quietly and the colt playfully trotting around them. “You need only say the word, and I will have William Killkenny back in his natural time before he can snap his big ugly tail.”

  “Nay. I gave my word to help him, and I will. So how is everything back home? Baby Walker must be growing like a weed.”

  Matt shot Kenzie a loaded grin. “Jack Stone sends you his wishes, and hopes you’re settling in well—way down here in Midnight Bay.”

  Kenzie gave a snort as he released the mare into her stall. “I hope his new son whizzes on his shirt every time he holds him.”

  Matt chuckled. “So what are you going to do about Eve Anderson?”

  Kenzie got hold of the exploring colt, guided him into the stall, then gave his brother a questioning look. “What do ye mean?”

  “Even if Fiona hadn’t said anything, it’s obvious that you’re attracted to her. And Camry told Winter that you two were going on a date last night. I’m only trying to find out if you’re going to act on that attraction or not.”

  “I told you, I can’t. Getting involved with Eve could put her in danger.”

  “And not getting involved with her will put you in danger.”

  Kenzie crossed his arms over his chest. “How?”

  Matt sighed. “You’ve been denied the life you deserve for hundreds of years, Kenzie. If you continue to deny yourself happiness, you’re going to turn into a cranky old man like Daar. You can’t be giving to everyone else and not take something for yourself. You’re in the prime of your life; it’s unnatural for you to remain single.”

  “But necessary,” Kenzie growled. “I have no right to ask a woman to share my calling, when I don’t even know all that it involves yet. Every soul that seeks me out will be bringing more storms my way—and it’s already been proven that I can’t protect what’s mine.”

  Matt’s eyes hardened. “You are not responsible for what happened to our family. If that were true, it would mean that I’m more guilty than you are. I was the eldest son, and I wasn’t there, either. At least you killed the bastard who raped Fiona, and were there to bury her babe beside her.”

  “And then I walked away from Papa, when I was all he had left.”

  “To protect him!” Matt snapped. “You weren’t a little boy standing at the edge of the woods anymore, watching the other children play. You’d grown into a powerful warrior, which made you a threat. The villagers would have come up the mountain as a mob, forced you to watch as they hanged Papa, and then hanged you with the same rope.” Matt took hold of Kenzie’s shoulders. “What could you have done? Fought every man in the village? By leaving again, you gave Papa a chance to live out his last days in peace.”

  “And if the same thing happens here?” Kenzie asked softly. “Suppose the people of Midnight Bay connect me to the strange things that will happen here in the coming years? How can I protect Eve and my children from becoming outcasts like we were?”

  “Society has evolved in the last thousand years. People are more tolerant today, and being different doesn’t make you a threat—it makes you interesting.” Matt gave him a bear hug. “And I am Cùram de Gairn now, brother,” he said softly next to his ear. “I have the power to intervene.” He stepped away. “If you want Eve, then go after her with all you’ve got. From what I’ve seen so far, she’s exactly the sort of woman you need by your side.”

  Kenzie blew out a heavy breath, saying nothing.

  “Promise me you’ll at least think about it.”

  “If you promise you’ll name your daughter Fiona,” Kenzie said, attempting to lighten the conversation.

  Matt rolled his eyes. “I know our sister has put you up to that, because every morning for the last month, a red-tailed hawk has been sitting outside our kitchen window, suggesting that your future son should be named Kyle, after her son.”

  “Apparently being a powerful wizard carries no more weight with Fiona than being her
big brother does,” Kenzie said, tossing hay in to the mare.

  Suddenly he looked back at Matt. “A son? She said I should name my son Kyle?” he asked softly, his gaze moving to the colt suckling from his mother.

  Matt wrapped his arm over Kenzie’s shoulder with a laugh and started out of the barn. “You even think about naming a horse after her babe, and the coming storm will seem like a spring shower compared to what Fiona will do to you. So tell me what Eve meant when she said I forgot to bring the cow.”

  “De Gairn,” Father Daar said, out in the yard.

  Matt gave Daar a slight bow. “Pendaär. You’re looking well. The salt air seems to be agreeing with you.”

  Daar scowled so fiercely, it should have hurt his face. “Why haven’t ye done something about the evil tempest headed our way?”

  “I’ve tried.”

  The old priest thumped his cane on the ground. “Try harder, de Gairn.”

  “I have. Nothing works. The energy is on a completely different vibration than mine or Winter’s. We’ve both tried.”

  Daar snorted. “If you’d make yourself a proper drùidh’s staff from that fancy new tree of life Tom gave ye, maybe you’d have enough power to do more than just bubble water out of the ground and make babies.” He pointed his gnarled finger at Matt. “The bones of your forefathers are rattling in their graves, moaning their disappointment of ye. If I still had my powers, I’d find a way to stop the tempest.”

  Kenzie sighed. Matt wasn’t here an hour, and Daar was already baiting his old rival. Their two-thousand-year-old feud wasn’t going to settle itself anytime soon. It probably didn’t help that Matt had stolen Daar’s protégé by marrying her and getting her pregnant.

  “It isn’t Matt’s fight, old man, but mine,” Kenzie said. “The tempest is coming because of William, and I’m the only one who can stop it. Come, let’s go see what the women have cooked for us. I believe Eve is making blueberry pancakes.”

  Father Daar gave Matt one final glare, then headed toward the path leading down to the ocean. “I prefer William’s company right now. At least he can appreciate that today is May Day. Ye didn’t even think to put up a Maypole.”