To Wed A Highlander (28 page)

“But that doesn’t make sense,” Laurel said, loosening Makenna’s tight braid to remove the embedded branches.

“Oh, that feels better. And it would make sense if you understood just how much they resent me for marrying Colin and making a Highlander their laird.”

“What does Colin say about this?”

“I have only told him a little of what has been happening. I know it angers him a great deal when the attacks involve me, but when they are aimed directly at him, his attitude is almost dismissive. When someone says something rude, he acts as if he didn’t hear it. I haven’t the heart to tell him that his approach isn’t working. I don’t know if anyone can turn a person’s heart, let alone a whole clan. I fear that he will do as you did and leave. Then Colin will lose his chance of being a laird.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about that. If Colin didn’t want to leave Lochlen, then he wouldn’t. And if Colin’s plan allows for leaving the Lowlands, then he is not upset at the loss. My guess is that he has found something far greater than being laird of a clan.”

Makenna turned and gave Laurel a doubtful look. “Did you say Colin’s plan? I don’t think he has one. He has more hope than a plan.”

Laurel chuckled and walked toward their horses, grabbing the reins to Makenna’s mare as she retrieved Borrail’s. “I forget you have only been married to Colin for a few months. In a couple of years, I’ll remind you about this conversation.”

“Aye, we have been
married
only a short time, but I have known him for over two years,” Makenna countered.

Laurel swung onto Borrail’s back and watched in curiosity as Makenna carefully mounted. “And how much time did you actually spend getting to know him?”

Makenna adjusted her skirts and gave Laurel a semi-scathing look. “So I avoided him most of the time. Still, there were two very aggravating years in which I saw very little of this great ability to strategize.”

“Get ready,” Laurel said, smiling as if she were just about to divulge a juicy secret. “You married a McTiernay, Makenna, and they are the masters of strategy. And to them, the very best plans are ones that don’t reveal themselves until
they
want them to be seen. Trust me, Colin is about to teach your people a hard lesson, and it will be your responsibility to help him when the time comes.”

Makenna scowled at Laurel. “But if he doesn’t tell me anything, how can I help?”

Laurel lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug. “All he needs is your trust and your love. To know that regardless of the situation, you will support him…even if it means turning against your clan.”

Makenna grimaced and kicked her brown mare into a canter. She hoped it would not come to that, but if Colin were to leave, she would go with him.

Laurel watched in astonishment as Makenna rode proudly by her. Tears were springing up in her green eyes. Laurel suspected Colin had never told his wife how deep his feelings ran for her. She rode up and grabbed Makenna’s hand to get her attention. “Does he know you love him?”

Makenna nodded. “Aye, I told him.”

Laurel squeezed Makenna’s fingers and let go. “Makenna, we have not known each other very long, but I need you to trust that what I am saying is not just for your benefit, but because it is true. Colin loves you very much.”

“I know he cares for me, and sometimes when we are alone, I can see the love in his eyes, but then it is gone. He doesn’t want to love again after Deirdre. I can understand that.”

“He may not
want
to love you, but he does, even if he doesn’t say so aloud. A man protects what he cherishes, and by the number and size of the soldiers watching over you…”

Makenna glanced at Brodie, Gorten, and the rest of the soldiers keeping just out of earshot. “That’s not evidence of love, that’s just…annoying.”

Laurel shrugged. “Just wait until he learns that you are pregnant. You have only begun to see how annoying his hovering can be.”

Makenna’s hand jerked slightly at the comment. It was enough to confirm Laurel’s suspicions. Makenna was with child, and Colin had no idea.

As Makenna and Laurel neared Lochlen the majority of soldiers following them swung back toward the training fields, leaving Gorten and Brodie and Laurel’s two guards to see them safely back inside. Cresting the hill leading to the town gate, Makenna could see several figures hunched outside. One was unmistakably Colin.

Makenna pointed. Laurel nodded, seeing Conor crouched down on the other side. Makenna slid off her horse and moved quietly toward the group. Laurel followed.

Hearing someone approach, Colin turned and gave Makenna a quizzical look. He motioned for her and Laurel to come closer but remain silent. Then he made a strange gesture that Brodie and Gorten must have understood, for they immediately moved to the opposite side of the gate.

The second she was in arm’s length, Colin grabbed Makenna and placed her behind him. A second later Laurel was behind Conor.

“Whatever are you doing out here? We thought you were inside,” Colin growled.

“It was my fault. I wanted to see the countryside. No one told us that we were to remain confined,” Laurel shot back.

Conor rolled his eyes, and Laurel knew that he was praying for patience.

Laurel ignored him. “What’s happening, Conor? Is something wrong?”

“Not a thing,” Conor answered. “It’s all going exactly to Colin’s plan.”

Makenna’s eyes widened in surprise. Laurel had been right. “Why do we have to remain hidden?”

Colin grinned and then leaned forward eagerly. “Because, it would interrupt the show Lela is giving. And it is quite an interesting one. Come here,” he said, moving just enough for her to see.

Makenna looked through the small opening in the wood planks and saw Lela pacing around the Commune Tree shouting something.

Laurel whispered, “What’s that woman saying?”

“She’s challenging everyone to turn against Colin and join MacCuaig, the laird of a neighboring clan,” Conor whispered in explanation.

“Striopach,”
Makenna murmured, unaware she had just called Lela a harlot out loud.

“I actually think you might be right,” Colin affirmed softly. “She’s been meeting with MacCuaig regularly.”

“How much longer are you going to stand by and watch as McTiernay destroys our way of life?” Lela shouted loud enough for all to hear.

“The only destruction and filth I’ve heard is from your own mouth, Lela Fraser. We might not like the Highlander, but MacCuaig is no better. We’ve heard rumors about how he mistreats his own people. Not a man I want to be shifting my allegiance to,” said an older man with short scrubby hair and a wrinkled face.

Lela scoffed and gave him a placating smile. “Make your choice, then, but I would rather be led by a strong Lowland laird with an army who could protect me and my clan than a weak Highlander with a handful of untrained recruits and a vulnerable wall.”

The small crowd became smaller as more turned away and resumed their duties. Still, Lela kept on. Only a few Makenna knew to be adamantly against Colin as their laird remained behind for a while before they, too, decided to leave.

Colin stood up and pulled Makenna up beside him. Conor assisted Laurel and said one word, “Interesting.”

“Aye, ’tis that. It shouldn’t be long now. As soon as Dunlop returns with Drake we’ll be ready,” Colin replied.

Makenna spun around in Colin’s arm. “Returning? I thought you said Drake was out training the men.”

“Aye, I did. I just didn’t tell you where,” Colin pointed out with a touch of self-satisfaction.

“The question you should be asking, Makenna, is what your husband is getting ready for,” Laurel advised.

Makenna crossed her arms and looked directly into her giant’s sparkling blue eyes. “I’ve no need to ask. I already know. He’s about to teach my obstinate, shortsighted clan a well-deserved lesson.”

Colin favored her with a blindingly bright smile. “Aye, wife, and I hope they are quick learners.”

Colin opened his arms, and Makenna stepped into them and held him close. “I hope they are, too,” she whispered against his chest. “For I am ready for this to be over.”

Colin leaned down and kissed her hair. “And if things go wrong, and we leave?”

“Then we leave,” she whispered back.

“Don’t worry. I don’t know if I ever told you this before, but we McTiernays are great planners. Things rarely go wrong.”

Makenna hugged Colin tightly to her. Twice in one day, she was told about the McTiernays’ ability to strategize and plan. Makenna didn’t know if that was a good sign or an omen of bad things to come.

“Normally, I would agree. But tonight, we want to be late. Let the festivities be well along before we arrive,” Laurel said to Makenna as she plucked furiously at Ceridwin’s dark gold hair. The intricate weave had taken almost an hour to complete, but the end effect was worth the effort. The past two weeks had been extremely illuminating, and Laurel was just starting to feel like she was making real progress.

Her hardest goal had been easily achieved upon meeting Ceridwin. The young woman had come running into the courtyard the day Drake returned, throwing herself quite unladylike into his arms.

She had a heart-shaped face, a sweet disposition, and a mischievous twinkle in her hazel eyes. She openly kissed Drake full on the mouth and cared very little if anyone admonished her for it. She was just as open with her displeasure when she found out Drake had been ordered to continue overseeing the soldiers in the fields. Ceridwin calmed only after he promised to come back and see her every few days.

When Makenna asked Ceridwin to participate in the planning of a semilarge feast celebrating Drake’s return and Conor’s visit, Laurel knew her new sister was going to be fine. Aileen’s friendship gave her a safe, honest place to turn to for questions and support, and she wanted Makenna to have the same.

The two women were like halves of the same loaf, destined to be friends. Ceridwin’s father had raised her alone, and she had often felt out of place knowing more about how to be a man and planting crops than she did about being a lady. A few months ago, her father had passed, and Ceridwin’s aunts had offered her shelter within the village. There she had met Drake, but everyone else she encountered thought her odd and uncultured for a woman of her age. As Makenna shared similar situations and feelings, the two had become fast confidantes.

“There,” Laurel said, looking at Makenna, who was standing over her shoulder, “did you see how I did that? It isn’t hard at all, just a little time-consuming. You just need to remember that trick of how to cross the pins holding the braids so that they don’t come down when you are dancing.”

Ceridwin looked in the polished silver and admired the end effect. “I don’t know if I can go looking like this. I look like a…a real lady,” she said softly.

Makenna nudged her new friend lightly in the shoulder. “You absolutely must. I cannot wait until Drake sees you.”

Ceridwin stood and turned around admiring how the gold velvet of her new gown swirled complementarily around her ankles. Never had she felt more beautiful. Her heart was pounding heavily. Drake had been away for over a week and had returned just that morning, but she had yet to see him.

Laurel waited until Makenna donned her dark green silk bliaut over her cream-colored chainse. Makenna looped her gold embroidered belt matching the stitching around the gown’s collar and sleeves twice around her abdomen, placing a decorative knot in front so that it hung flatteringly with the ends nearly touching the floor. Being careful not to crush the silk, she descended carefully onto the wooden stool and waited as Laurel placed intermittent gold threads throughout her hair. Makenna then loosely pinned back the sides of her thick red hair, leaving the rest to flow freely down her back.

Ceridwin came up beside her and sighed. “Your hair is so beautiful, Makenna. You should always leave it loose like it is now. Until tonight I think I have only seen it braided.”

Makenna reached up and touched the softened strands. She never thought so little effort could achieve this effect. Laurel had showed her how to combine certain plants and then rub minute amounts of the mixture into her hair as it dried. The effect was amazing. No longer was her hair so voluminous and frizzy it drowned out the rest of her face when left unbound. The rich red waves almost reached her waist and smelled of rosemary and lavender.

Laurel pinned the last thread into Makenna’s hair and smiled at the effect. “Yes, I believe our men will be quite pleased with their choices in women this evening,” she said, smoothing out the royal-blue gown she knew to be Conor’s favorite. “I think they have waited for us long enough.”

Laurel grinned and walked toward the door with Ceridwin close behind. Makenna stood and fought her tendency to fidget when apprehensive.

It had been her suggestion to celebrate the harvest, Conor’s arrival, and Drake’s homecoming. But it had been Colin who had requested that she invite the entire clan. She knew then he was going to use the event to carry out some part of his grand scheme. Yet no amount of coaching had persuaded him to tell her in what way. All he would say was “Wait and see.” He promised there would be no fighting and that it would be a relaxing and enjoyable time.

Makenna watched Laurel and Ceridwin disappear down the stairs. “Why do I think you will be the only one relaxed and having fun, Colin?” Makenna sighed aloud.

“Makenna!” Laurel shouted from below.

“Coming!” Makenna returned and quickly descended to join her friends.

As soon as they exited into the cool night air, several soldiers flanked them as they made their way through the mass of people gathered in the inner yard. Makenna had asked Doreen to spread the word that all were invited, but never did she think so many Dunstans would come. Even the feast following her father’s death did not draw so many out of their homes.

There was a large bonfire in the center of the courtyard, and Makenna could see the smoke rising from two others in the outer yard just beyond the curtain wall. Music was erupting from everywhere.

Slowly they made their way into the great hall that was even more crowded than the inner yard. Seated at one end were Conor and Colin engaged in a lively debate about something. Both paused in midsentence upon seeing their wives.

Makenna was barely aware of Ceridwin being pulled away by Drake. Her eyes were locked on to Colin. For a brief moment, the world disappeared. Colin looked at her with so much glittering emotion that Makenna wanted to weep and cry out with joy at the same time. No longer did she see just hot sexual desire blazing in his eyes, but something deeper and far more powerful.

It had been two weeks since Laurel had arrived, and in that time she had given Makenna something she had not realized she was missing—a sense of worth as a woman. Never before did she think she was beautiful, or enticing, or capable of turning a man’s eye. But with Laurel’s and Ceridwin’s help, Makenna had slowly gained the confidence to accept what Colin felt for her, and not diminish or belittle it.

Makenna smiled as Colin skimmed appreciatively over her before locking his eyes once again on to hers. She belonged to him completely and knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Colin belonged only to her.

She would tell him tonight.

Colin watched as Makenna approached, unable to look anywhere else. A surge of pride and possessiveness flowed through his veins. It struck him that he had finally found with Makenna the elusive and special bond his parents had shared.

When he had been very young, he had asked his father what made his mother the most beautiful woman in the entire world. His father’s answer had been “love.”

There in the midst of a boisterous crowd, Colin looked at Makenna and accepted what had happened. He had fallen in love. He waited for the guilt to fill him, but it never came. He gazed into her green eyes and knew she truly loved him as well.

“You’re finally here, and so very beautiful,” he whispered just before he brushed his mouth across hers in an incredibly gentle, almost reverent kiss.

Tingles went down Makenna’s spine. With a soft, low groan, Colin released her lips and pressed his mouth to her ear. “Tonight, love, I shall make love to you in ways that will let you know exactly what you mean to me. You are my heart. I need you, Makenna.”

And then he maneuvered her to the chair next to his, praying he could control his growing desire long enough to commence the next phase of his plan. Tonight provided just the right setting. He would not get such an ideal chance again.

Makenna complied and sank down in shock, wondering if she had just imagined it or if Colin really had called her “love.” It was a little name most men called their wives, but Colin had never once used it with her.

The night continued merrily, and Makenna forgot all about her apprehensions about the McTiernays and their plans. She and Colin had danced until her feet could take no more. More than once Laurel grabbed her to go visit with clusters of women around the room and outside the hall. And for the first time, she felt welcomed into their enclave, able to participate in their conversations about homes, husbands. Even the topic of children didn’t frighten her.

Ceridwin and Drake had disappeared soon into the festivities and had yet to reappear. Makenna had no doubt a wedding was imminent and could not be happier for them both.

Colin moved by the roaring hearth, adjusted the chair so that he could see across the room, and then sat down.

“Come here,
m’eudail,
I want to kiss you,” Colin beckoned.

Makenna blushed, as she knew that many had heard his endearment, and went quickly to his side lest he became even more vocal.

As soon as she came near, Colin pulled her into his lap and uttered a thick, husky groan as his body responded to the sensual weight of her. Makenna gasped at the feel of his hard, fiercely aroused body. She stirred against him in an effort to get up.

“Stay right where you are, lest I leave here to do what has been on my mind since the second I saw you.”

Feeling emboldened, Makenna turned and nipped playfully at his lower lip. “And would that be so bad?” she asked, twining her arms around his neck.

Colin buried his face in her hair and inhaled the scent of her, part lavender and rosemary and part feminine arousal. He knew she was already moist and ready for him. “Just a little bit longer, love. I promise you I will make the wait worth it for us both.”

Makenna leaned into him and tilted her head back for his kiss. Colin knew Conor was waiting for him, but he couldn’t resist the temptation and took her mouth hungrily. Begrudgingly, he ended the kiss.

“Do you trust me?” he asked, his voice thick with need and shades of uncertainty.

Makenna pulled back and held his blue eyes with her own. “Aye. I will always trust you.”

“Then, trust me now, love.”

Colin shifted her slightly so that she remained on his lap without impeding his view of his brother seated on the other side of the room. Makenna glanced around the room to see how many people had been staring at them. She was relieved to see most couples were engaged in conversations or activities of their own and were either oblivious of or indifferent to her and Colin’s passionate embrace. Laurel was situated very similarly across Conor’s lap looking like she, too, had been thoroughly kissed.

Out of the blue, Colin’s voice rang out loudly, cutting through the multiple conversations around the room. “Conor, how does Olave fare?”

“Very well. He has done much to unify the roaming clans in the north. He says they soon will be ready for a leader. He has hinted that they are hoping for a McTiernay,” Conor replied, his voice casual but loud enough for everyone to hear.

“I thought Olave would be seeking the title. Banded together, they will be quite fearsome.”

Conor shrugged his shoulders, somewhat exaggerating the gesture. “I told him he should be chief, but he doesn’t want it. He believes only someone from one of the nearby larger families can truly bind the sparse nomadic tribes and keep them together.”

Colin angled his head slightly and leaned forward to pick up his quaich. “There may be some truth behind his sentiments. The tribes would be more likely to unite if they knew their leader had the support of nearby clans.” Colin swallowed a gulp of ale. “But Olave has our support. This should not be a reason for his refusal.”

“It’s not,” Conor said in agreement while tapping Laurel possessively on the knee. “The man’s in love. Hazel finally convinced him to marry her.”

Colin finished off his ale and put the cup back on the table for it to be refilled. “Quite a determined woman, Hazel. Not many like her.”

Laurel gave her husband a sidelong glance and tried unsuccessfully to get up. “You are being quite loud, Conor, and seriously out of character. Since when do you talk of love, yell across rooms, and keep me planted on your lap in front of company?” she asked in hushed tones.

“Since now,” Conor whispered, hoping the tight squeeze of his hand on her abdomen would encourage her silence. It didn’t work.

“And is it a coincidence that Colin seems to be suffering the same bizarre inflection that has come over you?”

“What do you think?” Conor asked rhetorically before continuing. “Olave is a lucky man, very lucky indeed. How many women would spend five years of their life with a man who vowed himself against the evils of marriage?”

“Most people thought Hazel was a fool waiting for him,” Colin returned.

“Aye, but a dedicated fool. And it paid off. You know what he told me when last we met? That he had finally found where he belonged.”

Colin raised his eyebrows appreciatively and again held firm as Makenna tried to pry his fingers free from her waist. Frustrated, she gave up and crossed her arms. She looked over at Laurel, who shrugged her shoulders as if to say, “I think we are here until they decide otherwise.”

Colin eased his grip, satisfied to see more and more of the hall’s crowd paying attention to their conversation. “I think of Olave often these days.”

“Though I have been at Lochlen but a fortnight, it is clear why,” Conor remarked critically.

This statement cut through even more of the crowd, leaving only a handful of people still pursuing personal conversations. Makenna waited for Colin to speak, but he said nothing. The majority of the room was waiting for Colin to respond, but he showed no intention of doing so.

Exasperated, Makenna waved her hand and asked the question on everyone’s mind. “Who is Olave? And what makes you think of him?”

Colin picked up the refilled quaich and twirled it so that the metal glinted from the firelight. “Olave is probably the greatest skilled fighter I have ever known, and as to why I think of him? You would have to know his story and why his loving and marrying Hazel is so extraordinary.”