Page 21 of Wendy Meets the Highlander Hamish (Scottish Highlander I Never Knew #5)

T he next morning, Wendy awoke with a radiant glow, the echoes of the night's passion lingering in her heart.

She reveled in the blissful afterglow, the tender traces of Hamish's kisses etched into her memory.

Hamish stirred beside her. He awoke with a gentle kiss, a silent affirmation of the connection they shared.

Wendy welcomed the morning with a contented sigh.

After dressing for the day and making a stop at Hamish’s room to gather his kit for their trip back to Loch Finlaggan, Wendy and Hamish emerged into the morning, hand in hand.

They joined everyone in the dining hall for breakfast before heading to the castle courtyard.

They had a few hours ride ahead of them and they were both anxious to get started.

Wendy felt a renewed sense of purpose coursing through her veins, as they set off on their journey.

The intimacy shared with Hamish had not only deepened their connection but also infused her with a newfound confidence.

The warmth of their bonding lingered, a gentle reminder that they were more than mere individuals – they were a team.

Wendy took a moment to appreciate the harmony that had blossomed between them.

As Wendy and Hamish readied their horses, her thoughts danced with the excitement of their shared mission. The prospect of confronting the kelpie with a plan that didn't involve harm sparked a joy in her heart.

Cam and Jen came out to the courtyard to bid them farewell and wish them luck on their new plan to handle the kelpie. “Good luck,” Jen called with a smile. “You’ve got this.”

“Fingers crossed!” Wendy held up her crossed fingers and grinned. “See you when we get back.”

“God speed,” Cam added with a wave.

Hamish gave a half wave back and then led them through the gate and down the path on the hill.

Once they were at the bottom, Wendy urged her horse to move up next to Hamish so they could ride side by side.

They were both eager to get to the loch, so they didn’t make a stop at Ballygrant along the way, but did give the horses a chance to rest for a moment and have a drink at the stream.

As they waited for the horses to have their fill, Hamish pulled something from his saddlebag. He opened the bundle and held it out to her, a smile on his lips. “Would you like some, love?”

Wendy looked at him with surprise. “Shortbread? When did you get that?” she asked as she took a piece with glee.

“While you returned to your room for your bag. Mira added it to the provisions, and I thought I’d save it for us.” He chuckled.

“Sneaky, sneaky,” Wendy said with a giggle. “I’m betting she meant for us to share it with the others.”

There was a twinkle in his eye when he replied, “More’n likely, but tis shortbread and I couldnae resist.”

Laughing harder, Wendy said, “Me either. It’s so good.”

With their treat finished, they turned their horses from the stream and continued the trip to Loch Finlaggan. It did not take too long, and the day was a pleasant one, as the sun was shining brightly and warming the air around them.

As they rode, Wendy asked, “I know it’s spring, but I never did ask what month we’re in and what are summers like here?

Do they get hot? Does it rain a lot? I’ve heard the UK gets a lot of rain, Seattle is pretty rainy too, so I’m used to it, but I wondered if you get as much rain as England up here. ”

Hamish chuckled. “Aye love, I enjoy your curiosity very much, tis one o’ the things I adore about you. Tis nearly the end of April. It doesnae rain very much in the summer months, mostly in the fall and winter, but even when it does, the sun returns shortly after.”

“Does it snow here?” she asked.

“We may get a few flurries, love, but mostly tis jest cold.”

“Huh. I don’t know why I thought you all would get a lot of snow here,” Wendy said with a frown.

Hamish gave her a curious look. “What would make you think that?”

Wendy shrugged and then thought about it.

“Well, the northern states in America, especially in New England area, do tend to get a good amount of snow and I guess I thought Scotland, being just as north as those states, would get the same. Maybe it has to do with having the ocean on the west coast instead of the east?”

Hamish chuckled and shook his head. “I wouldnae know anythin’ about that, love.”

Laughing, Wendy smiled. “Yeah, I don’t really expect you to. We tend to follow the weather a lot back home. There’s always some weather event going on.”

“Weather event?” He gave her a curious look.

She nodded. “Well, Seattle has a lot of rain, but we don’t get a lot of crazy stuff like the rest of the country.

Like in the south there are hurricanes, and across the central part of the country there’s tornadoes in the spring, summer and fall, and blizzards in the winter.

New England, which is the east coast, gets a lot of storms, both rain and snow. ”

Hamish’s brow furrowed. “All of that across one land?”

Wendy smiled. “It’s a really big country. More than three thousand miles from one coast to the other.”

Hamish reined in his horse and stared at her. “Three thousand miles?” he repeated, a look of astonishment on his face.

Wendy stopped next to him and grinned. “Yes. Why?”

“Lass, Islay is nae more than twenty miles from west to east, and nae more than twenty-five from north to south. We could ride over the entirety of the island in a day or two. It would take months of travel to cross your country.” His voice held amazement. “Have you seen all of your land?”

Shaking her head, Wendy said, “Nope. I’ve seen parts of it, but nowhere near all of it. Guess I never will now, but that’s okay. I like it here.” She gave him a shy smile.

As they started riding again, Hamish asked her questions about the places she had visited and Wendy told him about New Orleans, New York City, Southern California, and the Florida Keys.

She explained the distances and how she was able to travel to them in a few hours via a plane which seemed to blow his mind.

As they finally reached the ruins, Hamish said, “I donnae know how you donnae miss all of that, love.”

Wendy shrugged. “Honestly, there is so much here to see, so much adventure, and then there’s you,” she murmured, a blush creeping into her cheeks. “How could I miss something like that when I have all of this?”

Hamish moved Thunder up alongside her horse and leaned over to press a quick kiss to her lips. “I am glad of that, love.”

Upon hearing their approach, Artair came toward them, a look of relief on his face. “Welcome back.”

“Have you had any trouble with the kelpies since we’ve been gone?” Hamish asked as he dismounted and then he turned to help Wendy down too.

“Nae. The kelpie has nae made an appearance. Tis very strange indeed.”

“That’s probably because the kelpie followed us back to the fort,” Wendy replied.

Some of the other guards joined them and one said, “The kelpie followed you? Is everyone at the fort well?”

Hamish quickly assured them, “All is well at Fort Donald. The kelpie didnae attack anyone. An’ we cannae be sure that it t’was the kelpie.”

“Chances are that it was though,” Wendy replied. “It basically told us as much. Albeit his words were slightly cryptic.”

“Tell us what you mean,” Artair said.

Wendy told them of meeting a man on the road on their way to see Aine and the advice he gave and why she believed him to have been the kelpie. Her statement elicited laughter from the guards.

“What a fanciful notion, lass,” one of them said.

Undeterred, Wendy glared at him. “It’s not a fanciful notion. Kelpie are known to shapeshift, and they can appear as human. The way to know is that their hair is always dripping wet.”

“Any man can have wet hair, lass, doesnae make him a kelpie.”

“I didn’t say it did. It was the fact that it stayed soaked even though the sun was high and warm. His clothing was dry, all the rest of him was dry, but his hair was like he’d dunked it in a bucket of water every two seconds, which he didn’t.”

The guards, though initially amused, exchanged uncertain glances, contemplating the possibility that Wendy's belief held a kernel of truth.

“So what tis it you propose to do, lass?” Artair asked, looking between her and Hamish.

“Exactly what he told us to do. Follow him at a distance and see why he’s so angry.”

“Hamish, you cannae allow her to do such a thing, tis dangerous,” Artair argued.

Her proposed course of action sparked a debate among the men. Skepticism lingered in their eyes, and mutterings of caution rippled through their ranks.

“Tis obviously a trap,” one of the guards said.

“You are nae going to listen to her, are you? She is nae from here. The kelpie is just makin’ mischief and tryin’ to lure her in,” another added.

Hamish, his voice firm and resolute, declared, “The matter tis nae up for debate, lads. Tis the course of action we will pursue for now. We’ll need you to stand guard here and at the loch, ready to intervene should we need you, but we will nae bring harm to the kelpie.”

“Nae bring harm to the kelpie? But the kelpie has harmed us!” one of the guards argued back.

“Aye, but I believe there tis a reason the kelpie has been attacking and I aim to find out what it tis. Now are you with me?”

Reluctantly, the guards nodded and said, “Aye, Hamish, we’ll do as you say.”

“When do you plan to enact this course of action?” Artair asked.

“We’ll rest today and hope the kelpie will show on the morrow,” Hamish replied.

“Then we’ll go back to keeping vigil and making preparations for the evening meal,” Artair suggested before turning to the guards and setting them to their tasks.

As the camp settled into an uneasy calm after the evening meal, Wendy laid down on her bedroll, but found no solace in the embrace of sleep.

Restlessness plagued her, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts and uncertainties.

In the darkness, she felt the weight of the mystical forces surrounding Loch Finlaggan, their secrets echoing through the ruins.

She tossed and turned on her bedroll, trying to get comfortable, but it was no use it seemed to her.

Just as Wendy was about to give up on sleep, she felt Hamish tug on her bedroll, pulling her closer to him. He wrapped Wendy in the warmth of his arms. “Sleep, love. T’will be a long day on the morrow, and you need rest,” he murmured in her ear before kissing her temple.

With a sigh, Wendy found peace in the shelter of his arms and closed her eyes. It didn’t take her long after that for sleep to find her.