Page 26 of When a Highlander Vows (Enemies to Lovers #1)
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L ucas was about to tear the men in front of him limb from limb. It was raining, and the clansmen who surrounded him were stubborn as angry mules, digging their heels in before they would listen to him.
“What in the bloody blazes is goin’ on? I made the border line the last time I came, spoke to both sides, and yet the lot of ye seem to enjoy fightin’ one another. Why call me away from the Castle each time ye cannae come to an agreement? Are ye nae bloody grown men?”
The men on MacGregor land stood silent, their brawny arms crossed against their wide chests. On his own land, the clansmen were equally silent, but he could see the guilt on their faces. At least his men were somewhat loyal to him.
“There has been a miscommunication,” the tallest one on the MacGregor side said, eyeing Lucas angrily. “We dinnae agree. After ye left, yer men changed it again, pushing farther onto our side.”
“That is a filthy lie!” on his own men said, stepping forward.
Quickly, Lucas reached out and put a hand on his man’s chest, pushing him back. “For Heaven’s sake, Lads. It is but a few inches’ difference.”
He could not understand why this was happening. When his father was alive, he was certain he hadn’t had to deal with any of this nonsense. While his father was a cruel man as well as bloodthirsty, he certainly got things done. Lucas wiped a hand over his face, clearing it of the icy raindrops. He put his hands on his hips.
“Well, then why dae we nae make a new agreement?” He straddled the border line, looking up at the growing gray clouds.
The rain would only get worse, and when he eyed Archie listening to him, he saw the same tiredness on his friend’s face. They were both frustrated by the useless return to the border to deal with the tiny bickering of idiot men.
“Leave space here the length of an arm. Then at least, the both of ye lose a little so that is nae just one gainin’ more than the other. The land here is nae even worthy of a till. Rocks abound, but it seems to matter to ye both. What say ye to that?”
A rumble of thunder caused a fresh rush of rain. Instead of a verbal answer, both groups of men nodded their heads.
“Fine.” He pulled his dirk from his side and knelt down, stabbing the blade into the ground and dug a line on one side, then the other.
When he stood again, his hands and dirk were covered in wet soil. “There, done. Now, tell me why the Hell is yer laird nae hear to sort his own shite out?” he asked the MacGregor side. “Why is I who am always called to handle such troubles?”
The tallest one spoke again. “He has other matters to attend to, Lad.” The man put his hand on his sword, and it did not go unnoticed by Lucas.
He frowned. A man would not usually dare address him so informally when he was well aware of his title. Lucas was used to spending time around dangerous men, but he was usually on their side, being the one to cause the fear. It made his mind flash back to the moment he saw the two cloaked men coming at him in the dark on horseback.
Could he have been one of them?
He looked the man up and down. No, he was too tall, too broad. The other men were of more normal proportions, but they had made up for it in their skills with a blade. It was a shame he had to kill them. Briefly, he thought of Caitlin, her eyes unable to see all the blood and death, just before he picked her up in his arms.
After he replaced his dirk at his waist, he clenched his fists. It was better if his hands soon forgot the feel the weight of Caitlin’s slim body or her soft skin. The memory would do neither of them any good.
“Fine then. Suit yerselves. Me second and I are off. Although we will wait until the morrow to make sure that ye have begun the process.” He gave each of the men another dark look in the eye, and then he left, Archie trailing behind him.
“Feckin’ Hell, these bastards,” Lucas said as he stomped away to jump on Searbas, kicking the horse into speed.
He could hear the squishing steps of Archie’s horse from behind him as he left the group of men to sort their own disagreements. They trotted in the growing rain toward the closest village, which was now becoming a gray blur in the storm.
But it was not far, and soon, they were under the edge of a thatched roof, tying their horses at the edge of an inn.
“We will need to find lodgin’, but I cannae think straight without a hot meal or a pint.” He held his hands out under the rain for a few seconds to wash the dirt from them.
“Aye, me either,” Archie said with a long sigh.
When he pushed open the squeaking wooden door of the inn, a waft of hot air and good smells assailed him.
“Finally,” he grumbled, his wet boots making marks on the floor as he found a table close to the hearth.
In seconds, he already started to feel a bit better. Archie slumped into the bench across from him and both rubbed their faces to brush off the raindrops from their faces and hair.
“Shite. Why in the Hell dae we have to come every time those bloody bastards have a foolish argument about a foot of land? And Laird MacGregor sits at home doin’ his ‘business’ or whatever the man said.”
“Warm and dry,” Archie added, looking into the flames in the large hearth.
It was the sullenest Lucas had ever seen his cheerful friend.
“Aye. I have never liked the man, always gaddin’ about with his fine clothes and a young woman or two nae far off. Dealin’ with other business, me arse.”
A red-haired young woman came to the edge of their table with two tankards in hand, ale frothing over the top.
“Thanks be to God,” he said, grabbing one and pulling it close, taking the first sip hastily.
“Food, Lads?” the young woman said, barely looking at them.
“Aye,” Archie said. “Whatever ye’ve got.”
She swept away, and Lucas and Archie were left to look at each other before Archie cracked a smile.
“Ye look bloody terrible.”
“Och, thanks, Lad. Ye look just as terrible, I’m sure.”
Feeling warm, Lucas tore off his sodden plaid, and hung it on the edge of the bench, hoping to get it a bit dry before he had to return outside.
“We’ll leave tomorrow?” Archie asked. “I worry that Sarah will have the bairn without me there, and I daenae like the sound of that. She has been havin’ more trouble of late.”
Lucas grinned. “I thought ye would be eager to spend the time away from the Castle when that happened. When she had Colin, ye were sickly and pale as ye listened to her screams.”
“Aye, true enough.” Archie cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. “But it is nae I who experiences all the pain and sufferin’ when the babe is comin’. I need to stand strong.”
Lucas frowned at his friend. “Nan told ye that, did she nae?”
“Aye, what of it?”
Chuckling, Lucas shook his head and took another long swig of the ale. Speaking of Sarah and his Nan made him think of Caitlin and the way he’d left things between them.
I rushed away like a fearful fool, barely able to look at her afore I took off. What must she think of me?
But he knew he’d done wrong by giving into temptation. He couldn’t make love to her, taint her with his body, or give her hope that something more could happen when it could not. Even if a large part of him wanted it to. A very large part.
“She is wiser than any of us, and she was right to rebuke me,” Archie continued.
“Och, I have had enough of that woman’s rebukes. She likes to step into things that are nae her business. She’s pushed Caitlin and I to be more than what we are time and time again, nae matter what I say to her.”
Archie spun the tankard in his hand, a wicked gleam in his eye. “Aye, but I have never kenned ye, Lad, to dae something ye daenae wish to dae.”
Lucas narrowed his gaze at his friend, giving Archie his best scowl. But while many a man had been cowed by such a look in years past, Archie had become immune to it years ago.
“What does that mean?”
Laughing under his breath, Archie said, “It means that ye danced with her twice, and the second time ye dinnae have to. It means that nay matter how angry ye were at what yer grandmaither tried to dae, ye still did it. While normally, ye might nae have done.” Shrugging, Archie took a swig. “That is what I mean.”
“Well, keep yer bloody opinions to yerself,” he grumbled, anxious for the food to arrive.
Grinning, Archie nodded. “Fine then, but I dae have a question.”
“What is it?”
“Why did ye spend the night in the lass’ chamber if nothin’ is happenin’ between ye?”
For the first time in he wasn’t sure when, Lucas had been completely caught off guard by one of his men. When his mouth fell open, and no words came out, Archie burst into loud, annoying laughter.