Page 22 of Wolf Heir (Highland Wolves of Old #3)

When Coinneach had seen Aisling and the other woman leaving the castle grounds, he wanted to go with them. But when they returned with Tamhas, he didn’t know what to think.

Aisling and her friend raced for the keep, but Tamhas appeared to be headed for the tower stairs. He hoped Drustan hadn’t recruited him to be a soldier. Tamhas needed to run the farm. Or Coinneach would. One brother or the other.

Tamhas finally emerged from the tower and strode forth, his shoulders back, his expression serious until he drew closer as Coinneach walked to meet up with him.

“What are you doing here?” Coinneach hugged his brother, glad to see him.

“It is all Aisling’s doing. She talked to Drustan, and I’m required to practice fighting with the others. You didna tell us you were wounded in a practice fight. How bad is it?”

“Just a cut, but I reopened the wound while battling the Vikings. It’s getting better.”

Tamhas cleared his throat. “Aisling also said her mother approved of your marriage to her. We’re all thrilled.”

“As am I.”

“I think Aisling is playing matchmaker.”

They both looked down at the inner bailey where Aisling and Nelly were just entering the castle.

“The lass with her?” Coinneach asked.

“Aye. Unless I’m mistaken. Nelly works on the kitchen staff with Aisling.”

Coinneach laughed.

“What?”

“I never expected Aisling to try and find you a mate.”

“Me either. Drustan said you couldna practice fight.”

The men who were going to practice began gathering in the inner bailey.

“Aye. Blair said no to any fighting.”

“I guess I’ve got to go.” Tamhas looked like he was trying to put on a brave face.

Aodhan joined them. “Come on. A couple of men will relieve us while I fight, and you watch your brother work out.”

Sure enough, two men came up to relieve them. “Are you going to fight Coinneach’s brother now?” the one man asked.

“And risk getting thrown down again? Nay.” Aodhan grinned.

The three of them began to go down the tower stairs. Coinneach was feeling better, and he thought that if he fought with one of the men, just one, and it was a practice fight rather than a battle to the death, he could manage.

Then he saw Drustan and Blair watching him, and he knew he wasn’t going to be allowed to fight.

“You’ll do fine, Tamhas. Remember everything that Alisdair taught us,” Coinneach said to his brother.

“Aye.”

Other spectators had gathered to watch the practice session. Coinneach realized that, because he couldn’t join in the battle, he was able to stay with Aisling if she was allowed to watch the proceedings this time.

As soon as he saw her, she hurried toward him with Nelly in tow.

He hugged and kissed Aisling and then greeted Nelly. “Glad to meet you, lass.”

“Aye, likewise. Where is Tamhas?” Nelly asked.

They looked to see who he was paired up with, and it was a man about his size. Then the fighting began. The man battling Tamhas struck his sword at Tamhas’s new Viking sword, but Tamhas had learned from both Coinneach and Alisdair how to counter the attack.

He blocked the blow and knocked his opponent’s sword downward, then quickly came up to thrust at the man’s chest. He had won the match.

They shook hands, but the man wanted to fight him again.

They were more equally matched than Tamhas was against Alisdair and Coinneach, but again, Tamhas won the match.

Coinneach knew Tamhas needed a stronger opponent. One who would teach him more than he had already learned. But he could see that his brother was relieved that he hadn’t been injured or lost the matches.

Drustan stepped in and had Tristan pair up with Tamhas. “Remember, Tristan, it’s a practice match.”

“Aye.” Tristan glanced at Coinneach as if he knew Coinneach would give him grief if he cut his brother.

Then the match began. Tristan was a powerful fighter, and Coinneach would welcome him to watch his back. If Tamhas were careful and used the skills he had learned from Alisdair and Coinneach, he would do fine.

Even so, Coinneach realized he was tensing every time Tristan slashed at Tamhas.

But Tamhas was holding his own and struck back at Tristan, forcing him several steps back.

Tristan tried to recover, but Tamhas took advantage and continued to strike at him.

Tristan couldn’t do anything but parry and fall back.

Coinneach was proud of his brother, but when he heard Nelly gasp, he glanced at her and saw she was wringing her hands.

Aisling likewise was tense, and he ran his hand over her back. “I pray neither cuts the other,” she whispered to him.

“I feel the same way.” Coinneach hoped that Tamhas didn’t know that Tristan had cut him during the last practice.

Then Tamhas knocked Tristan’s sword from his hand, and Tristan smiled, inclining his head. “You are Coinneach’s brother. I can tell how much the two of you have trained together. Both of you have an inner strength and physical prowess that we can use.”

“I’m a crofter at heart. Coinneach is the warrior. Yet you bested him.”

“Aye, a lass distracted him.”

Tamhas laughed and looked back at Aisling and Coinneach.

“’Twas a good thing that no lass can distract you like that,” Tristan continued.

“Aye.” Then Tamhas saluted Nelly with his sword.

Coinneach chuckled. “I didna know you were into matchmaking, Aisling.” He kissed her forehead.

“I didna know I was either. Nelly is my best friend at the castle, and she’s so sweet, and so is Tamhas. Maybe the two of them will make a match if they are suited to each other.”

“Aye. Only our wolf senses can tell. My parents are doing all right after the battle we had with the Viking raiders?”

“They are. They were glad to see me and asked about you. They were surprised to see me without you,” Aisling said.

“We come as a pair. I…” Aisling sighed. “I told your family that my mother approved of our marriage. They are thrilled, of course, but I should have waited for us to tell them together.”

“Nay, I’m glad they know. I wouldna have been able to tell them until after duty tonight.”

“Your brother did well against Tristan. Do you think he was easier on Tamhas because he was afraid to cut him and earn your wrath?”

Coinneach folded his arms. “Nay. Tamhas used many of the techniques Alasdair and I use, so he did just fine.”

Drustan fought Tamhas next, worrying Coinneach. But Drustan took a teaching posture, showing Tamhas how to defend himself when attacked, and how to take the offensive.

Coinneach relaxed, feeling he could trust Drustan not to hurt his brother, and wrapped his arm around Aisling’s waist. She snuggled closer to him. While he worked at the castle, he loved having intimate moments with her like this.

Once the practice fighting session ended, everyone cheered and returned to work.

Tamhas had proved he could fight well against an enemy. With more training, he would be even better. “Good job, brother,” Coinneach said, slapping him on the back.

“Thanks. I think I learned a lot. And you were right. Fighting different opponents helps to improve skills.”

“I would have thought you were already one of the soldiers at the keep after seeing you fight so well,” Nelly said, encouraging him with praise.

Tamhas’s ears reddened a wee bit at the unexpected compliment as he smiled at Nelly.

Aodhan joined them. “You have your brother’s spirit, Tamhas. Come, sit with us at our table for the meal.”

Coinneach frowned. “We are supposed to be on guard duty after watching the fight.”

Aodhan asked Drustan, “Can we have a meal with Tamhas at the great hall and then return to duty?”

Drustan smiled. “Aye.”

Then they all headed with the other men to wash up while Nelly and Aisling hurried to the keep. Drustan talked to Tamhas about sword fighting and farming while washing up at another water barrel across the inner bailey.

“What will Cook think if Tamhas steals Nelly from her duties?” Aodhan asked Coinneach as he used a wet cloth to wash his face and hands. Then he dried off.

Coinneach leaned against the rock wall, his arms folded across his chest. “That is the way of things. It doesna mean they will hit it off once they get to know each other better.”

Aodhan cast him his signature smirk that said he didn’t believe it.

Coinneach only knew how he felt about Aisling and how he had wanted her after seeing her.

Did Tamhas feel that way about Nelly? The lass seemed sure to be intrigued by his brother.

Working at the croft, they hadn’t interacted with the lasses when they were off to the village to get supplies for the castle, since men had often accompanied them.

Which made Coinneach wonder why Blair and Aisling had been alone when he had first met them. He knew it had to have been a case of fate.

Then the men all headed into the castle to break their fast. Coinneach hoped he hadn’t made an enemy of the two men who had to take their places on the wall walk. Tamhas stood tall and grand, and Coinneach was proud of him.

Drustan walked in with them, and Aodhan ushered Coinneach and Tamhas to his table. Coinneach was glad that Aodhan honored him by inviting him to dine with them.

However, the highlight for Coinneach was when Aisling served them. Instead, Nelly did. Coinneach frowned. Then he wondered if Aisling had asked Cook to allow Nelly to serve them instead so she could see more of Tamhas.

Nelly gave Tamhas two slices of bread instead of Aodhan, and Coinneach laughed. But Aodhan was of good humor and didn’t tell Nelly she had made a mistake when she didn’t give the second portion of bread to Aodhan.

Then she finally hurried to serve the rest of the table, smiling at Tamhas on the way back to the kitchen.

“What say you about the lass?” Coinneach asked his brother.

“She is bonny. Thanks be to thee, Aodhan, for allowing me to eat with you today.” Tamhas finished his second slice of bread, which should have been Aodhan’s.

Coinneach was resigned to seeing Nelly bring the rest of their meal as he finally saw Aisling serving the women’s table again. But he would meet up with Aisling after the meal before he returned to his duty on the wall walk.

When the meal was done, everyone got ready to leave the table.

Coinneach said to his brother. “I’m going to say goodbye to Aisling. Do you want to also?” He meant for his brother to say goodbye to Nelly, but he didn’t want to embarrass his brother in front of Aodhan.

“I will see you at the wall walk,” Aodhan said to Coinneach. “And thanks for joining us in the practice fight and for the meal.”

“My pleasure,” Tamhas said. “Aye, I’ll join you, Coinneach.”

He and Coinneach headed for the kitchen, where the women were preparing their meals to set on the table. Nelly immediately greeted them. “You did well at the practice fight.”

The tips of Tamhas’s ears reddened. “I learned a lot.”

Aisling hurried over to hug Coinneach. “I was proud of you for no’ joining the fight.”

“Your mother might no’ have stitched me up a third time if I hadna heeded her warning. And Drustan would be sure to give me grief if I had to spend more time sleeping in the barracks.”

“Well, I’d best be getting back to the farm,” Tamhas said to Nelly. “It was good seeing you again.”

“I would like it if we could see each other again. Mayhap when I forage for nuts, berries, and mushrooms in the forest.”

“Aye, I would like that.”

Then Coinneach kissed Aisling, and they said their goodbyes so the lasses could eat their meal. “I’ll bring your meal for later,” Aisling said, giving Coinneach another kiss, and then she turned to help carry plates of food to the table.

Coinneach smiled. “I look forward to it.” And another hug and kiss. If only she could sleep with him again tonight.