The Laird's Future Bride (14 page)

“Ye are right. I expected everything to fall into place. I wanted her to be like me idea of a daughter, but she’s nay, and I canna make her into something she is not. She is miserable trying to be something she is nay and keeping quiet in her opinions. Holly isn’t a sewer or embroiderer. She doesn’t want to discuss the stitches or what color would go better with something. I ken she is bored. We need to find something she likes.”

“The kitchen. She liked the women in there.”

His mother nodded. “Ye go find her and talk to her. Nay making grandbabies, let her talk. I’ll go and talk to the kitchen women. I think we should make her something special for her birthday. She told me she liked carrot cake.”

He smiled at his mother before he turned and left in search of his wife. He found her in the stables, talking to her horse.

“You’re my friend, aren’t you? I would have gone crazy without you.” The horse nickered and rubbed against Holly. “Do you think I’ve just made my time here worse with my little outbreak? Maybe Magan will think I’m too crazy for her son and find a way to send me home. Duncan’s dad already doesn’t like me.”

“Ye are home, Holly. And me da does like ye. He’s just worried about the clan.” Duncan pulled Holly to him, only for her to burst into tears.

“I’m miserable here. Let me go home.”

“Nay. Never.” He wouldn’t let her go. He kenned that his life was with her now, and he wasn’t going to live without her. Duncan didn’t care right now if he were being selfish. He loved going to bed each night with her in his arms and waking up in the morning with her on top of him. “Why dinna ye tell me about this being the day of yer birth?”

Holly hiccupped against him and pulled away. “I didn’t know if you celebrated birthdays. Not only that, last year I didn’t celebrate because it felt wrong after losing my parents, and this year I was going to go out with my friend but here it all feels different. I don’t have any friends to talk to and tell things to, and I don’t know what I can do to celebrate.”

“I’m yer friend.”

“No, you’re not. You’re my husband. I know you’re busy being laird.”

“I told ye I would make time for ye. Dinna ye like ye're riding lessons?”

“Yeah, I do.” She reached up and brushed her lips over his, lingering against them. “I just wish I could spend time with you other times. I want to help the clan. I want to help you. I want to see what you do as laird. I don’t expect to watch you and help you every day, just an hour or so every couple of days. I know we have time to talk and get to know each other every night and most mornings, but you want...” Holly turned a pretty red. “I want to do other things.”

“I can do that. It would be good for ye to learn what I do.” Duncan should have thought of what Holly had suggested, but he’d been so busy trying to sort out the border feud and get used to his married life, it just hadn’t occurred to him. Duncan wasn’t used to having someone to talk to every night, or ask opinions on things. He usually asked his parents or brother. Holly was his wife, and they should be partners like his parents were. “Come back with me and we’ll get some food.”

She nodded, and they started the walk back to the keep.

“How about we go to the loch?”

Holly’s eyes brightened, and she beamed up at him. “I would love that.”

“Morrow morn I can take ye down to see Emily. I ken you liked her.”

Holly threw her arms around him. “Thank you. That would be great.”

Duncan held Holly tight, breathing in her flowery scent. He went back over everything she said in the keep. “Ye ken, Holly, that I dinna want ye to be someone ye’re nay. I dinna need ye to be good at sewing or embroidery. I have people to do that for me, us. I dinna marry ye so ye could do any of that. Ye are nay useless. Ye do other things like yer gardening, and I kenned ye liked the kitchen. I just want ye to be happy. I dinna care what others think. I’m the laird and I kenned ye were mine from the moment I met ye. I dinna and still nay care what ye can and can’t do for this clan. Ye do everything for me. I want ye to be yerself. I want ye happy like ye make me.”

Holly kissed him and ran her fingers through his hair. Her tongue sought his, and he savored her sweet taste. Slowly, she eased away, her fingers still threaded through his braid. “I make you happy?”

“Aye, Holly, ye do.”

Holly walked hand in hand with Duncan to the kitchen to get some food before they went to the loch. She was excited to go back to the gorgeous watering hole. The place was right out of a fantasy, with bushes surrounding the clear water with boulders placed around it. Holly had wanted to go again, but she hadn’t known where to go. This time she would watch so she could come back on her own.

They arrived at the kitchen, and Mary smiled as she came in. “Mistress Holly, it’s good to see ye in here. We have nay seen ye since ye spent the morn. I hope we dinna scare ye off.”

“No. You didn’t do anything. I thought after what I said and how you reacted you’d not want me in here making you feel uncomfortable, or saying things that offend you.”

“I ken ye was brought up different,” Edna said to her as she cut some bread. “We all have different ways. I’m sure there’ll be things that I’ll think is wrong, and ye’ll get upset over.”

Holly felt a weight lift off her. She’d not come back to help in the kitchen because she’d thought she offended them. “I’m so happy I didn’t offend any of you. I’d love to spend my mornings in here helping. I’m not the sewer or embroiderer.”

“Dinna worry, me Lady, I’m not verra good at that either,” Edna smiled at her.

Duncan cleared his throat loudly. “Now that is sorted out, I’d like something to eat for Lady Holly and I. Something special would be nice, as it’s the day of her birth today.”

Mary beamed at her. “I have some fruit tarts here, but I’ll make you a nice surprise to have after evening meal.

Holly smiled. She wouldn’t stay quiet anymore. She wasn’t going to be something she wasn’t. If Duncan was happy and her kitchen friends could forgive her, she could be who she was, and everyone else would just have to get used to her.

They’d spent the morning at the loch, and Holly knew she’d be able to find it if she needed to now. She and Duncan sat in a gorgeous meadow filled with bluebells, eating the lunch Mary had packed for them.

“Can I ask ye why I was ye first at yer age? Ye're so beautiful.” Duncan’s question startled her, and Holly had to think on her answer.

“In my time, I’m not all that special, well, I don’t feel it. There are so many people, and we use technology that helps our looks.” Holly smiled brightly, showing her teeth. “My straight teeth are because I had braces. They are a device that stays on your teeth to help them into the right place.”

“Me mother helped my teeth, and my brother’s, with a spell.”

Holly shivered, not a fan of the magic she’d seen so far from Magan.

Duncan chuckled. “Mother does other magic besides meddling in me life and bringing women to me.”

“Do you have any powers?” Holly was curious, though she hadn’t seen him use any. His father had said when he and Callam had fought the big fight, they had both been using their powers.

“Aye, I have them. I suppress them. It is nay good to show ye're too different in this time. But what powers I have do help me and those around me. I have increased strength, stamina, commanding presences, so much so that nay one but ye and me parents ever say nay to me, and I can cast spells. I have a protection spell around MacLeod land that stops any witch hunters from coming onto me land, or anyone who would harm the supernatural. I also have a spell that pulls supernatural people here, so they ken where to go to be safe.”

“What powers does the rest of your family have?”

Duncan grinned. “Well as ye ken me mother can do spells, make things appear and disappear, bring things forward or back like in time like she did ye. She also has healing powers. Me da has the same as me. Although he is more powerful with his spells.”

“And Callam?”

“Callam has the strength, stamina, and charm. He got mother’s healing as well.”

Holly leaned into Duncan and rested her head on his chest, content just to cuddle. “It explains why he said his charm should get me.”

Duncan wrapped his hands around her waist and growled, “Ye dinna fall for it cos ye are mine.” He pulled her back against him and nuzzled her neck. “Ye have nay finished me question. Why are ye nay married at yer age?”

“In my time, my age is still considered very young. I know women marry young here, but lots of people don’t get married until a lot later in life where I’m from.” Holly shrugged. “I was asked on dates all the time. My father said I drew people, especially men, boys, like bees to honey. I was just never fond of the guys my age because they all seemed so immature.” She sighed and winked at Duncan. “I‘ve always had a thing for older men. I like the conversation better. They have more life experience. The boys who asked me out were all from my school or another close by, and I got the same lines all the time. ‘Hey, babe, you’re hot. Want me to cool you down?’ or ‘Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?’” She couldn’t even say that line without rolling her eyes. “I was never interested in any of them. Jane called me a man magnet. She said they took one look at me and fell in love. She would laugh because I have even had women crack onto me.”

Holly turned to see Duncan’s eyes widen as a smirk came over his face. She straddled his lap and took Duncan’s lips to hers. “I had kissed before, but nothing like what it feels like when I kiss you.”

“Good. Ye're mine. I’m glad I’m the only one who can make ye feel this.” He captured her mouth again with a kiss that spoke of possession and need that Holly knew would always be there. Duncan pulled back as a twig snapped. He flung her off him and stood with his sword ready, facing the woods.

Five men broke through the trees, none as big as Duncan but they all held swords and each wore a fierce scowl. But nothing was as scary as Duncan’s face.

“McCoys, what are ye doing on MacLeod land?”

“We came to get some of our sheep back, but yer lass looks much better to take,” said the smallest of the bunch, a stocky black-haired man, leering at her.

“Over me cold, dead body.” The steel in Duncan’s voice had Holly shivering and feeling sorry for the men.

“That can be arranged.” The five men charged Duncan and she screamed, backing up.

Holly watched, fascinated and terrified, as Duncan took on five men, and none of their swords came close to scratching him. Duncan looked magnificent, an avenging god in action. His muscles bulged, and the fierce determination entrenched on his face alone should have killed the men. Duncan seemed to be everywhere, and soon one man fell, and another.

Holly debated if she should go and get help, but she didn’t want to leave Duncan alone, and he did look like he was handling it. When two more men came out of the brush and one came at Duncan’s back, Holly knew she needed to help him. Scrambling back, she stood and looked around for anything she could use as a weapon. Grabbing the knives they’d used to eat with, she carefully stalked the one who was going for Duncan’s back.

When she was close enough, she jumped on his back as he went for Duncan, who was successfully holding off the other men. “You are a coward,” she yelled, furious at the man who was attacking Duncan from behind. The man fought back, and Holly knew her life was in grave danger. Using all her strength, she stabbed his neck.

“Ye whore,” he grunted, which turned into a gurgle as he clutched the knives she’d stuck into his neck. Blood poured from his wounds, and Holly knew she’d cut an artery. She fell off him, terrified of what she’d done.

“I’m… I… Oh, God, what have I done… I’m sorry.”

One of the attackers roared with rage as he saw the man Holly had killed. The man ran at Holly with death for her clear in his eyes. Holly stumbled and backed up. She must have given Duncan the advantage, because as the man’s sword was inches from her, Duncan spun him around and impaled him on his bloody sword.

Holly looked around her to see all the strange men dead. Her eyes flashed to Duncan, who stared down at her, covered in blood and looking the scariest she’d ever seen him.

“What the hell where ye thinking, woman?”

“I’ve killed a man,” she whispered before she turned and threw up until she was dry heaving. Holly felt Duncan’s hand on her back, and she flinched away. Suddenly she stood. “I need to get clean.” Running as fast as she could, she ran to the loch. She needed to be clean.
Oh, God, she’d killed a man
.