"Fretting, lass?” Dungally pulled his great black mount in step with her golden palomino to ride along beside her.
She gave him an icy stare. “I don't see how you and Jamie could plot behind my back to set my wishes aside so callously,” she replied. “I never wanted to get married again, and ye knew it."
"Ye didn't have to agree,” he said reasonably. “But ye needed a husband, and Gallagher will make a fine one for ye."
"If I didn't agree, he would have brought war to the clan,” she retorted. “I didn't want to see anyone hurt because of me."
Dungally smiled down at her, his grizzled head nodding. “Aye, ye have a soft heart, lass, in spite of your harsh words. Tis as I would have expected though ... a man has the right to fight for his place. In his shoes, I would have done the same."
"Ye men are all alike,” she mocked cynically. “Ye have to have your own way, and any woman that gets caught in the middle is just ground up and spewn out. I still can't believe you and Jamie went to the King behind my back and didn't even tell me about it.” Her body bristled with anger, her back stiff and straight in the saddle.
"We didn't think it necessary."
"Its MY life, Dungally! I hate being moved about as if my feelings don't matter! Ye never even consulted me.” She paused then, looking him in the eye. Why did ye tell him about Soren?"
"I thought it necessary. Otherwise, he would not have been willing to marry ye."
Eileen laughed in bitter outrage. “Who made ye the judge of what's necessary? Ye knew I didn't want to get married, and ye paved the way for him ... long in advance. Ye had no right, Dungally, no right at all!"
Dungally reached out and laid a large finger alongside her soft cheek. “Don't be sour, Eileen. Gallagher is nothing like the old Laird ... try to enjoy life and think of him as a blessing to ye."
"Of course, ye would see that way,” she replied caustically. “Ye men always think ye know what's best, and ye move us around like pieces on a chessboard. I hate it!"
She angrily spurred Delilah ahead, giving Jamie a furious scowl as she passed him. She galloped on ahead until she was well in advance of the men behind her and then slowed to a walk once again. Looking behind, she saw her faithful guard had resumed their place, and she snorted in disgust.
Deciding she had had enough of their protection, she whirled around to face them. “I'm going into the woods a bit to see to my needs, and I don't want ye following me, is that clear?"
They nodded cautiously. “We'll just wait here, M'lady, until ye return,” said Garth, the leader of the two. He folded his thickly corded arms across his chest and prepared to wait. Twenty minutes later, he was frowning, his thick brows drawn together.
"Go see what's keeping the lass,” he ordered Duncan.
When Duncan returned, he looked worried. “I can't find her. I think she has given us the slip!” The younger Scot ran his hand through his heavy blonde hair as he stared up at Garth. “What do we do now?"
"We'd best tell Gallagher, and then spread out to find her,” he instructed, wheeling his horse back towards the clan behind them.
"He's not going to like this,” replied Duncan uneasily, as he followed Garth.
"No, Dungally and Jamie won't like it either,” replied Garth, scowling. “The wench ought to be spanked."
"Aye,” agreed Duncan, grinning at the thought of the fierce Eileen over Gallagher or Dungally's knee. “That twould be a sight, for certain.” They thundered up to Gallagher and quickly informed him of the circumstances.
"Keep going, we'll catch up later,” ordered Gallagher to Dungally, once Garth and Duncan had explained. “If not, I'll meet ye at Castle McCrae."
"Maybe you should take a couple of men with you,” replied Dungally. “Canton may be about."
"Nay, I can take care of us.” Gallagher's eyes were hard and flinty. “I think I need some time alone with my bride anyway. We need to get a few things straight."
"Go on with ye then,” chuckled Dungally. “Just don't be too hard on the lass."
"Aye, she has been through a lot in the last three years,” added Jamie. His big brown eyes were worried, and Gallagher knew he genuinely cared for Eileen. “She is not used to being guarded so closely."
"Until we can determine that Canton is not a threat, she will just have to get used to it,” responded Gallagher decisively. He wheeled his black stallion around and galloped away, bent on finding his runaway bride.
Jamie brooded as he watched Gallagher, envious of his new position as Eileen's husband. He, Jamie, would have liked to marry Eileen himself, but he knew she wouldn't have him. She just didn't see him in that light and besides, he had known Gallagher would return one day to claim his place. He hadn't wanted to be in the line of fire when that happened. Cursing himself for his cowardice, he galloped on ahead ... wanting to be alone with his thoughts.
Dungally shook his graying head at Jamie. The lad would never have made a clan leader; he didn't have the strength or the courage, and he had known it. It just wasn't in his nature to be a fighter, although he had been an aid to Donald Brincairn himself. Dungally pitied him that position.
He knew the lad had wanted Eileen for himself, but in this world, if ye weren't man enough to reach out and take what ye wanted, ye got left behind.
Dungally urged his roan gelding forward, thinking of the young girl that had endured so much. She deserved a strong man like Gallagher ... nay, she needed his firm hand to keep her in line, and that same hand to stretch his cloak of protection about her. She was in danger of becoming a bitter old shrew if something didn't happen to change it, and Dungally figured Gallagher was just the man for the job. He could see the tension between the two already, and figured it was only a matter of time before they realized they were attracted to each other. He chuckled in satisfaction. It looked like planning ahead had paid off.
* * * *
Gallagher picked up Eileen's trail easily, his years of tracking with Jamie for highland bobcats, coming in handy. It was something that stayed with you even though he hadn't had much cause to use it on a pirate's ship. Besides, she wasn't making an effort to hide her tracks.
He paused in the clearing full of the delicate lavender thistle and searched the small flowers for traces of crushed heads. Leaning down from his saddle, he heard the whiz as the arrow cut through the air above him and landed with a thunk in the broad trunk of the tree to his left. Crouching low over Minion's back, he urged the horse into the tree cover, drawing his sword from its scabbard.
He slid from his horse and stealthily moved several feet away; working in the direction the arrow had come from. When he heard mocking laughter floating on the breeze, he looked across the clearing and saw Eileen step from behind the tree and take her arrow from it. With an impudent grin, she bowed slightly and melted into the shadows, taking the arrow with her.
He replaced the sword with a disgruntled growl. So, she wants to play games, does she? He quickly worked his way back to Minion, only to find him gone!
Drawing his sword again, Gallagher looked hastily around, checking for footprints in the soft earth. Minion would never have left on his own; the horse was too well trained ... that meant someone had taken him!
Kneeling down, he spied the indentation of a small booted footstep, and he studied it carefully. At last, he rose, satisfied that it was his intractable bride. His list of reasons to put her over his knee for a long hard spanking was growing, he decided.
He replaced his sword once again, and checked the area, locating the point where she had joined Minion with Delilah, satisfying himself that she had both horses and was leading Minion. The little minx!
Making a swift decision, he set off through the woods at an easy pace. It was easier to wind around through the trees and get to LaCra faster on foot, than by horseback along the wider trail. And he knew she would be going that direction, she had to in order to get through the highland pass over Craniloch. LaCra was a small village just before the pass, and it wasn't
very far away.
A few hours later, Gallagher cut back to the main trail and followed it for a while, looking for Minion's signs. Seeing none, he was satisfied that he had gotten ahead of her.
Looking at the deep red sun slowly sinking below the horizon, he settled down behind a boulder outcropping where he had a good view of the trail coming across the meadow slightly below him, to wait. If he was right, it shouldn't be very long. If he were wrong ... he shifted uneasily on his rock hard chair, trying not to think about Canton intercepting his wife in the forest. He'd give her a few more minutes, if she didn't show up; he'd start backtracking. He was willing to bet that Canton was miles away though, heading for a rabbit hole to regroup.
As the daylight waned, he thought about Canton, not remembering much about him except that he hadn't liked him. He had met him once, in a Clash of the Clans meet, and thought him ruthless and sly.
Everyone in the highlands had known of Clanton's victory over Morgan McAlester in the duel for the inheritance of the McAlester lands and fortunes, and Gallagher had wondered how that could have happened. However, he had been too intent on his own troubles at the time to worry about someone else. Apparently, he and Morg had left the highlands about the same time. It was ironic how they had met each other again, hundreds of miles from their Scottish homeland.
When a soft whinny floated across the meadow and caught Gallagher's ears, he sat up straighter, his eyes straining to see in the gathering dusk. A few seconds later, they came into view ... Eileen on Delilah, and Minion behind them on a leading rope.
He watched them for a few minutes, taking the time to study his stubborn little bride without her knowing it. She looked rather dejected instead of triumphant, her shoulders slumping forward as she sat her horse, her head bowed. Was she sleeping?
Gallagher frowned.
He supposed she might not have gotten much sleep the night before, especially after his bullying her into agreeing to marry him. However, he brushed his guilt away as he realized she was keeping his horse with her. Obviously, she intended him to walk to Castle McCrae! She was in for a rude awakening, he decided. He wouldn't make her walk when he got her safely back, but he would make sure she wasn't that comfortable with the ride either!
* * * *
Eileen's head was drooping, her eyes closing as the steady gait of Delilah lulled her into a false sense of security. She shook her head and tried to clear away some of the sleepiness that threatened to overtake her. She couldn't afford to let her guard down. Gallagher was out there somewhere, and he had probably gone back to the clan to get another horse by now. He might even catch up with her before the night was over. She needed to find a place to spend the night, or keep moving.
She yawned and stretched, looking around her at the falling twilight. She knew she was close to LaCra. Another half hour or so and she could be settling into a nice soft cot at Mary's cottage. She always had a welcome there. She decided to keep going. She could hide Minion and Delilah in Mary and Allen's stable. Gallagher would never find her there. She smirked to herself, satisfied that she had shown him she could take care of herself.
When the sharp whistle pierced the air, Eileen was unprepared. With a snort, Minion reared up and whinnied, then took off at an instant gallop, dragging Delilah with him. It was Minion who was leading now, and with the rope tied to Delilah's saddle, Delilah automatically took off after him, following his lead like a subservient female. Eileen cursed as she grabbed the reins and tried to pull Delilah in, but the little mare was rebelling, not wanting to return to her control.
It was only a matter of seconds before Minion came to a halt in front of the mocking Gallagher, and Eileen looked into the piercing eyes of her handsome husband.
"Let go of my horse,” she said icily as his hand reached out to take Delilah's bridle. Her hand flew to the rope to release Minion from her saddle, but Gallagher reached up and grabbed her hand, tugging her from the saddle.
Eileen screeched as she felt herself falling, and she landed against his hard chest, her free hand scrabbling at his shoulder to control her fall. She felt his other arm grip her below her buttocks and hoist her on over his shoulder, where he then slapped her protruding rear end several times, his hard hand burning through her riding skirt with a vengeance. She bucked straight up, kicking against his thighs uncontrollably as she cried out in pain.
"Let go of me, damn you,” she hissed through clenched teeth.
Gallagher simply carried her, struggling and kicking over to a large rock. He sat her on her feet and held onto her arm with one hand, while his other hand went to his belt. His silver eyes burning into hers, he deftly unsnapped the Brincairn crested buckle and drew the wide strap from its loops.
Eileen began to struggle in earnest, kicking out at him, trying to free her arm from his iron grasp. “Ye are not going to use that thing on me; I won't allow it,” she demanded stridently, her face blanching at the grim determination on his. Her buttocks were already burning from the hard slaps he had administered, and she was close to panicking at the thought of that broad belt landing across her tender cheeks.
"Ye are in no position to demand anything, wife, and ye are about to find out what happens when ye disobey my orders.” Grimly he sat and dragged her over his lap. Folding the long belt in half, he lifted his arm and brought it crashing down in the middle of her wriggling backside.
She yelped vigorously, the strap feeling poker hot as he lashed her again and again across her bucking rear end, her hips thrashing from side to side in a valiant effort to mitigate the chastisement.
Eileen whimpered in pain, clenching her teeth to keep from begging him to stop. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction! After what seemed like an endless barrage of scorching slashes, she could deny it no longer, and she finally gave in, a harsh sob tearing from her chest. “Please...” she begged, groaning. “Please ... stop..."
He paused. “Are ye going to obey from now on?"
She nodded her head up and down, the tears rolling down her cheeks and plopping onto the tiny wildflowers clamoring for a hold along the flinty edges of the rocks. She cried out when he landed another blazing stripe across her lower buttocks.
"I can't hear ye, wife."
"Yesss!” She reluctantly squealed her agreement, wishing she had never agreed to marry him. She hated him at that moment, and her eyes blurred as more hot tears sprang into them. He had managed to turn her life upside down overnight, and was now making her cry, something she hadn't done in ages. She didn't dare refute his claim to her as his wife, though, not in the position she was in at the moment.
When he hauled her upright, she tried to scramble away from him, but he wouldn't let her. He forced her to sit on her painful rear end, perched on his hard thigh. She knotted her hands into fists and refused to look at him, her braid falling down to shield the side of her face from his gaze as she sobbed hoarsely.
Gallagher studied her bent head, aware that she was still defying him, even though she had agreed to obey him. She was a stubborn lass, he decided, feeling her animosity like something tangible. What would it take to make her soft and compliant?
When he raised his hand to lift her chin, she jerked and shrank away suddenly, as if he had been going to strike her. He frowned, and then he gently approached her face, putting his big finger under her small chin to lift her head so he could look into her eyes.
"I will never hit ye, Eileen. Is that what ye thought?"
"Ye just did,” she replied defiantly, her eyes wet with tears and blinking scornfully at him. “Over and over."
"That's different. That was a spanking, one ye richly deserved. But I will never raise my hand to ye, nor mistreat ye in that way."
"Ye expect me to believe that?"
"Aye, I do, because it is true.” He gently ran his thumb across her wet cheek, brushing the tears away. “My father struck ye though, didn't he?"
Her eyelids closed, and she refused to answer or look at him.
"Never mind, I alre
ady know the answer.” He scowled darkly. “I am not my father, lass. Ye can trust me.” Impulsively, he leaned down and kissed her closed eyelids, his lips gentle as he touched her delicate skin. Her eyes sprang open, and he saw shock and amazement in their purple depths, just before the guarded look returned.
He held her chin in his fingers as he placed a soft kiss on the end of her nose, then wandered down to beseech the trembling lips for a taste of their sweetness. She gasped suddenly, and her hands came up between them, pushing frantically at his broad chest.
Reluctantly, he backed off and lifted her to her feet. “Come on, its time to set up a camp, and I don't want to do it here by the roadside.” He took the horses’ reins in one hand, and his subdued wife by the other, and led them to spot a few minutes away. He had scouted it out earlier, a restful spot near a small babbling brook.
While Eileen washed her flushed face in the stream, he got a fire going, keeping an eye on her at the same time. He wouldn't put it past her to bolt, in spite of her promise. When she returned, he patted the blankets he had laid out, indicating she should sit down.
"I'm not tired yet,” Eileen said, some of her earlier defiance returning. She watched him warily, not sure what he was up to. If he thought she was going to sleep with him, he was crazy, and her bottom hurt. She didn't want to sit down.
"Come, lay down here on your belly,” he instructed, patting the blanket again.
"What for?” She asked suspiciously.
"I want to look at your arse, that's why,” he explained patiently, his eyes glowing in the moonlight. “Now, obey your husband, and lay down."
"No, I don't want you to.” She stepped back nervously when he stood up.
"Didn't ye just promise to obey me?"
"But ... but...” Eileen didn't realize how dark her eyes had gone, and Gallagher knew suddenly that she was afraid. She didn't trust him to keep his word concerning his husbandly rights. His mouth tightened.
Highland Revenge Page 5
