His Highland Heart

by Willa Blair

  “Have ye no’ noticed?” Though she kept her voice low, Euan must have heard.

  “Noticed what?” he asked as he and Calum joined them.

  “That my belly’s been rumbling since we came out here,” she improvised. “Surely ’tis time to break our fast?”

  “May we join ye?” Calum asked, his hungry gaze on Ella.

  Muireall and Ella exchanged a glance.

  “If ye dinna mind, that is,” he added.

  “We dinna mind,” Ella told him and smiled.

  Euan watched their brief byplay with interest.

  Calum wore his heart on his sling. His interest in Ella had been obvious to Muireall from the beginning. No doubt Euan was well aware, as well. Only Ella had seemed oblivious, but she took men fawning over her as the way the world worked. Nothing unusual.

  As those who’d seen Iain and Annie off filed into the great hall and settled at the tables, breakfast became a cheerful, noisy affair. Euan seemed relaxed, even happy, for the first time since the night they’d gone up on the roof. That thought made her think of his kisses, and of how he’d clung to her, breathing her in and tasting her as if starved for only her.

  He’d taken the place next to her on the bench and while he actively participated in the table’s conversation, his thigh brushed hers often enough for her to know it was deliberate.

  Her body responded. She knew she blushed by the heat in her cheeks, but she hoped the others would assume her high color came from laughter, not from Euan’s proximity. She could smell him, a satisfying hint of male musk that filled her with longing to see if he tasted as good. And the rumble of his voice vibrated along her nerve endings, making her want to squirm to ease the sudden tightness of her core. She needed…something. She knew not what, but she knew whatever it was, it had to come from Euan. And soon. And she could do something about that.

  She dropped her hands into her lap once everyone’s attention seemed to be on someone further down the table, then gently, carefully, laid her palm on Euan’s thigh.

  He froze.

  She felt the muscle under her hand tense hard as a rock, then soften slightly as he widened his legs and pushed his thigh tightly against hers.

  “Ye are playing with fire, lass,” he whispered to her, all the while keeping his gaze down the table and a grin on his face as if his entire focus was there, not on her…or her hand and where it lay.

  “Am I?” she breathed and let her hand slide up his leg until she encountered a hardness so hot, even through his trews it nearly singed her skin.

  Euan hissed, leaned one elbow on the table and covered his mouth with one fist. With the other, he reached under the table and slid her hand more fully over what she’d found. She glanced aside at him under her lashes. His color had heightened, but that was the only outward sign pressing and sliding her palm over his staff affected him. Under her palm, he stirred and lengthened, growing even hotter.

  Suddenly he groaned and lifted her hand away. “I…ye…canna,” he told her softly from behind his hand and dropped her hand back in her lap. “No’ here.”

  She nearly asked him where then? but managed to press her lips closed. She glanced at Ella, but her attention was on the speaker down the table, as was Calum’s. Thank the saints.

  What had gotten into her? Touching Euan that way…teasing him…was foolish in the extreme. And unfair, though to be fair, he’d started it by pressing his thigh against hers again and again. Aye, she decided, he’d gotten no more than he deserved.

  She felt him take a few deep breaths, then he stood. “If ye will excuse me, I have tasks to take care of.”

  She nodded and smiled, careful to keep her gaze on his and not to allow it to drop to where her hand had been shortly before.

  He left without another word, filling Muireall with a satisfied sense of power. She had gotten to him for a change. She could do it again. Soon. It would have to be soon, if she truly wanted him. She was running out of time to remain at Brodie.

  Calum startled her out of her pleasant rumination by standing and making his excuses as well.

  As if Euan and then Calum had started something, most of the rest of the table cleared quickly, leaving Muireall and Ella alone.

  Ella’s gaze followed Calum. “He seems nice,” Ella said in answer to Muireall’s unspoken question. “But what was going on with ye and Euan?”

  Muireall colored and looked away. “Nothing, really.”

  “Ye are falling for him.”

  “Aye.” Muireall shook her head. “Nay. I canna. Georgie needs me.” And she suddenly recalled her father had hinted at an arrangement with Clan Grant. She had no business teasing Euan.

  “And Euan needs ye, too. And wants ye, or I miss my guess.”

  “He may want me, but he doesna need me. He can have any lass who takes his fancy.” Suddenly annoyed, Muireall pursed her lips and propped her elbows on the table, steepled her hands and rested her chin on them. She just wasn’t sure if she was annoyed with Euan or Ella or herself.

  “Listen to yerself. Ye are just trying to escape again. Only this time ye are no’ a prisoner.” Ella shrugged. “If ye feel what I think ye feel for him, dinna run away. Besides, where did yer escape attempts get ye the last time?”

  Muireall shuddered, recalling the sting of the lash. “’Tis no’ the same at all!” She slapped the table top with an open hand, then met Ella’s gaze and nodded. “And yet, in a way, it is. I see what ye mean. I canna leave my fate to strangers. I must act for myself.” she dropped her head into one palm. “Perhaps we should make our own plans to return to Munro.”

  “Euan doesna seem like a stranger to ye. Anyway, how would we go? Walk the entire way? Steal Brodie horses and ride? Ye might make it. Ye are a better rider than I. But I might no’.” She paused and looked up into a corner of the hall. “Oh, we could sail.” Then she returned her gaze to Muireall. “Nay, we dinna ken how to sail across the firth. I’m no’ of a mind to drown, thank ye.”

  Muireall clenched her fists. “There must be something we can do.”

  “Aye. Give Euan time to make good on his promise. Or fall for him and let him fall for ye. Ye might find ye’d rather have the man ye chose in yer bed than return to…what? A choice yer da makes for ye?”

  “Georgie…”

  “Georgie will be fine, with ye or without ye. He’s a smart lad. He’s yer brother, is he no’? He’ll find a way.”

  Chapter 14

  That night, Muireall woke suddenly, startled by…what? Was someone in her chamber? She’d blown out her candle hours ago. Darkness filled every corner. She lay still, breathing softly for a moment, until she realized the sounds she heard came from outside her window.

  She threw off the covers, got up and tiptoed across the cold floor to open the shutter and peer out. Below her, a handful of men were preparing horses to ride out. She glanced up and noted the position of the moon’s pale sliver. Where could they be going in the middle of the night?

  She watched for a few moments, her curiosity unsatisfied, until she spotted Euan among the men. Now she had to know. She dressed quickly and threw her warm cloak around her shoulders, then ran down stairs and out into the bailey.

  Approaching the men, she quickly spotted Euan’s taller form, his back to her as he did something with his mount’s saddle. She headed for him. “What’s going on?”

  Euan whirled, frowning in the gloom. The he nodded as he recognized her, but instead of the smile she expected, the frown returned. “What are ye doing out here at this time of night?”

  “I asked ye first.” Muireall planted her hands on her hips. “Where are ye going?”

  Euan’s shoulders dropped and he glanced around at the other men before returning his gaze to her. “Ye’ll find out soon enough, so I may as well tell ye. Duncan and Neil are going with me across the firth to free Eduard.”

  “What? Are ye going to ride all the way?”

  “Nay, we’ll sail. Angus will keep the horses at an outlying croft so it
looks like we did. And the Ross skiff, looking very different than it did only days ago, will get us there.”

  “Does Iain ken ye’re doing this? I thought he bade ye stay.”

  Euan frowned, then answered. “He doesna. I need to do this while he and Annie are gone to Rose—’tis a chance for her to visit her family, ye ken, so they’ll stay a few days.”

  “And he left no one to keep an eye on ye?”

  Euan grinned. “Aye, but they made the mistake of tryin’ to outdrink me this evening. They couldna, though they didna ken that until much too late. They’re sleeping it off and will likely regret it when they wake…for more than one reason.”

  “Aye. Iain will have their heads when he finds out,” Calum said, coming up behind Muireall.

  Surprised, she turned to him with narrowed eyes. “So ye are involved in this as well?”

  He shrugged one shoulder, lifting that arm, still in its sling. “As ye can see, I canna go. I’d be in the way. But I’m good with a hammer and pitch.”

  Muireall sniffed. When he wasn’t panting after Ella, Calum must have helped modify the Ross skiff.

  “So ye’ll stay behind to cover for this fool with his laird?” Muireall hooked a thumb at Euan, who also shrugged.

  “If they fail, ’twill no’ matter,” Calum said. “They willna return.”

  “Ah,” Euan added with a sly grin, “but if we succeed…”

  “Succeed at what?” Muireall challenged, suddenly furious at the mention of Euan not returning. “Getting Eduard out? Or not being seen by a Ross while ye do it?” She wanted to stamp her foot, but knew Euan would think that childish. Instead, she reached out a hand. “I canna stand the thought of ye in Ross hands.” When Euan didn’t grasp hers, but glanced aside at his mount, her anger returned. “Yer laird refused to send me home to keep ye two—and me—hidden from any Ross eyes. What makes ye think ye can do this without starting the war he fears?”

  Euan and Calum exchanged a glance. “I ken what I’m doing, lass,” Euan told her. “And I’ve seen the layout of the Ross village and the surrounding area. I got out before…”

  “Ye had to kill Donas to do it!” Muireall objected. “I’m grateful, mind ye, but this time ye risk much more than our three lives. And the risk to ye is much greater.”

  “I’ll be fine. We all will. ’Twill be a simple in and out.”

  Muireall took a breath. “If so, then take me with ye. They’ll expect ye to sail for home. Instead, ye can sail up the Cromarty firth and into Munro.” Her hopes soared when, for a moment, Euan seemed to consider it, his head tilted to the side, his gaze flicking to Calum, then back to her.

  One of the other men, came over. “We’d best go if we’re goin’, before ye lot wake up the entire keep.” He gave Muireall a long look, then when Euan hitched his chin, the man moved away.

  “The mouth of that firth is narrow,” Euan answered her, “and bordered on one side by Ross land. We’d be too exposed going in or coming out. Nay, lass, I prefer the wide open lady Moray.”

  “Do ye?” She hated herself for saying it, but she feared Euan would not come back to her. “She tried to kill ye once, and took one or more of yer men.”

  A muscle in his jaw jumped, but the tone of his response was even. “She can be a bitch, aye, but she’s a bitch I ken better than most. I’m sorry, lass, but ye must remain here, where ye’ll be safe.”

  She crossed her arms. “Safe until all of Ross comes for Brodie.”

  “I willna let that happen.” Euan finished fussing with his saddle and turned to her.

  “Then stay here until Iain returns. Until his men return with news from Munro.” She put a hand on his arm. “Ye risk too much.”

  He squeezed her hand. “I started this. I must be the one to finish it.”

  Muireall’s heart leapt into her throat. “Ye may no’ be able to do that except by surrendering to Silas.”

  “That’s where ye’re wrong, lass. We’ll get Eduard out before they ken he’s gone. Freeing him will buy Iain time. Silas willna be in control forever.”

  Muireall jerked her hand out from under his. “She doesna have to be. Yer lifetime will be long enough.”

  Many hours later, Euan was cramped, tired and frustrated. He and his companions had hunkered down in the brush outside the Ross village and stayed quiet all morning. Ross patrols had passed them by twice, providing a few minutes’ relief from the tedium. Other than that, all the activity in the village had been normal, everyday comings and goings—and there’d been no sign of Eduard.

  “Damn it, I hoped we’d see him by now,” Duncan complained. “Ye’d think they’d let him out of wherever they’re holding him to pish.”

  “Unless he’s in no shape to move about,” Neil warned.

  A disturbance started near one of the buildings. Euan waved them to silence as voices reached them. In moments, a woman he presumed to be Silas came into view. She had the imperious look of someone used to being obeyed. Her erect posture and stern expression were telling. But the men who surrounded her gave Euan the strongest impression. All but one—the largest man—bent toward her, listening, almost bowing to her. They must be her most loyal backers.

  “Ye canna just kill him,” Euan heard the largest man say as they got close enough for him to make out the words. “He’s worth too much in trade…”

  “To the Brodies? They have nothing I want, Erik, except the man who killed my husband.”

  Erik? Euan perked up. Silas was arguing with the man Muireall had been destined to marry, and who she and Ella thought would take over Ross now Donas was dead. But at the moment, Silas still seemed to be in charge.

  “I’d rather send their man’s dead body back as a warning,” Silas continued. “Followed by Ross warriors to kill them all and burn their holdings to the ground.”

  Euan pursed his lips. If Silas remained in power, the trouble that kept Iain awake at night could happen. He shifted his weight. It was up to him to prevent that.

  Erik folded his arms across his chest and took a wide-legged stance, squared off with Silas. The other men took a step back.

  That interested Euan greatly. So Erik did command respect—or fear—from the other Ross warriors. Yet he was the one arguing for a less bloodthirsty course.

  “Yer thirst for vengeance does ye nay credit as a leader, Silas. Ye will bring death and destruction to us all if ye continue on this path.”

  “This path? This path!” The outrage in her voice was unmistakable. “Ye call avenging my husband a path? I call it my due.”

  Erik shook his head, then glanced at the men around him and Silas. “I had hoped to give ye a decent interval to grieve before we took up clan business. But ye leave me nay choice, Silas Ross. I call for an election.”

  His announcement was met with shouts of assent from several of the men gathered around them.

  “Ye hear them.” He turned to face the men and raised his voice, not giving Silas time to respond. “Gather the clan. We must put this to a vote. Silas will force us into a conflict we have no business undertaking.”

  Euan could see the argument had drawn more of the clan, and the crowd was growing by ones and twos. The men pushed forward, but the women had gathered, too, standing toward the back or to the side of the two contenders for Ross leadership, well out of the way, he noted, if fighting broke out.

  “The time has come for new leadership,” Erik continued, turning slowly to address the growing crowd from one side to the other. “We’ll get no backing from the Earl, given the pressure from the Lord of the Isles and Duke of Albany.”

  Euan was happy to hear that. As long as these men thought they’d be fighting alone, they’d be slow to take up a battle. Where was Silas? She’d melted into the crowd. A shaft of dread speared down Euan’s spine to his gut. Was she positioning herself to attack Erik? Or taking advantage of the distraction Erik had caused to kill Eduard and present his body to the clan as a sign of her resolve?

  Frustration tightened Euan’s mu
scles. If that was what she meant to do, there was nothing he could do about it. The three of them could not enter the Ross camp without joining Eduard as Ross prisoners.

  “If Brodie calls on its allies, they will destroy us.” Erik continues speaking to the crowd, unaware his rival had gone…where?

  There she was! Euan finally spotted her, surrounded by a wall of her men. She had only stepped back into the protection of her supporters. Then she stepped toward Erik and called out, “He’s wrong.” She spread her arms wide, encompassing the men of the clan. “No one can defeat the warriors of clan Ross!”

  That pronouncement also got a cheer, loud and long. Euan’s heart sank. If Silas could whip them into a fighting frenzy, not only would Erik lose, Eduard would be in even greater danger.

  “Spoken like a lass.” Erik’s voice rang out above the noise. “A lass with no training and no experience fighting for her own life or the life of her clan.”

  Silas scowled and took a step toward Erik. “Ye think a woman canna lead?”

  Erik looked down at her, his expression mournful. “I think ye are mad with grief, lass.” That quieted the crowd. “And while I grieve with ye…”

  “Ha! Ye lie. Ye have wanted to be chief for years, but Donas was too strong for ye,” Silas scoffed, red-faced. “Now ye think the way is clear for ye to take over. Ye are wrong again!”

  With a wave of her hand, her phalanx of guards parted, and two men walked forward, supporting Eduard between them. The crowd went still.

  Euan sucked in a breath and waved for his companions to keep silent as they shifted beside him, preparing to rise. They could not charge into the Ross village and rescue Eduard in the middle of an angry mob.

  “We canna just sit here,” Duncan hissed.

  “We do nothing, damn it,” Euan told him, “except sit here and watch. If they dinna kill him in front of us, we’ll get him out after dark.”

  “But…”

  “Go in there now and we’ll wind up just like him, no help to him or ourselves. Now wheesht, and pay attention to where they take him.”