by Terry Spear
For two weeks, Heather had been staying at Farraige Castle with Enrick, but they were actively looking for a home closer to her work. He knew she really wanted that, and he wanted her to be happy, most of all.
That night, it was time for Guy to leave Scotland. Since Enrick and Guy had become friends, they would pick up Heather after her shop closed and have dinner together before they took him to the airport.
They’d packed Enrick’s car with Guy’s bags and were on their way to Heather’s shop when Heather called Enrick. He thought she was calling because he was late picking her up, not calculating how long it would take for Guy to get his stuff together to leave and say goodbyes to his new wolf pack.
“The McKinleys and Kilpatricks who were banished are here, trying to break the windows and the glass door. Get help. Hurry!” Heather said, her words rife with urgency and concern.
The heavy thuds of someone hitting the glass sounded on the car’s speakers, and Enrick’s heart practically stopped beating.
* * *
As soon as Heather saw the two Kilpatrick brothers and five other men show up at the shop with baseball bats in hand and swords swinging at their hips, Catherine McKinley grabbed her phone. “Those two men must be the other two who were involved in the battle when they tried to injure your men. I didn’t know who they were.”
“Good, then we can get rid of all of them at the same time.” Instantly, Catherine and Heather were both on their phones, calling for help, Catherine saying, “I know, Paxton. They’re coming here to kill us, not to talk. Hurry! Yes, Heather’s talked to her mate, he’s calling for backup.”
Heart racing, Heather dashed around the counter and grabbed a bow and quiver of arrows hanging on the wall and tossed them over the counter. “We have two fire extinguishers and some cleaning sprays we can use on them. Let’s get some of the tables and chairs and barricade the countertop.” The glass display cabinets were tall, six feet in height, so they would provide a barrier of sorts. “We just need to delay these men long enough to allow help to arrive.”
Catherine grabbed a sword off the wall and set it on a table, then removed a shield. “I can’t manage a sword and a shield at the same time. They’re both too heavy. Maybe we can use one or the other.”
“I’ll use the bow and arrows, unless you’re a better shot than me. I’ve won first place in a few competitions.” Heather wedged some more chairs on top of the countertop, while Catherine carried the shield and sword behind the counter.
“I can shoot, but I haven’t done so in a long time.” Catherine rushed around the counter and added more chairs on top of the ones Heather had already stacked on the countertop.
Once they’d done all they could with that, Heather and Catherine hurried around the counter, and Heather locked the door to the counter area and kitchen. She began grabbing bottles of cleaning products from under one of the kitchen cabinets that Catherine could use to spray in the men’s eyes while she held them off with her bow and arrows.
Catherine grabbed one of the fire extinguishers and set it on the floor next to the selection of cleaners behind the counter. The men were still battering at the glass, and Heather was glad she’d paid more for the bulletproof kind. She had thought with the trouble they had with the McKinleys, it might come in handy if they tried to vandalize her shop. She’d made the right decision that time.
“They look angry they can’t break through the glass easily.” Catherine set the second fire extinguisher on the floor next to the rest of her arsenal, the sword and shield next to that.
“Yeah, I’m glad I got the more expensive glass.” Heather had her bow and arrows ready to start shooting. She wanted to hit the men before they got too far into the shop. She didn’t want the men to get close enough that Catherine would have to resort to using the cleaning sprays and the fire extinguishers, worried the men could strike her and Catherine with their swords.
Heather had another thought. “Uh, boil some water.”
Her eyes wide, her lips parted, Catherine stared at her.
“This is our castle, and right now, it’s under siege. We’re outnumbered and the men are a lot stronger than us. We have to do everything we can to keep them from killing us before help arrives. Just, well, start it in case we have time to use some.” Heather hoped her call to arms would convince Catherine to get with the program. Though she had to remind herself these men were Catherine’s kin. Out to kill her, sure, but they were not faceless intruders intent on murder—they were her own relations.
“Aye.”
Of course if they’d been defending a castle, the boiling water would have been poured down on the men who had broken through the portcullis or were climbing the castle walls. At least in a situation like that, the men fighting from the wall walk were some distance from their attackers, unlike with Catherine and her.
Still, if Catherine threw a pot of boiling water at the men, they would have to jump back or get scalded. Heather wished she had another bow and quiver of arrows for Catherine to use. Or at least Heather could use the other arrows. She had ten arrows in all. They wouldn’t be enough.
She was just glad she’d added that to her collection of weapons on the walls. She would never have managed to fight the men with one of the swords she had on display. She couldn’t see Catherine successfully fighting them with one either.
Then the men broke through the glass door and climbed through the wooden frame. Catherine grabbed one of the fire extinguishers, readying it to use it as soon as any of the men were in range. Heather nocked her arrow to her bow and let the first arrow fly, striking the first man through the door in the chest. She let loose the second one, and that went through his throat. He clutched his chest and throat and collapsed on his face. The other men stared at him for a moment, looking shocked that one of them was down. They looked up and saw Heather nocking the next arrow, and the men scattered outside the broken glass door.
God, if only she could keep them from coming in. It took them a few minutes and a lot of hushed talking before two of them rushed through the door, followed by the rest of them, but Heather was only targeting one of the men as he ran to knock down their barrier on the countertop with a baseball bat.
One arrow released, then two, both hitting the target in the chest. He collapsed and one of the men stumbled over him. Robert and Patrick dove into the shop and slipped next to the door to the counter area while the other three McKinleys took their chances and slammed their bats at the barricade on top of the counter.
Heather was trying to take aim as the chairs and tables went flying, but she didn’t want to waste her arrows, and she had to dodge the flying chairs and tables too. Damn it! As soon as they cleared her counter where she could get a good shot, she would shoot. Catherine wasn’t waiting and blasted one of the men she had a clearer shot at with the fire extinguisher.
The foam spray hit him full force in the face, and he screamed out in pain. He was coughing, the strong irritation most likely causing respiratory distress, his hands on his eyes, trying to wipe the chemical from them. He tripped over one of the men Heather had shot and fell to the floor, appearing to be in agony, coughing and choking.
Catherine switched her attention to the other men, but they’d ducked down behind the display counter, avoiding the spray. Some of the chairs were still on top of the counter, but most were on the floor on Heather and Catherine’s side of the counter.
Heather wanted to start stacking them back up to provide a barrier again, but she didn’t want to set down her bow. Catherine, likewise, was ready with the second fire extinguisher, both of them tense, their hearts beating wildly. At least they had managed to take down three of the men. But with four more armed men, they were way outnumbered.
The Kilpatrick brothers began beating on the door to the area behind the counter. They would break it in and then the men would come at them from two fronts, to their right and from the
front. She and Catherine’s efforts to defend themselves would be divided.
Heather didn’t want to be faced with that. Divide and conquerthat was what would happen.
That was when she heard Enrick’s car racing down the road and finally screeching to a halt in the parking lot. She felt a bit of relief. Enrick was letting Heather know he was coming to her aid, warning the men who had broken in that they had real Highland warriors to fight now, instead of just a couple of Highland lasses.
Heather’s brother Oran drove up in his car after that, and Enrick shouted as he raced into the store. “Heather!” He grabbed a sword off the wall.
“Catherine and I are safe,” Heather called out from behind the counter.
Guy was right behind Enrick and also grabbed a sword displayed on her wall. Heather’s brothers all ran in after them, each of them already armed.
The Kilpatrick brothers stopped banging on the door, and she saw Enrick fighting Robert, her brothers Oran, Callum, and Jamie fighting the McKinleys, while poor Guy, the newest member of their pack, was fighting Patrick. Heather suspected he’d never believed he would be fighting in a real battle to the death with Highland warriors. Worse, Guy looked like he was in pain. His back? Great.
Heather wanted to push some of the chairs off the counter so she could shoot one of the rogue wolves full of arrows, but the men were moving around so much, she didn’t want to wound the wrong person. Suddenly, more cars and trucks were pulling into the parking lot—Ian and his brothers and more of the MacNeill kin, Grant and Lachlan and more of the MacQuarrie men, and even Paxton, the McKinley leader, and some of his men arrived to help out.
* * *
Enrick had been so angry the men had come to kill his mate and Catherine that he hadn’t planned to give the rogues any quarter. Robert had never seen him fight like that. When they’d fought during the shoot in the rain and mud, Enrick had been fighting for some time, while Robert had been fresh for the kill. But this time, Robert had gone after the wrong person.
Guy was struggling, and Enrick was certain he’d injured his back again. Then the rest of the troops arrived, and Enrick stabbed Robert in the shoulder. He wanted to take him down. He wanted to eliminate the rogue wolf, but with Paxton now arriving, and Cearnach killing Patrick for Guy, Enrick let Paxton have Robert and the other men who were still among the living. All of them had been wounded though.
“We will take them off your hands,” Paxton said, and Ian and Grant looked like they weren’t sure that was a good idea. “They tried to murder my sister and your kin. The men who haven’t died will cease to exist. You have my word.”
“Aye, see to it then,” Grant said. “If we ever see any of their faces again, they’re dead men.”
“Aye,” Ian agreed.
“You have my word,” Paxton repeated and shook Ian and Grant’s hands. Then he told his men to move the prisoners and the dead men to his van and return them to his castle.
Enrick was already headed for the door to the counter and Heather hurried to open it. She threw herself into his arms and hugged him tight, her heart still beating wildly, tears streaking down her cheeks. “You were late,” she scolded.
He kissed her passionately on the mouth, not wanting to ever let her go. “I didn’t think Guy would ever get out of the castle. He had made so many friends and was having a hard time saying goodbye to everyone.”
“I will take full responsibility for our being late,” Guy said, his hand on his back. “I’m so sorry.”
Enrick could have lost his wild Highland lass if it hadn’t been for her quick thinking and tactical planning on the makeshift battlefield. He loved her with all his heart. He hugged her to his breast, unable to release her because he was so relieved she was alive and well.
“They had to have been waiting, biding their time when you were late this one time and I had released the rest of my staff,” Heather said.
“I was late sending one of my men to pick up Catherine as well,” Paxton said, sounding deeply regretful. “I assumed Enrick would be there and wouldn’t leave until someone picked up Catherine.”
“It is done,” Catherine said, hurrying to turn off the water boiling in a pot and then washing the foam residue off her hands.
Heather gave her a hug. “You were a great warrior.”
Catherine hugged her back. “You were a great leader. I would never have thought to use what you had in the shop to our advantage in fighting our enemy.”
Everyone was helping to clean up the glass and set up the tables and chairs back in place. Even Paxton and his men—who weren’t guarding the van and their prisoners—were helping to clean up the mess. Though Paxton had given Catherine a hug, too, and looked well relieved that she was still alive.
Paxton told Heather, “My pack will pay for all the damages.”
“Thank you.” Heather finally turned her attention to Guy, who was still holding his back. “You’ve reinjured your back.”
“Think nothing of it. In the heat of battle, it is nothing.” Guy gave her a pained smile.
“You’ll have to stay with us longer. You can’t fly all those hours in your condition. It will kill you,” Heather said.
Enrick agreed. He couldn’t imagine how being forced to sit so long would affect an injured back.
“I agree,” Guy said.
“Dinner at the castle then,” Enrick said, figuring they would need a change of plans.
Guy frowned. “No, I was taking you both out.” He sounded adamant, especially after what had happened to Heather and Catherine, due to him delaying Enrick’s arrival.
Enrick wasn’t sure Heather was in the mood to go out for dinner after what had happened. Or that Guy was in any shape to do so.
Grant said, “Go, have dinner like you planned. We’ll take care of everything here. Don’t worry about it. Then, Guy, you are to go straight to your chamber following the dinner, and we’ll have someone set you up with a heating pad and anything else you need to make you more comfortable. Enrick, you and Heather are on your own after that.”
Enrick smiled. It hadn’t taken long for Grant to take charge of his new pack member and lay down the law. Guy smiled, looking grateful he was truly one of the pack. And Enrick was definitely planning to take care of his bonny lass the rest of the night in his chamber, but when they woke, he was taking her to see a house he thought she would love close to her place. It shortened his distance to Farraige Castle some too.
He gave her another hug before he led her out to the car. She looked reluctant to leave just yet. “Come on, lass. They’ll do their best to take care of it. After dinner, we can see their progress, if you would like.”
“Aye, I would like that.”
Then he would make sure they had a long, extended dinner to give the men time to put her place back in order.
When they returned that evening, men were still putting the finishing touches on the place. Someone had replaced the one spent fire extinguisher, and Heather’s sword, shield, and bow and quiver of arrows were again on the wall, minus four of the arrows. So were Enrick and Guy’s borrowed swords.
The glass door had been patched, and so had the door to the counter and kitchen that the Kilpatricks had been bashing.
“Thanks to everyone who came to our rescue,” Heather said. “I’m so sorry I didn’t mention it earlier.”
“After what you went through,” Ian said, “think nothing of it.”
“Aye,” Grant said. “All that matters is that you and Catherine came out of it unscathed.”
Enrick knew they would have a feast to celebrate the end of hostilities between their pack and Paxton’s, though they weren’t including their pack in the celebration. If Paxton had eliminated the men who had caused the trouble instead of banishing them, none of this would have happened.
Guy went home with Grant and Lachlan, while Enrick drove Heather bac
k to the castle. “I’m sorry, Heather. I know it was a strain for you to have dinner out with Guy tonight.”
She sighed. “I hope I wasn’t too much of a wet blanket. Guy needed to do it. He would have felt terrible if he hadn’t. Though I know his back had to have been bothering him.”
“You were so quiet.”
“Guy filled in all the pauses.” She chuckled. “Aye, I was worried about the shape the shop would be in. I feel much better after seeing it nearly back to the way it had been.”
He figured there was more to her being so quiet at dinner. “Killing the two men—”
“It had to be done. I don’t regret it.”
“I should have been there.” He felt terrible about it. He could have lost her.
She reached over and ran her hand over his lap. “You came in the nick of time. If you hadn’t, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. That’s all that matters. And what comes next.”
He raised a brow.
“Don’t tell me you don’t know what comes next.”
He laughed. “You are a warrior at heart, lass. My wild Highland she-wolf is a force to be reckoned with. I love you.”
She smiled at him, looking pleased he would say so. She ran her hand over his arm. “I hope your arm is okay after the fight.”
“Ah, lass, nothing would stop me from showing you how much I love you when we return home. And that’s a promise.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder. “That is the reason why I love you.”
Epilogue
When the MacQuarries finally received a copy of the film, some who had participated and the MacNeill pack leaders, Ian and Julia, and Heather’s brothers came to watch it in the great hall of Farraige Castle. Maynard made kettles of buttered popcorn for everyone to snack on, courtesy of Colleen who said everyone had to have buttered popcorn at the cinema. Though she also had the sweet, caramel-covered kind for those who ate that variety.
