Page 7 of Kilted Hate

Katherine was aghast. She had never been so close to a man before.

“Surely, this is not suitable,” she cried. “We should not be in such proximity without a chaperone.”

She heard Laird MacLeod chuckling, and suddenly, his hands gripped her and he pulled her abruptly back into him.

“Oh,” she cried.

Bringing his mouth to her ear, he growled, “We dinnae go in fer all that nonsense here, me lady. That’s the problem with ye English. Ye all have sticks up yer arses with all yer rules.”

“How dare you?” Katherine gasped. “You have no?—”

“We’re heading back tae the castle,” the laird said, completely talking over her, and speaking to one of his companions now on their horse.

“We’ll race ye,” the man said, grinning mischievously.

Katherine gasped and spun her head to look at Laird MacLeod. “You wouldn’t dare.”

The brute, once again ignoring her, grinned back at his companion. “The last one tae get there buys the first round when we’re next in the tavern.”

The other two appeared delighted at such a challenge, and before Katherine knew what was happening, the laird grabbedher tightly around the waist and jerked the reins, forcing his horse forward.

In utter terror, she could do nothing but grip his thick arm that held her tightly at the waist as the horse thundered forward towards the huge walls of Dunvegan Castle. The rise and fall of the horse caused her to thump against the saddle in great discomfort, and alongside the terror of travelling at such a ridiculous speed, she suffered the pain of her behind being bruised as the horse galloped on.

Katherine was only grateful that the castle was reasonably close, for five minutes later, they slowed down to a trot as the castle gates yawned open. The echo of the horses’ hooves clattered on the cobblestone beneath when they entered into the outer courtyard, and as she looked down at those they passed, she was met with curious gazes.

At that moment, the laird’s threat came back to her. Not knowing the man, she hadn’t been able to tell if he was joking earlier about the dungeons. Surely, now he knew who she was, he wouldn’t dare.

It hasn’t stopped him from treating you brusquely so far.

Indeed, it hadn’t, and maybe, under the circumstances, she was going to have to play this a little smarter.

Approaching the stables, the laird brought his horse to a slow stop. Without turning to look at him, Katherine used her softest voice. “Are you really going to throw me into the dungeons?”

For a moment, he didn’t answer. And as though he had to think about it, he said, “Aye, I will if ye dinnae behave.”

She had no intention of behaving, as he called it, but she didn’t want him to know that. And thus, instead of replying in the biting tone she had used earlier, she continued in her softened tone and nodded.

“I swear, I will curb my temper and behave in a proper manner from now on,” she said submissively.

The laird jumped down from the horse, looked her in the eye as though trying to read her face, and upon seeing her coy expression, he nodded.

“Good.”

He then reached up and with his hands about her waist, he lifted her with little effort off the horse. But Katherine was nobody’s fool, nor was she going to submit to this man or any other, for that matter. The anger she had hidden so well, rose up once again, and with a swift kick, she caught the laird right between the legs.

While he let out a deep-throated cry of agony, his face crumpling with the pain, while his body doubled over, Katherine hissed, “If you think I’ll be a good little wife, obeying every word of the man who killed my father, you can think again.”

But her own rage seemed to pale as she watched the laird’s face burn redder and redder, and it was clear, it wasn’t just because of the pain he suffered. He was building into a manic rage, and with his fists and teeth clenched and his eyes glaring at her, it was taking him great effort to keep himself under control.

“Domhnall,” a man beside him bellowed. It was the same man who had baited the laird to race earlier.

The laird spun and glared at the him.

“Braither,” he continued, walking over to the laird. “Ye must calm yersel’.”

Brother?

Only then did Katherine take a closer look at the two men who now stood beside her future husband. With her attention focused on their features, she now saw something she hadn’t noticed before. Under the circumstances, she supposed it wasn’t surprising.

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