Page 15 of The Runaway Bride and the Highlander
Maxwell glared at him, angry that Bram would even ask such a question. “What kind o’ man do ye think I am? She was about tae be taken before our eyes. She’s nae long discovered her father’s been dead for years, and if we cannae keep her safe, she has the prospect of spending her life with that bastard, Johnson.”
Bram narrowed his eyes and looked at him intently. For a long moment, he said nothing at all.
“What?!” he demanded.
“Ye’re sweet on her,” his brother stated with a grin.
“I am nae sweet on her,” Maxwell retorted, throwing an angry arm about. “Do ye nae ken I have enough tae be worrying about? As soon as we reach the castle, I have to gather the council. They’ll need tae ken we’re in danger because I saved her. I’m sure they’ll be delighted about that,” he spat sarcastically. “I need to ken what they’ll want tae do with her. Johnson wants her for a reason, and I still have nae idea what it is.”
He had tried and failed to get her to tell him why Johnson wanted her so badly. Skylar had told him that she didn’t know, and perhaps she didn’t. But somewhere in his gut, Maxwell did not truly believe her. For whatever reason, she was hiding something. When Colum had spoken to her, he had mentioned something about Johnson being able to use her ‘talents.’
Whatever they were, Skylar was not about to reveal them easily, if she even knew the talents to which Colum had referred. In his frustration, Maxwell had eventually given up trying. She had been too stubborn to tell him, but sooner or later, he would need to get it out of her.
“If that wasnae enough tae be dealing with,” Maxwell continued, “I’ll have nae choice but tae listen tae them talk about me marrying Fiona MacTavish to strengthen the clan. Ye ken well I dinnae want tae think about marrying again, nae after what happened.”
Bram nodded solemnly.
Maxwell sighed heavily. “Everything’s such a bloody mess,” he muttered.
“We’ll deal with Johnson when the time comes,” Bram said steadily. “He has a lot tae answer for, and he’ll pay for what he’s done.”
“I still think about Knox,” Maxwell said a little wistfully. “There’s times I just sit there, wondering where he might be, whether he’s still alive, and what became of him.”
“I feel yer pain, Max,” Bram said heavily. “He was the youngest o’ us, but I’ve never forgotten him. And I ken this might sound strange, but there’s a feeling deep within me that he’s still alive. Where? I cannae tell ye. Nor can I explain the feeling. But it’s strong, and I have never been able tae shift it.”
Maxwell sighed again. “I never wanted tae be laird,” he said, shaking his head.
“I ken,” Bram said knowingly.
“It was too soon. Father still had many good years left in him.”
Bram straightened himself and looked out across the stream to the glen beyond. “And yet, we cannae change what has already passed us.”
“Och, I ken that well. Just sometimes, I wish he were still here so I could ask for his advice, so I would ken I’m doing things right.”
“Ye dinnae need father here tae ken that, Max. Follow yer gut. It’s never let ye down ‘afore. Father would be proud o’ all ye’ve achieved. Ye’re a good leader and a good man.”
Back on the trail, with Skylar sat before him once again, Maxwell thought upon Bram’s words. His brother was not one for empty praise, but there were times Maxwell could not agree with him. If he had been a good leader, he would have done a better job at protecting the people he loved the most. Their clan had suffered many losses, but his loss tormented him and had done for years.
Once more, he had risked his clan to save one woman, a woman he knew little about. As he rode with her body now close to his, the large plaid covering them both to keep them protected from the rain and cold, it occurred to him that he did not even know her full name. If he asked, would she keep that from him too?
“Skylar, ye didnae tell me yer family name,” Maxwell said, acting immediately on his thoughts.
She hesitated, and for a long second, he thought she was going to conceal that from him too. Maxwell thought about the reasons she might, and his mind ran away with him. Surely, if she was not going to tell him something that should be so simple, she must have much more to hide than he had at first assumed. And leading on from that, had he made a colossal mistake? Might he actually be bringing an enemy into their midst?
“Morgan,” she said eventually.
Her reply caught his thoughts in mid-theory, and his train of thought took him in a completely different direction, as though he had changed course. Now, he scoured his brain for any information he might have on anyone called Morgan. But after several minutes, all he could come up with were a few unimportant links, acquaintances of men he had known years ago. There was nothing that screamed out at him that the woman who shared his horse might be a traitor.
At Mallaig, they boarded their final boat, and the group settled in for a longer journey. Unlike the other passages, this one was a wider body of water, but Maxwell could not help but think that when they landed on the other side, the worst of the journey was over. Once they landed at Armadale on the Isle of Skye, his homeland, it would take only two more days to reach Dunvegan Castle. It could not come soon enough, and Maxwell was impatient to step back into the safety of his home.
“What is yer castle like?” Skylar asked once they had reached the other side and were back on dry land.
The weather had finally fallen in their favor, and by the firmer ground beneath, Maxwell doubted the rain had been as heavy or relentless in these parts. It was a good sign, for they would be able to travel at faster speeds.
Her question took him off guard a little, not because of the question itself but for the fact she had asked it at all. Skylar had been quiet and more withdrawn these last few days. He knew why. He had been avoiding her as much as possible between the journeys, and not being anybody’s fool, she had clearly noticed. She had mirrored his behavior, but he did not think she had done so maliciously. Maxwell deduced it was likely more to protect herself, partly that and partly because his sudden turn in attitude toward her had likely confused her.
“Dunvegan Castle sits on a hill overlooking Loch Dunvegan. It’s a huge fortress with high walls and turrets. Inside, there are so many rooms and dark wee corridors, ye can get lost in it,” Maxwell said proudly.
