Page 31 of The Veiled Wish of a Highland Bride

“Take what ye came for and leave,” Clyde yelled, brandishing his sword at them.

“Aye, we will. Will we nae, lads?”

The others laughed at their leader's joke. Archibald, Lennox and Clyde were much better fighters than the scoundrels who surrounded them, but these men had guns. One shot from them could incapacitate or kill any of them, and they all knew this. Although they barely had any valuables with them, they all gathered whatever they had and tossed it on the ground before the thieves.

Still, they were not satisfied; they wanted their pound of flesh.

“Och, this is nae anything. I think I just might have this lass too.” The leader of the brigands strode slowly towards Mia.

“Over our dead bodies,” Archibald said with Clyde backing him up, stepping in front of Mia to keep the thief away from her. Little did they know that one of the men had gone around them and towards Mia.

At first Mia had not seen him, but the rustling of leaves behind her caused her to snap her head in that direction. The man was crafty, she had to give him that.

As Mia attempted to swipe at the man, giving him the pound of flesh they all so desperately desired, she lost her footing, falling over a tree root and falling to the ground. The thief in front of her saw her stumble and promptly raised his claymore to strike her.

“Ey, bonnie lassie,” the man said, flashing her a devilish grin.

The men had been so busy trying to keep the other brigands at bay that they had not noticed the tussle Mia was in. But Archibald turned for a moment and saw her, flat on the floor. He rushed towards them, deflected the man’s blow and struck him dead.

“‘Tis nae worth the blood! Take their goods and leave,” the leader yelled as he saw they had one man down. The other men immediately mounted their horses and fled, having gotten what they came for.

Clyde rushed over to where Mia sat incapacitated, kneeling before her.

"Are ye all right?" His worry was etched onto every line of his face. He had begun to caress her leg, hoping to ease the pain that she felt.

"Nae so much," Mia grunted, looking at Archie. He was staring after the brigands. "I can barely move my leg."

"Ye’re hurt?”

The only response Clyde got was a whimper. Mia had wanted to tell him she was all right, but she was silenced by the pain that shot through her, emanating from the ankle that she had twisted. She hoped it was sprained and nothing more.

“Aye, I believe it is just a little sprain in my ankle, that is all."

She backed up her response with an attempt to get off the ground, but she yelped as she realized she had underestimated her pain. Archibald rushed down to assist her, grabbing her under the arms and giving her the strength she needed to get to her feet. Mia could find worse things than being held, but she was starting to notice the suspicious glances that Lennox and Clyde exchanged.

It did not take her long to realizewhy.

When Clyde suggested that they ride back to the castle so they could take Mia to see the healer, she agreed, hoping that the war chiefs would not read any meaning into Archibald's concern.

"Ye can ride with me back to the keep. Ye cannae be alone with yer leg twisted like that, Mia,” Archie said, glancing at Buck.

Mia.

He should not call her by her given name in front of anyone else. The fool was going to make it clear to everyone they were more than acquaintances. Yet, she couldn’t help the thrill that shot through her as she heard Archibald's rich, deep voice. The voice that never failed to turn her insides into mush.

"If ye dinnae mind, I will go with Clyde,” she replied. After her murmured answer, she hurriedly limped to Clyde and saw Archibald’s face slowly morph into a frown. "He kens the keep better and can take me directly to the infirmary,my laird."

As if he understood, Archibald reluctantly nodded in agreement. Mia’s lips curled up in a small smile of gratitude, and she allowed herself to be lifted by Clyde onto his horse, positioning her right in from of him.

Mia remained silent as they galloped away, Lennox and Archibald close behind on their own horses. The pain was not as intense as it had been before, having been replaced by a dull throbbing ache that she could ignore if she triedhard enough.

"What about my mare?" she asked abruptly.

"Laird Macnab's war chief is bringing her along. Dinnae ye worry," Clyde replied.

After several minutes of silence, Mia heard Clyde clear his throat as he usually did anytime he wanted to speak of serious matters.

"Mia… I am yer friend, am I nae?"

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