Page 34 of When a Highlander Weds a Hellion
“I have ye,” Brodee vowed as he began to try to pull her up, but the rock that had stopped her from falling all the way to her death was also now making it difficult to bring her up. It jutted out sharply, and she needed to be pulled over it.
“Ye pushed me!” Katreine hissed.
“Nay,” Brodee cried, even as he worked to bring her over the rock to which she clung.
Broch could see the muscles of Brodee’s arms straining. Sweat trickled down his brother’s face, and his cheeks were deep red with his effort. He feared his brother was not going to be able to keep his hold on Katreine. He quickly assessed the situation. Brodee had his body braced with his feet and his left palm, while his right hand held on to Katreine’s right hand.
Broch reached his left hand down to his wife, their eyes locking. “Take my hand, lass,” he encouraged her. She nodded, released the rock she’d had a death grip on, and swung her arm toward his.
She screamed when her body rocked and Brodee swayed, and Broch’s heart felt as if it were plummeting to the rocks below. He stretched out, catching the sleeve of her gown, then her arm, which he wrapped his hand around. Just as he did, her hand slipped from Brodee’s and the weight of her body sent Broch into a sudden slide toward the ledge. He grasped at the dirt and the pebbles with his free hand, finally stopping the momentum pulling him toward death.
His heart thundered, not for himself but Katreine. Her face was white, and her lips pressed thin. As he tightened his grip, Brodee grasped his legs. “I’ll hold ye, Brother!”
Broch nodded, keeping his gaze on Katreine’s. She’d not uttered another sound to indicate her fright, but it shone brightly in her eyes. “I will nae let go,” he vowed to her. “Dunnae ye let go, either, damn ye. Dunnae ye dare leave me.”
Her eyes grew wide at that. “I’ll nae release ye, either,” she promised him.
He had a feeling they were both speaking of more than this moment. He began to pull her up over the rock, and within a few breaths, she was close enough that he leaned farther over and grasped both her arms to give her a sharp tug up over the final ledge.
He brought her body to his, wrapped his arms around her, and rolled her on top of him as he lay on the hard surface, panting, his wife in his arms. She had smudges of dirt on her face, and her hair was a wild, tangled mess. “Ye look even more beautiful than the first moment I saw ye,” he blurted.
Her rosy lips parted, showing her surprise. “Yer eyesight must be horrid, then,” she said, smiling.
“’Tis perfect,” he assured her. He could not make himself let her go yet, and she did not seem to want him to do so. She clung to him, her eyes warm and inviting, so he held her tightly, her body pressed to his, their hearts thundering in time, and their breath mingling each time one of them exhaled. He had to win this lass, for she had already captured a part of him without him knowing it.
Brodee cleared his throat beside them, and Broch looked to his brother. “I did nae push ye,” Brodee said, his voice emphatic.
“I dunnae believe ye,” Katreine snapped, the warmth leaving her eyes as she pushed off Broch and stood. She pointed a shaky finger at Brodee. “Who else would have done it? Ye were here moments before I fell, and ye were here after I fell.”
Broch stood and studied Brodee, looking for signs of guilt or innocence. Brodee’s face appeared open and his eyes true. “Why the devil would I try to save ye if I had pushed ye?” Brodee demanded.
“Because ye kenned yer brother saw ye!” Katreine bellowed.
But he’d not seen Brodee push her. Broch stared at Brodee, and he did not see guilt. Maybe that made him a fool, but his gut told him Brodee was innocent. “I did nae see him push ye,” Broch said, to which Brodee gave him a grateful look, and Katreine shot him a frustrated one.
“Ye’re blinded by yer desire to have a family,” she accused.
“I dunnae believe so, lass,” he said gently, not wishing to fight with his wife, whom he’d almost lost. “I saw him try to save ye.”
“Then answer me this,” she demanded, not sounding at all convinced, “if yer brother did nae push me, nor kill my sister, then who did?”
He exchanged a long look with Brodee. His brother didn’t know, and neither did he, but he intended to find out. “I dunnae ken,” he admitted, to which Katreine threw up her hands before brushing past them, limping and cursing. Broch frowned, hating that his wife was hurt.
“I appreciate yer belief in me,” Brodee said. “I’m sorry I’ve nae been more welcoming.”
Broch nodded. He knew why his brother had acted as he had: Brodee was jealous of their father’s reception of him. Broch could not say he would have acted differently if he’d been treated the way Brodee had by their father. “I intend to find the person who tried to kill my wife.”
“I intend to help ye,” Brodee responded with a hard look.
Broch inclined his head in thanks. “I’ll see her to the safety of our chamber and then meet ye back here.”
“I can scout this area, if ye want to stay with her for a bit. I believe yer wife may be shaken up, though she appears too stubborn to ever admit it.”
Broch chuckled. “I believe ye are correct, but I’ll nae be able to rest until we have scoured the cliffs. I’ll just ensure she makes the chamber, and then I’ll return. Take a care, aye?”
Brodee nodded. “Aye. Ye too.”
As Broch turned to go after Katreine, Brodee spoke once more. “I had thought at first that whoever killed Arabel and then Lenora must hate me, but after this incident, I think mayhap they hate all Blackswells.”
