“I’m sorry. I was just trying to help.” Silence might be a good thing, but this was going to make the rest of their journey miserable. He was really bad at this. He didn’t want her to hate him or be angry with him. “Brenna, I apologize for my behavior last night. I just wanted you to know that there can never be anything between us. I didn’t want you to get your hopes up.”
“I wasnae getting me hopes up. I ken ye wish to be rid of me as soon as we get to Breaghacraig.”
“I’m not trying to get rid of you. I’m only doing what we agreed to before the handfasting.” He couldn’t seem to get through to her. “We’ve still got two days of travel ahead of us. Let’s try not to argue.”
Brenna nodded her head in agreement, but he could tell she was still holding on to her anger.
Those kisses they’d shared the day before had awakened something in her that she’d never known and she wanted more of them… more of him. She was so inexperienced in these matters that she continued to find herself saying and doing the wrong things. Anger at Zeke was her only weapon in the war she was waging with her heart. It would keep her safe. No matter how much she wanted Zeke, it was better to fight her attraction to him. He’d refused her last night and it hurt too much to get over with a few kind words from him. She knew he was only doing it out of a sense of honor, which was one of the things that drew her to him, but that knowledge only made her angrier with herself, with her inexperience in these matters. It was all so new to her. She simply had no choice. Remaining silent and keeping her distance were the only things standing between her and the fool she was sure to make of herself if she didn’t.
They moved along the path at the same sedate pace, but Brenna felt the need to move more quickly. She wanted to get to Dougall and Helene before too much damage was done to her heart. She took Vala up to a trot and passed Zeke, who seemed to be in a world all his own.
“Hey, where are you going?” he shouted after her.
She heard the sound of pounding hooves, but they weren’t coming from behind her. She sent Vala into a full gallop realizing that it couldn’t possibly be Zeke. These sounds were coming from the trees on either side of her and there was more than one horse. Panic seized her. Who could it be? She glanced behind her, but Zeke wasn’t visible. Turning her head back to the road in front of her, she had to bring Vala to a skidding stop, almost unseating herself in the process. There before her were three men blocking the road. She recognized the leader as the man who’d stopped her the last time she was headed to Breaghacraig.
“Ye’ll be coming with us, lass,” he said.
She spun her horse around looking to escape, but she was surrounded on all sides. Where was Zeke? One of the men took hold of her reins, pulling her horse in close to his. They began to walk back the way they’d come and it wasn’t long before Brenna saw Zeke.
“Zeke!” she cried. His body lay sprawled on the side of the road. Olwydd stood by his side. “Did ye kill him?”
No one answered her as they passed him by. “Ye cannae leave him there. We must help him.” Her pleas fell on deaf ears.
“Move on, men!” the leader commanded and they took their horses up to a fast trot.
Soon they were too far for Brenna to see Zeke as she looked back.What if he’s dead?If she thought that way, she’d surely fall apart, so she adjusted her thinking.He has to be alive.I have to see him again.She had to let him know she was sorry for being angry with him. If only she could take it all back. She’d give anything to have last night back. Regret weighed heavily on her mind, but the worst of it was that she wasn’t sure she’d have a chance to apologize. She might never see Zeke again. Brenna sat up straight in her saddle. She would be brave. She knew exactly where they were headed. The only thing she didn’t know was why.
***
Dougall MacRae and Logan MacPhail first spotted the body on the side of the road as they were headed for Castle Treun. They had planned a brief visit to ensure that all was well there.
Jumping from their horses, they carefully approached the man who lay face down in the dirt. It appears someone had smashed his head from behind. Logan rolled him onto his back.
“Dougall, are ye seeing what I’m seeing, or am I daft.”
“Nae. I see it too. How did he get here?”
“Ye ken how he got here as well as I. The question is why is he nae at Breaghacraig and instead laying here injured on the road.”
“Zeke?” Dougall gently lifted his head. Zeke opened his eyes and shock registered on his face as he recognized the two men.
“Why did you hit me? Where’s Brenna?”
“Brenna was with you?” Dougall glanced around, as did Logan.
“We didnae hit ye,” Logan said. “It seems there were a group on horseback.” He pointed to several sets of hoof prints on the road.
“Do ye remember what happened?” Dougall asked.
“Brenna and I were riding to Breaghacraig. She was angry with me, so she trotted off ahead. Before I could catch up with her, someone hit me from behind. That’s all I remember.” He touched his head, wincing in pain.
“Why was me sister with ye?”
“I was bringing her to see you.”
“And how did ye end up at Castle Treun?” Dougall asked.
“Edna. She gave me this horse.” He gazed at Olwydd, who stood passively by, occasionally poking Logan with his nose. “I was told it would take me where I needed to go, which was Breaghacraig. I wanted to find Sara.”
