“She’s fine. She’s me wife now,” Logan assured him.
“I know. I miss her. I want her to come home with me.” Zeke tried to sit up, but seemed to think better of it.
Logan was about to argue the point, but Dougall interrupted him. “Logan, we must find Brenna,” he said. “We can discuss Sara later.”
“Do ye ken who it might have been who took her?” Logan asked.
“The only one I can think of is Nevil Munro,” Zeke replied.
“And why would he do that?” Dougall wasn’t sure what was going on or why Brenna had been with Zeke, but he didn’t like hearing that Nevil Munro may have taken his sister.
“He had an agreement with your father to marry her. Paddraig withdrew from the agreement. Something about land that Munro wanted, but your father wasn’t willing to give him. I handfasted with your sister to get her away from there. I was going to take her to you and then return home… with Sara.”
The two men eyed him with some suspicion. Dougall’s only concern was Brenna, but Logan was concerned about Sara.
“Can ye ride?” Dougall asked.
“I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out.” Zeke tried to hoist himself up with little luck.
Dougall and Logan helped him to his feet and then examined his head. “Yer bleeding,” Logan noted. He went to his saddlebag and retrieved a cloth, which he gave to Zeke. “Ye may need some stitches to close the wound. Hold this in place and we’ll see if the bleeding stops.”
Zeke did as he was told and although he was feeling a little wobbly on his feet and his head was pounding, he managed, with some help, to mount Olwydd. “We’ve got to follow them. We have to find Brenna.”
“Aye,” Dougall said. “Munro is likely holding her for ransom. He’s nay the kind of man ye want to cross. Me Da was an idjit to do so. He should never have offered Brenna to him in the first place.”
“Do you think he’ll hurt her?” Zeke asked.
“Not if me father gives him what he wants. If he doesnae, he’s capable of things I dinnae wish to think about.”
Despite the pounding in his head that resulted with every hoofbeat and the fact that he had no idea where he was going, Zeke moved Olwydd up into a gallop and took off down theroad with Dougall and Logan hot on his heels. They had to find Brenna before it was too late.
***
Paddraig MacRae raged at the lad who stood before him. “Ye tell Munro that I’ll nae be bullied into giving up me land. If he wants a war, a war he’ll get.”
The young lad, eyes wide in fright, turned and ran from the great hall and Paddraig MacRae assumed straight back to Nevil Munro.
“Paddraig, why did ye have to cross him?” Greer stood, hands on hips and anger in her eyes.
“The land wasnae part of our original agreement. I’ll nae give him what he wants.” Paddraig tossed back a tankard of ale, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. “If he harms one hair on Brenna’s head, he’ll pay fer it with his life.”
Greer rolled her eyes in her head and turned to leave.
“I ken what ye’ve been up to,” Paddraig said, halting her mid-step.
“What do ye mean?” she asked.
“I ken ye’ve wanted Brenna gone from the moment ye set foot in Castle Treun.”
“Aye, but ye wanted it too.”
“I agreed with ye that she should be married and have a husband and a home of her own to care for. Did it really matter whether ’twas Munro or Barrett?”
“Nae.”
“Ye say it didnae, but I think ye wished her to be married to Munro because ye believed he’d treat her badly.”
“Paddraig, how can ye say that? I was only thinking of what was best fer her. Laird Munro has much wealth, a strong army tobuild an alliance with ye, and land. She’d have everything a lass could dream of.”
