There had only been one time when he had failed.
Lochlan winced at the memory.
There had been enough tragedy in their family. The last thing he wanted was to add anything more. He would give Braden a chance to talk the women out.
But only one. He couldn’t afford any more than that.
“Very well. But know this, at the rate Maggie’s going, my men will either storm the kirk on their own, or they’ll toss me out on my arse and elect a new laird.”
“Women,” Sin muttered. “I can’t believe they’d construct this rebellion against you while you have a feud to contend with. The last thing you need are your men distracted by women’s foolery while they have lands to protect.”
“Aye,” Braden agreed. “I’m surprised the MacDouglas isn’t taking advantage of this mutiny.”
Lochlan glanced out the window in the direction of the kirk. In spite of his anger, he did take a moment to savor the amusement he felt over the bit of news he’d received. “I’m sure he would have, had his own women not done the same thing to his clan.”
“What?” Braden asked in shock.
“It’s true. His own wife has joined them. I received word of it just three days ago. The Lady MacDouglas has made a laughingstock of her husband.”
“Is he willing to talk peace, then?” Sin asked Lochlan.
“Nay, even if we could agree to terms, neither of us dares it. If we concede to the women over this, then they’ll think they have power over us and any time there’s a matter they don’t like, they might very well hie themselves into hiding again. I shudder to think of the consequences. Can you imagine?”
“Aye,” Braden said with a wicked smile. “It could be amusing.”
Lochlan glared at him.
“Well, it could,” Braden said, dismissing Lochlan’s ire.
He swept a confident look over the three of them. “For years the lot of you have mocked me over the fact that no woman can resist me. Well now, my brothers, you shall be grateful to me for my gift.”
Braden’s look had never been more cocksure. “Come and bear witness to how quickly I end this matter. I’ll wager it’ll be less than a quarter hour before I have Maggie feeding from my hand.”
“I’ll take the wager,” Ewan said. “Especially after the way I saw Maggie send Lochlan packing. It’ll do you good to fail.”
“Me, fail?” Braden asked in disbelief. “Hah! There’s no woman alive immune to me.”
“For once, I hope you’re right,” Lochlan said. “I can’t afford for you to lose this wager.”
“Then come and see my most tender triumph.”
Ewan clapped Lochlan on the back. “I don’t know about you, but this is one confrontation I canna wait to see.”
Two
Braden MacAllister could very well mark the end of all her grand plans.
Maggie ingen Blar froze at the window of the kirk as she saw the small group of men headed her way. If ever the four riders of the Apocalypse appeared in the flesh, it would be in the form of the four men gasconading down the road toward the small kirk where she and the other women had taken refuge.
It would be any other woman’s dream to have four such sinfully handsome men headed toward her, knowing she was the one they sought with such determination.
For Maggie, it was a waking nightmare.
She’d expected to see the handsome Lochlan again. Standing six foot four, he was one of the tallest men of the clan. His fair hair looked as if it had literally been spun from gold. And when it came to his features, she doubted if the angels in heaven could compete with the gentle sculpted face or dimpled smile that had made many a maid sigh.
But there was no smile in place today. Only a grim, lethal stare.
Lochlan’s younger brother, Ewan, stood two inches taller, and possessed broad shoulders and a deadly swagger that made the men of the clan scurry at his approach. His darkly handsome face had rendered many a woman mute. But it was his dangerous countenance that kept any woman from pursuing him.
