Lady Patience narrowed her eyes and hastened behind the bush. After a few moments, she returned, holding his plaid between her thumbs and forefingers as if it contained vermin. Grinding his teeth, he snatched it from her and strode away. He wanted to call her a vile name, but somehow restrained himself. The lady had been like a thistle pricking his arse all winter, glaring at him when he merely glanced Seona’s way.
Somehow, he had to catch Seona away from her again andgive her another lesson in knife fighting. And ’haps steal another kiss. Anticipation rushing through him, he suppressed a grin.
As he belted his plaid into place, Dirk approached him at a determined pace. “We have a problem.”
Keegan tensed, his attention focused. “What is it?”
“The coins are gone,” Dirk growled in a hushed tone.
Keegan frowned. “Which coins?”
“I told you about the money I was going to pay Lady Seona’s father for breaking the contract he had with my father. ’Twas a large amount.” Dirk lowered his voice further. “Five thousand merks.”
“Hell. One of the outlaws must have stolen it. Was it on Nolan’s body?”
“Nay. I asked the guard who brought his weapons to me. The bag of coins was in my tent, but when I took off after Nolan and Isobel, the money was left unguarded.” Dirk released a long, frustrated breath. “Now what am I going to pay Chief Murray with?”
Keegan thought for a moment, but had no ready answer. They were too far away from Castle Dunnakeil now to return and get more money. Nothing else they carried with them would be as valuable, beyond the horses. “Mayhap you won’t need to pay him,” Keegan suggested.
“Well… nay, I don’t have to pay him. ’Twas only an act of goodwill to keep peace between our clans.”
“’Haps the horse will be enough,” Keegan said, motioning toward the finest horse to ever come from the MacKay stables.
Dirk shrugged, then eyed Keegan. “Or… if you ask for Lady Seona’s hand and he agrees, no payment will be necessary. In fact, you’ll receive her dowry.”
A flash of excitement lit within him. ’Twas what Keegan yearned for more than anything. And he didn’t even care if she came with a dowry. “If only I could be so lucky.”
“Isobel and I will go with you to the Murrays’. ’Haps we can help convince her father.”
“’Twould mean the world to me, cousin.” Keegan smiled and shook Dirk’s hand, a thrill of exhilaration moving through him that he might have a chance with Seona. He didn’t think she would be opposed to marrying him. Of course, he hadn’t asked her. ’Twould have been premature. But after that kiss, and the sweet but sensualway she responded, he was convinced she felt as drawn to him as he was to her.
He had to find out for certain.
∞∞∞
Haldane MacKay rode north across the moor as if the devil himself chased him. Although Dirk MacKay was not half as fearsome as a devil, he had a large force of men with him. More than Haldane had. That was why he hadn’t succeeded in his mission.
He hungered for revenge so badly he could hardly sleep at night. That bastard, Dirk, had murdered his mother, and then taken the castle and chiefdom from his brother. Aiden no longer wanted to be chief, so Haldane would take the responsibility off his hands. ’Twas what his mother and father would’ve wanted.
He would not rest until Dirk was dead.
Glancing back through the dawn light, Haldane saw only six of his men following. Donald McMurdo was right behind him. Gil and Finlay followed, along with the others. Two were missing. They must have been injured badly or killed.
Haldane paused, allowing the others to catch up.
“Where are MacLeod and Quinn?” he asked McMurdo.
“Nolan MacLeod got into the tent while I was trying to kill Dirk. When he noticed Nolan making off with his woman, he chased after him. That gave me a chance to get the hell out of there.”
“You didn’t kill Dirk. Furthermore, you ran instead of helping MacLeod. I thought you were an assassin.”
McMurdo spat on the ground and narrowed his dark eyes, looking as mean as ever. But Haldane was less than impressed with him at the moment.
“That bastard Dirk is big and a fearsome fighter. I doubtyoucould take him down, laddie,” McMurdo said with a smirk. “I’d wager Nolan MacLeod is a dead man about now. Dirk didn’t want his woman messed with. If you think I’m risking my life for that MacLeod whoreson, you’re wrong.”
“Never mind him,” Haldane snapped. He was no closer to achieving his objective than he had been yesterday, and now he was minus two men. “What about Dirk? ’Tis your job to kill him if you want payment.”
“Aye. I’ll kill him.” McMurdo nodded confidently. “We’llcatch up to them afore long. They’ll be out in the open and exposed for many more miles now.”
