Page 17 of Highland Sky

Jamie and Caitlin walked out after their sister. Jamie held his bundle in two arms, but Caitlin dragged hers, since it was too awkward for her to carry alone.

“Let me get that for ye,” offered North, being a lady’s man. He took the bundle from her, throwing it over his shoulder with ease.

“Och, ye’re so strong,” cooed Caitlin, admiration lighting up her eyes. It was no doubt she liked the attention from a man. She was at that age now, Nash supposed, where she was a woman with needs, just like a man had.

Nash looked over to see North beaming with pride. He heard a grunt from Kellina as she left the stable. Nash felt like grunting, too, since his brother was flirting with a girl too young for him.

“Thank ye,” North said. “I tend to think I’m strong, as well.”

Nash picked up a bundle of straw, throwing it over his shoulder. Then he grabbed a second bundle under his other arm. They were about as long as his body, mayhap longer. He pushed past his brother, not wanting to watch his twin shamelessly flirt, making a fool of himself anymore.

“Watch it, North, or the spiders will lure us into their webs.”

“Spiders? What is he talkin’ about?” asked Caitlin. “I dinna see any spiders. I dinna like spiders.”

“Nothin’. Nothin’ at all,” said North. “Dinna worry. If there are any spiders, I’ll kill them for ye. Now, just let me grab another bundle or two and I’ll walk ye over to the infirmary.”

By the time Nash got to the infirmary, Kellina had already leaned a wooden ladder against the building and was climbing to the roof with the bundle of straw thrown over her shoulder. Egads, was there nothing this girl couldn’t do?

Not wanting her to outshine him, Nash decided to climb the ladder with both bundles, which he realized was a mistake as soon as he started. Still, he didn’t want to look weak by turning around so he continued although he couldn’t see where he was going at all. It was awkward trying to climb this way. The bundles were too large, and hard to hold. He had no real way of gripping onto the ladder, so had to just balance himself as he started up the rungs. The roof was missing, and only some wooden beams were in place, leaving the top of the building open to the elements. If he wasn’t careful, he could end up on the ground inside.

“Where did ye want this?” asked Nash, feeling himself swaying back and forth as the wind lifted the end of the bundles in his hands.

He saw Kellina up near the top of the wooden beams surveying the situation. She stood upright, looking down into the cottage through the open roof. He couldn’t see much more. Nash tried to balance himself, bringing both of the bundles with him, teetering as he walked carefully across one of the slanted roof beams, trying to get to her. She had climbed all the way up to the apex.

“Nay, no’ up here, ye fool,” she chastised him. “Everyone kens that we need to start at the bottom with the thatch.”

“What?” he asked, not being able to hear her well since the straw was poking him in the ear.

“The bottom, I said. Put them down there.” She pointed back to the start of the roof.

“Och, all right,” groaned Nash, wishing she had told him this before he’d climbed all the way up here. When Nash turned around, the long bundle of straw that was flung over his shoulder must have hit Kellina because she screamed.

His heart raced. What had he done? “What’s the matter?” He turned too quickly, causing himself to lose his balance. The bundles slipped from his grip, falling through the open roof and into the infirmary. When Nash tried to catch them, he fell into the building from the roof right after them. Thankfully, his fall was softened when he landed atop the straw that had fallen on some kind of box bed. While the straw and the mattress broke his fall, it unfortunately broke the bed as well.

“Ooomph!” The air was knocked from him as Nash’s body lay sprawled out face down over the bed. His arms and legs hung off the ends of the bed in every direction.

“Nash!” North cried out from outside the cottage. The door to the infirmary banged open and North and Caitlin rushed in.

“Are ye all right?” asked Caitlin. “We saw ye fall.”

“Mmmmph,” he groaned, lifting his head. His long, brown hair covered his eyes. “Aye, I’m fine.” When Nash rolled over onto his back, he saw Kellina up on the roof, looking down at him like a Viking warrior woman. Her hands were on her hips and her feet were firmly planted. She looked fierce. He swore he saw a smile on her face but he couldn’t be sure since his vision was a little blurry at the moment.

“Hurry up, Goat,” she called out, and then walked down a beam, out of sight.

“Let me help ye, Brathair.” North lent Nash a hand as he got up off the broken bed.

“I told ye she was out to kill me,” Nash whispered. “Where the hell were ye? I needed ye to watch my back.”

“I thought ye said ye were sure-footed. Like a goat,” said North, grinning. “How in the devil’s name did ye happen to fall?”

“I didna fall. No’ on my own. I tell ye, I was pushed. She pushed me, I’m sure of it. Right after she lured me high onto the top of the roof while I was carryin’ two bundles of straw. She purposely didna tell me to leave them at the bottom until I got all the way up to the top. Then, she screamed, causing me to lose my balance.”

“I think ye’re imaginin’ all this, Nash. I’m sure she wasna really tryin’ to kill ye at all.”

Although they spoke in hushed tones, their conversation stopped when they heard Caitlin giggle.

“What is it, Wench? Does it amuse ye that I almost died?” snapped Nash, angry at everyone right now.