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While his father looked contemplative, clearly considering every word Keir had said, the expression upon Duncan’s face darkened with emotion. Keir almost smiled at the anger he saw flash in his brother’s eyes. Clearly, the MacKinnears now considered Katherine theirs to protect.
“And what about Sarah?” his father inquired as they once again fell into step side by side, continuing their way down the beach. “What about herformerfiancé?” The ghost of a smirk played across his father’s face as he glanced over to him.
Keir willed himself not to react but to consider his father’s question most carefully. “Truth be told, I’ve never met the man,” he admitted, wondering now if that had been a mistake. “I only ever saw him from a distance as he and Sarah’s father came to the clearing in the woods to collect her after the ransom had been paid. Yet from what Sarah and Grandma Edie told me, Lord Blackmore is a most proud man. He no doubt considers what happened an affront committed against him, and I fear that he willna let it slide.”
Duncan grasped his shoulder. “Are ye saying he will seek retribution?” His eyes narrowed as he looked at Keir. “Or do ye still believe he wishes to marry her?”
Keir almost cringed at the mere thought of it. “No, I dunna think that he intends to make Sarah his bride. He values his reputation too much, and the kidnapping has already dealt it a serious blow.” In truth, Keir did not know what Blackmore might intend. Yet deep down, he doubted they had heard or seen the last of that man. It was a thought that made his skin crawl.
Their father heaved a deep sigh, looking from one son to the other. “Well, then ’tis clear that this is not the end of the story. These men—one or both of them—will seek to retrieve the sisters. We needa know what they might plan and how they intend to proceed.”
Keir nodded. “The dowager will no doubt keep us informed. She seems to have her ears and eyes everywhere.”
“But what if she doesna discover it?” his father asked with a raised brow. “From what ye told us, both men know that the Whickertons are involved. They are no fools. Undoubtedly, they will take care to mask their next steps.”
Duncan nodded, meeting Keir’s eyes. “Aye, Father’s right. We needa stay alert.” His gaze shifted from Keir back to their father. “I shall post sentries at the watchtowers and send a message to the mainland.”
“I believe that would be wise,” their father agreed, grasping Duncan’s shoulder affectionately.
Keir smiled, for he had seen this sort of conversation before. His father had begun to groom Duncan for the chieftainship of the clan, always providing counsel, offering suggestions and voicing concerns. Ultimately, though, he allowed Duncan to make his own decision. Keir knew that step by step, his father would retreat, and slowly hand over the responsibility for their clan.
Suddenly, Duncan chuckled, and Keir frowned at his brother. “And what of Sarah?” his brother inquired, crossing his arms over his broad chest like a stern father questioning the intentions of his daughter’s suitor. Still, amusement glimmered in his green eyes. “Ye clearly care for the lass, and she cares for ye. What do ye intend to do about that?”
A knowing smile came to their father’s face, and his brows rose meaningfully as he looked at Keir. “I shall return to the keep and speak to yer mother.” He chuckled, nodding to both his sons. “’Tis truly good to have ye both here again.” Then he turned and walked back the way they had come.
Keir exhaled a deep breath, torn between joy about having returned home and the tension that lingered because of an uncertain future.
“Well?” Duncan prompted, clearly unwilling to drop the subject. “Do ye intend to marry the lass?”
Keir grinned at his brother. “Ye’ve never been one to hold back, have you, Duncan?”
His brother shrugged. “If I wish to know something, I ask for it. In my opinion, it saves time.”
Keir had always agreed with that assessment. He had always favored direct conversation over suspicions, concerns and contemplations that would eventually lead nowhere. Still, lately, he had come to realize that speaking one’s mind was not as simple when one’s own heart was on the line. He remembered well how he had advised Juliet, one of the Whickerton sisters, to speak to the man she had loved all her life and ask him how he felt about her. It had seemed prudent advice, and in the end, it had brought Juliet and Christopher together, forcing them both to realize what was between them.
Still, Keir could not deny a nervous tingle at the thought of revealing to Sarah that he loved her or that he wanted to marry her.
“I love her,” Keir told his brother with a pointed look, surprised how good it felt to say so out loud, to reveal that part of himself to someone he loved.
Duncan grasped Keir’s shoulders and gave him an enthusiastic shake, a wide grin stretching across his face. “Ah, I knew ye did the moment I saw the two of ye together. Did ye already ask for her hand?” He glanced up toward the castle. “Have ye spoken to Mother yet? Ye know she will be delighted to plan a wedding.”
Keir chuckled, lifting his hands to halt his brother’s steps before he could rush off and do something unwise. “As always, ye rush into things without thinking, Brother,” he teased affectionately, then continued walking along the beach, nodding to Duncan to join him. “To answer yer question, I do intend to marry her, but I havena yet told her so.”
A frown descended upon Duncan’s face, and for a moment, he looked utterly confused. “What stands in yer way, Brother?” he asked, rather mockingly. “The fact that she cares for ye, that she’s right here, that marrying her will forever protect her from Lord Blackmore’s reach?” His brows rose demandingly. “Quite frankly, I’ve never known ye to be so indecisive.”
Hanging his head, Keir smiled. “Neither have I,” he admitted, running his fingers through his hair in an almost helpless gesture. “Believe me, ye will understand when yer time comes to have yer heart stolen. All of a sudden, simple things no longer seem simple.”
If possible, Duncan’s brows furrowed even more. “Ye’re not making any sense.”
Keir paused, looking out to sea for a long time before facing his brother again. “I met her only a few months ago,” he shrugged his shoulders helplessly, “and now, here I stand, certain that I wish to marry her. How did that happen?” He chuckled. “Sarah asked me that very thing.”
“The lass already told ye she loved ye?”
Keir shook his head. “She hasna, and yet I think we both know we do.” Again, he raked a hand through his hair, his ring finger snagging on one of his braids. “I barely know her, and yet I feel as though I’ve known her forever.”
An oddly earnest expression came to Duncan’s face, and he reached out and grasped his shoulders. “Ye may not have known her long, Brother, but ye do know her. Ye know ye do. A blind man could see it. What is it that holds ye back? Truly?”
Keir sighed, once again realizing how precious it was to have someone to speak to so openly and without fear of giving offense. Duncan spoke his mind as Keir had throughout most of his life, and yet when it mattered the most, he could not… not as much as he wished. “I thought it better to wait and allow her time to settle in, to feel safe.” He exhaled a deep breath. “Within a matter of weeks, her life was turned upside down, and I want to be certain that she chooses me because she wants me—truly!—and not because she simply feels safe with me.” In the back of Keir’s mind, Sarah’s voice echoed words she had spoken to him not long ago. Was that not what she had told him? That she felt safe with him, that she wanted to keep him close because she wanted to hold on to that feeling?
