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They were both silent for a minute and then Conran said, "I'm thinking this latest head wound is serious enough that we mayhap should camp here another day or two to give her the chance to heal. Especially since 'tis no' her first head wound."
Dougall glanced at him sharply. "A day or two here?"
"Aye," he said solemnly, and then grinned and added, "I'd give ye a week if I could, but suspect stopping so long would make the lads suspicious. Especially when we are so close to home."
"Aye," Dougall agreed quietly. He considered the matter briefly, then nodded. "We'll camp here tonight and tomorrow night."
"Where are ye going?" Conran asked with surprise when Dougall suddenly moved around him and started away, but not back toward camp.
"I'm going to catch some more game. Having plenty o' food on hand'll keep the lads from complaining. And then I'm going to take a swim to clear me head," Dougall muttered. Dougall rarely rushed headlong into anything. If battle couldn't be avoided, he made a plan. It seemed to him that wooing Murine deserved a plan too. After all, this was the rest of their lives he was to be deciding on.
Chapter 7
Dougall heard the laughter long before he reached their campsite. The sound made him smile slightly as he walked. Murine's tinkling laughter was easily heard among the lower-pitched guffaws of his brothers. It made him wonder if Conran had mentioned their decision to camp here a night or two to allow her to recover from her latest head wound, or not.
"She didn't!" Murine was gasping when Dougall stepped into the clearing.
Curious to know what they were talking about, Dougall paused at the tree line and waited as Alick nodded and said gleefully. "Aye, she did. Saidh put her boots to Aulay, Conran and Dougall and had them rolling on the ground, clutching their bollocks and howling like babies."
"She did the same to you," Conran pointed out dryly.
"Aye, she did," Alick admitted unashamed. "And then she had Geordie in a headlock and was twisting Rory's ear until I thought sure it would pop right off." He shook his head and said with admiration, "She's a scrapper is our Saidh."
"Aye, well she's had to be with the seven o' us fer brothers. We'd ha'e trod all over her if she were no'," Geordie pointed out with affection.
"Aye. That's true enough," Alick agreed and then smiled at Murine and admitted, "That's why 'tis a wonder to me that ye and Saidh are friends."
Dougall frowned. He wasn't at all surprised that Saidh and Murine were friends. They were both brave and sometimes stubborn women as Murine had proven when she'd refused to eat ere bathing. Besides, the comment almost sounded like an insult, though he couldn't say whether it was an insult to Saidh or Murine. Apparently Murine thought so too, because she sat up a little straighter on the log she was perched on and demanded, "Why?"
"Now, do no' take offense," Alick said quickly. "I'm no' meaning insult. 'Tis jest that our Saidh is . . . well, she's strong, but . . ."
"But I am weak and stupid?" Murine suggested when he hesitated, and Dougall narrowed his gaze on her. Not only did she sound annoyed, she was slurring her words a bit. She was also swaying on her log as if dancing to slow music.
"Oh nay," Alick said quickly. "Ye're far from weak or stupid."
Murine looked mildly soothed by the words and slouched back on her perch, but asked, "Then why are ye surprised we'd be friends?"
"Ye're a true lady," Alick said after a moment. "And our Saidh is . . . not," he finished weakly.
"Oh, pffft." Murine waved one hand a bit wildly. "Saidh's maybe a little rough-and-tumble, but she's still 's much a lady as me." An evil grin coming to her face, Murine added, "Ye'd best be nice to me, Alick Buchanan, else I'll tell Saidh ye said that just so I can see her twist yer ear."
"Oh, nay, ye'd no' do that," Alick said on a laugh, and then concern slowly dawned on his face and he asked, "Would ye?"
Murine leaned back on a peal of laughter and would have fallen off her log if Dougall hadn't moved up just then and put out a hand to brace her back. When she didn't even seem to notice or look around, but continued to giggle at Alick, Dougall glanced to Conran and arched an eyebrow in question.
"Alick gave her one o' Rory's tinctures to help with her aching head," he explained and then grinned and added, "But apparently it was pretty foul, so he mixed it with whiskey. A lot o' whiskey," he said with emphasis. "Murine's feeling no pain."
"Ahhh," Dougall said dryly, and then glanced to Murine when she swiveled on her log to see him and gasped.
"There ye are!" she exclaimed, swaying back away from him. "We were beginning to think ye'd fallen into the river and drowned. I e'en wanted to come find ye, but the lads did no' think 'twas a good idea."
Dougall found a smile tugging at his lips. She was more relaxed than he'd ever seen her, smiling widely, her eyes clear of the worry and sadness that always seemed to cloud them . . . and she'd worried about him. He liked this Murine even more than the one he'd come to know during their trip so far.
"Where were ye?"
His mouth widened further at the slurred demand. She spoke as if she had a right to know and as if she cared and he liked that too.
"I was hunting more game," he said and held up the pheasants he'd scared up.
"Ohhhh," she breathed, her eyes widening on the birds. She reached out to run her fingers lightly down the speckled feathers and admitted, "I like pheasant better than rabbit. Especially the way you boys cooked them yester eve. What was that spice ye rubbed on it ere putting it o'er the fire? It was lovely."
Dougall had no idea. Alick had dressed the birds for cooking, probably with some wild herbs he'd found in the woods, but it had been good, so he held the pheasants out to his younger brother now, saying, "Ye'll have to ask Alick that. 'Twas his efforts ye enjoyed."
Murine swung around unsteadily on her seat to grin at Alick as he stood to take the game. "Then ye must tell me, Alick. 'Twas delicious."
Alick actually blushed at the praise as he took the pheasants, but merely said, "I'll tell ye later. Ye'll be more likely to remember then."
Dougall smiled wryly at the words, suspecting they were true. Murine was definitely feeling no pain just now. He doubted she'd remember much of anything of this day come morn. The thought made him eye her consideringly and then he asked, "Would ye like to take another swim while we're here?"
Murine looked surprised at the question. "I thought we'd be on our way once ye returned."
When Dougall glanced to Conran in question, he shrugged, "I thought it best ye explain that we're staying another night."
"We are?" Murine asked and frowned. "But--"
"Come," Dougall suggested, catching her under the arm and urging her to her feet. "I'll explain on our way to the waterfall."
"I do like the waterfall," Murine announced, apparently already forgetting her concern that they were staying. "'Tis so pretty."
"Aye," Dougall agreed, leading her away from the campfire and ignoring the looks his brothers were giving him. Conran looked knowing and approving, but Alick and Geordie were eyeing him with a suspicion and concern that was rather annoying. They should know Murine was safe with him. He didn't plan on harming or ruining the lass. However, it had occurred to Dougall that if Murine wasn't likely to remember this day's events come morning, he should be able to kiss her without fear she'd think he saw her as a lightskirt. That way he could see if they might suit each other in that manner. It would help him make his decision as to whether he should marry her or not, and it would allow him to do so in a way that wouldn't hurt her feelings or leave her feeling abused. He just had to be careful about it. So far the woman's very presence stirred him like no other. If it turned out, as he suspected, that her kisses affected him even more, than he would have to stomp down on his urges and not overstep. He didn't want to force her into marrying him. He just wanted a little more assurance that he could deal happily with her. He also wanted to be sure she was not cold and unresponsive in that area.
While he was hunting, Dougall had
