“That’s marvelous, Cameron!” Bridgette exclaimed and started to ease away from Graham so he could try the stick, but his fingers caught her arm. When she looked at him, he shook his head at her.
“I thank ye for making it for me, Cameron,” Graham said. “But I’ll try it later. Now we need to make haste to the ship.”
“But this will likely be easier than leaning on Bridgette,” Cameron protested.
Graham’s jaw tensed. “I’m used to Bridgette’s aid. We have it nicely worked out. Dunnae we? Or…” Graham paused as his gaze found hers. “Would ye prefer I try the stick? Are ye weary of helping me?”
His question—meant to offer her freedom, she was sure—made her feel chained by guilt instead. She shook her head, trying to ignore the vexed look Angus gave her. “Of course nae. But it may do ye good to have the stick when I’m nae around.”
Graham nodded. “I agree, and I’ll try it later. In private.”
Perchance he did not want to fumble around with everyone watching. She could understand that, and it seemed by Cameron’s nod and his reaching for the stick that he understood it, as well. Only Angus still looked irritable, but he said no more.
Bridgette and Graham moved slowly through the crowd of gathered MacLeods and led the procession down the seawall stairs. The pipers immediately started playing, and Bridgette was grateful for the musical notes that filled the air and made talking unnecessary. With every step, the anticipation of seeing Lachlan built. Behind her and Graham, Angus and Cameron carried on a lively conversation about Cameron’s latest ship he was helping to create for his brother’s fleet.
“Ye’re verra quiet,” Graham said to Bridgette.
She got a glimpse of the birlinn ahead, and her heartbeat doubled. It took a great amount of control to drag her gaze to Graham and quit staring ahead to where she knew Lachlan stood. “I suppose I’m thinking on Marion and yer family, and wondering if they’ll be verra changed after the battle they endured.”
“Perchance Marion will,” Graham mused. “Who knows what awful things she was subjected to when that English swine knight Froste seized her and had her in his control. Iain has seen great battles many times and they never change him. Though this one did involve his wife. And Lachlan”—Graham’s gaze bore into hers—“each battle he wins serves to make him more arrogant.”
“I dunnae believe he’s arrogant,” she corrected, sensing a bit of brotherly rivalry that seemed unlike Graham. “Simply confident in his abilities. A great warrior must be confident.”
When a hurt look crossed his face, she quickly added, “Take yerself. Ye’re confident because ye ken ye’re a fine warrior.”
“I was,” he said with a scowl. “And if I’d nae been injured I would have been able to finally best Lachlan in a contest.” Determination set on Graham’s face as they descended the steps in awkward, slow motions. “I will grow strong again, Bridgette. Dunnae fash yerself,” he said, leaning heavily on her as she helped him down the last step and they made their way toward the approaching birlinn.
“I’m nae,” she replied as they struggled across the rocky terrain.
Marion stood at the front of the birlinn with Iain and Rory Mac, who was like a brother to the MacLeods, though he was no relation. She looked so tiny with the giant Scots flanking her, but her friend also looked well. Bridgette grinned and waved, but her smile faltered as she searched the faces on the ship for Lachlan.
Where is he? What if something happened to him since Alex wrote me?
They had, after all, traveled through Scotland with King David for two months after they had rescued Marion in England. The king—who had recently been released from an eleven-year imprisonment by the King of England—was intent upon making his way across Scotland granting land and titles to those he deemed loyal to him while he had been absent from his throne. They had covered a great deal of Scotland with the king, and then had returned to England after parting ways with the king so that Marion could finally see to the welfare of the servants from her home she had to leave at the king’s command. And now they had finally made their way back to Dunvegan and the king was to follow soon.
Fear tightened her throat, and her lungs failed to work as she and Graham stopped and Angus and Cameron came to stand beside them. She bit her cheek hard as she scanned the faces on the birlinn.
Graham pressed his mouth close to her ear. “I’m going to become a legend, Bridgette,” he whispered.
She looked at him, confused by his sudden words. Why declare this now?
He glanced at the birlinn, then whispered, “I will become a legend as great—no,greater—than either Iain or Lachlan. I’ll nae ask ye to marry me before I achieve this. Then I ken ye’ll forget the man who has yer heart.”
“There’s Lachlan,” Cameron announced.
Bridgette jerked her gaze back to the boat where Lachlan now stood by Iain’s side. Her lungs immediately started to work again, and her heart thumped as if she’d run all the way down the seawall stairs. Her stomach roiled, and dizziness fluttered through her. She locked her knees to keep from falling.
Lachlan was speaking to his brother, and she took the moment to drink in the sight of him. His hair was longer than she remembered, and the shadow of beard he had left with was now full and lent him a wild, utterly male appearance. He wore no shirt, and a fresh red scar snaked from his muscled right shoulder down the length of his carved stomach and disappeared beneath the material of the plaid covering his hip bones. She sucked in a breath, suddenly consumed by a yearning to simply be near him that was more intense than any she’d previously experienced.
“What’s vexing ye?” Graham asked, concern filling his voice.
Her mind, so clouded by desire, could not find a suitable lie so she simply shook her head. She tensed, sure Graham would not be satisfied with her response, but Angus came to her rescue. “She’s a lass. If ye dunnae understand by now, let me explain. Lassies get all weepy when they are overjoyed. When they are weepy, they kinnae speak.”
Normally it angered her to be thought of as a weak woman, but she welcomed the notion now. She even sniffled to support the idea.
“I suppose seeing Marion well is what did it,” Graham said in a voice that sounded almost inquisitive.
She forced a nod but hated herself for the lie, so she added in a choked voice, “Seeing all of yer family returned brings me joy.”
