“Aye. If it were up to ye, they would never be together. Ye canna—willna—consider compromise or that a solution can be had even if ye arenae the one to come up with it.” Catriona pulled her hand away and shook her head. “That’s why we willna be together. It’s nae all ma family’s fault. Ye dinna want us as much as Rab and Catherine want them.” Catriona kissed Andrew’s cheek as she wiped away a tear. She walked away, leaving Andrew adrift. Anger, hurt, fear, and desperation swirled within him as he watched Catriona leave him while he prayed he could find Catherine.
When Andrew was certain Catriona was with the other ladies, he hurried to the barracks to gather his men. They were already outside waiting for him, Darren having warned them that Andrew was irate. The men mounted and raced through the gates and town until they were on the road west.
* * *
Catherine watched Rab as their first day’s travel ended, and the group made camp. She sensed Rab’s anxiety was higher than when they set out despite having an uneventful day. She rested her hand on Rab’s upper arm and handed him a skewered rabbit leg.
“What’s amiss?”
“Naught. But we are on the edge of Buchanan territory. I ken their patrol has seen us. For now, I’m nay too worried since we are keeping to ourselves, and there is nay way Dennis could have let anyone in his clan ken aboot yer—incident—with Agnes.”
“Incident,” Catherine snorted. “Dennis was an incident. Agnes was merely a difference in opinion.”
“Kitty.” Rab shook his head with exasperation, but he couldn’t repress his smile as he kissed her forehead. “Just be alert, please.”
“I will. I dinna wish to cause ye extra worry.” Catherine returned Rab’s kiss by pressing her lips to his cheek. “I ken ye already worry more because I’m with ye. I dinna want to add to that.”
“Thank ye, wife.”
“Ye’re welcome, husband. When will ye stand yer turn at watch?”
“First. I dinna need ye unprotected in the middle of the night.”
“Unprotected? With seven of ye? And isnae the whole point of having a watch to keep us protected?”
“It’s to alert us to danger. I canna protect ye if I’m nae near ye. I trust ma men with ma life and yers, but I will never believe anyone will fight harder than me to protect ye. I dinna fault them for that. I couldnae fight as hard as them when they protect their wives because it isnae the same as when ye’re guarding the woman ye love.”
“And who will protect ye?” Catherine turned to angle her body so the men couldn’t see her hand as it ran along Rab’s abdomen and over his thigh before it pressed between his plaid and sporran. “I may be the one to attack.”
“I wouldnae resist. But in truth, Kitty, how do ye feel? I’ll take ye down to the loch’s shore a wee ways if ye wish to bathe.”
“Will ye scrub ma back?”
“That and some other favorite parts of ye. But I thought mayhap the cool water might feel good. Are ye sore?”
“A little tender, but it’s other parts of me that are sore. I didna realize I had those muscles, but they were put to good use.”
“Ye will have to tell me what hurts, and I will rub away the ache.” Rab offered her a wolfish grin.
“There is only one thing I’d like ye to rub, and it already aches.” Catherine ran the tip of her tongue over her top teeth before turning away with a coquettish shoulder raise. She made to take a step away, but Rab’s arm wrapped around her. “Ra—”
“Shh.” Rab drew his sword as his men did the same. He scanned their surroundings, keeping his arm around Catherine’s waist, prepared to push her behind him or to lift her and carry her away. He couldn’t determine the danger, but his men had sensed it too.
“Rab, we ride.” Cullen dashed back into the camp. Without a word, the MacLarens scrambled to saddle their horses. No one had laid out their bedrolls yet. Rab nudged Catherine away from Timber after he saddled Bolt. She ran to kick dirt over the cookfire. She swept her eyes over their camp, ensuring they left nothing behind. The eight riders were mounted in five minutes.
“Buchanans?” Rab asked as they spurred their horses.
“Aye,” Cullen panted, still out of breath from running from his lookout point back to camp then hurrying to saddle his horse. “At least a score of them. They were searching for someone, and since we ken their patrol spotted us, ma guess is us.”
Rab led the group to the loch’s edge where they turned west. They rode along the shore, the water wiping away their tracks as they attempted to put distance between them and the Buchanans. The moonlight reflecting on the water helped light their way, making it possible for them to ride well past sundown. Catherine estimated it had been an hour and a half when they slowed their horses to a walk.
“Is that a village?” Catherine asked as she pointed to inky smudges in the distance.
“I believe so.” Rab glanced at Catherine, catching the exhaustion she pretended to hide. He knew she hadn’t eaten—the rabbit leg she brought him long forgotten--and neither had the rest of the group. But she also was unaccustomed to so many hours in the saddle or the anxious anticipation of battle. “We will see if there’s a tavern.”
“Nae on ma account,” Catherine argued.
“We need to disappear rather than set up a camp for them to find. Everyone needs to eat. If we dinna draw too much attention to ourselves, since they likely have few visitors, we might find a roof over our heads.”
