Stephen lost no time contemplating his assailant. All he knew was that he’d seen this man hold a knife to his wife’s throat. To him, it was their lives to Tam’s. He grabbed a piece of a log from the ground, and as Tam turned in puzzlement to Bronwyn, Stephen slammed the wood into the back of the big man’s knee.
Tam gave a deep grunt and fell forward. Stephen, on his knees, plowed his fist into Tam’s face and felt the man’s nose crunch.
Tam knew that Stephen was not an unknown or Rab would have given warning, but when he felt his nose break, he no longer cared who his attacker was. He opened his big hands and went for Stephen’s throat. Stephen knew he had no chance against the man’s strength, but his youth and agility were more than a match. He sidestepped Tam’s hands, then ducked and pummeled both fists into the rock-hard stomach. Tam didn’t seem to notice Stephen’s blows. He grabbed Stephen by the shoulders, picked him up, and bashed him against a tree—once, twice. Stephen was dazed as his body hit the tree, but he lifted his legs and used all his strength to push against Tam’s chest. The strength in Stephen’s legs was enough to make Tam pause in his squashing of Stephen.
Stephen brought his arms up under Tam’s wrists, and the suddenness of his action made Tam release him. Instantly Tam was after Stephen again, his giant hands going after the younger man’s throat. Stephen had only seconds to escape. He threw his legs into the air and did a perfect backward flip.
Tam stood in a crouch for a moment. One second his enemy was there and the next he was gone. Before he could blink he felt a cold, steel blade at his throat.
“Don’t move,” Stephen said, panting, “or I’ll cut your throat.”
“Stop it!” Bronwyn screamed. “Stephen! Release him this instant!”
“Release him?” Stephen asked. “He tried to kill you.” He frowned when he felt Tam’s deep laughter.
“Kill me!” Bronwyn said. “You are the stupidest man I ever met. Rab would have been after him if there’d been any danger. Now put down that knife before you hurt someone.”
Slowly Stephen resheathed his knife. “The damn dog was so still he could have been dead for all I knew.” He rubbed the back of his head. His spine felt like it’d been broken.
“He’s right, Bronwyn,” Tam said. “He did what he should have done. My name’s Tam MacArran,” he said as he held out his hand to Stephen. “Where did ye learn to fight like that?”
Stephen hesitated for a moment before he took the man’s hand. What he really wanted to do was turn Bronwyn over his knee for calling him stupid when he’d been trying to protect her. “Stephen Montgomery,” he said, shaking Tam’s hand. “I have a brother built like you. I found the only way to beat him was to be faster. An acrobat taught me a few tricks, and they’ve come in handy.”
“I should say so!” Tam said, rubbing his nose. “I think it may be broken.”
“Oh, Tam!” Bronwyn cried, giving Stephen a look of hate. “Come back to camp and let me look at it.”
Tam didn’t move. “I think ye should ask yer husband’s permission. I take it ye are her husband?”
Stephen felt himself warming to the man. “I already have scars to prove it.”
Tam chuckled.
“Let’s go and see if we can find some beer. And I’d like to talk to those guards of mine. How in the world they didn’t hear Bronwyn leaving camp I’ll never know. A man in full armor could have made less noise.”
“Less noise!” Bronwyn said. “You Englishmen are—”
Tam put his hand on her shoulder and stopped her. “Even if the others didn’t hear you, your husband did. Now go ahead and get me some warm water for washing. I think there’s dried blood all over me.” He looked at Stephen fondly. “You have some strength in your fists.”
Stephen grinned. “Another blow on that tree and my back would have broken.”
“Aye,” Tam said. “Ye have no meat on ye for padding.”
“Ha!” Stephen snorted. “If I got as heavy as you I wouldn’t be able to move.”
The men grinned at each other and followed Bronwyn and Rab back to camp.
“Stephen!” Chris said when they reached camp. “We heard the noise, but it took us a while to see that you were gone. God’s teeth! What happened to you, and who’s this?”
Torches were being lit as the men began to wake, disturbed by the commotion. “Go back to sleep, Chris,” Stephen said. “Just get someone to send us some hot water and open a keg of beer, will you? Come inside, Tam.”
Tam looked about the inside of the tent. The walls were lined with pale blue silk, the ground covered with carpets from the Orient. He sat down in a carved oak chair. “Fine place ye have here,” he said.
“It’s a waste of money!” Bronwyn snapped. “There are people going hungry and—”
“I paid people to make this tent, and I assume they bought food with the money,” Stephen retorted.
Tam looked from one to the other. He saw anger and hostility coming from Bronwyn, but from Stephen he saw tolerance and maybe even affection. And Stephen had attacked him when he thought Tam was threatening Bronwyn.
