“Aye, we daena want him tae land on us.”
I luggedbags to the woods and piled them behind a tree and called Dude over to get out of the way. “So I shouldn’t be upset about the fight?”
“What?”
“I shouldn’t be upset about the fight?”
“Nae, we learned a great deal about one another. Tis important. But tis also a couple centuries in the past.”
“I was pretty passionately mad at you, and I passionately love you too, so I guess it’s good to see both sides.”
“True.” He stepped back intae the clearing and looked up at the sky. “And dost ye ken what ye need tae do now?”
“Kiss you?”
He chuckled. “I was goin’ tae say get behind the boulder because a storm is coming, but kiss me works, how about one then the other?”
I kissed him.
Then I looked up at the sky. “It doesn’t look like anything.”
“Nae, there is something, ye see the branches wavin’?”
“Oh, crap.”
“Aye.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me back behind a boulder and I huddled under him as we covered our heads. The clouds rose and the winds gusted and the trees whipped and then the storm came on like a blast. The noise was deafening and the wind was terrifying, until at long last, it was over.
Torin peekedover the boulder and said, “Max is here.” He rushed out to see him.
Max peeledhis arm off his face and looked up at Torin. “Och nae, how are ye here?”
Torin tugged at his earlobe. “What?”
Max said, “How are ye here?”
“We just arrived. We got up verra fast, tis not lookin’ good on ye that ye are in the mud still.”
“I will lay here until I am ready. I am glad ye dinna land on me.”
“I did last time, ye ken, or the time before?—”
“Last time or the time before?”
“Aye.”
“Och nae.”
Torin said, “I think ye ought tae rise, yer sister rose as soon as she landed, ye look weak lyin’ in the mud.”
Max exhaled, irritatedly. “I canna decide if I am happy tae see ye or nae.”
Torin grinned. “Och ye are happy tae see me, I am verra glad tae see ye and look how many horses I brought!”
Max groaned. “I told ye nae!”
“Ye told me many things and I tell ye, m’laird, I haena listened tae ye on any of it.”
Just then theuncles rode up in the ATV and Ryan, Aenghus, and Charlie walked over as if they were going to make introductions again.
