Heather glanced back at Gavin. “What’s it like being in charge of so many people?”
“It is a responsibility to care for a clan but a responsibility I take gladly.”
“At least you have a nice place to work.”
He looked at the fields, many of the strips already harvested but a few lines of yellow wheat still blowing in the breeze like Mayday ribbons. The few trees beyond rustled quietly and to the right of the track he could hear the babbling of the stream as it headed away toward the nearest loch. “Aye,” he replied. “I suppose it could be worse.”
They rode for an hour until a man on foot appeared from the bushes near the head of the group. Expecting trouble, Gavin rode hard to meet him.
As he brought his horse to a halt, Heather lost her balance, leaning back against him. He caught her neatly around the waist.
For a moment he held her close, breathing in the scent at her neck. Then he realized his men were looking at him. He jumped down from the horse, helping Heather down a moment later. Once again that tingle when their hands touched.
“What’s going on here?” he asked, taking charge at once.
“My laird,” the man on foot said. “I am glad to see you.”
“Alex? What ails you? You look worried.”
“I was out hunting rabbits when I saw them.”
“Saw who?”
“Some of them wore Frazer tartan, others looked more like outlaws. Many had the brand on their cheek.”
“How many?”
“I do not know, my laird,” William replied. “There’s so many of them I could not count. A hundred? Perhaps more.”
“Where are they now?”
“Most went off to the east toward Bull Hill but a couple of them went west. I was trying to decide which group to follow when I saw you coming.”
“How long ago did they split?”
“No more than a quarter of an hour.”
“Then we split up. Bruce, you take the men and track the army, split as you see fit to get the flanks covered. See if you can work out where they’re headed. I’ll go check out the ones who went off on their own.”
“The sun will soon set, my laird.”
“Aye and they will have to stop for the dark same as us. Meet me back at the castle tomorrow night. If anything happens in the meantime, you ken what to do.”
“Aye,” Bruce said with a nod.
“Wait,” Heather said as Gavin took hold of his horse’s reins, preparing to mount once more. “You’re not going on your own, are you?”
Gavin saw the look in her eyes. Was that fear? “I can handle myself, lass. You go with the others. They’ll keep you safe.”
“You think that’s what I care about, my own safety?”
“Do you not?”
She shook her head. “How have you been in charge of a clan for this long if you’re so stupid?”
The moment she said the word stupid, all noise stopped. No one had ever spoken to the laird that way before, certainly not a strange woman none of them knew.
“Did you just call me stupid?”
