His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed a horse coming toward them.
He knew Logan saw the same, because he pointed toward it in the distance and said, “Here comes the missing lad. Mayhap he has news for us.”
Loki’s horse galloped straight toward them, the lad’s excitement visible even from a distance.
Brodie yelled out to him, “I’ll chastise you later for going off on your own, but what have you for us? You’ve discovered something, have you not?”
“Aye,” he said, pausing to catch his breath. “They went through the ravine. I checked which way they were going, then came back to tell you. I’ll bet they’re in the cave by now.”
“Aye, if Mac is wise enough not to listen to my stubborn wife, who I’m sure wanted to press on.” Alex cursed under his breath again, then remembered to thank Loki. “I’m pleased you were so resourceful, lad.”
Logan said, “She’ll stop in the cave, Grant. Her goal was to get far enough that you’d have to take her to Ramsay land. And as you said before, she’s not used to traveling for that long. She’ll be freezing.”
“I’m not sure that cave would be considered halfway,” Alex said, his lips pursed tight to keep himself from launching into another tirade. How the hell could Maddie have done something so foolish? No matter how he tried, he couldn’t come up with any sound reason for her to act so rashly with their bairns and Alice and Mac. Being foolish over her own comforts was one thing, but to risk the young and the elderly was beyond something he thought her capable of doing. Even if he had ordered her around, she knew better.
Logan snorted. “After several hours in this weather with three bairns, she’ll be wishing it’s more than halfway.”
Alex cast a sideways glance at Logan, knowing he was right.
Still, his concern over how they were faring in this storm only grew. He worried especially for Kyla and Alice.
“Let’s move on. Loki, lead the way.”
The Highland Clan
1280
Loki
Book 1
Loki’s story grabbed everyone’s heartstrings, but as he grew up on Grant land, he learned that not everyone there thought he had the right to be treated as a member of Clan Grant. Discrimination for those who were different, medieval style.
Chapter One
Loki wants to marry his beloved Arabella, but her father disapproves, so he sets out to prove his worth with the help of Logan and Gwyneth.
Loki Grant opened one eye and the first thought that passed through his mind was:Who am I? The strangest thing about that was it was the one question he could not answer. He knew his name, but what else did he know?
He closed his eyes again as pain from his head rippled through him. He reached up with one hand to feel the swelling by his eye and the giant egg on his head. Rolling onto his side, he placed his hands on the cold, hard ground beneath him and pushed up with a roar loud enough to send the few birds left in the Highlands squawking off to another tree.
A voice came from off to his side, a voice he knew and trusted but couldn’t quite place yet.
“How’s the head feel? Like you are daft and have no sense? If so, then you have the right of it. You have no sense at all. How many, or do you not remember?” Logan Ramsay, his uncle, chuckled at him. Actually, Logan wasn’t truly his uncle, but his Aunt Brenna had married into the Ramsay family, and the bonds between the two families were so strong that he considered theman an uncle. Loki managed to turn his head to stare at Logan, who was seated on the log next to him.
Logan held his hand out, offering him a bit of ale from a skin.
Loki took it, groaning again. “Arseholes. Every one of them.”
“How many?”
“Five.”
“When the hell are you going to stop trying to get yourself killed, fool? I’ve taught you better than that. You’re interested in working for the Scottish crown like I do, and I’m happy to teach you. I’d like you to take over some of my jobs so I can spend more time at home with my Gwynie before I die. I’m not getting any younger, but you are not getting any smarter, are you?”
Loki took another slug of the ale before handing it back to his uncle. “How did you know where to find me?”
“People talk. Even reivers. They all talked about the tall fool who thought he could take on five men. When will you learn?”
