“And that is why we are going to see them?” Arran asked, having quickly caught onto the fact that they were no longer talking about the Murrays and McKenzies.
“I dinnae ken if Flora and Seamus will be there. Their lands are further north. But we will seek out Iona. She took over theMcKenzie land once Campbell and all of his men had been sent on their way.”
“Is she really the Laird?” Aila couldn’t help but ask, her tone full of wonder.
“Aye. She is married now. She and Finn married a few years after everything settled. Though it is said they still fulfill the same roles they had before they were married; she as Laird and he as Captain of the Guard.”
“And ye truly think they will help us? Have they always been allies of the Kincaid Clan?”
Try as she might, Aila couldn’t keep the worry from her voice. She hated for Arran to know just how scared she was that this wasn’t going to work; that all of their days of riding and hoping and praying would be for nothing. But she was unable to shake the fear.
“They have helped us in the past, aye. But that is nae why we turn to them now. It was the story I have spent all day sharing that made me think of them. The McKenzies ken a great deal about standing with those who are in danger, speaking out against a wrong regardless of who they are speaking against. Their clan is still here today because they value working as a united front. It is those principles that make me think they are our best bet. Aye, they are the north, so even if the baron does manage to sink his fingers into our land, it will nae affect them. At least, nae at first. But she will have the foresight to be able to see that Baron Dudley is a lot like Campbell. He will never be satisfied with a little. He must take as much as he can.”
“So ye truly believe they will stand with us?”
“Aye,” Lachlan said, meeting Aila’s eyes with a confident gaze. “I think they will stand with us.”
She let his words soothe her worried soul. With the day drawing to an end, Lachlan suggested they stop for the night at acozy-looking inn. As soon as they walked inside the creaky door, Aila was grateful they had.
A huge, warm fire burned in the hearth on one side of the room while several empty tables took up the rest of the entrance. Lachlan moved to arrange their rooms while Aila and Arran warmed themselves by the fire. She squeezed his shoulders affectionately and sighed.
“Such a blustery night for a nice young family like yers to be out,” a wrinkled woman commented with a smile.
For a moment, Aila’s heart started to pound. She wondered if they were in any danger of being recognized. But a quick scan of the room told Aila that this was the innkeeper’s wife doing little else but making her welcoming remarks.
“Aye,” Aila answered with a forced smile of her own. “Traveling to see family that we could nae get to for the holidays. Could ye tell me what we can get tonight?”
By the time Lachlan made it over to them, Aila had already ordered dinner to be brought up to their room. He ushered them up the rickety stairs and down a slender hallway while carrying a candle. They spent the next few hours eating and preparing for another full day of riding. It didn’t take long for soft snores to come from Arran’s cot near the fire. Aila leaned back into Lachlan’s chest and let his arms fend the cold off for her.
“I never thought we would make it this far,” she whispered.
“I told ye I would nae let anything bad happen to ye. Ye are nae still worried about bounty hunters, are ye? Dinnae fash, Aila, I?—”
“That is nae what I meant. I mean, I never thought that we would be here. I thought ye would always be running or that a family would never be an option for us. Yet, here we are, a family of three, off on a mission to protect the rest of our home. I never thought I would have a home to protect again.”
Lachlan nuzzled the top of her head as he dragged her back, pulling her even deeper into the bed to him.
“Nor did I, to be sure. But I am verra grateful to have a home worth defending. And a family to keep close. We are verra lucky, Aila.Iam verra lucky, I ken that now. I would never do anything that would put that at risk. Ye and Arran mean far too much to me to do anything reckless.”
“I ken that ye would do anything to keep us safe,” Aila hedged.
“Of course. Ye are my family now.”
She nodded and then untangled herself from him before twisting so she could look him in the eye as she spoke. She needed him to know that she meant what she said.
“Taryn and Sorcha are my family too, Lachlan. And I would do anything for them, just as I would for ye or Arran.”
“Aila, I swore to ye on our wedding day that I would protect our family. I kent then that included Taryn and Sorcha as well as Christopher and Elsie. And I intend on keeping my vows. We will get Taryn back. I promise.”
It took a great deal of effort to keep her tears from falling from her eyes, but somehow, Aila managed it. She settled back into Lachlan’s arms and let his promise and his steady breathing lull her to sleep.
The fire crackled, casting shadows on the walls, but Lachlan paid them no heed. His attention was too captivated by the boy sleeping by the fire and the woman in his arms. That his entire world fit in a single room astounded him, but he was no less in love with them. They were his purpose in life, and he knew, though their journey was still just beginning, together they would be able to face anything.
