Page 41 of Reviving Her Highland Spirit

“That might not be true,” Callum said at once. “It’s a terrible thing tae say of someone if it’s not true.”

“It was recorded as a crime in the ledgers,” Maggie said with a shrug. “His Ma paid off the captain o’ the guard not to investigate. They used tae take Red Rufus’ crimes out o’ the book and hide them away. The papers have been found, and they’re in our library. I read them all last night.”

“Oh,” Callum said quietly.

“Anyway, his Ma killed Laird McAlister when he got old enough. She tried tae kill the three boys too - my Da and his two brothers. My Da - Bryce McAlister - fled with his brothers. He never wanted tae be a laird, ye see. That’s why my Uncle James, the second boy, is laird instead. Well, Uncle James could have killed Red Rufus, but he said he couldn’t. He was his brother, after all. So he just banished him, but now Red Rufus is back.”

“How does he know that he’s back?” Callum asked.

Maggie shrugged. “Uncle James said that they’ve almost found his lair, and they think he’s close by, closer than we ever expected. They’ll try and find him, but if he gets away, or if he has powerful friends, it’ll still be war.”

There was a long, tense silence between them.

“War,” Callum repeated, his voice soft and hoarse. “Ye really think that there will be a war?”

Maggie ran a hand through her wet, tangled hair. Her fingers caught on a knot, painfully tugging at her scalp. She was colder than ever now. She wanted to go behind the trees and change into her warm, dry clothes, but Maggie was sure that it would break the spell if she did that. There was something between them, something strong and mysterious, something that made Maggie want to fling herself into Callum’s arms and hold him close.

She resisted, of course.

“I don’t know. The thing is, Red Rufus thinks that the lairdship should be his, but he was only ever fourth in line. Now, with Uncle James’ children and me and my siblings, he’s way down in the line of succession. The only way he’ll get tae be laird is if he wipes us all out, and Uncle James thinks that’s what he intends tae do.”

“Perhaps he’s not as bad as ye think.”

Maggie glanced up at Callum, frowning. “Perhaps not. But the fact still remains that he wants tae kill me and my whole family. He wants tae bring bloodshed and war to a land that’s enjoyed peace - real peace, Callum, not just the absence of war - for decades. What sort of man does that? What sort of man lets his thirst for revenge affect everyone around him? Do ye think this is fair, Callum?”

Callum squeezed his eyes closed. “No, I suppose I don’t.”

Maggie shrugged, sighing. “Well, that’s the truth of it. We could be at war any day now. I don’t know what tae expect, and neither does Uncle James. We’re all trapped here, waiting to hear what will happen. It’s scary, Callum, I won’t lie. Knowing that someone is out there, hating me for who I am and who I was born tae be. Knowing that they’ll kill me tae get our lands, and I might not be able tae defend myself.”

“There’ll be others tae defend ye, surely,” Callum murmured.

Maggie shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, there it is. There’s the truth. I could be dead in a few weeks, or even a few days. So I want us to stay together while we can. I… I care about ye, Callum. If these are my last days alive, or my last days at peace, I want tae spend them with ye.”

Callum’s throat was working hard, and he didn’t quite meet Maggie’s eyes.

“If there was a war,” he said, his voice raspy, “We could leave.”

“Leave?” Maggie echoed.

Callum stepped forward, grabbing her hands in his. “Aye, ye and me, Maggie. We don’t have tae stay and fight in a war that’s not ours. We could pack up and go, and live free, away from all of this bloodshed and politics and lies. It’s sickening, Maggie. Would ye do it? Would ye run away with me?”

“If there was a war?”

“Aye, if there was a war.”

Maggie drew in a deep breath, squeezing his hands. “Of course I would, Callum. Of course.”

“The thing is, Maggie, I care about ye too,” Callum forced his eyes up to meet Maggie’s gaze. His expression filled her with warmth. He was telling the truth. There was no lie in his eyes, and Maggie’s breath stuttered in her throat. Her heart was pounding as fast as ever, thumping against her ribcage until she thought she might faint.

Thank goodness she was sitting down.

Callum sank down until he was kneeling in front of Maggie, and reached up to cup her face.

“I know it’s not right, and I know that I shouldn’t even think of ye this way, but I think I’m falling in love with ye, Maggie,” Callum said softly.

Maggie wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Instead, she flung herself forward, crashing her lips against Callum’s with more determination than finesse. Her arms slid around his shoulders, fingertips feeling the ridges of scars on his skin. His hands found her waist, pulling her close, and Callum deepened the kiss.

It’s really happening, Maggie thought wildly. This is no dream. I just told Callum exactly how I felt, and he’s not angry or nervous, or disinterested. And now he’s kissing me. He cares for me. He cares for me. He’s falling in love with me, and God help me, I’m falling in love with him just as hard.