Page 58 of His Secret Highland Bride

Paul glared as at least a dozen men raised their hands.

Shane thought Paul might go after each of them, but the circle scattered when the gate was opened and a large group of people entered the bailey singing and laughing.

“What is this?” Shane asked the man leading the group. It was Munro, the blacksmith from the village. He gave Shane a wink as he gestured someone forward.

Two men stepped up carrying a large basket.

“A gift for the new laird from the village.”

Fitz and the rest of the group parted so Shane was standing before them.

“My laird,” the man said, and the other villagers whispered as they dipped a bow in Shane’s direction.

He wondered how many of them placed him as the soldier living in the cottage on the edge of the forest. If they told Lindsay… His gaze touched on each person, looking for his wife. He didn’t want her to find out who he was—not this way. But he didn’t see her among the crowd.

“I’m honored by your gift,” Shane said. Whatever it might be was generous, but he doubted it would fill his coffers. If it was food, even that large basket wouldn’t be enough to feed his people during the coming winter.

The lads set the basket down before Shane and pulled back the lid, presenting their gift. Shane gasped in surprise. Fitz came closer to peer inside as well.

“Bloody hell,” the man whispered. “It’s filled with arrows.”

Shane looked to Munro in confusion.

“A woman in the village is married to one of your men. She asked if I might help her make some arrows.” He turned about as if looking for someone. “Where did she go?” He shook his head. “Anyway, after she mentioned the threat of war with the MacColls, the lot of us decided it was important to make sure you and your men have what you need to protect the clan. We all did our part so you might do yours.”

Shane didn’t need to ask the name of the woman who’d prompted the village to make so many arrows. It was Lindsay. And his wife just may have saved them all.

…

Lindsay couldn’t seem to catch her breath as she rushed back to their cottage. She’d tried to refuse joining with the other villagers on their visit to the castle, but they’d insisted. They’d wanted her to accept her proper accolades for motivating everyone to help the clan. While that hadn’t been possible, she reluctantly agreed to go with them. She was sure to stay to the back of the group while their gift was delivered to the MacPherson laird.

Or rather, to her husband.

The MacPherson laird.

She’d not understood why he was accepting the gift from the villagers or why Munro called him “laird.” And then the truth seemed to punch her right in the chest, stealing her breath.

Inside their cottage, she looked at the bed where they’d shared their thoughts but not their secrets. Had he known all this time she was the woman he was supposed to marry? He’d lied to her. She realized she’d done the same, but she’d done so to protect herself while he’d done it… She wasn’t sure. As she paced in the small cottage they’d made a home, other things seemed to fall into place.

The way he’d gone up to the castle to help the laird each day. And how he’d come back to their tiny cottage. Why? Confusion soon turned to anger.

The dog whined at the door until she was let out. Lindsay worried she’d frightened the poor thing. She wasn’t certain what she should do next. She was already married to the man her father had contracted her to marry, so she no longer needed to worry what he would do when he arrived.

Lindsay considered getting into bed to pretend she was sleeping so she might avoid whatever was to come next, but she thought better of it. It was the coward’s way out. She was the laird’s wife. It was time to see to her duty.

After packing her few things, she went to find the dog so they could move to the castle, where they belonged. The place she’d been avoiding all along.

…

Despite Shane’s new arsenal of swords and arrows, he worried.

He’d thought he was doing the right thing. Making a formal request was the way to handle disputes with rival clans. State the infraction and give the other clan the opportunity to correct the situation. Or maybe in this case they’d respond that Deirdre wasn’t with them and they’d never met her. But if she was there and they refused to comply, the issue would escalate to the king. And he may do something, or he may not.

This was the way civil leaders acted. And if it were any other clan than the MacColls, it would be understood that Shane had no recourse but to reach out and request justice. But the MacColls didn’t fancy rules or care much for the way things were done. Still, he had to at least try to recover what his stepmother had stolen. He’d trust the system and hope it wouldn’t lead them to war.

He paced the floor in his study, stopping to look out across the lands that were now his for a sign of his brother.

Fitz came in to report the men had completed a successful hunting trip with the arrows that had arrived earlier that day. The salted venison harvested would help fill their stomachs when nothing else was available.