Page 75 of A Dangerous Highland Affair

“Och, ye’ve got a nerve, Neacal!” she huffed, bringing over a couple of wooden bowls, steaming to the brim with a thick broth. She set down the bowls in front of them, with an expectant air. “Well, go on, get stuck in then!” she said, as Teasag looked at her gingerly.

For a moment, Gaie hovered, as if she couldn’t work out what was missing, then she jumped. “Och, spoons!”

Quickly, she turned to fetch the spoons for the pottage, giving a chance for Neacal to check on Teasag. “Ye alright, hen?” he asked.

“Braw,” said Teasag, without giving anything away, but from the look of her, Neacal could see he had got his work cut out trying to make her comfortable with all this. Then again, he hadn’t got comfortable with it himself.

Perhaps sensing the atmosphere, Gaie turned to them with a charming smile. “So then, Teasag, it goes like this. Neacal only e’er shows his face around here when there’s something he wants…isnae that so, Neacal?”

Gaie came around to where Neacal was sitting, spoon aloft, just about to taste the broth, and grinned. “Come on, Neacal, so then, tell me it isnae so, yer in trouble an’ ye need my help, aye?”

Neacal smiled ruefully. “Aye, I suppose I do…”

For the first time, Teasag’s eyes sparkled. “He definitely does,” she said, and Gaie laughed.

“So do ye think ye can help him?” Teasag said, her eyes glistening as she watched Gaie closely.

“Well, I hope so lass, because this daft lummox will look e’en dumber hanging in the middle o’ Blackness square on market day!” she said, with a sly look to Neacal. “Cheer up, after all, yer head is still attached to yer stupid neck after last time, so I expect I will get ye oot of it… dinnae I always?”

Gaie’s teasing question hung in the air, enticing Teasag to ask more. Watching her look of inquisition, Neacal sighed. He was going to have to explain himself further.

But before he could get there, Gaie leaped in first. “Ye see, yer friend here, he has a knack for getting himself into situations,” said Gaie. “So, tell her aboot last time, Neacal?” she paused. “Och, that’s right, ye cannae because ye didnae stick about to see what happened…”

“Gaie,” said Neacal. Seeing the change of expression on her face, it was apparent that, beneath her hard exterior, Gaie was hurting. Perhaps not wanting him and Teasag to see her vulnerability, she quickly covered up her emotion.

“Och, I dinnae blame ye, it wasnae yer fault,” she said, her eyes flashing to Neacal.

He glanced briefly over to Teasag, who looked bewildered, and wished she didn’t have to hear this.

“I’m sorry Gaie, I’m sorry I had to leave toon after that, but ye ken, it was better for everyone in the village that I left, an’, well, I wouldnae have come back at all, if it hadn’t been for this thing…, the thing is, I’ve run out o’ places to hide…,” Neacal said, scrunching his hair up in his hand.

Teasag looked at him, shocked. “Neacal,” she murmured, soothing him with her touch.

The second her hand connected with his skin, Neacal felt energy rise up inside of him. All his senses were screaming to take this beautiful girl and make mad love to her. Despite everything that had happened, she was still here, although God knew why.

Neacal wanted nothing more than to take her away somewhere, on her own, and forget about everything all around them. But he could not.

“Och, forget it,” said Gaie, coming to sit down beside them, but from the pallor of her face, Neacal knew that his departure had been hard for her.

“I heard the laird’s men behaved badly,” said Neacal, choosing his words carefully. He placed a hand on Gaie’s shoulder.

Gaie gave a barely perceptible nod. “Aye,” she said. “But it’s done noo. An’ anyway, ye’ve done it for me so many times. I owed ye one last time…”

Teasag looked in curiosity at Neacal, who shrugged and looked over to Gaie.

“Neacal has always been the one to help me oot o’ scrapes,” said Gaie, gathering up the dishes from beneath them. Without even noticing it, they had eaten everything in front of them. “Well, last time, it’s a long story, but he had been trying to do a job that was only as a favor for me, but had got caught halfway through… an’ when he ran, it brought all the laird’s men o’er to the village. They were nae kind…”

Gaie’s words left a chill in the room, which Gaie seemed well aware of.

“But it’s done, an’ it couldn’t be helped,” she said, her eyes alighting on Neacal’s. “It’s nae one’s fault… the thing that matters now is dealing wi’ this… so come on, Neacal, tell me the whole story from the start…”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

“A n’ what time do ye call this?” Lorcal said, jumping to his feet.

Teasag sighed. She had ridden as fast as she could to get back home, but it still hadn’t been fast enough for her brother’s liking.

“I was just about to ride into toon to look for ye!” Lorcal said searchingly. “I was worried, sister!”