Page 53 of Married to her Kilted Enemy

“When d’ye want tae start?” Odhrán asked her.

“If ye’re nae busy, how about now? I’m wearing an old dress, so it willnae matter if it gets torn or dirty,” she replied, thrilled he had agreed to her plan.

“All right. We’ll go tae one of me favorite places. It’s private there and nae one will see us, and ’tis near a small loch where ye can swim tae cool off if ye like.”

“That sounds perfect, thank ye, Odhrán.”

“I have a spare blade around here somewhere fer ye. ’Tis the same one I learned with,” he told her, suddenly getting down on his knees and rummaging for something under the bed.

“What are ye doin’?” she asked, puzzled.

He pulled out a wooden box. “Och, is a wee but dusty… achoo!” he sneezed.

“What’s inside?” Maddison leaned over, curious to see what was inside.

“Naethin’ important. Just some things I’ve kept from when I was a lad,” he explained.

“Hmm, the usual lad’s treasures, I see. A bird’s nest, is it? Ugh, a dried-up old beetle? And is that nae a catapult?”

“Dinnae ask me about that. It got me a beatin’ more than once,” he admitted with a rueful grin as he searched among the contents. “Ah, there it is.” He drew out a wooden dirk. “There ye are.” He handed it to her.

She turned it over in her hands, examining its worn and battered surface. “Did ye really use this one to train as a lad?”

“Turn it over and see,” he told her, getting to his feet and brushing himself down. She turned it over and saw his name inexpertly etched into the handle.

“Odhrán Murray Lennox,” she read aloud. “And it says ’10.’ So, ye were ten when ye got it?”

“Nay, I was given it when I was about five, but I was ten when I got tae carvin’ me name intae it,” he explained.

“Och, Odhrán, that is so sweet, that ye kept it all this time.” She gripped the worn handle of the wooden knife, imagining his boyish hands upon it as he spent hours practicing his fighting skills. Her heart fluttered when she saw his sheepish smile. Moved by a huge wave of affection for him, she reached up and kissed him.

“Please, dinnae call me ‘sweet’ in front of the braithers. I’d never live it down,” he joked, kissing her back.

She laughed as they broke apart. “I promise nae tae reveal yer sentimental nature. ’Tis our secret,” she said, wielding the wooden knife experimentally.

“Are ye ready fer yer first lesson in self-defense then?” he asked.

“Aye, nae time like the present. Let’s go.” With the wooden blade in one hand, she took his arm with the other, and they went out together. “I’m very excited tae learn,” she admitted as they made their way downstairs. “And I’m very curious tae see this favorite place of yers. Ye’ve nae showed me around the land properly yet.”

“That’s only because ye would nae let me at first, if ye remember, plus I’ve been a wee bit busy with Rollo’s shenanigans,” he replied, leading the way across the courtyard. “Come on, we’re goin’ tae the stables. The place we’re goin’ tae is about a twenty-minute ride away.”

They rode out into the bright afternoon, with Maddison clinging happily to Odhrán’s waist as he guided the horse out of the castle gates and across the meadows. Eventually, they reached the edge of a small pine wood where Odhrán pulled up the horse and dismounted. Maddison smiled as little thrills passed up her spine when his large hands easily spanned her waist, and he effortlessly lifted her down, placing her gently on her feet. He slung the horse’s reins over a low tree branch and took her hand.

“This way,” he told her. She eagerly followed him into the pines, breathing in the fresh scent and delighting in the birdsong that filled the air. After a few minutes, they emerged from the trees, and she was surprised to step out on to a soft area of green turf bordering a crescent of gravelly beach. The space was almost completely enclosed and private, with large, jutting rocks with hardy shrubs peeping from their cracks at either side, creating a small bay, where the waters of the loch lapped lazily at its fringes.

To their left, beyond the rocks, the pinewoods continued as far as she could see, the ground gradually rising to a high ridge that fell in a perilous looking rocky cliff down to the loch’s edge. To their right, the pines thinned out to a stretch of sandy moorland pocked with stands of high gorse bushes and broom. On the far side of the lake, the high ground and rocky cliff continued, making access to the loch’s edge difficult, but not impossible.

There did not appear to be a soul about, and the only sounds were the lapping of the waters, the twittering of birds, and the chattering of squirrels as they capered among the pines. A warm breeze carried scents of pine and heather to Maddison’s nostrils, and she breathed in deeply.

“Och, ’tis a heavenly spot!” she exclaimed as they stood holding hands, looking out over the shimmering waters stretching out before them. “But will someone nae see us from the other side?” she asked, a little anxious someone could spy on them.

“’Tis doubtful. The great loch is better fer fishin’. The water here is too shallow. This is one of the few places ye can get down intae it easily. Hardly anybody comes here, so we shouldnae be overlooked or disturbed if that’s what’s worryin’ ye,” Odhrán assured her.

“And how d’ye ken this place?”

“Och, I used tae come here as a lad, with Tadgh and Liam. We fought many a mock battle here on this beach and ended up with a good soakin’ as part of the bargain. And sometimes, we’d come here tae hunt for rabbits and the like.”

“That sounds like fun,” she said, touched to hear the affection in his voice as he revealed another piece of his past. “I’m honored that ye brought me here.”