Highland Dragon Read Free Page B

of the man who murdered his father. Regardless of how he saw her, he had a vow to fulfill and a clan to protect.
    A clan that was currently preparing for his wedding.
    When he’d left MacLeod land earlier today, the bailey was abuzz. The clan’s matrons spent early morning filling the chapel with fresh-cut bluebells, yellow saxifrage, and wild primroses. MacLeods had been trickling in for two days to attend the festivities. A handful of brutes had been warming whisky and ogling the village maidens. An onslaught of babes was sure to arrive in nine months, and he hoped one might belong to him and his new bride.
    Haunches of wild boar, venison, and mutton sputtered and hissed over the spits and filled the halls of Cànwyck Castle with a savory smell. All the while, Father Harrald worked feverishly on writing the personal blessing he would deliver following the evening ceremony.
    The only thing missing was the bride. His bride. Akira Neish.
    Calin had intended to retrieve her a day or two in advance, but he’d assured himself she would be compliant. To date, there hadn’t been a woman to refuse him, and he held confident that his bride would melt beneath his charm. Mayhap there would be time on their way back to Cànwyck Castle to woo her a wee bit before making her his lady wife.
    “Which of the lassies is she?” Calin scanned the beauties cavorting around the pool of water. “Please, tell me that”—he pointed—“is not her. She looks to be a healthy eater.”
    Kendrick’s wrinkled forehead expressed confusion, but he answered. “That” —he pointed at the plump redhead—“is Maggie, and she and her husband, Logan Donald, are expect-in’ late autumn.”
    “Then how about the tall beauty?” Calin raised both eyebrows, hoping he chose correctly.
    “That’s Neala. She’s wife to the smith’s brother. Did Akira send—”
    “Ach!” Out of nowhere came a blast of icy water to Calin’s backside. He sucked in air. The warmth of August had done little to take the frigid sting from the water. He spun on his heel to capture the assailant. The roar of the waterfall may have drowned out their footsteps, but the shrieking nymphs holding two empty pails behind him didn’t stand a chance of escape. Kendrick held one girl by the wrist, while Calin grabbed the other around the waist. The girls slithered free of their captors, collapsing against each other in a fit of giggles.
    Calin shook his muddled head. They were identical in every way—from their strawberry-blond ringlets, to their slender noses, and moss-green eyes. If he’d the time to count, he suspected he might find the same number of freckles atop their noses. He faintly recalled Akira mentioning the twins in her missives, but at least eight years separated those memories. He never knew why she stopped writing to him.
    “And this pair o’ lassies would be Riona and Fiona,” Kendrick introduced the twosome. “Everyone just calls them Iona, cause ye cannae tell one from the other.”
    “’Tis a pleasure to meet such a bonnie fine pair of lassies.” Calin bowed with grace before brushing chaste kisses across their petite knuckles. Their giggles increased and they blushed simultaneously. When he returned his attention to the waterfall, his eyes landed on the innocent young woman sitting beneath the protective foliage of an old ash tree, both ankles tucked neatly under her kirtle, and a book held just beneath her chin.
    He motioned at her. “That’s her. I knew my bride would be the bonnie smart one.”
    Kendrick’s smile faded, his stature stiffened. “Enough, MacLeod! Girls, fetch up your sisters. We head back at once.” Kendrick’s tone turned ferocious. “Why are ye here, MacLeod?”
    Calin speculated on Kendrick’s change of mood. He thought his missive had been very clear. “I wrote a month ago to inform ye I was coming for Akira.”
    “And ye wrote a year ago statin’ the same thing. I started forming the rebellion when ye sent the