Highland Warrior Woman (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read Free Page B

sent Ewan and not ye,” Calum said. “We cannae afford for ye to lose yer temper at MacTavish.”
    “I can control it,” Hamish said, turning to face Calum with his arms crossed over his chest.
    Calum shook his head. “Aye, as you controlled it with Bridget’s husband?”
    Hamish’s face colored. “That was different. He deserved it.”
    Calum couldn’t argue that point. A few years before, Hamish had caught one of their own clansmen hitting his wife. He had given the man no quarter and beaten him within an inch of his life before Calum had banished him.
    “He did,” Calum agreed. “And it earned ye the gratitude of that woman.”
    Now Hamish smiled. The woman, Bridget, had been so grateful and enamored of his brother that she had taken Hamish to her bed.
    But then, Hamish always seemed to have the single lasses following after him and giggling. His brother never seemed to be bothered by them. He would usually give them a smile and a wink, and he often stopped to talk to them. They all loved him as much as he loved them.
    When Calum had once asked Gerty what drew women to Hamish, she had laughed and then told him that his brother had the body of a warrior, the heart of a bard, and the face of an angel.
    Ewan didn’t have women trailing after him like Hamish did, but he seemed to have his choice of bed partner when he felt the need to expend some sexual energy. Calum himself was not that lucky in love. He rubbed the scar slashing down the side of his face. He knew he wasn’t handsome, with his too-harsh face, a wide brow, and deep-set eyes. Since he had been injured years ago by the tip of an enemy’s sword, the lasses barely looked at him. Lilith was the one woman he could call upon. She was a bonny lass, but the pleasure he took in her company had dwindled over time. Now he had dismissed her and felt a sense of relief.
    He felt his gaze pulled once more to the woman in his bed. Would she be afraid of him when she saw him?
    Calum told himself sternly not to worry about it now. As laird, he was accustomed to keeping his emotions at bay. He would have to do the same with the injured woman, no matter how she tugged at his heart.
    Hamish’s voice summoned him from his thoughts. “Ye think MacTavish will war with us?”
    “God willing, he will no’. I’m tired of this fighting among the clans. Peace in the highlands is what I want.”
    “We’re too stubborn a lot for that,” Hamish said.
    “Well, we shall see when Ewan returns.” Calum stood. “Go downstairs and sup. I will let ye know if there is any change.”
    Calum watched Hamish’s shoulders slump dejectedly and knew that both his kin were drawn to the wee lassie as much as he was. But he didn’t want his siblings getting their hopes up only to be disappointed if she did not survive her wounds.
    Moving closer to the lass, he gently brushed away the flaxen tresses around her face. From what he could see, when the discoloration and swelling went down, she would be a great beauty. When she moaned and whimpered in her sleep, he gently stroked her arm and made soothing noises. He was pleased when she quieted right down and drifted into a deeper sleep.
    “Do ye think we should call for a priest?” Hamish asked.
    “Nay, she will no’ die,” Calum replied. “She is bruised and battered, aye, but she is still breathing clearly and deeply. She will live, and then she will give me the name of the bastard who did this to her. No woman should have to suffer such.”
    “We are with ye, Calum. We will help ye avenge the lass,” Hamish stated. “I know Ewan stands beside ye, too.”
    Calum nodded. He had never doubted that they would help him get revenge for the lass. They had been brought up to cherish women and their loving, gentle ways. Just because a man was stronger physically did not mean that he had the right to beat on someone with less strength and stature. As far as he and the men of the Campbell clan were concerned, the weaker should be