continued away from the pile. Aye, he could scare the wits out of her, make a few threats, but for once he decided on restraint. Sheâd truly surprised him, and if anything, that deserved more of a response than some fist shaking. It would never do if she ran off before he figured out who she was.
Once heâd put Haldane out of sight behind him, he turned his back on the place and retraced his steps to the stag. With the rain only a lone fox had found the carcass, and that wee beastie fled at the sight of him. It was about time something showed him the damned respect he was due.
After he finished the butchering work sheâd begun, Munro slung the deer over his shoulder and made his way to Loch Shinaig and then north along its west bank until Glengask came into view beyond the meadow at the top of the rise. Trudging around the side of the sprawl to the kitchen entrance, he kicked at the door until Timothy, one of the footmen, pulled it open.
âIâve brought supper,â Munro said, grunting as he shoved past the servant and stalked into the kitchen. The cook, Mrs. Forrest, hurriedly cleared off a table and he dropped the animal onto it.
âWhereâs the back half?â
The middle MacLawry brother, Arran, stepped down into the kitchen. Wonderful . If Arran was there, then his wife, Mary, and their bairn, Mòrag, would be, as well. Generally he was pleased to see the lot of them, but today he would have preferred a few damned minutes to himself. âI got hungry,â he returned.
âYe mustâve, if yeâre eating venison straight off the hoof.â
With a snort Munro moved around his brother to wash up in the large kitchen sink and then head for the main part of the house. He would damned well tie himself to a stake and set fire to it before he would admit that a lass had outshot him with a fifty-year-old musket and then ambushed him. Heâd never hear the end of it. Ever.
Arran, who could scent trouble better than a hound, followed him. âYe didnae go oot alone, did ye, Bear? Ye know ye shouldnae.â
âIf Iâd wanted company I wouldâve taken one of the dogs. Owen, bath. Hot,â he said, as the head footman emerged from the morning room.
âAye, Laird Bear. Iâll see to yer rifle fer ye.â
Munro handed it over, keeping the muzzle pointed well down. âItâs loaded,â he cautioned.
âSo ye clubbed the deer to death before ye ate it?â Arran pursued.
âYe keep telling me itâs dangerous oot of doors, so I reloaded. And if ye must know, I crossed paths with an old lass and her three grandbabies. I gave them a good supper.â Munro halted to face his brother. âIs there anything else ye want to know aboot my morning?â
Arran lifted both palms in a gesture of surrender. âNae. I dunnae want my head knocked off my shoulders. Come play billiards with me and Lachlan when yeâve washed the blood off ye.â
âLachâs here, as well? And Winnie, I suppose. And wee Colin.â
âAye. And my Mary and Mòrag. Is that a problem fer ye, brà thair ?â
Munro shook himself. âNae. If Iâd known the MacLawry army was here, I wouldâve killed a bigger buck.â
âOr nae have eaten half of it on the way home.â Arran chuckled, clapping him on the shoulder.
âAye. Go away. Iâll be down in a bit.â
Heâd grown up in a large, loud household, and the only difference two wee lads and a lass, his nephews and niece, had made was that the MacLawrysâand in Lachlan and Winnieâs case, the MacTiersâcould now see a future that a few years ago they hadnât truly been able to imagine.
âComb yer damned mane while yeâre at it. Get yerself civilized so ye dunnae frighten the wee ones.â
And that was the rub. Today with the rain and blood soaking into his shirt, with a mysterious lass leveling a musket at him, returning to bairns