Chapter 19 #2
“Stay where ye are.” Nevil ordered. Me men have surrounded the house. “I’m taking her back where she belongs. Her father will bargain with me or … well, I’m nae sure what will happen to her. I havenae made up me mind.”
“You won’t get away with this, Munro,” Zeke growled. “Let her go.”
Dougall appeared at his side, sword drawn.
Logan and Hamish came barreling around the side of the house drawing Munro’s attention away from Brenna long enough that she was able to spin out of his grasp and run.
“Go inside,” Zeke ordered, although he should have guessed she wouldn’t. Instead she stood far enough away to run if she needed to.
He advanced on Munro, while Dougall, Logan and Hamish engaged his men.
They were outnumbered, but as Logan explained to Zeke, the MacKenzie men were the best swordsman in the highlands.
They were easily defeating more than twice as many men.
Zeke was focused on Nevil, who had taken his fighting stance.
All the work he’d done with the MacKenzie men and Duff back at Castle Treun, paid off.
He knew exactly what to expect from Munro, but the opposite couldn’t be said.
Zeke drew on his experience at the studio to throw Munro off his game.
He remembered to breathe and to focus. This had the effect Zeke wanted.
He was seeing everything as if it were happening in slow motion, giving him the opportunities he needed to exploit the holes in Munro’s tactics.
The loud clang of sword on sword along with the grunts and groans of the men were the only sounds.
Munro was tiring and Zeke knew he had him right where he wanted him.
With one last parry, Munro found Zeke’s sword at his throat and he surrendered.
Zeke disarmed him, being sure to take every one of his weapons in the process.
The other men, seeing their leader had surrendered, did the same.
Cailin, Cormac and a dozen MacKenzie warriors arrived just in time to see Munro’s men forced to sit on the ground, their weapons in a pile at Zeke’s feet.
“I told Helene to take me horse and get help,” Hamish said.
“It doesnae appear ye needed it,” Cailin chuckled.
“Munro, back to the castle with ye. Laird MacKenzie will decide yer fate. He willnae be happy that ye thought to make a fool of him.”
The men all stood, appearing as defeated as they truly were and headed back to Breaghacraig. Logan and Hamish took up the rear to make sure no one made a run for it.
Dougall clapped Zeke on the back. “Good work,” he said, leaving him alone with Brenna.
The wound on Zeke’s leg opened again from the exertion of the battle. “I think it might need stitches,” Zeke noted.
“Let’s go inside and clean it up again,” Brenna put her arm around his waist and tucked herself beneath his arm. “Thank ye,” she said.
“For what?”
“For saving me again.”
“Brenna, you saved yourself that time. You took advantage of Logan’s arrival to get yourself away from Munro.”
“I did, didnae I?” She beamed a proud smile as they entered the kitchen.
***
“I think ye should see Dr. Ferguson before he leaves,” Helene said. “He can stitch ye up if need be.”
“I’m going to the castle. I’ll tell him he’s needed here,” Dougall said, exiting the room. They listened as his footsteps pounded down the stairs and the door slammed behind him.
“Put your leg up,” Sara said, placing a pillow beneath it as he lay on the bed.
“Do ye think he’ll be back,” Brenna asked, a slight quiver in her voice. “Munro, I mean.”
“He seems like a very determined man. I don’t think he’ll stop until he gets what he wants.” Zeke winced as Brenna pressed a wet cloth to his wound.
“But he doesnae want me. He’s already said as much,” Brenna said.
“He needs you in order to get what he wants. I don’t believe that he’d let you go even if your father agreed to his terms.” Zeke combed his fingers through her hair as she bent over his leg tending to the bleeding.
“He seems like the kind of man who takes pleasure in tormenting his victims and that’s what scares me about this whole thing. ”
“Put pressure on it,” Sara said, showing Brenna what she meant.
Brenna sat next to Zeke and did as Sara had done.
Zeke could see she was upset by all of this, although she was very good at hiding it.
Brenna wasn’t the sort of girl who sought sympathy.
As Zeke had become aware, she was the exact opposite.
She wanted to be looked on as strong and capable, even if on the inside she was just as frightened as any of them.
“What do you think’s happening at the castle?” Sara asked.
“I’m sure, Laird MacKenzie will have them escorted away from MacKenzie land. He’ll warn them of the consequences of returning uninvited. I hope Dougall and Logan aren’t charged with seeing to it,” Helene said.
“I hope not,” Sara agreed.
“I’m so sorry I’m causing this trouble,” Brenna said.
“This isn’t your fault, Brenna. It’s your father and Munro. They’re the problem.”
“Aye. Zeke is right. Our only concern is for yer safety,” Helene said.
“Will I ever be safe here? Will I ever be safe anywhere?”
***
“That should take care of things,” Dr. Ferguson said, packing his instruments back in the bag. “Ye’ll be as good as new in no time at all. And if I’ve done me job well, ye’ll have nary a scar to show for it.”
“Thank you, Dr. Ferguson,” Zeke said.
“Ye’ll be off to see the Jeffords soon, willnae ye?” Helene asked.
“I will. I’m leaving tomorrow. Robert has arranged an escort for me. I’m looking forward to it.”
“’Tis been a pleasure and a blessing having ye here while the lasses gave birth.” Helene smiled warmly.
“Anything to help Edna. I was happy to put their minds at ease. They really didnae need me,” he said.
“They felt as if they did, and so it was good ye were here,” she replied.
“Edna has asked me to come back any time I’m needed and I will do that. I imagine you two ladies will be needing me soon enough,” he said glancing from Sara to Helene.
“How did ye know? I’ve told no one,” Helene said.
“What? You’re having a baby?” Sara bounded from her seat and bear hugged Helene.
Dr. Ferguson laughed at Sara’s antics.
“Wait a minute, you included me in that statement,” Sara realized.
“I did.”
“What’s going on here?” she asked.
“Edna,” was his response.
“I love that woman!” Sara said. “I didn’t even know I was pregnant.”
“Ye will. Very soon. And as I said, if ye need me ye’ve only to let Edna ken it and I’ll be back.”
Helene and Sara danced around the room, hugging one another. “We’re going to be mother’s at around the same time,” Sara said. “Our children will be the same age!”
“Oh, my!” Brenna said. “I’m so happy for ye both.”
“Congratulations, you two,” Zeke added. “I’m going to be an uncle!”
“Don’t say anything to Logan,” Sara said.
“Or Dougall.” Helene hugged Dr. Ferguson. “Thank ye. ‘Twould be good to have ye here for the births.”
“I’ll plan on it then.” Dr. Ferguson picked up his bag and headed for the door with Helene and Sara following him.
“It’s been quite a day,” Zeke said.
“It has.” Brenna was in his arms in an instant.
Zeke had a lot of thinking to do. After today’s events, he felt it was important for Brenna to join him in the future.
She couldn’t live her whole life here worrying about Nevil Munro and Zeke was quite sure she’d have good reason to.
He just wasn’t sure she’d fit in there. He wasn’t even sure she wanted to go with him.
He thought maybe she did. It was pretty obvious that they loved each other, although neither one of them had said the words yet.
“Shall we go downstairs? We don’t want Helene and Sara to think we spend all of our time in bed.” Zeke chucked her under the chin.
“If we must.” Brenna wore an impish expression, letting him know that maybe she’d rather stay right where they were.
“Come on. I’m nursing an injury.” He pretended to limp to the door and Brenna almost tackled him from behind.
“I may have to injure yer other leg to keep ye here,” Brenna teased.
“I promise. We’ll come back up as soon as Sara goes home. Besides, we were helping Helene in the kitchen, remember. Aren’t you hungry?”
“A wee bit,” she conceded, slipping around in front of him to stand between him and the door.
Zeke got the hint and backing her up against the door, he moved her hair out of his way and slowly teased her neck with kisses, working his way up to her jawline and then to her lips, which were parted and waiting.
He loved to kiss her. For a woman with little experience, she could set him on fire with those lips and that tongue.
At this rate, they’d never make it downstairs.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her closer, feeling every inch of her pressed up against himself.
A knock on the door at Brenna’s back, froze them mid-kiss. “Yes,” Zeke said.
“Are you coming downstairs or what?” Sara asked.
Brenna wrinkled her nose and moved away from the door. He opened it just a crack, waiting for the evidence of what had just taken place to return to normal. “Sara, did anyone ever tell you you’ve got the worst timing?”
“Oops! Sorry,” she said, looking and sounding not the least bit sorry.
Brenna slipped past Zeke and opened the door further so she could leave the room.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” Zeke said, remembering just how difficult Sara had made his life when they were younger when he’d try to sneak a girl up to his room.
“Okay. See you downstairs,” she said, giggling like the little trouble maker she’d always been.
Zeke took a moment to gather himself and the body part that seemed to have a mind of its own. Payback was going to be sweet. Unfortunately, he wasn’t quite as good at causing trouble as Sara was. Closing the door behind him he went downstairs thinking of ways he might get back at his baby sister.