Chapter 6
Killian leaned back in his chair, the leather moaning beneath his weight as he attempted to refocus on the pile of parchments cluttering his desk.
But as much as he tried, nothing he did pushed Leah from his thoughts.
He pinched the bridge of his nose as Leah skipped at the edges of his mind, distracting him from his work.
"Please tell me these are the right books," Brandon asked as he sorted through the ledgers Killian handed him. The question rattled Killian and pulled him from his thoughts.
"What's that now?" Killian asked as he glanced over his shoulder. Brandon, his trusted adviser, glared daggers at him.
"I ken ye werenae listenin' to me. Ye got that spark in yer eye that tells me ye're across the channel," Brandon snickered.
"What of it? I dinnae sleep well," Killian grumbled as he wished he could be anywhere but in his study looking over the renter's ledgers. "As I recall ye werenae lookin' so good after a rough night with Angelina. And daenae give me that, I ken all about it. Half the clan kens."
"I'll give ye that one," Brandon chuckled darkly. "But that's the only low blow ye get. Ye ken very well what happened that night. And I daenae need ye to be rubbin' it in when the memory is still fresh in me mind."
"It was ten years ago," Killian grumbled as he wished his adviser would find somewhere else to be. It was almost as if the universe was doing everything it could to keep Killian on edge and frustrated.
"Aye, and what of it?" Brandon asked as the doors of the study swung open. Killian couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief on seeing his man of arms coming back in one piece.
"Ah, Fraser, what news of the north?" Killian asked as he rose from his chair and moved to the corner table. He poured two of the whiskey and handed Fraser a glass.
Fraser stared at his glass and dropped his shoulders. The bravo that he came in with vanished.
"The news is nae good," he answered as his attention shifted to Brandon before landing on Killian once more.
"Well daenae be coy about it," Killian snapped as he took a sip of the whiskey and leaned back on his desk. By the different shades of red flushing on Fraser's cheeks, Killian already knew what was going on.
"The cattle are disappearin' around Old Donald's lands," Fraser reported.
"And what are we doin' about it?" Killian asked as he took another sip.
"We've got men lookin' the mountain but we might as well search the sea as well. Some people are sayin' the cattle went as mad as the laird and went over the cliffs. Others say there's people scarin' the cattle to charge over."
"That's horrid," Brandon said with a gasp. "Please tell me we have a solution for this mess?"
"Aye," Killian answered. "Have the men patrol the cliffs and get a fence set up or stone wall would be best."
"Ye want the soldiers to work as wall builders and farmers?" Fraser asked as he arched an eyebrow.
"Why nae? Tis nae like they daenae ken how to do it. And since they're out there, they can round up the herd and see that they come to nay harm," Killian answered.
"Alright, and what do ye propose we do about the ruffians comin' about burnin' down the coastal villages?
We've got people reportin' ships comin' from the west and plunderin' up and down the coast," Fraser said as Killian noticed the fear and panic swelling within him.
We found the buildin' still smolderin' and the brigands are prowlin' about like wolves.
The men are doin' what they can about it.”
"That's nae good," Brandon chimed in. "We need the coastal ports to get goods. What are we goin' to do when we cannae ship out unless we pay? Or worse? What if everythin' gets stolen out right? People will nae want to trade with us if they daenae think the harbors are safe."
"Our harbors will be safe," Killian said with a wave of his hand. It was bad enough that Fraser was becoming affected by the news, but to see Brandon worried, too, didn't bode well for Killian.
"Then we will send men to cover the ports," Killian answered as the pattern slowly came into view. Pushing off the desk, he walked over to Brandon.
"We are spreadin' ourselves too thin," Fraser said. "Ye want to have men handlin' the cattle and others tendin' to bandits and brigands. They're tired and ye cannae keep goin' this way."
"What would ye have me do?" Killian snapped. "Ye ken the situation we're in. One slip up, just one and they'll have me head on a spike. Or do ye think I daenae ken they want me brother at the head. I've heard the whispers."
"Then we must be careful about our next move," Fraser said, pulling Killian closer to him as he dropped his voice. "Too many eyes and ears."
Killian glanced over at Brandon as doubts about his loyalty began to surface. It was bad enough that Killian had half the clan after him, but having them want your invalid seventeen-year-old brother in charge made him shake his head.
"But ye're certain that they are involved?" Killian asked as his chest tightened.
"There's at least three of them on the list, aye. And we can snatch them from their beds right now if that is what ye wish to do," Fraser said. As much as Killian wanted to know who was behind the conspiracy to overthrow his rule, he knew the best way was for him to remain patient.
"Nay, let them think they have the upper hand," Killian said. "We cannae afford to have a scandal, nae now."
"And what are ye goin' to do about their selection for a bride?
" Fraser asked as Killian moved to the window and stared into the garden.
A smile stretched across his lips the second he spotted Leah.
The mere sight of her stirred his loins as a yearning gnawed and chewed away at him.
How easy it was to fantasize about Leah.
She was every bit alluring as she was enchanting.
She had more than beauty; there was a spark about her that Killian wanted to possess.
Every trouble and concern Killian had resting on his shoulders was gone.
"Me laird?" Fraser asked as he cleared his throat.
"Aye?" Killian mumbled as Brandon let out a frustrated sigh.
"There he goes again. He's been at it for the past four hours. Somethin' drifts into his mind and just carries him right away," Brandon bemoaned as Fraser took a step closer to the window.
In the corner of his eye, Killian noticed Fraser's mouth stretch.
"So that's who has ye distracted," Fraser teased. "Is that nae the healer Sean brought in the other day?"
"Aye," Killian answered as he found his chest tightening at the mere mention of Leah. He was conflicted over the sensation that rippled through him when she was near. It was as if she had the power to change the tide to any event or mood.
"What's her name?" Fraser asked.
"Leah," Killian answered as he let the name roll off his tongue like honey.
"By the looks of it, I'd say she has ye a bit smitten," Fraser teased as he rammed his elbow into Killian's arm.
"Have ye been kicked by a mule lately? Whatever makes ye think I'd be interested in a lass like her? I mean look at her. She's clearly nae fit for the outdoors," Killian said as he watched the butterflies float around Leah.
"I daenae ken about that," Fraser snickered as a bunny bypassed the snare Killian had set up the day before and scampered right into Leah's hands. "She seems rather at home if ye ask me. Or is it somethin' else?"
"Sean brought her to me," Killian answered as Leah's place in the clan and his home was still under scrutiny. "He said she was a gift."
"Ye think she's a spy?"
"I think everyone is a spy," Killian answered stoically.
"True, but ye ken what I'm askin'. Do we put the lass in the cellar?" Fraser asked.
"Nay," Killian answered without hesitation. "She's nae to be bothered. In fact, I think she might be able to help me brother."
"Ye've had that hope before. Are ye sure ye're ready to be goin' down that path again?" Fraser asked. His words pinched Killian.
"She was with him but five minutes and suggested three things nay one else even considered. Now, I daenae ken how well she does with the other sort of healin', but as for me brother, she's been useful."
"Well, I think yer brother might have a bit of competition," Fraser said with a hearty chuckle that felt out of place. Killian tilted his head and glared at Fraser as if he'd gone mad.
"What's that?"
"See for yerself," Fraser answered. "Is that nae Connor? I dinnae think he'd have it in him to approach —"
Killian flexed his jaw as he watched Connor present Leah with wildflowers mixed with purple heather. The interaction brewed and stirred a possessiveness that festered in him like rotting cheese.
"Oh, that is nae goin' to happen, nae if I can do somethin' about it," Killian mumbled through gritted teeth. Seeing Leah with another, even if it was a simple gesture, was enough to make Killian see red.
"Think about yer plans, Killian. We need all the men we can get," Fraser said, his voice faint and damped by the slamming of the study door. Killian didn't know what he was going to do, but he knew he didn't like what he just witnessed.
"Daenae kill anyone!"
Charging down the corridor, the servants jolted from his path, each far too aware of the consequences of getting in his way. Killian didn't mind, though. The lack of people in the hallway allowed him a clear path to the garden.
The moment he stepped outside, Leah's gentle laughter tickled his ear and sparked his ire.
He charged around the corner of the castle and paused a moment the second he spotted Leah.
All their plans seemed so delicate and fragile.
All she had to do, after all, was give him two months.
If she met someone else, she could end up having feelings for the man and blow up his plans.
And that was something Killian wasn't willing to risk, not when everything was on the line.
"Thank ye," Leah answered, her voice hanging on the breeze like the petals of a flower. A surge of protectiveness washed over him, stroking his primal urge to stake what belonged to him. And if there was one thing he was certain of, Leah belonged to him.