Page 45 of To Charm a Highlander

Conall leaned forward.“Yer husband is right, Donella, Ye canno’ go traipsing to Gunn land.First of all, as yer husband said, it could be a trap.I doona trust his brother.”He looked at Callum.“I will go with ye.”

“As will I,” Haydon, who Donella hadna even realized was listening to them, said.

Ainslee placed her hand on Donella’s arm.“’Tis best to leave these things to the men.”

Haydon reached out his hand to Callum.“I only heard part of yer conversation.I’d like to see this note.”

Callum handed it over and leaned back, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the laird read it.“Do ye ken who this woman is?”Haydon asked.

“Nay,” Callum said.“As I told Donella, the only healer, who also worked as midwife at Gunn Castle, was Ceit Gunn.”

Haydon handed the note back to Callum and nodded.“We ride at first light.We will take six more warriors with us.”

* * *

Callum smoothedDonella’s hair back from her forehead as she laid in his arms.They were both unclothed and had done some verra serious kissing and touching.Although he would have liked it to go a bit further, he was distracted by tomorrow’s trip to the midwife he was asked to visit.

At first he’d dismissed it as trivial, almost a prank by one of the other warriors, but then when they’d begun to discuss it at the table and Conall and then Haydon had joined in, he’d realized this could indeed be a trap by his brother.

Since Fraser had sent a request to negotiate a marriage contract with Donella and was turned down, he could hold resentment not only toward him, but Sutherlands, as well.

Certainly word of their marriage had reached his brother by now.

The clans were joined at one part of Sutherland land.Since they were no’ at war, even though there was no friendliness between them, the two clans had no’ stopped clansmen from crossing the border from one side to the other.

Fraser could verra well have sent the note to take his revenge on him, leaving Donella free to marry him.

He looked down at Donella who had fallen asleep, her small hand resting on his chest.‘Twas time to leave for his dip in the loch.

The sun had barely brokenover the horizon when Callum, Conall, and Haydon strode to the stable to fetch their horses.Haydon had requested Malcolm to remain behind since they weren’t verra sure what they were riding into and what might have been planned for the castle while they were gone.

The six warriors Haydon had selected to ride with them were already there, tacking their mounts.

Callum looked down again at the note in his hand.Besides the name of the midwife, it had vague directions on how to find the woman.

Haydon raised his arm, and the men rode out of the castle, the thundering of the horses across the wooden drawbridge echoing around them.

‘Twas a cool morning, but with the summer coming to an end, expected.

Callum was curious about this midwife someone thought he should speak with, and honored that the laird thought it important enough to travel with him and bring warriors as well.

They rode freely, enjoying the morning air while on Sutherland land.When they crossed over the border to Gunn territory, they were more cautious, watching their surroundings more carefully.

Haydon rode up next to Callum.“I doona think ‘tis a good idea for us all to ride up to this woman’s cottage.Just in case ‘tis no’ a trap we doona want to scare the midwife to death before she has said anything.”

“I prefer to go alone to the cottage, but I also doona want to walk into my death, either.”Callum grinned at Haydon.“I promised yer sister I would return to her.”

“I will go with ye to the cottage.The other men will surround the place but hidden so as not to cause the old woman stress.”

Conall rode up to Callum’s other side.“Did the directions in the note mean anything to ye?”

“Aye.Now that we’re here, memories are coming back to me.As lads Fraser and I would play in the woods behind the castle.One day we wandered farther away than we were supposed to.I remember we found this cottage and there was a woman living there.We teased each other that she was a witch and would cast a spell on us.

“She chased us away with her broom, and seemed to ken our names which was odd since we hadn’t e’er seen her before.”

“Think ye that woman is the same midwife who someone wanted ye to speak with?”

“Aye,” Callum said.“I am certes it is her.‘Tis too much of a coincidence.In fact, ‘twas after that happened when Fraser began to turn on me.We had been the best of friends, but he went into training a year before me, and from then we ne’er seemed to have the same friendship.”