Page 50 of Never Fall for a Highlander

She wanted to hate the man, but she loved him too much.His touch, his smile, his frown, his kisses.Aye, especially his kisses.Everything about Laird Robin Mackay appealed to her and had settled firmly in her heart.

Helena thought back to the day before when the men had arrived from the Gunn clan competition.Once Robin had kissed her gently, and the look in his eyes, she knew something was wrong.That he would kiss her at all in front of everyone was strange, but it was not the kiss of a lover.More the kiss of a friend.

Once he disappeared from her, she did her best to listen to the conversations going on in the great hall to see if she could find out how things went since Lady Lenora had been at the competition.

It took her only about a half hour to hear that the laird was getting married.One of the kitchen maids was speaking to another one when she blurted out that wasn’t it exciting because the laird was betrothed and the brooch would have a new Lady to run the castle.

Helena didn’t have the nerve or desire to ask who the laird was betrothed to, because she knew it wasn’t her.He’d never spoken to her about it.It appeared Laird Gunn had his way, and his sister would be marrying the Laird of Mackay.

It didn’t take her long to pack her things and visit her sister.She needed a shoulder to cry on.

“Mayhaps you are mistaken, Helena.Mayhaps the rumor the maid was speaking of was incorrect.Mayhaps he meant to ask ye.Mayhaps—”

Helena held up her hand.“Stop.Ye ken as much as I do that he signed the betrothal agreement with the Gunn Laird, which was his duty.Everything else that I believed was merely a fairy tale like Mam used to tell us.

“What will ye do?”Jena asked as she placed wee Arthur on her chest near her shoulder and rubbed his back.

Helena raised her chin.“Go home.Aunt Dorathia needs me.I have a place at Dornoch, and a way to keep myself busy and helpful.”

“When will ye leave?”

“At first light if I’m able to get an escort by then.”

Jena studied her for a minute.Helena knew she looked a mess with all the tears she had cried.

“Doona ye want to speak to the laird first?”

Helena slowly shook her head.“Nay.This may sound strange to ye, but he has already kissed me goodbye.”She headed to the bedchamber door to return to her own room.“I just dinna ken it at the time.”

* * * *

It had gotten to the point where none of the warriors or guardsmen were willing to cross swords with Robin.In the week since he’d learned that Helena had left for Dornoch without a word to him, he’d sent about half a dozen men from the lists to Aline for treatment.

“Brother, if ye keep this up, we won’t have any warriors to defend Dun Ugadale,” Finn said after he’d returned from a visit to the healer.

“Bluidy hell, are ye all a bunch of old women?”Robin wiped the sweat from his face with a cloth and tossed it into the bucket next to the barrel of water for the men to clean up after time at the lists.

“Nay,” Finn added.“No’hing about our warriors has changed since ye visited with The Gunn.What’s changed is ye.”

Robin pushed his brother aside and stormed to the keep.“Aye.I’m doin’ my duty to my clan.”

“’Tis sick to death are we hearing about yer duty to yer clan.Either break the betrothal and chase after Helena, or shut up about it,” Criag said as he walked alongside Robin.

He shoved Craig out of the way, too.“Ye doona ken what ye’re speaking about.Ye doona ken what all the problems are.”

Craig and Finn followed him.“What problems?Just tell us.Ye haven’t said anything about this sudden switch in yer willingness to marry Gunn’s sister.”

Robin shook his head.He would not allow himself to be the cause of the death of a young woman.And if she didn’t take a jump off the bridge, she would be married to a beast who would make her life not worth living anyway.

There was truly no way out for him.

A few hours later, Robin turned his ale mug as he sat at a table at the Village Inn.‘Twas a slow night, but then it was early yet.A lot of the farmers, crofters, and vendors waited until the sun was completely down before they left for the tavern.

He’d been at the same table at the tavern every night since he’d returned from Clyth Castle.No matter how much he drank, he couldn’t get Helena out of his mind.No woman had ever affected him the way she did.Aye, she was bonnie, but she was kind, smart, and independent enough to keep him busy the rest of his life.

Except there would not be a ‘rest of his life’ with her because in less than a week he was to marry Lady Lenora Gordon.He looked up as the door to the tavern opened and his two brothers walked in.

“Can’t I e’er get rid of the two of ye?”