Page 22 of Surrendering to her Highland Captor
6
A FAMILY BOUND BY DANGER
Aila ran the bristle brush over Knight’s mane again and again. With each stroke, her nerves grew more frayed. It had been so long since she had been without Sorcha and Taryn’s company—years, in fact. Without them, it felt as if a part of her was missing. Knowing that Taryn was already in danger and Sorcha was riding towards it only made that gaping hole bigger.
“Och, Knight,” she murmured. “What are we to do?”
He pawed at the ground as if he too were anxious to chase after their friends. Without Taryn’s gentle words and calming touch, and Sorcha running patrols to ensure the castle’s safety, the children had grown more nervous as well. Of course, Mary had taken up the comforting of the children, working alongside Edith to keep them all entertained, too busy to notice much.
But in those rare moments that always managed to sneak up on everybody, Aila always rushed to their side. There was little she could do besides hold them all in her lap, squeeze tight, and offer comforting promises that she wasn’t sure she could keep. On more than one occasion, she had cried right alongside them, overcome with her grief.
Tonight had been such a night. The three had wanted Taryn to read them a bedtime story. Christopher and Arran were old enough to understand that Taryn wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon, but little Elsie was too young. She couldn’t understand why Taryn wouldn’t come to her. No one’s explanation would do.
Eventually, Aila resigned herself to holding Elsie while her body was wracked with sobs, letting her cry herself to sleep. It had taken what felt like hours. Aila’s arms had grown stiff and sore from rocking Elsie for so long. And now that the girl was sleeping alongside Christopher and Arran, Aila found that she envied the girl for her deep sleep.
“I suppose we must be grateful for the fact that Arran has all but recovered,” she told Knight, her hand continuing to brush out of muscle memory. “I dinnae ken what we would do if Mary had nae been here, if she were nae still here offering her services to the entire clan.”
It was a blessing to know the clan had a healer once more, and a skilled one at that. Arran’s growing strength took so much weight from Lachlan’s shoulders that Aila was starting to see a different side of her husband altogether.
Knight pawed at the ground again, snickering.
“I dinnae like staying put any more than ye do, but it is something we must get used to. This is our home now. We have so many more people to consider than what we want. Lachlan does nae think it wise to rush after Taryn, lest we leave the clan undefended. We must think of the children.”
As she had done for Elsie, Christopher, and Arran, Aila ran a soothing hand through her horses’ hair. Satisfied that the knots had been brushed out, she worked her fingers quickly, braiding it all off and out of the way. It would be one less thing for her to worry about in the coming days.
“How about some fresh hay? Would that make ye feel better, lad?” she offered, moving to the half-eaten hay bale and pitchfork.
“Let me help ye with that.” Her husband’s voice put an end to her solitary soliloquy.
Lachlan reached around her back and plucked the pronged fork from her hands deftly. She moved out of his way, content to watch as he lifted a generous heaping of the straw over Knight’s gate and into his stall.
“There ye are, lad,” Lachlan spoke, his words warm and deep.
Aila studied her husband, noting the way he was reluctant to meet her gaze. Instead, he kept his eyes on Knight, scratching his nose and then up to his ears. Lachlan was restless and worried; they both were.
“What is it?” she asked.
“What do ye mean?” he retorted, his words careful to be light.
“I mean,” she told him, stepping closer so she could wrap her arms around his middle. “That ye would nae have come out here and disturbed my time with Knight unless ye had something to tell me. Something ye did nae wish the others to hear.”
He paused his attentions to Knight, much to the horse’s annoyance, and looked over at her, his eyes telling her that she was right.
“What makes ye say that?”
“Ye have never interrupted me here before. That, and the look in yer eye. Just spit it out, Lachlan. Whatever it is, we will be better off facing it together.”
He sighed and let his hands drop. Knight huffed before tucking his head to the fresh hay. Distraction free, Lachlan twisted in her embrace and wrapped his hands around her shoulders, tucking the top of her head under his chin.
“I fear ye will nae like what I have to tell ye,” he warned.
“I assumed it was nae good news.”
“Ye must listen to everything I say and nae storm out of here, aye?”
His demand gave her pause. He had never asked anything like this of her before. Ultimately, her curiosity won out.
“Aye. I will nae leave. Now tell me, what is it?”
