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Authors: Kinley MacGregor
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women! Not to mention, she attacked me in the kirk when I went to see my wife.”
The words set off total chaos in the hall as the four brothers growled in rage, then attacked their clansmen.
Lochlan joined the fray, trying to bring peace to his men. Curses and shouts rang through the hall, along with the sounds of fists striking flesh, and breaking furniture.
Lochlan had never in his life seen such a melee.
The urge to cross the room and remove his sword from the mantel was strong, but he didn’t truly want to hurt any of them. He did, however, want them to exercise a little restraint.
As Lochlan struggled to pull the brothers from the fray, five men set upon him at once. Before Lochlan could extract himself from their beefy hands, they seized him and set him down hard in a chair before the hearth.
“What are you doing?” Lochlan demanded asthree of the men held him in place while two others grabbed ropes.
The answer was plain.
After a few more minutes, Maggie’s four brothers were seated next to him, the five of them trussed up like birds for the slaughter.
Cursing them all, Lochlan struggled against the ropes which bound him to the chair. If he ever got out of this, they would pay dearly for their actions.
Fergus and the others looked down upon them with evil smiles. “Now it’s time we find us a laird who can actually handle the—”
“What in the name of Satan’s hairy toes is this?”
Fergus’s face paled at the sound of the deep bellow.
Settling down, Lochlan breathed a sigh of relief at Braden’s appearance.
But his relief was short-lived.
The mob turned on Braden with a vengeance. Their angry voices again reached a deafening tone.
Until a loud whistle sounded.
The men settled down, and they drifted back, making a path from Braden to Lochlan and Maggie’s brothers.
His face a mask of fury, Braden stepped forward and eyed the crowd. “Would someone care to explain to me why my brother, your laird, is tied to a chair?”
A wave of sheepishness washed through the men. Except for Fergus. He moved forward to confront Braden. “We want this matter with the women settled.”
“And you think tying Lochlan to a chair is the best way to accomplish this?”
Lochlan smiled. With Braden here, he allowed himself to see the ridiculousness of the situation.
Fergus looked shamed.
Shaking his head, Braden started for Lochlan’s chair. But a big, burly Enos stepped out of the crowd to block him. “Your brother isn’t going anywhere until my wife is back inside my home, tending our children, warming my bed and cooking me some food worth eating.”
“Aye,” Fergus shouted. “I say we kill the laird and take our women back!”
The men quickly took up Fergus’s shout of “Kill the laird, kill the laird.”
Lochlan held his breath, afraid of what the obsessed mob might do. Damn, but he should have grabbed his sword while he had the chance.
“Whoa!” Braden shouted over them, until he shushed them once more. “Have you lost all your wits? That’s your laird you’re speaking of. The man all of you have sworn to follow and protect with your lives.”
“He stands between us and our women!”
Braden took a deep breath as he regarded the sea of angry men. This was quickly getting out ofhand. And if he didn’t stop it soon, there was no telling what they might do.
Sweet Mother Mary, what had Maggie started?
“Now let’s be reasonable for just a moment, men,” Braden tried again. “Killing Lochlan won’t get your women back. They’ve sworn an oath to each other and that oath has nothing to do with his life.”
“Fine, then,” Fergus said. “We’ll kill him, send Ewan to the MacDouglas, and have our women home by week’s end.”
“Aye!”
“Aye, hell!” Braden roared. “You kill my brothers and you’ll have me to deal with.”
Fergus snorted as he raked a cold look over Braden’s body. “Is that a threat? You’re but one man against all of us.”
Braden returned the
The words set off total chaos in the hall as the four brothers growled in rage, then attacked their clansmen.
Lochlan joined the fray, trying to bring peace to his men. Curses and shouts rang through the hall, along with the sounds of fists striking flesh, and breaking furniture.
Lochlan had never in his life seen such a melee.
The urge to cross the room and remove his sword from the mantel was strong, but he didn’t truly want to hurt any of them. He did, however, want them to exercise a little restraint.
As Lochlan struggled to pull the brothers from the fray, five men set upon him at once. Before Lochlan could extract himself from their beefy hands, they seized him and set him down hard in a chair before the hearth.
“What are you doing?” Lochlan demanded asthree of the men held him in place while two others grabbed ropes.
The answer was plain.
After a few more minutes, Maggie’s four brothers were seated next to him, the five of them trussed up like birds for the slaughter.
Cursing them all, Lochlan struggled against the ropes which bound him to the chair. If he ever got out of this, they would pay dearly for their actions.
Fergus and the others looked down upon them with evil smiles. “Now it’s time we find us a laird who can actually handle the—”
“What in the name of Satan’s hairy toes is this?”
Fergus’s face paled at the sound of the deep bellow.
Settling down, Lochlan breathed a sigh of relief at Braden’s appearance.
But his relief was short-lived.
The mob turned on Braden with a vengeance. Their angry voices again reached a deafening tone.
Until a loud whistle sounded.
The men settled down, and they drifted back, making a path from Braden to Lochlan and Maggie’s brothers.
His face a mask of fury, Braden stepped forward and eyed the crowd. “Would someone care to explain to me why my brother, your laird, is tied to a chair?”
A wave of sheepishness washed through the men. Except for Fergus. He moved forward to confront Braden. “We want this matter with the women settled.”
“And you think tying Lochlan to a chair is the best way to accomplish this?”
Lochlan smiled. With Braden here, he allowed himself to see the ridiculousness of the situation.
Fergus looked shamed.
Shaking his head, Braden started for Lochlan’s chair. But a big, burly Enos stepped out of the crowd to block him. “Your brother isn’t going anywhere until my wife is back inside my home, tending our children, warming my bed and cooking me some food worth eating.”
“Aye,” Fergus shouted. “I say we kill the laird and take our women back!”
The men quickly took up Fergus’s shout of “Kill the laird, kill the laird.”
Lochlan held his breath, afraid of what the obsessed mob might do. Damn, but he should have grabbed his sword while he had the chance.
“Whoa!” Braden shouted over them, until he shushed them once more. “Have you lost all your wits? That’s your laird you’re speaking of. The man all of you have sworn to follow and protect with your lives.”
“He stands between us and our women!”
Braden took a deep breath as he regarded the sea of angry men. This was quickly getting out ofhand. And if he didn’t stop it soon, there was no telling what they might do.
Sweet Mother Mary, what had Maggie started?
“Now let’s be reasonable for just a moment, men,” Braden tried again. “Killing Lochlan won’t get your women back. They’ve sworn an oath to each other and that oath has nothing to do with his life.”
“Fine, then,” Fergus said. “We’ll kill him, send Ewan to the MacDouglas, and have our women home by week’s end.”
“Aye!”
“Aye, hell!” Braden roared. “You kill my brothers and you’ll have me to deal with.”
Fergus snorted as he raked a cold look over Braden’s body. “Is that a threat? You’re but one man against all of us.”
Braden returned the
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