Claimed by a Laird (28 page)

And then there was Alec—her father. His very presence seemed
even more surreal than her brothers’. He had a calm, commanding air about him,
which reminded her of Galen and comforted her. He always seemed to sense when
she had a contraction too. Sometimes he would just worriedly eye her and other
times he would guide his horse closer to the wagon so he could lean over and
pat her leg or hand reassuringly.

For the first time since finding herself off the MacAirth
land, Anna was safe. Renewed confidence buoyed her spirits and she knew no
matter what happened, her father and brothers would protect her until Galen
came for her.

All she had to do was get through the contractions and pray
she wouldn’t give birth in the back of some creaky, old wagon in the middle of
nowhere.

Dawn eventually broke and the men spoke in louder voices,
suggesting they would soon be in a place of safety. Anna pushed to sitting and
caught sight of her father’s exhausted face. They had ridden all night and her
heart was near to bursting with gratitude for his and his clan’s efforts.

As if sensing her stare, Alec glanced at her, his weathered
face cracking into a grin as he winked. “Almost there, lass. Keep my grandchild
inside you just a wee bit longer.”

Grandchild.
She hadn’t even thought about that. Anna
had adored her grandparents and it had made her sad to think her own child
would never have that kind of relationship. Galen’s parents were dead and her
own were either dead as well or stuck in the twenty-first century…or so she had
thought.

She smiled and nodded. Her stomach tightened and a searing
pain radiated across it. She bit her lower lip to keep from crying out in
surprise. Closing her eyes, she forced her breathing to slow as she lay on her
side.

Just as it subsided, shouts rang in the distance and relief
swept across her father’s face. He sat taller in his saddle and then goaded his
horse forward out of her sight.

Within a few minutes, the wagon creaked to a stop. Sionn and
Daniel jumped in next to her to help her into Niall’s massive arms. He was
almost as tall as Galen with a body built for fighting. But, unlike Galen,
Niall had a lighthearted non-frightening charm about him.

She held onto his upper arms and peered at him. She’d never
had a sibling before let alone three, and a mischievous mood swept over her as
she surveyed his face so similar to her own. “Hmm. Your muscles aren’t quite as
large as the MacAirth’s. That’s a shame.”

Niall’s expression blackened, which somehow didn’t seem at
all as frightening as Galen’s scowls. “Woman, you are lucky you are my sister.”

A gush of fluid fell from between Anna’s legs.

She gasped, her face flushing hotly. Her water had broken.

Niall looked at the ground and then back up at her in
horror. “Shit! Father!”

Alec rushed forward with a tall, slender woman on his heels.
“What the hell did you do to her?” he roared as he stopped and surveyed the
scene.

Niall’s face blanched. “I think I broke her.”

“Good work,” Sionn snorted, shoving Niall on the shoulder.

“Stop it, you two.” The woman stepped forward and waved them
away. When Niall did not release Anna, she propped her hands on her hips and
glared the young man into submission.

Anna let go of her brother as he stepped back from her and
turned to the woman, gazing at her wide-eyed. She appeared to be about her
father’s age and had long light-brown hair with streaks of gray running from
her temples. Her smooth skin would have belied her age had it not been for the
creases at the corners of her eyes and the laugh lines around her mouth.

She warmly regarded Anna with green eyes specked with silver
and offered her a gentle smile. “You did not tell me, Alec, I was about to
become a grandmother.” She looked at Anna’s stomach.

Anna glanced at her father, uncertain what was happening.

“Anna,” Alec said, laying his hand upon her shoulder, “this
is my wife, Lenora.”

Great.
What girl wouldn’t want to meet her stepmother
for the first time after her water broke in front of half her father’s clan?

“I’m sorry,” Anna whispered with an exhausted shake of her
head. This was all becoming way too much for her to handle. All she wanted to
do was to curl up on a bed and wait for Galen.

Lenora clucked sympathetically. “No, do not be silly, my
darling. Why the same thing happened to me in the middle of the courtyard when
I was about to deliver Niall.”

“It did?” Alec asked in wonder. “Why do I not remember
that?”

She shook her head and waved off his question. “You were off
hunting. Now, Anna, how long have you been having pains?”

Anna swallowed hard, renewing her determination to get
through this ordeal. “Off and on for over a day now. It didn’t start to get
really hard until we were traveling here.”

Lenora nodded and picked some straw off Anna’s leine in a
motherly gesture before smoothing the hair away from Anna’s face and resting
her cool palms on her cheeks. “You are safe now, you hear me? I will gather the
midwife and my sister-in-law and we will take care of everything. You just
concentrate on my first grandchild, do you understand?”

Anna couldn’t help the tears rolling down her cheeks. Why
was this woman being so kind to her husband’s illegitimate daughter? Blunt as
the thought was, it was exactly what Anna was to Alec. She wasn’t certain she
would have reacted in such a graceful and loving manner if the shoe were on the
other foot.

Alec laid a hand on his wife’s shoulder and she dropped her
hands from Anna’s face as she turned toward him.

“We should be off now and you both need to get to the safety
of the keep.” He kissed Lenora’s forehead and then gave Anna’s hand a tentative
squeeze.

“What is the plan, Father?” Niall stepped forward, his hand
on the hilt of the sword at his side.

Alec looked at each of his sons in turn and appeared to
brace himself for a forthcoming protest. “Niall, you will stay with your uncle
and lead our men against the Gowrie when he arrives. Sionn and Daniel, you will
accompany me to the MacAirths.”

The Campbell sons did not disappoint. Arguments flew all
around as Anna’s brothers attempted to reason with their father.

“You will be riding to your deaths!” Niall insisted, his
face red.

Sionn shook his head. “You killed his father, remember? What
makes you think he will speak to us before running us through?”

“He won’t do that,” Anna insisted somewhat breathlessly,
interrupting the fray. “Just tell him you rescued me from the Gowrie. Tell him
I told you to say he is not allowed to hurt you.”

“Your uncle says he can be quite the reasonable man.” Lenora
wrapped her arm around Anna’s shoulder. “This is your brother-in-law you are
speaking of, remember.”

The alternating thinned lips and furiously flaring nostrils
on Sionn and Niall’s faces nearly brought a giggle from Anna’s throat.

“The MacAirth is an ass,” Sionn muttered, crossing his arms.

“The MacAirth is a powerful man who is married to your
sister,” Alec cut in with an exasperated tone. “Like it or not, our clans are
now linked. He has as much interest in seeing the Gowrie taken out as we do.
You know that.”

“This is our chance,” Daniel nodded in agreement and moved
to stand beside his father, “to no longer be beholden to the whims of the
Gowrie. Our clan deserves to be free of him.” He turned to Anna. “I am sorry
Sionn called your husband an ass. I have never met him, but I am sure he is a
fine man.”

“Oh, he is definitely an ass sometimes. I’ve told him that
on several occasions,” Anna blurted before thinking better of it.

Niall’s hand twitched where it lay upon the hilt of his
sword. “If he has ever laid a hand on you for that, I swear…”

A hard, all-consuming contraction built in Anna’s lower
abdomen and she whimpered, her knees buckling under the pressure.

Alec grabbed her around the waist to prevent her from
sinking to her knees and Lenora captured her hands.

“Just breathe, my dear, and it will soon be over,” Lenora
whispered.

Anna nodded, allowing the strength of her father and
stepmother to seep into her as they held her. The contraction did not pass
quickly, however, and Anna groaned as panic set in. She had attended many
births for the women in the MacAirth clan, so she knew what to expect. But
going through the ordeal herself was more frightening than she had ever
suspected, especially in an unfamiliar place with complete strangers.

Lenora pressed her forehead to Anna’s and whispered, “As of
now, you are my daughter and I will see you through this. Put your trust in
me.”

Weeping, Anna took a deep breath and matched the breathing
pattern Lenora attempted to set for her. After a few moments, the pain lessened
and her abdomen relaxed.

“Take your sister and mother into the keep,” Alec instructed
Niall, his voice gruff with emotion.

He kissed the top of Anna’s head and then leaned forward to
kiss his wife before turning away to walk toward his horse.

Lenora’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as she went up on
tiptoe to kiss the cheeks of Sionn and Daniel. “God speed,” she whispered.

Niall took one of Anna’s hands as Lenora took the other.
“Come, Annie, let us get you comfortable.”

Anna smiled her gratitude at her brother, enjoying the
nickname Galen always used coming from Niall’s lips. Somehow, it made her feel
safe.

The scent of dew permeated Galen’s senses as the sun broke
over the thick mantle of trees on either side of the ancient road. He shifted
in his saddle, the clamor of snorting horses and marching feet hanging thick in
the air. When the time came, the men around him knew that only he would be
allowed to slay the Gowrie laird. His hand itched against the reins at the
thought.

He glanced at Collum MacBain and Rathe Sinclair to his
right. It had been easy to convince his old friends to stand with him when he
had traveled to their holdings some months ago, but their quick appearance at
his side with their warriors only a scant few hours after he arrived home
humbled him. Sure, he had saved their hides in battle a time or two in their
younger years, as they had his. But the Sinclairs and the MacBains had no
dealings with the Gowrie—that had always been a MacAirth problem.

Rathe turned to him, flashing a crooked grin as excitement
over the impending battle sparkled in his glowing green eyes. With his
black-as-sin hair and the utter ruthlessness of his personality, it was no
wonder most people other than the MacAirths and the MacBains called him “Satan
of the Highlands”.

And, by all that was holy, that was exactly what Galen
needed if he were to defeat the Gowrie and his allies once and for all and get
his Anna safely back in his arms.

“The Cameron and his men should be reaching the western edge
of MacPhearson land just as we cross from the north.” Collum jerked his square
chin forward. “Should not be long now.”

Galen nodded, forcing his attention onto formulating battle
plans. The moment his thinking went idle was the moment his worries over what
might be happening to Anna assaulted him. His heart would nearly explode and
rage would blind him. He had to focus or insanity would take over.

Adam maneuvered his horse out of the thick forest. Galen
held up his hand for everyone to stop.

Adam’s expression was grim as he reined in next to Galen. “We
could have trouble.”

“What is it?” Geoffrey came forward through the ranks on his
own horse.

“Campbells.”

“How many?” Collum asked.

Adam’s brow furrowed. “Only three. But one of them is
definitely the laird of Maree.”

The men exchanged confused glances.

“What the hell is old Alec Campbell doing riding through
these parts without a proper army?” Rathe glanced ahead. “He has no friends up
here.”

Galen grunted in agreement and then his eyes darted to the
road as the pounding of horse hooves echoed through the forest. “My guess is we
are about to find out,” he murmured, his hand moving toward his sword.

The men around him nodded and positioned themselves around
Galen as they waited.

In only moments, three lone riders crested the hill and then
slowed. Galen’s horse snorted and pawed the ground, ready to break into a
gallop. He soothed the animal with long strokes on its neck while he
scrutinized the man in the center of the three riders.

Galen’s heart seemed to stop pumping as the moments crept
past. Finally, the men came into focus and he recognized the Campbell of Maree.
It had been years since the two had come face to face, but Galen would have
recognized the man who had killed his father anywhere.

Galen’s men fell into a sudden silence as the riders stopped
not far ahead. He held up his hand for everyone to be still and then nodded to
Adam, Geoffrey, the Sinclair and the MacBain to follow him.

As they moved their horses forward, Galen glanced at the two
young warriors to either side of the Campbell. He had not seen them before, but
the similarity of their facial features to the older man in the middle made him
think they must be the Campbell’s younger sons since he knew the eldest to be a
redhead.

“I figured you would come this way, MacAirth,” Alec Campbell
called, his steely voice slicing through the thick tension. He rested his hands
on the saddle in front of him as Galen and the others stopped about twenty feet
away.

“I never thought you would,” Galen sneered, secretly
admiring the old man’s impenetrable composure. “Especially not without an army
and express orders from your lord and master.”

Anger radiated from the old man’s vivid blue eyes and a
picture of Anna flew through Galen’s mind. He froze, barely believing what was
in front of his own eyes. All the times Anna had glared at him for any of a
number of things he had said or done she had taken exception to, Galen had to
shove away the nagging notion of how familiar her eyes were to him—just how
much she suddenly looked like a Campbell of Maree. He nearly choked on his
breath as he looked into the old laird’s eyes and recognized none other than
his wife.

Before the old man even got the words out of his mouth,
Galen knew what he was about to say. A knot formed in his chest and he resisted
the urge to shake his head in denial.

“One would think you would be a bit more hospitable toward
your father-in-law,” Alec baited, his voice edged with contempt.

The heat of the stares of the men around him centered on his
back and Galen clenched his jaw in an effort to rein in the violent urge
uncoiling within his body to draw his sword and end this farce. Why would Anna
keep something like this from him? Did she still fear him?

“Well now, you neglected to mention anything about that,”
Rathe quipped from the side of his mouth.

“That is because I did not know,” Galen growled under his
breath.

Collum chuckled. “I never thought you one to become so taken
by a lass, you would neglect to find out who her father is.”

“You do not know the half of it.” Adam grinned.

“Rest assured, I will bash your skulls together when this is
over.” Galen snapped his attention back to the Campbells.

Alec’s stone-faced expression hadn’t changed, but his
youngest son seemed a mite bit nervous as he glanced from his father to Galen.

“Who my wife’s father is, is of no concern to me,” Galen
challenged in a cool tone. “I made no agreements with you.”

The older Campbell son rolled his eyes, his hand gripping
the hilt of his sword. “This is a waste of time, Father. We should be standing
with the MacPhearsons, not prostrating ourselves before the demon who forced
himself on our sister.”

Galen’s eyes widened in surprise, unsure the young man
realized how loudly he spoke. He crossed his arms as the Campbell’s composure
broke. Exhaustion etched across the old man’s face, but he remained stalwart,
flashing his son a glare demanding silence. The young man glanced at Galen and
grabbed the reins, his forearms flexing in an obvious desire to turn and make a
break for the woods.

The young man was right about one thing, though—too much
time was being wasted. Who knew what Anna was being put through by the Gowrie?

“What do you want, old man?” Galen barked, making his
impatience very clear. “I have a wife to get back, but I am sure you already
know that.”

Alec’s spine stiffened and the exhaustion seemed to melt
from his features as he sat taller in his saddle. He nudged his horse toward
Galen and his sons followed behind.

The brazen act infuriated Galen and he drew his sword.
“Where is my wife?” he demanded as the thought occurred that maybe the Campbell
was behind Anna’s kidnapping. “Tell me now or I will spill your guts right
here!”

The disquieting swish of swords drawn on either side of him
reverberated through the tense silence.

“Wait!” the youngest Campbell called, holding up one hand as
he shifted his horse to come between his father and Galen. “Anna told us to
tell you that you are not allowed to hurt us!”

“Daniel!” Alec hissed.

The young man paled as he sheepishly glanced from his father
to the throng of warriors just behind Galen.

Galen stared at Daniel, his heart leaping into his throat.
His Annie would say something like that. Hope sprang within him and guided his
horse closer to Alec, glaring at Daniel until the young man moved out of his
way.

“I will only ask you once more.” Galen clenched his jaw as
his friends moved into position behind him. “Where is my wife?”

Alec lifted his chin in a show of defiance. “She is safe
with the MacPhearsons. For the time being. I expect the Gowrie to have figured
out my deception by now and be on his way to find us.”

Tormented by a sudden surge of conflicting emotions, Galen
stared at Alec for several long moments. When he finally spoke, his voice
cracked in eager relief. “My Annie is all right?”

Alec blinked several times, looking back at him with
astonished eyes. The old man coughed uncomfortably and cleared his throat. “She
is with my wife. Her labor has begun.”

Galen’s heart sank into his stomach.

Rathe caught Galen’s sword before it could tumble to the
ground. “It sounds like we have a fight to get to,” Rathe murmured as he handed
Galen’s sword back to him.

“God knows why, but my daughter insists on returning to the
man who stole her,” Alec remarked, his tone acrid. “Do you promise to treat her
well, MacAirth? Though we could do with your help in this battle, I would
rather you turn around and go home right now if you are unwilling to give me
your word.”

“Father, Niall and the MacPhearsons need us,” the older
Campbell son remarked in annoyance.

“Enough, Sionn!” the old man commanded. “I will not have the
MacAirth anywhere near my daughter unless I have his promise!”

Enraged, Galen’s nostrils flared. “You insult me, old man.”

“I may not have been able to protect her from the Gowrie all
those years ago, but I will be damn sure protect her now that I have her back,”
the Campbell growled. “Including from her so-called husband.”

Galen shook his head in anger. “I have never hurt my wife
and I never will. But that is all you will get from me. Ask for nothing else if
you value your or your sons’ lives.”

“I need nothing else from you,” Alec shot back, grabbing his
reins. “Now are you following us into battle or do I have to worry about you
running me through from behind?”

“For Anna’s sake, I will follow.” Galen clenched his jaw.
“But only for her.”

Alec nodded curtly and turned his horse.

Galen shoved his sword back into the scabbard and grabbed
his horse’s reins. “Move out!”

* * * * *

Crossing into MacPhearson territory, the warriors of the
various clans fell into an uneasy quiet, their voices bare whispers as they
marched south. The lairds of the four clans present uttered not a word to one
another.

Galen surveyed the road and woods, searching for any sign of
Adam, Geoffrey or the Campbell boys who had ridden ahead to find out if the
Gowries and their allies had arrived. The anticipation was getting the better
of him. He’d had too much time alone in his head to plan. He needed to act. The
sooner he could do so, the sooner he could hold Anna in his arms and reassure
himself she was all right.

His chest tightened, the fears over what she might have gone
through plaguing him. Was she injured? Had the Gowrie touched her? Was he now a
father? Did she survive the birth?

And what if she had not?

Galen’s stomach twisted and images of his parents invaded
his thoughts once again. Had Adam been right all those months ago? Had he
fallen in love with his own wife?

Alec broke the silence. “We should be seeing the keep in the
distance soon.”

“You think I do not know the MacPearson’s land as well as
you?” Galen snapped.

“Annie is right. You are an ass,” Alec grumbled, staring
straight ahead.

Galen grunted, but was caught by surprise at the impulse to
smile—the first one he’d had since discovering Anna was missing. He glanced at
Alec out of the corner of his eye. The determined set of his jaw was so similar
to Anna’s when she made up her mind about something. The similarities were
absolutely stunning and Galen berated himself for not seeing the fact that Anna
had to be a close relative of the Campbell’s sooner. How could she have kept
something like this from him, especially after he had confronted her about
being a Campbell? Or was she truly unaware of who her father was?

“Did she know about you?”

Alec glanced at him. “You mean that I was her father?”

Galen nodded, his eyes drawn to the towering MacPhearson
keep as it rose over the trees in the distance.

“No, she had no idea,” he answered with a shake of his head.
“Do you know about her though? Where she comes from?”

“I do,” Galen remarked, distracted by the relief flooding
his chest at the sight of the keep. Finally, he was almost within reach of his
Annie.

“No one else can know,” Alec warned, his voice dropping into
a low tone. “They would not understand. It would be best if you were to destroy
that damned stone too.”

Galen cast a sharp, sideways glance at the old laird. “How
do you know about that? Did Annie tell you?”

A strange nostalgia flickered in Alec’s eyes. “It is mine.
Or was before the Gowrie stole it after Anna was born. I had no idea how it
disappeared until I received his missive to meet her at his keep a couple of
days ago.”

“You do not wish for it to be returned to you?”

Alec sighed and shook his head. “My wife has longed for a
daughter, but I prayed for the good Lord to only give her sons because I knew
the Gowrie or his father would have insisted on James marrying any daughter of
mine in order to further control me. I was grateful I was not able to bring
Anna home with me because she was safer in her mother’s time. I did not know
the Gowrie had stolen the damn rock or knew what it could do.”

Galen’s attitude softened toward the Campbell and it
irritated him something fierce. It was difficult to shake off the years of
listening to his father drunkenly rail against his former friend for being
linked to the Gowries, and then there was Galen’s own hatred of the man for
cutting down his father in battle. He opened his mouth to make a snide, biting
comment, but then shut it. If it hadn’t been for Alec, Anna might still be in
the Gowrie’s grasp.