The Highlander's Hope - A Contemporary Highland Romance (19 page)

“Och, love.  How could I forget it when ye remind me every chance ye get?”  Iain scoffed at her with a shake of his head.

Her cheeks flushed red. 
“I do not.  And if the shoe fits…”

“Ye know, ye contradict yerself at every turn.  Ye say ye don’t call me a jerk, but they’re the next words out of yer gob.  Ye kiss me and then say it ne’er happened.  Ye get angry with me and want to leave, but then take me to yer bed.  Well, I’ve had it, Cat.  No more.”

“Well, pardon me for making that mistake.  And here I thought we were having fun.”  She shrugged her shoulder with a tilt of her head, as if dismissing him.

“Is that what ye call it?  Fun?
”  The girl left him dizzy. “Listen to me, love.  Ye have it so I don’t know which end is up anymore.” 

“
How is that my fault, when I’m just falling in line with the life you’ve led?”  She shook her head, her arms crossed in front of her chest, closing her off and putting even more distance between them. 

“I’m telling ye that’s no longer the case, Cat.  Yet ye
won’t let it go.”

The tension in her body seemed to ease a little. 
“Our lives are too different, Iain, and we’re each going in different directions.  We want different things.”

“Do we?
  Well, I don’t think so, Cat.”

“I need a re
al relationship—and let’s face it, you’re not the real relationship type.  I just don’t think you can change, even if there’s nothing I want more.”

“Is that what ye think?  Well, let me prove ye wrong
then.  Marry me, Cat.”  His heart was pounding in his ears and it felt like he couldn’t breathe, yet at the same time, it felt so perfectly right.  He took her hands in his, ignoring the confusion written all over her face.  “Cat, I love ye with all my heart and I know ye feel the same about me.  Marry me, love.”

She pulled her hands free and took a step away from him
, anger creasing her brow.  “Go away, Iain.  You’re insane.”

“Then be insane with me.  Say
yes
.”

Cat shook her head and sent a scathing glare in his direction.
  “I’m not even going to acknowledge your question with an answer.  And you should be ashamed of yourself to be asking something so important with such casualness and disregard, just so you can prove your point.”

Iain
stepped to her side and wrapped an arm around her waist, ready to devour her with his eyes, his soul.  “Trust me when I tell ye, love, I’d not ask ye to marry me if I didn’t mean it.”

With a hand on his chest she slipped, wiggled and pushed her way out of his arms, as his smile widened
, recognizing this as a game they’d played before.  “You’re insane, Iain.”

“Och, I’ll not deny this seems a bit mad, but I love ye
, Cat.”  He couldn’t help but smile, for he truly did love her, and all her quirky ways.  He could already see her defenses melting, for he had no doubt they were meant to be together.  “Say yes, love.  I promise ye’ll not regret it.”

As if shaking herself out of a trance,
she stepped away from him.  “I have to go.”

“Go
where?”  Gone was his smile, now replaced by worry. 

“To the inn. 
I can’t do this right now.  Most of my things are still packed, but I’ll pick up the rest tomorrow.”

“It’s not safe, Cat, and ye know it. 
Have ye forgotten about the attack?  And ye’re not going anywhere until we sort out what’s between us.”  He ran a rough hand through his hair, surely making him look crazed.

She
sighed, and shook her head.  “I can’t marry you, Iain.  And trust me—you’ll thank me in the long run.  You’re only going down this road because you see me as a challenge.  I haven’t acted like the dozens of other women you’ve dated, so you jump to the conclusion that it must be love.  Well, it’s not.”

“Is
that what ye really think?”  Didn’t she see that she’d changed his entire world—had changed what he wanted from life? 

“
I need to go.  This is going nowhere, and doing neither of us any good.  We can’t keep having this conversation.”

“
Only because ye ne’er sit down so we can sort it out.  Ye’re constantly running scared, lass, and I’m trying to tell ye, ye have nothing to fear—not from me anyway.”

“Oh, trust me.  I have plenty to fear
from you.  You’re the only one making my life screwy, Iain.  I was supposed to come here, find the Hope, write my paper to academic acclaim, and move on to my next project.  Falling in love and getting married?  Not part of the plan.”

She turned to go, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, his lips on hers, taking with wanton abandon, her protests melting in the heat of passion. 
“Marry me, Cat.  I’m going to keep asking ye until ye say yes.”

Their lips locked again, as
he consumed her with his very soul, no longer needing breath as long as he had her. 

Between kisses she managed to get her response out. “I’m ignoring you,
Iain MacCraigh.  You asking that question?  Never happened.”

He let out a chuckle
against her lips, lifting her off her feet as she wrapped her legs around his waist.  “If ye say so, love.”

By the time they made it to his room,
he could barely string together a coherent thought—except that she had yet to push him away and was returning his passions.  With every fiber of his being, he wanted her.  With every breath.  With every beat of his heart.

And then s
he pushed him away, her breath coming in heavy as she moved away from him.  “I can’t do this, Iain.”

“Cat
, please… don’t do this.”  His heart fell into a slow shatter.  “Stay.”

S
he was already heading for the door.  “I won’t go to the inn, but I can’t keep doing this.  It’s got to stop.  Goodnight, Iain.”

“As ye wish, love.”  He let out a ragged sigh laden with
hurt and unfulfilled desire.  “As ye wish.”

***

Come morning, Iain awoke to Duncan’s incessant barking, a sure sign that Iain’s bad mood would only worsen.  Pushing Cat from his mind, he followed the commotion to the library and found his brother and James sitting on the sofa across from the paintings.  “What the hell are ye doing here?  After the shite ye pulled the other night, neither of ye are welcome here.”

“It’s my home as much as it’s
yers, Iain.”  Malcolm stood and faced him, a look of smug arrogance on his face.

“Ye
eejit.  Yer big mouth had nationalists traipsing through the home with weapons.”  He fisted his brother’s shirt.  “They hit Cat over the head hard enough to render her unconscious.  So don’t go telling me that ye have a right to be here—ye lost that privilege when ye gambled yerself into a hole.  Da’s left the house to me.  Ye have no claim here, Malcolm.”

His brother shrugged out of
Iain’s grasp. “That’s where ye’d be wrong.  The house is only yers once Da passes, and until then ye’ve no more claim on it than I.  We’re here to find the Highlander’s Hope, and if ye think ye’re going to stop us, then you can guess again.”

He tried his best to mask any acknowledgement of the necklace.  “Ye’re daft.  Cat may be a historian, but she’s only here for one reason, and that’s me.  You and yer friends have ruined what was supposed to be a romantic holiday.”

James tilted his head towards Cat’s laptop, and let out a laugh that made Iain want to punch him.  “I know Cat, and trust me when I tell you, the girl is here for the necklace.  She is nothing if not meticulous in her documentation, even if she doesn’t refer to the Highlander’s Hope by name.” 

“That’s password-
protected.”  Iain’s temper rose.

“Is it?  I hadn’t noticed.” 
James laughed, looking smug.

It was a hunch, and
Iain went with it, his temper flaring.  “Ye’ve had remote access to her computer, haven’t ye?  Set it up the last time ye got yer hands on it.”

There were plenty of programs out there that allowed external users remote control—and if you didn’t know what to look for, you’d never know.  All
one needed was access to the computer just once to download the program, and James had the opportunity when he and Cat had been dating.

James looked so smug, it made
Iain want to plant a fist in his face.  “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I’d be careful about making any accusations.  I could take you to court for slander.”

“Go for it.”  Furious, Iain would love a fight.

“
Is it true, James?”  Cat walked into the room, her hair disheveled, and her eyes ablaze as she zeroed in on her ex.  She then laughed, shaking her head—but only a fool would take it for humor.  “I can’t believe it.”

When she lunged for James, murder in her eyes,
Iain grabbed her with an arm around her waist, trying to keep his grip on her as she struggled to kill the bastard.  “He’s not worth it, love.”

“No, he’s not.”

Iain spun at the unfamiliar voice, dread filling him at the sight of three armed men, and in the lead, the same nationalist they’d dealt with before. Malcolm must have left the door unlocked—or let them in. “What do ye want?  If ye’re looking for the Hope, we don’t have it, nor did we have it at any point.  I don’t want trouble.”

Putting Cat down, h
e shifted her behind him to try and keep her safe.  He didn’t know how serious these men were about using their weapons, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to take a chance.

It was his brother who stepped forward.  “What the hell are ye doing,
MacTavish?  Ye were only supposed to help us find the Hope.  This was
not
part of the deal.”

“
We have no deal, MacCraigh, so I suggest ye sit down and shut yer gob.”  He waved his gun towards them.  “The rest of ye, too—except for the lass.  She’s coming with me.”

Chapter
Nineteen

“I’ll be fine.”  Cat tried desperately to reassure Iain as one of the men shoved a gun at him.  She’d never been more frightened, but knew she needed to keep a level head.  If she could find out what they wanted, she might be able to get rid of them. 

M
acTavish grabbed her arm and pushed her towards the door and out of the room, Iain’s shouts fading as they moved down the hall and into the sitting room.  MacTavish pushed her into a seat and stood across from her, his gun pointed right at her.

“This is simple, really.  I want the necklace, and if ye don’t already have it, then you’re going to
find it.  Are we clear?”  What
was
clear by his tone was that he was damn serious about finding the Hope.

“Just one problem—it might not even be here.  And even if it is, I’m sure it’s well hidden.  It could take us forever to find it.”  It was nothing but the truth
, even if she felt their recent discovery of the tunnel and hidden chamber could indeed hold the Hope.  “Historians and archaeologists spend years looking for these types of finds—lifetimes even—and usually come up empty-handed.  What are you going to do?  Hold us at gunpoint while we grow old and grey?”

He let out a bark of a laugh. 
“Nae, lass.  I’ll have shot all of ye long before that, starting with yer lad.  So I suggest ye get a move on.  I’ve no doubt that, properly motivated, ye’ll make good use of yer time.”

“Trust me when I tell you, he’s not my lad or anything more than a pain in my ass.”  She didn’t want
MacTavish thinking they could hurt Iain to get to her.  It was doubtful it would work, but it was still worth a try.

“That may well be the case, but either way, I don’t think ye’d want him bleeding out on the carpet.”

“You know, I fully support the Nationalist movement, but you’re really starting to tick me off.”

He shook his head with a chuckle one would never expect to come from such a man.  “
Ye’ve got a bit of fire to ye.  I can see why he likes ye.  Now let’s not ruin things for him by making me shoot one of ye.  It’d be a pity.  I’ve always been a bit of a romantic, and tend to root for true love.” 

“Fine.  Wouldn’t want you getting all twitchy with that trigger finger.  But I’m telling you now—it’s
not
true love.”  She crossed her arms, annoyed, knowing there was nothing she could do but go hunting for the Hope.

“If ye say so, lassie.”

She tried to think of a way to find help.  Should she tell MacTavish of the tunnel and lead them to the necklace or try to delay them in the hope someone would come to their aid?  Angus would be turning up before long, and if she could get back to Iain, then together, they might stand a fighting chance. 

“There is something we recently noticed and
I think it could lead to the necklace, but we’ve yet to check it out fully, and frankly, Iain’s the one that knows the area.  All the trees and caves look the same to me, and I don’t have a clue where to find any of the landmarks being referenced.  And keep in mind that these are just stabs in the dark.  We could still be way off base.”

He looke
d at her for a long moment as if mulling things over and then called out.  “Bring me Iain MacCraigh.”

A moment later,
Iain was shoved into the room.  He immediately crossed to her side.  “Are ye all right?”

Cat nodded, but
MacTavish was having none of it.  “Neither of ye will be doing well if we don’t find the necklace, so I suggest we start moving before I lose patience.  And let me make myself clear—if either of ye try something daft, it’ll be the other one who’ll pay the consequences.”

As dangerous as these guys seemed, s
he had to try to send out a call for help.  They might not get the chance once they were out in the woods.  “Just one thing—we’re both barefoot, since you caught us as we were getting up.  If you want us to make it through those woods anytime this century, then I suggest letting us get our shoes, and frankly, I wouldn’t mind a bit more clothing, since I’m still in my pj’s.” 

“Only if ye make it quick.” 
MacTavish glared at her as he waved his gun in the direction of the door.  “Come on, then.”

She headed for the door with
Iain trailing at her side, their eyes locked on each other.  She knew he might try to get help, but she doubted MacTavish would leave Iain alone, whereas she might be able to ask for some privacy.  Her cell phone was upstairs, in addition to one of the home phones.  If she could get away long enough to put a call in to the police, they might get out of the ordeal unscathed. 

“You first.
”  MacTavish stood at the door to her room and motioned her in.  “The door stays open.  Try anything, and I shoot the lad.”

“Do I not get any privacy?”

“If ye want privacy, then I suggest ye stay in night-clothes.  Now either get changed or let’s get moving.”

Frustra
ted, Cat grabbed clothes and, using the blanket off her bed for privacy, got dressed, knowing there’d be no chance of her making a call with him standing right there.  She did, however, pick the jeans she was wearing the night before, knowing her cell phone was still tucked away in the pocket, and chose a sweater long enough to mask the bulge.  If he didn’t search her, then maybe she could find a moment to make a call.   Iain was next to get dressed, and before long, they were out the door and heading for the trails.  MacTavish had come prepared not only with a gun, but with rope and a pack of supplies and equipment.

The morning air was bitter
ly cold and a heavy mist fell upon them, shrouding them like a wet blanket, sucking every bit of her warmth and energy.  Her jacket worked to keep her mostly dry, but there was little getting around the wet that clung to her skin and clothes, the damp wheedling its way to her very core.

Iain
kept shooting her glances, his gaze intense as if trying to reassure her that things would work out.  MacTavish trailed behind them, his gun never wavering, even as they started the climb up the hill with Iain leading the way. 

They were heading to the tunnels
, the mist changing to a bone-chilling rain.  Cat wondered if Iain might lead them elsewhere to try and save the Hope from falling into MacTavish’s hands, but evidently not.  She supposed it was necessary, and in the end the necklace might not be there at all.  In their predicament, she didn’t know whether to hope for it to be found or for it to remain tucked away safe. 

Cat’s mind kept racing, jumping from one thought to another.  She was desperate to find a way to get rid of
MacTavish so they’d be safe, but her mind also kept straying to Iain and the words he’d spoken the night before.  How could he possibly ask her to marry him?  He couldn’t be serious.  Iain MacCraigh—married?  The tabloids would have a field day—Scotland’s most eligible bachelor proposing marriage after mere weeks.  The gossip alone would have Iain backtracking faster than a politician on a campaign-time promise.

It’d be insane to marry him.  And yet…

When exactly she’d fallen in love with him, she couldn’t say, despite her best efforts to keep things casual between them.  With a glance in Iain’s direction, she took him in—the dark stubble across his strong jaw, his dark disheveled locks wet with rain, and those piercing blue eyes that made her pulse flutter.  And now, with a gun at their back, she might not ever get to tell him that she loved him.  He might never know how she truly felt about him. 

The climb grew steep, and despite her missteps,
MacTavish and Iain managed the climb with little difficulty.  When Iain tried to give her a hand, MacTavish growled at him to keep his distance. 

Iain
stopped where he was, holding onto a branch for support.  “If ye’re not going to let me help her, then at least let her go ahead of us, so I can help her if she falls.”

“I’ll manage,
Iain.”  They both ignored her.

“How much fa
rther?”

“Just ahead, but it’s a steep climb from here to the cave’s entrance.”
  With jaw tight, Iain stood his ground, his eyes locked on MacTavish—but first he’d given her a quick glance.

I
t made her wonder if he was up to something.  And if he was going to try something, when would he attempt it?  The climb was indeed steep.  Would it be a push down the hill with the hope of escape?  Or wait until the darkness of the tunnels masked their movements.

“Very well—let her take the lead.  But try anything
and I’ll put a bullet through ye.  Are we clear?”

“Aye.  We are.”
  Iain turned away from MacTavish and gave her a small nod to tell her to continue on her way.  “Be careful, love.  It’ll get steeper just before the entrance.”

With the rain refusing to let up, Cat worked her way up the muddy slope, more
often than not on all fours, grasping at whatever she could for a secure hold.  She was nearly there.  Pushing past the branches that partially obscured the opening from view, she pulled herself in.  It seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up, when Iain would make it into the dark tunnel before MacTavish.  She looked around for a branch to use as weapon, but there was little to be found.

Iain
scrambled in and rushed to her side.  “Get as far back as ye can.  Go!”

“But—”

“Don’t argue with me.  Go, Cat. 
Now
.”

She did as he asked, her pulse thundering as the a
drenaline and fear kicked in.  Yet why was it she suddenly wanted to tell him everything she’d kept bottled up inside?  Why was it she desperately wanted to tell him that she loved him? 

MacTavish
started to climb into the tunnel when Iain tackled him, grabbing for the gun as a shot ricocheted off the rock wall, deafening in the small space.  Cat held her breath as they struggled, each lurch driving them closer to the edge.  Iain pounded MacTavish’s hand against the rock face, knocking the gun away.  Getting free of MacTavish’s hold, Iain pushed him towards the edge, but the old man was still quick and strong, and before he went over the steep drop, he grabbed Iain.

And
they were gone.

Panic sucked the breath from her lungs as she rushed over, hoping there was something
there to break Iain’s fall.  A cry escaped her lips, not wanting to believe what she saw. He looked broken and mangled, his leg impaled on a broken branch. Slipping her way down the hill while grabbing at branches to slow her descent, she scooted towards them as fast as she could, hoping Iain was still alive.  MacTavish seemed to have broken some of Iain’s fall, catching the brunt of the injuries from the rocks below.

“
Iain.
  Talk to me.” She touched his cheek, hoping he’d come to.  She glanced at his leg, wondering if she should remove the branch sticking through his leg, but worried she might cause the bleeding to increase.  “Iain, please.”

He was breathing.  That was something, but she wasn’
t sure of what internal injuries he may have sustained.  She tried her cell phone, but there was no reception.

“Cat…”

Relief flooded over her.  “Bloody hell, Iain.  You shouldn’t have done it.  Damn the necklace.  You could have been killed.”   

“
MacTavish?”  His face tightened with pain as he tried to turn towards the reason they were in this mess.

She shifted over and checked the man’s pulse, before taking a closer look.  “I think he’s dead. 
I’m afraid his head hit a rock.  Your leg…”

“
Best if we leave it.  Call Angus.  I don’t want him stumbling onto the group at the house.”  He coughed and wheezed, making her heart lurch with worry.

“I have no reception.  Maybe if I head back towards the house.”  The thought of leaving him in the condition he was in had her stomach knots.

“Call him and then call the police.”  He reached up to touch her face.  “Don’t look so worried, love.  I’ll manage.”

“Damn it,
Iain.  I love you.”

“Aye, lass.  I know—and I love ye also.  With all my heart.”  He coughed,
the sound of it wet and rattling in his lungs.  “Go, love.  I’ll manage ‘til ye get back.  And once ye do, I hope ye know I’ll be marrying ye.”

She blinked back her tears and kissed him
.  “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

***

Cat watched as Iain was taken away on a stretcher and loaded into the ambulance.  She had desperately wanted to go with him, but there was no room in the vehicle and the police still needed to speak to her.  They’d already arrested the men who’d come with MacTavish, but there was still James and Malcolm to deal with.  Malcolm might get off easy, depending on his involvement.  But James?  Well, he’d messed with the wrong girl for the last time.

Once inside, Cat answered their questions as best she could, itching to get to
Iain’s side.  The cop she was dealing with was the same one who’d taken a statement from them after MacTavish first showed up, so he already knew of their previous troubles.