Marti Talbotts Highlander Series 1 - Anna Rachel u Charlet

with them.
    The king, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure taking Athena was a good idea. He didn’t want a war with the Highlanders and couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t do or say something to offend her. But Athena was having none of it and stood with her hands on her hips glaring at him. The king shot Kevin a silent plea for help, but Kevin only shrugged. Finally, the king gave in.

    The two men agreed on a place in the forest where the Highlanders and Catherin would wait, and it had already been three days. Kevin hadn’t brought an army with him. Instead, he only brought three men, plus the two he sent earlier to watch Stoneham , and t here wasn’t much to do. A couple of the men caught fish in a pond , which provided them with plenty to eat. The men practiced their warrior skills in the small clearing , and then told stories around the fire at night . They were careful to speak in their native language. Some of the stories were unfit for the ears of a lady.
    Kevin kept a close eye on Catherin, but tried not to let her know. She seemed to want to see and touch everything, just as Anna had and she rarely spoke. The first night, she looked at the stars for so long, he thought she would never rest. The next morning , she got up and walked fully dressed right into the pond. He was ready to hurry in after her, but she knew how to swim quite well and didn’t go too far out. She played in the water like a child, swimming, backstroking and even floating.
    It was Justin who pulled the chain apart and he felt a desire to see to her, so he grabbed her bundle of things and took them to the pond. Then he set the bundle down and hung a plaid over the low branch of a tree so she could have privacy when she dressed.
    The King was right. When she smiled at Justin, Kevin thought she really could make the birds sing. He wondered if his wife had the same smile. In fact, if she looked at all like her mother after her face healed, he would be very pleased. He left the pond, sat down with his back against a tree and closed his eyes. Would she really be glad her father was dead? He was her father, after all. Would she want the details of how he died? He hoped not, it was a gruesome affair. Most importantly, was she thinking about Kevin too? He remembered every moment he spent with her from the time he lifted her out of Thomas' arms , to the last moment when she listened to his heart. Suddenly, he opened his eyes. The whole time he ’ d been away, he’d actually been thinking about his wife and not the woman on the horse.

    The second day, Catherin told Justin she wanted to bathe properly , so he arranged her privacy. He wasn’t worried any of the men would look. None of them wanted to see the scars the scunner probably left on her. The second night , she slept like a baby. The third day , she talked more and worried more. What if they couldn’t find Rachel?
    Justin tried to ease her fears , but wasn’t very successful. Then he found a soft piece of wood, sat down on a rock, took out his dagger and began to carve. The longer he worked, the more fascinated she became and before long, she was sitting on another rock not far from him.
    Kevin found a second piece of wood and handed it to her. Then he offered her his dagger. She stared at the dagger for a long moment, decided it would be all right, took it from him a nd tried to learn how to carve.
    The first time she made a mistake, she looked terrified. Yet Justin only laughed , so she finally relaxed and smiled. Every once in a while she would make what she thought was another mistake, look at Justin’s reaction and smile when he laughed, putt ing a smile on all their faces.
    In the afternoon, Kevin went to the pond to wash up and when he came back , Catherin was in a deep discussion with Justin. She was whispering and Justin kept shaking his head. “What is it?”
    “She wants to ask about Anna, but she is afraid. I keep telling her there is nothing to be afraid of. She says Stoneham would not let her ask about either of her daughters.”
    “But why does she imagine we are the same?”
    “She knows her husband was a MacGreagor.”
    Kevin took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He untied a leather pouch from his belt, reached in, felt for what he wanted and withdrew a closed fist. Next, he sat down on the ground in front of her. “Catherin, give me your hand.” She looked like she had just been struck by lightning and he had to tell her three times before she obeyed.
    When