Marti Talbotts Highlander Series 1 - Anna Rachel u Charlet

came a day when he noticed the extraordinarily becoming woman standing on the crest of the meadow watching him. How had she grown up without his notice?
    Rachel never asked him for favors. In fact, she rarely even looked at him except when he was training with the other men. She was only interested in his skill. It inspired him to daily sharpen his abilities hoping to impress her. It was true , she looked at him , but never really saw him until the day he set the flower on her head. He could still see the perplexed look on her face.
    He thought about the feel of her in his arms constantly and was certain he would never get it out of his mind. What he also thought about constantly were her words -- If they didn ’ t let her go, she would find a way out and never come back. He was beginning to see what Kevin tried to explain. Maybe Kevin was right; the only way to keep Rachel was to let her go. But how in the world could he ever do that?
    Other men in the clan seemed to have complete control over their wives. They were never vicious, but if the men said no, they meant no and the women complied. Only Kevin and Justin were different. He couldn’t remember a time when Kevin said no to his wife. Come to think of it, he couldn’t remember a time Anna asked for anything. Connor’s mother died when he was small , and before he died, Connor’s father had been Kevin’s third in command . Because of it, Connor spent a lot of time with Kevin and his wife , b ut he never really watched them closely. He decided he would be more observant in the future.
    He knew one thing. Kevin always looked relieved when Anna entered a room. A shudder ran down Connor’s spine. Was Kevin worried there would come a day when Anna would leave again? Worse yet, would Catherin and Anna take Rachel with them?

    Finally, Threcher entered the forest. It was going to be dark soon and it was much slower going as Threcher made his way through the trees. Rachel was exhausted and wondered how long it actually took to starve to death, but she was determined to keep going , even if it killed her.

    As soon as it got dark, Connor removed the doors and stepped through the secret place in the wall. He was supposed to swim the moat, let the Camerons know all was well, and take the long way around to keep from being discovered. What he wanted to do was look for Rachel again, but Kevin said no and no it would be. Kevin wanted to know if the Fergusons were ready to attack and that was all.
    There were always signs when one clan was preparing to attack another. Horses were gathered and waiting, the sounds of men sharpening their swords could be heard , and women often cried out loud.
    It was pitch black and he was about to slip into the moat when he suddenly felt someone near. He drew his sword and swung to his left with murder in his eyes.
    “Tell Kevin they will attack at dawn,” the woman said in English.
    “Rachel?”
    “Nay, I am Catherin’s sister.”
    He began to breathe again, but he did not let down his guard for fear the woman was not alone. “Are they watching us?”
    “Nay, they want you to think they are not interested.”
    “Do you need sanctuary?”
    “They plan to starve you out.”
    He felt the woman leave and then heard her arms softly splash the water as she swam away. With his heart racing, Connor slipped into the wall and pulled the outside door back in place. Then he exited the tunnel, shoved the inside door closed and burst into the cottage. “They will attack at dawn,” he told Justin.

    Rachel rode hour after hour, half -asleep, and half- awake. At first , she was careful to dodge low branches, but soon she simply laid her head down against the horse’s neck. Only her fear of arriving too late kept her from sliding off. She was t oo exhausted and hungry to think about Connor.
    Her back was aching, the inside of her thighs had to be bruised and her bottom was taking a beating, but she kept going. At last, Rachel had to sit up again. She couldn’t stand the pain in her lower back another moment.
    Suddenly, a hand went over her mouth and someone was pulling her off the horse. She tried to fight, flailing her arms out, hitting him with her fists and kicking as hard as she could. Someone was whispering her name, but her eyes were wild with fear and it took several moments to actually see the face of the man who had her. As soon as she finally realized it was Connor, she was so happy to see him, she th rew her arms around his