Marti Talbotts Highlander Series 1 - Anna Rachel u Charlet

prefer golden hair, not red like Charlet ’ s. And her eyes, where did she get those green eyes? Everyone knows blue eyes are better. In fact, most of our clan has blue eyes, even her parents had them.”
    “Maybe her mother...”
    “What?”
    Julie lowered her voice even more. “All I am saying is, maybe her father was not really her father.”
    “Of course, he was not her father, everyone knows that. Charlet’s father was a Cameron.”
    “Then no wonder she is bonnie. I have only seen a few, but the Cameron lads are very handsome. Do they have green eyes?”
    “Who knows?”
    “Perhaps we could find husbands among the Camerons?”
    Kenna rolled her eyes. “Providing we do not let them see Charlet, you mean.”
    “I hate her.”
    “Me too.”
    Julie suddenly had an idea. “We could kill her.”
    Kenna looked horrified. “We cannot kill her, Kevin would be furious. H ave you ever seen him furious?”
    “Nay.”
    “Well, Duff says when Kevin is furious he can glare a hole right through a lad’s heart.”
    Julie’s eyes widened.
    “And when Kevin was done with that, he would banish us and send us to...that place. ”
    “What place?”
    “E ngland!”
    Julie drew a sharp breath, crossed herself once and then four more times just to make sure.

    In the great hall, colorful tapestries hung on the walls with candleholders between them and on the opposite wall hung an assortment of weapons. The MacGreagor mistress made sure there were fresh flowers to enjoy every day and it was normally a peaceful place filled with laughter and love.
    Sitting alone at the head of the table, Laird Kevin MacGreagor was feeling his age. His blond hair was beginning to turn white at the temples and his gray-blue eyes were not as bright as they once were. At almost forty-one, he no longer trained with the men daily. He left that up to the younger, much more able men. He was still fit, but his bones didn’ t move as well and often ached.
    When Charlet entered through the larger door, Kevin’s eyes brightened and he stood up. Once an awkward girl with unmanageable red hair and eyes that didn’t seem to fit in her head, she had grown into a vivacious young woman right before his eyes.
    “You wished to see me?” she asked.
    Kevin smiled “Duff broke his nose today, were you there?”
    “Aye.”
    “Did you see what happened?”
    “I did.”
    “Do you wish to tell me?”
    “I did not do anything, Kevin, I swear it. Duff is a stupid lad.”
    “I see. He wishes to marry you.”
    She mumbled under her breath and tightly folded her arms. “I know, he tells me that every day.”
    “But you do not prefer him?”
    “Prefer him? He gawks at me. If he had not been gawking this morning, he would not have walked into the wall.” She was furious and started to leave.
    “Charlet, I am not yet finished.”
    She stopped and turned back, “Did someone else walk into the wall?”
    He grinned. “Not that I am aware of.”
    Hi s expression turned serious and she became concerned , so she went all the way back to him. She remembered how he used to put his arms around her when she was little and she wished he would do it now. It would make her feel less concerned. “I do not please you?”
    He did wrap his arms around her and then quickly let go, “Of course , you please me. You have pleased me since the first day you came to us.” Kevin urged her to sit down at the table and then retook his seat. “It is time to tell you something.”
    She gracefully folded her hands in her lap. “What?”
    “I have had an offer of marriage for you and I would like you to carefully consider it. It is from an Englishman.”
    Her brows shot up, her jaw dropped and she couldn’t even speak. A Highlander wanted her to consider marriage to an Englishman? She sighed, shifted her eyes , and then her temper took over and she glared at him. “Kevin, if you wish to be shed of me, just say so. The Camerons w ill take me, I know they will.”
    She got up and started inching toward the door. “I would much rather be married to one of them. I would even sooner marry a Ferguson or a MacDonald. Naturally, I want to stay here, but if you do not want me, then I...” She darted out the door and was gone.
    Kevin strummed his fingers on the table and began to count, “One Highlander, two Highlanders, three Highlanders, four...”
    Charlet stuck her head back in the door, “What Englishman?”

    The Highlanders called their laird’s home a Keep. It was a