Highland Blessings (17 page)

She gulped, nodding in understanding. On impulse, he gripped her trembling shoulders, and pulled her to him. “Shush.” Bryce clenched his teeth and swallowed in spite of the tightening at the back of his throat. “Don’t weep, lass.” He stroked her silky hair and closed his eyes, reveling in her lilac scent.

“Why can ye not be the barbarian ye’re supposed to be, so I can hate ye right and proper?” Her voice trembled.

A smile tugged at his lips. “Maybe because I don’t want ye to hate me right and proper.”

She chuckled, and the weight of his heart lifted.

Now that she seemed to be calming, Bryce rubbed his tired eyes, realizing that this husband and wife thing might not be so easy after all.

“Bryce?”

“Aye?”

“Must ye take me back?”

He shifted to a more comfortable position so he could stretch out his long legs. “I thought ye’d like nothing more than to see yer family again.”

“I would, but—”

“But, what?”

“I’m not sure.” She sighed heavily and moved away from him.

He could not let her leave him hanging like that. He leaned over and grasped her chin, forcing her to face his direction. He wished for light. At that moment he wanted very much to see her eyes.

“I don’t wish to know if they hate me the way Elliot does. I would rather remember my life as it was.”

Deep inside, his chest shook like an earthquake mixing with the tides of guilt. “They wouldn’t feel that way, Akira.

Elliot allows his hatred to burn out everything else that is good within him.” He tried to put her fears to rest.

“I suppose ye’re right. Elliot is quite different from the rest,” she said pensively.

Bryce felt the weight of her trust more than any other responsibility he had ever carried in his life. He wouldn’t want to be the cause of hurting her more. As the MacKenzie chieftain, her father had been forced to make decisions that wounded her tender heart. How would he act as the chief of his clan without doing the same? Already he’d tricked her into marrying him, and as a result she had suffered Mirana’s wrath and Elliot’s scorn, not to mention other slights. He wished his father were here. Had his mother meant more than the land and clan? Where should a man’s loyalties lie if he happened to be the clan chieftain?

It shouldn’t matter, he decided. After all, he had married her to fulfill a promise and gain peace, and Lord willing, he intended to have it.

A
kira finished her morning prayers and looked up. The gray sky dissolved into bright orange with the awakening of dawn, while distant treetops of the forest outlined the sky in an uneven symmetry. The lake below shimmered from the morning glory, and she welcomed the beautiful display of God’s creative wonder. She strolled to the water’s edge and sat with her knees bent up, wrapping her arms around them. Here was the perfect spot to watch the sunrise. Akira closed her eyes and listened to the singing of the birds that flocked together in the neighboring forest. The musical interlude brought the peace she had longed for in the last few days.

“I awoke this morn’ to find my fair lady missing.” Sleep lingered in Bryce’s voice. He settled next to her. “I worried something might have happened to ye.”

While they shared the same tent to keep down the gossip, Bryce had kept his word and slept a few feet away from her. Akira gazed into his eyes, realizing she now trusted him more.

“Nay, I’m fine.” She flashed him a reassuring smile. “I enjoy rising at dawn, spending time with the Lord and enjoying His beautiful creation.”

He laid an arm across her shoulders and surveyed the magnificent scenery before them. They sat in silence for a while, and then he turned to her.

“Lass, I’ve enjoyed this time together, but we must get an early start.”

He rose and held out a hand. Akira accepted him, and together they made their way back to the others.

As they traveled through the day, Bryce stopped twice, and each time he made certain she walked around to stretch her legs. By late afternoon, two of Bryce’s men charged toward them on their war horses. She couldn’t hear what they were saying as she watched Bryce nod and briefly look in her direction. His men gathered around him, except the ones guarding Elliot.

Slowly, she eased her horse over to their group, careful not to be noticed, but hoping to get close enough to listen. “How many are there?” Bryce asked.

“At least fifty, possibly sixty. ’Tis hard to tell. They’re moving rather quickly and have no women among them,” Tavis answered.

“How much time do we have before we meet?” Bryce wanted to know.

“Fifteen minutes, maybe less.”

Bryce rubbed his temple as he gathered his thoughts. “If at all possible, I want a peaceful greeting. They are probably angry, and with good reason. Neither Gregor nor Elliot have yet returned. We must not give them any reason to pick a fight. It sounds as if they outnumber us two to one, and I’ll not battle my own family.”

“They’re not yer family,” Kian said, his eyes blazing in rare defiance.

Bryce looked up, and Akira could tell by his expression that Kian’s comment had angered him.

“They are Akira’s family, and therefore, mine. Under no circumstances will we rise against them, except in self-defense. If anyone here disobeys me in this, he will be putting his own life at risk. Is that understood?”

None of them looked happy, but they nodded in consent. Kian turned away in disgust.

Bryce looked beyond his men toward her. “Akira, we shall welcome yer da a day early.” Bryce looked around at his men with a challenging gaze.

“Why?” She frowned in confusion.

“It appears that he is riding this way—toward MacPhearson land.”

He searched her features, probably looking for some sign that she would break her word to him. She kept her gaze steady, while her heart lifted at the thought of seeing her kinsmen again.

Akira clutched the reins tight in her hand as Bryce turned, giving her no time to question him further. He edged away, leading Balloch, Kian, and Tavis. Unexpected pride overwhelmed her. He looked powerful and confident as he rode Ahern, and at that moment, Akira realized she wanted peace more than anything.

Riders appeared over the horizon. At first they looked like small specks moving in the wind, but as they grew closer, Akira could make out the sight of the MacKenzie plaid. Four men broke from her father’s riding party to meet Bryce, and although the distance prevented her from seeing him clearly, she knew her father led them.

Akira felt as restless as the horse beneath her. She tried to calm the animal while she watched the two chiefs greet each other. She prayed in a soft whisper, not allowing herself to think of the consequences if things did not fare well.

The men talked. No swords were drawn. Surely, that was a good sign. She hated not being able to hear their conversation, and she hated even more not being able to see their faces. The urge to disobey her husband and ride after them grew within her, but she dared not. This moment was too critical. For once in her life, she would have to be patient and wait.

Bryce and his trusted warriors halted only a few feet from the MacKenzies who rode out to meet them. He knew Akira’s father instantly. The chief of the MacKenzie clan commanded respect with a quiet disposition and an observant eye. As a lad, Bryce had seen him in battle against his father. He knew the speed, wisdom, and power Birk MacKenzie possessed. Bryce also knew he craved peace for his people.

Making the first move, Bryce nodded to Birk MacKenzie, and then the others. “I bid ye a friendly welcome, for we are on our way to visit yer holdings.”

A flicker of interest sparkled in Birk’s eyes. He remained quiet, however.

“Yer son rides with us up the hill yon,” Bryce continued.

Birk raised his hand to shield his eyes from the sun and skimmed the row of riders, waiting patiently upon the hill. He looked back at Bryce and waited.

Bryce felt compelled to continue, but he would not be dominated by this man’s silence, so he also waited.

After what seemed like an eternity, Birk finally took a deep breath. “Where is yer brother? He is chief of the MacPhearson clan, and yet, it is ye who always seem to carry his responsibilities.” Birk spoke in a deep voice that Bryce imagined shook his men into action when giving orders.

Bryce wanted to defend his dead brother, but he refused to take offense. Many of the MacKenzie and MacPhearson clansmen alike shared this view. “Evan is dead.” He hated the words even as he said them. Swallowing back his grief, Bryce concentrated on ignoring the anger threatening to surface at the unintentional reminder. He had no wish for the tension to unfurl at such a delicate moment.

“We’re bringing Gregor Matheson’s body home. I wanted to see ye personally and express my condolences.”

One of Birk’s men snorted in disgust, and Birk released a fiery scowl upon him.

Bryce ignored the man. His own men remained quiet and expressionless, which pleased him.

“Yer son is perfectly healthy and has been treated well. Before my wedding, he behaved with exceptional decorum, but has managed to be quite a nuisance since then.” Bryce paused. “During this journey he has been anything but civil to my wife.”

Birk glanced behind Bryce to the hill above. “Ye brought yer wife?” He sounded astonished that Bryce would do such a thing.

“Aye, I thought she might like to see her family.”

“Akira,” Birk whispered, realizing the situation.

“I’ll not have her mistreated, not even by her own brother.” Bryce could not mistake the emotion in the man’s eyes at the mention of his only daughter. Surprised that Birk MacKenzie allowed such a relieved expression to show, Bryce gave him a moment. It was a weakness that Bryce, as her husband, could certainly use against him. “Elliot seems to resent Akira for wedding me.”

“Did she have a choice?” the older man asked suspiciously.

Bryce did not answer. Instead, he decided to let Akira answer for herself. “Why not ask her?”

“I believe I will. I wish to see her. Now.”

Bryce nodded and guided his horse around, waiting for Birk to follow his lead. They rode up the hill side by side, leaving the others with no choice but to follow. Bryce’s men trailed a good ten feet away from Birk’s men, both clans scowling as hard as they could.

“They’re coming!” In the midst of her excitement, Akira forgot her anger with her father. She spurred her mare forward, slipping past her guards before they could stop her.

“Da!” she called to him even before he could possibly hear her.

Birk increased his stallion’s pace, leaving Bryce and reaching his daughter as she hastily descended her mare. Birk easily leaped down and gathered her in his arms reminding her of the greetings he used to give her when she was a child. Akira marveled the moment she felt his embrace, realizing she had feared never feeling it again.

He pulled back and examined her closely. “Were ye forced to wed?” He asked the question as Bryce and the others caught up with them. His expression changed to a serious and protective nature.

Akira did not falter. She looked him straight in the eye. “I have accepted my marriage in the hope of peace.” In a sense, it was true. She’d willingly given Bryce her pledge by the creek that day.

A mixture of emotions alternated across Birk’s face, and her heart lurched, but there was naught she could do. She had made her decision and what had been done was done.