Highland Destiny (33 page)

Connor's eyes grew tight at the reminder, but all he said was, "Still, you would only serve to get in the way. Either I, or one of my men, would get hurt trying to protect you, and that's not especially helpful."

Mackenzie exhaled a short frustrated breath and snapped,

"Fine. But you'll see. Something will happen and you'll think

'Gee, I sure wish Mackenzie knew how to use a sword.' Like in the meadow that one day. I helped you and you know it!"

Connor laughed at her. "Aye, you were helpful, but it won't happen again; I'll not let you outside without an escort of my men at all times. Besides, you hadn't been injured then. Your priority is to heal. Let me take care of everything else."

She sighed again, this time in resignation. "Fine."

Mackenzie asked him about something she'd overheard earlier. "Connor? Have you heard anything from the sorcerers?"

His eyes looked uncomfortable, just for a moment. In fact, if she didn't know his expressions so well, she might have missed it.

"Nay, sweeting, not yet."

Why would he lie? She'd overheard him with Liam; he'd said that the sorcerers wouldn't be helpful, and Liam was worried about their allegiance and their motivation, but it had sounded like her letter had indeed gotten a response.

Mackenzie guarded her expression and looked down, concentrating on her food, so Connor wouldn't read what she was really thinking on her expressive face. But it seemed so 323

Mackenzie had come to the conclusion that Liam didn't like her much. Ever since Connor had told his brother of her secret, Liam had been standoffish at best, and downright rude at other times. Perhaps he would be her best bet for helping her get away? She was about to bank on it. That and the hope that he wouldn't tell his brother.

The thought of Connor catching her sent shivers down her spine.

She quickly changed her train of thought so Connor wouldn't guess, and she looked around the kitchen. It was nothing like the remodeled kitchen of her time. She remembered that it had been remodeled in the thirties, and it was so much larger than this cozy kitchen with no stove, microwave, or refrigerator.

"Shall we?" Connor's voice interrupted her musings.

"Where are we going?"

"I thought ye might like to ride. We can take a few of my men and I'll show you the borders of MacRae land."

Thinking it an excellent idea, Mackenzie jumped at the chance to get a feel for the area. If she was about to go riding off on her own, it would help to see where she was going.

Taking Connor's proffered hand, she gripped it tightly, wondering how much time they had left before she would leave. If this was their last day together she wanted to savor everything.

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During the ride, Mackenzie had ample time to think about how she would gain Liam's cooperation. She would appeal to his distrust of her. Tracking him down was easy enough; he reminded her of her brother, so she checked the kitchen. He was there eating and teasing a serving girl. Just like her brother. She smiled, but when he saw her hovering in the doorway, he stiffened, and she figured it was time.

"Liam? I was wondering if you could spare a minute of your time?"

Liam glared at Mackenzie for a moment before finally answering her.

"What is it you'd be wantin'?"

"Privately, please."

Liam never relaxed his glare but gave her a curt nod and strode away without looking to see if she was behind him.

Mackenzie scrambled to keep up. He rounded on her as soon as they were out of earshot of the men, and stood there expectantly.

Mackenzie fidgeted, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, unsure of how to begin.

"Umm...well, I was wondering if you would help me with something..." she trailed off at his incredulous look. If this weren't so serious, she might've laughed at his expression.

"It is something that would benefit you as well..." again she stopped at the look on his face; he was looking at her as if she disgusted him.

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hurt my brother by lying with ye. Only a lying, whoring, shrew of a woman would suggest such a thing." The scorn and derision were so hurtful, that even though Mackenzie would never suggest that, she had to bite her lip to keep it from quivering. Regardless, though, she could feel the moisture building behind her eyes.

She kept her tone even. "I don't mean that, Liam, I need to leave. I need your help to sneak away, and I need you to keep Connor from chasing after me. He cannot follow me."

"You're going back to the Campbell." Liam was surprised, but his voice was flat. Nowhere in his eyes was the fun, flirtatious man she'd met the first time. And he'd said "back;"

he truly believed that she was here to hurt Connor and his people.

"Yes." She didn't even try to change his mind. He'd never believe her and it wasn't worth the effort to try to explain.

Just as stubborn as his brother. She sighed and said, "I need to leave. Will you help me?"

"If it gets you away from my brother, then yes. And you will leave and never come back?" He wanted this to be clear.

She lowered her eyes to hide the pain and softly said yes.

"Then I'll help you." Liam paused before asking, "What of the child?"

Mackenzie took a deep breath and lied again, "There is no child."

Liam sneered at her, "I thought not. I told him."

She reminded herself that his opinion didn't matter. She needed to do this. But she couldn't help it, she had to try.

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He didn't look convinced, but Mackenzie didn't care, not anymore. She was about to hurt Connor in an unforgivable move, and she was not looking forward to riding alone through an unknown land to her possible demise. She got lost in her hometown all the time, let alone in a foreign wilderness without GPS or cell phones.

"This is my plan. I need you to tell Connor that we are going for a ride. I will need directions and some food—- I think I can get that. And then when you ride home, tell him I slipped away while you were going to the bathroom or something, I don't care, just tell him not to follow me. He will die if he follows me. He cannot keep a cool head, and if he rushes after me without thinking it through, he will die.

"Please, Liam, whatever you choose to believe, you must believe that Connor will be killed if he follows me."

"He will go after you."

"Not if you tell him where to look. Take him the opposite direction, at the very least, buy me time to get away, and if he figures out where I've gone, then maybe he'll at least have cooled down enough to think rationally."

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Mackenzie looked at Liam, trying to read his poker face; it was so similar to Connor's, that maybe she could decipher what was in his eyes. Eventually she spoke, "You don't like me, do you." It wasn't a question, she was just expecting him to confirm her belief.

He did. "Nay, I think my brother should have picked a sane woman who had no connections to his enemy."

Even though Mackenzie had anticipated his response, it still stung. She sucked in a quick breath and her whole body stiffened. "Wow," she breathed out, "You don't pull any punches. I'm assuming that Connor has told you everything about me." Mackenzie didn't wait for Liam to respond, she kept going. "And I think that you believe I am trying to help the Campbell bring down your clan. Well, I'll let you in on a secret, Liam; I have never met the man who will kill me by the end of the month." He looked taken aback, but he hid it quickly. She laughed blackly, "Ah, yes, I know he wants my blood. But I have a few tricks up my sleeve too. So, Liam, believe what you want, help me or don't, but by tomorrow night I will be in the Campbell's keep, and whether your family survives intact is up to you. I have done all that I can here, and for me to fulfill my purpose, I need to leave. So, it's up to you." She paused, judging his reaction, before adding,

"Will you help me?"

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"You will need to leave early in the morning; it is a full-day's ride to the Campbell lands."

She gasped, "You'll help me?"

"Aye, but you'll ne'er return, agreed?"

"Scout's honor, I mean, yes, I'll leave and never come back." As if she
could
come back.

"Then we should go tell my brother that tomorrow we will go for a ride so we can get to know each other."

Her hands were clammy, and her stomach was filled with butterflies, but she nodded. She would do this. She had to.

Mackenzie was pacing around Connor's room, trying to figure out how to word a letter that said "I love you, but I am going to run away to your enemy and leave you forever. PS I didn't betray you."

She wasn't having much luck with it. Her heart hurt at the thought of putting pen to paper. Or quill to parchment, rather. She took a deep breath and picked up the quill. Her hand shook so much that she spilled ink all over the parchment. Taking another deep breath, she tried to steady her shaking hand, and wrote his name out. It was barely legible. Mackenzie cheated; she ran to her purse and took out her ballpoint pen. At least this way he would be able to read it. Another deep breath.

Connor,

I am sorry, so sorry. You have no idea. I have to do this.

Please understand that I can handle this. I know how to defeat him now; my dreams have been telling me all along.

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Mackenzie

Mackenzie folded the note over and printed his name on the front. With shaking hands and tears streaming, she twisted her ring off and placed it gently on the note. The pain from leaving the ring was so great, that she doubled over and put her head between her knees. What could it hurt to keep it, right? She stood up and snatched her ring back, shoving it on the third finger of her right hand, that way the Campbell wouldn't guess its significance. Taking a steadying breath, Mackenzie tried to gather her things. She wanted to leave her technological toys here, with Connor, that way the Campbell wouldn't be able to guess her secret, or have anything modern in his possession. Her purse only contained lip glosses, gum, hairspray, a lighter from the airport, her wallet, and other mundane girlie things found in a woman's purse.

She left behind her i-Pod, cell phone, and camera.

Her ring glinted in the sunlight and she just couldn't bring herself to keep it. Connor was going to think the worst, no matter what, but maybe if she left the ring, he would know that it had never been about tricking him into marriage, or 331

"My Lady, it is time." Liam's voice through the door made her jump.

Mackenzie picked up her purse and turned to look at Connor's room—- his bed, the trunk where she'd found the amulet she needed, the bed again. She choked back a sob and ran out of the room, leaving her heart with the ring.

* * * *

Liam rode with her in silence until they reached the border of MacRae lands. They were overlooking a small forested area nearby the loch, and Liam pointed straight ahead.

"Ride until you exit the trees. Once you're clear, you should be able to see the castle from there. Ride directly toward it without stopping. Stop for nothing and for no one, y'ken?" He waited for her nod. He obviously didn't want her killed by highwaymen; that was a good sign. "If you are stopped, tell them you are the Campbell's bride, and they ought to let you go free." He smiled a grim smile, "If they doona, then I'd get to prayin' were I you."

Mackenzie nodded again, and bit her lip as she gazed out into the distance, squinting as she tried in vain to see her destination; the castle she was riding towards. She glanced back to Liam, and wondered what he was thinking. Placing the palm of her hand ever so gently on his cheek, ignoring him when he stiffened under her touch, she dropped all pretenses.

"Thank you, Liam. I promise that I won't darken your doorstep again. And I also promise that with everything I am, you will have your lands back."

Looking out over the trees again, she mentally prepared to leave Connor's lands. A few snowflakes flurried around her, sticking to her eyelashes. She dropped her hand to her stomach and whispered, "We will make it out alive, I swear it."

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