Highlander's Guardian (Highlander Heat #4)

“Very. Oh, and I forgot to tend to your injury.” She smiled as she kissed his bruised chin. “Now, no more nicks and scratches for you.”


“Aye, I’ll do what I can.” He threaded his fingers through hers and guided her back down the trail toward the burn.

At the edge of the meadow dotted with yellow flowers, Hugh stood roped to a large ash tree, and two feet above his head, one of the warriors had slapped a mound of moss into the trunk’s crook.

Rory stood fifty feet back, his feet planted wide as he held his bow and arrow. He smiled at her. “Come here, Annie. You’ve been asking me to teach you how to shoot an arrow for years, and now you may have your chance. I’ve even set the target for you.”

Naughty Rory. At Dunvegan, she’d trained twice a week under Rory’s guidance on the archery field, although it had been Colin who’d first taught her to hunt with the bow from Mull’s treetops while they’d sat on the wooden platform of his tree hut.

She wandered past a crackling fire where a warrior had skinned a small creature and now skewered meat onto sturdy sticks to prop onto a rack to cook. “Are you certain now is the right time to learn, Rory?”

“I’m certain, and ’tis a fine morning with the sun in the perfect position to highlight your target.”

Aye, the sun’s rays glimmered across the sparkling waters of the stream where one of her kinsmen filled several skins with water and plugged the tops. “All right, but I’ll need a smaller bow. Yours looks far too big for me to hold.”

“Jeremy,” he called to his squire, a lad of sixteen who’d grown immensely of late. “Bring your bow.”

Jeremy jogged across from the tethered horses, swung his bow from his back and passed it to her.

“Thank you.” She stepped in beside Rory. “Show me what to do, cousin.”

“Set your feet apart and prepare the arrow.”

“Like this?” She eased her right foot slightly in front of the left then slid the arrow into the notch. “Do I aim for the moss?”

“Aye, and the arrow needs to arch afore hitting its target, so allow for a higher degree of aim.” He guided her hands to the right angle. “That should do.”

There wasn’t a chance she’d hit the target, not when her arrow was directed right at Hugh’s head. She barely held back her giggle. “I see.”

Hugh gritted his teeth.

“Nay, Rory. I think her aim is too high for this distance.” Colin nudged Rory out of the way and with his arms around her from behind, pushed the tip of her arrow lower. “There, that’s better.”

She smothered her gasp. Now her arrow was on a direct target for Hugh’s crotch.

“I cannae believe I’m about to get shot by a woman,” Hugh grumbled as he squeezed his legs together.

“You willnae if she can maintain her focus,” Colin admonished.

“Well, I’m very tired since I was forced to ride through the night, so my focus isnae quite what it should be.” She placed her cheek to the side of the arrow as she pulled the bowstring back. At the last moment, she lifted the arrow tip and let it go. It flew free and arched perfectly as it sailed.

Hugh slammed his eyes shut, and she bounced onto her toes as she followed the arrow’s path. The shaft speared the moss dead center.

“You have too much of a conscience,” Colin grumbled as he strode to his horse and unstrapped his bow from his saddlebags. He returned to her side and readied his bow. “Let me show you how to take the perfect shot, scamp.”

“Let’s make that a double-perfect shot.” Rory smiled as he stood next to Colin and took his position, his bow raised as they both lined up their sights. “Retribution can be sweet.”

Colin’s arrow sailed free first and thumped into the small V of wood between Hugh’s legs, then a second later, Rory’s arrow struck a hair’s breadth above Hugh’s head.

The warrior groaned. “Death may have been more kind than this torture.”

“Death is too easy for you.” Colin tapped his bottom lip as if considering where next to aim. After pulling another arrow from his pouch, he set it in place then released his shaft. It flew and splintered Rory’s arrow in two.

“Nice.” Rory readied for another strike. “Allow me to return the favor.”

“Please do.”

Rory’s arrow speared Colin’s shaft and Hugh hissed in pain. “Have mercy. A man needs his balls.”

“Ah, but if you didnae have them, I’d be a happier man.” Colin prepared his next shot. “As yet I’ve no’ heard you apologize to my wife. ’Tis what I’m waiting for.”

“Aye, I meant to.” Hugh glanced at her. “My lady, I never should have taken you from your kin. Please, would you forgive me?”

“Your actions will never be forgiven.” She rubbed her cheek against Colin’s arm. “Not when you raised a sword against my husband.”

“Good answer, scamp.” Colin released his arrow. It landed a whisper from Hugh’s ear with a thunk.

Rory tossed Colin another arrow. “I’d like to see you match that on the other side.”