My Daring Highlander by Vonda Sinclair Page A

behind him. Aside from Keegan, MacMillan,
and four other guards, the rest of the men were fighting beside
Dirk.
    “Surround the women,” Keegan told the
guards with him. “The outlaws may try to sneak up from behind
again.”
    “What do you see?” Isobel asked. “Is
Dirk safe?”
    “Aye. Naught is happening yet.” At
least, nothing that he could see. The outlaws were no doubt doing
something sneaky. Keegan wanted to be standing beside Dirk, ready
to take down Haldane if he came close. The weasel was likely too
afraid to face Dirk and fight hand to hand. Haldane was no match
for him, anyway, and he knew it. He’d have his archers do most of
the work. But they would run out of arrows eventually.
    Keegan glanced around, making certain
no one had circled behind them. He had to keep on high alert
because Haldane had a powerful obsession for Seona, and he couldn’t
lose her at all costs.
    Facing forward again, he noticed the
movement of plaid behind a bush off to the side, near Dirk and the
others.
    “To the left!” he called
out.
    Dirk shifted his focus. “Come out, wee
cowards, and fight like men,” he yelled.
    More than a dozen men broke
from the bushes, charging Dirk and his guards. ’Slud! Haldane’s force was far bigger
than last time, making the two sides more evenly matched. Where the
devil had Haldane found more men? Some were several years older
than most of Haldane’s gang.
    Keegan cursed, annoyed he couldn’t
join in and help protect the chief. Although, clearly, his cousin
could protect himself. He dealt two of them killing thrusts with
his sword.
    The gray-haired McMurdo engaged Dirk
in swordplay. Dirk was the stronger fighter and he drove McMurdo
back, while the other guards fought the remaining
outlaws.
    A movement up the hill caught Keegan’s
attention. One of the younger men in Haldane’s party, Gil, drew
back his bow.
    “Dirk! Up the hill!” Keegan
shouted.
    Just after Gil released the bow
string, Dirk leapt to the side. The arrow struck Dirk’s lower
leg.
    “Iosa is Muire
Mhàthair,” Keegan muttered.
    McMurdo came back after
Dirk.
    “Damn the old bastard,” Keegan
muttered, yearning to charge forward.
    “What is happening?” Isobel asked
behind him. “Is Dirk hurt?”
    “Shh.” Keegan waved her back. There
was naught she could do about his injury now. If he allowed her to
get hurt, Dirk would string him up.
    Rebbie moved in to help Dirk, beating
McMurdo back. But Dirk was holding his own despite the arrow
protruding from his calf.
    Two more of Haldane’s men fell beneath
the blades of the MacKay guards, both of them too young to be
seasoned warriors. Keegan knew them, for they had both been part of
the MacKay clan before Haldane had gone rogue and led the other
lads astray.
    Where was Haldane, anyway?
    Keegan surveyed the area around
himself and beyond. “Keep alert,” he told the guards.
    Five men emerged from behind a rock
formation several yards behind them. Haldane led the charge, his
long red hair flying back in the breeze, his teeth bared in a
snarl, and his green eyes glinting with pure bloodlust.
    “There!” Keegan told the
guards.
    Placing the women between himself and
the boulders, Keegan assumed the guard stance. In passing, he
noticed knives in both Seona’s and Isobel’s hands. He hoped they
could protect themselves if need be. But he didn’t want it to come
to that.
    Haldane avoided him and engaged one of
the other guards in swordplay. Coward.
    Keegan had never before seen the
scraggly man who ran toward him. Though he looked scrawny, the
first blow from his sword was passable. Keegan was faster and
stronger and three strikes later, he ran the man through the
abdomen. He shrieked and collapsed, writhing in pain. After
disarming him, Keegan turned his attention to the other outlaws.
One of the guards had already cut one of the knave’s throats.
Haldane and the other two turned tail and ran the way they’d
come.
    He couldn’t believe what cowards they
were.