Return of the Highlander by Julianne MacLean

happened?”
    Larena breathed deeply as she recalled her less than brilliant departure plan. “I waited until he was asleep, then I snuck away from the fire. I was just about to ride off when he must have heard me. He tried to stop me, but I punched him in the nose.”
    Darach seemed unsurprised.
    “I managed to mount Rupert,” she continued, “but Logan pulled me off and I fell to the ground. Then he tied me up, and that’s when you arrived. It’s difficult to say what might have occurred otherwise. I might have been disgraced in the worst possible way.”
    The thought of it caused a sickening knot of dread to form in her belly.
    “My brother may be many things,” Darach said, “but he’s no rapist.”
    “Am I to trust your word on that as well when you still haven’t explained yourself? Why do you pretend to be a MacDonald if you are a Campbell?”
    He let go of her hand and backed away. “I’ll explain everything as soon as we leave here. Let’s get moving.”
    While she set about gathering up her bedroll, she couldn’t help but wonder what was going on in Darach’s mind. He’d just broken his brother’s arm to protect her and save her father, while he’d openly professed to hate all Campbells—even though he was one himself.
    And still the question remained: Why were they raised as MacDonalds? What terrible thing had they done to be expelled from their own clan?
    * * *
    “I beg of you, lass,” Darach said as he strapped the last few packs and blankets onto the back of his horse. “Do not try to sneak away from me, because if I am to fulfill my duty, I must see you safely delivered through the gates of Leathan Castle with the King’s pardon in hand.”
    “I will stay put as long as you don’t threaten to tie me up,” she replied, “and as long as you promise to tell me what’s been going on here.”
    He tilted his head and spoke with a note of warning. “You’re not in a position to make demands.”
    “And you’re not in a position to pass through the gates of Leathan Castle as an imposter. I hope you don’t expect me to keep your secret.”
    “I expect nothing from you, lass. And we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, just get on your horse.”
    “Fine.” She strode with purpose toward Rupert.
    A short while later, they were riding at a brisk pace, side by side along a grassy river bank where the water flowed deep and smooth in the silvery moonlight. At that point, she could take it no longer. She had to know the truth.
    “Why were you raised as MacDonalds?” she boldly asked, slowing Rupert to a walk. “After Sheriffmuir, your father believed all his sons were dead. What in the world happened? Were you and Logan deserters?”
    “Aye, we were,” he replied. “We fled like cowards before the battle even began.”
    Her eyebrows pulled together with dismay. “But everything you just said to Logan about honor…about the importance of keeping your oath to Angus…”
    He thought about that for a moment. “I suppose that is the only way I can atone for what I did back then, because it weighs heavily on me.”
    “But why did you do it?” she asked. “You don’t strike me as the cowardly type. Not in the slightest.”
    His broad shoulders rose and fell with a sigh. “I was young. Impulsive. I could see what was coming on that battlefield,” he explained. “I saw the Redcoats and I knew we were no match for them—at least not me and my brother, for we were just lads. After we fled, I watched it from a distance and I saw all the killing and carnage. It was exactly as I knew it would be, but when it was over, a Campbell clansman spotted us and promised he would see us hanged for our dishonor, and I believe he would have followed through on that threat if he had survived, but he was run through by a Redcoat moments later. Still, we knew our father would be ashamed of us. We knew we couldn’t return home. We thought it would be better if we were presumed