Page 61 of The Mad Highlander
Iris still could not stop her heart from beating so furiously all the time but at least she thought of something other than misfortune befalling the man she needed more than any other.
“Get the healer now!” one of the footmen called.
Iris thought for a moment the footman was talking to her, but a second footman replied before she could.
“I’ve sent someone. How badly is he injured?”
“I dinnae ken,” the first footman called back, running past them with heavy footsteps.
Iris instinctively reached out and grabbed the second footman before he could run off. “What’s goin’ on? Who’s hurt?”
“The Laird is arrivin’ back; that’s all I ken.”
“He’s hurt?” Iris felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach. Her lower lip trembled more than before, and she stuttered as she spoke. “What happened?” How bad is he?”
“I dinnae ken, Me Lady. I have to help them.”
Iris rubbed her eyes with both hands and tried to compose herself for what was coming.
“Come on!” Robyn shouted. “They must be on the road now. We can meet them at the stables.”
It was Robyn who took Iris’ hand this time, and they ran through the castle together. The sun was warm on Iris’ skin when they exited into the courtyard, and she could barely see for a moment with the blinding light. She blinked heavily, relying on Robyn to guide her.
The castle courtyard became noisy with chatter as it was slowly filled with people—some who came to help, and others who came to see what was happening. Robyn and Iris had to push their way through to get closer to the stables.
Iris wiped her eyes in time to see the men on horses arrive back at the castle. The large animals snorted as they came to a halt, the hooves kicked up dust as they stepped in place.
Then she saw the most beautiful vision: the Laird was ahead of the men, sitting tall on his horse. His shoulders looked broader than before, his brown hair danced gently in the breeze, and his piercing blue eyes shone like sapphires in the midday sun.
Iris wanted to go to him, but she was frozen in place—her limbs would not work—she could only stare at the majestic man on his horse.
As soon as he locked eyes with her, a wide smile crossed his face. The smile was a happy one, but his eyes shone with relief or nervousness. He swung his large leg over the saddle and jumped to the ground. He marched forward as if striding into battle. He walked straight at Iris, and as soon as he reached her, he wrapped his large arms around her and held her tight.
The Laird was the one who had returned home, but Iris felt she was finally home after waiting nervously for so long. She wrapped her arms around him, placing her hands on his back and her face against his chest. He was warm, and she never wanted to let him go. Their day by the river felt like a lifetime ago.
“I thought I had lost ye,” Iris said.
“We faced some resistance, but we all got out of there alive,” the Laird replied.
Iris’ heart skipped a beat when she remembered the reason he had gone out there in the first place. She pulled back a little, still in his embrace.
“Dinnae worry,” the Laird soothed. “We have yer brother. He’s a little worse for wear, but he’s being taken to the healer now.”
“I want to see him,” Iris stated.
Cayden placed a hand on Iris’ cheek and looked into her eyes. “We can go together.” He leaned closer and kissed her. “I’m glad to be home again.”
“I am glad, too,” Iris admitted, her heart skipping another beat. She looked into the Laird’s eyes a final time before they left to go to the healer’s hut together, and she saw something more, some worry.
“Thank ye,” Iris said as they walked toward the healer’s hut. “Ye could have sent someone else or refused to save me brother, but ye went in there and got him, and ye got out with yer life.”
The Laird chuckled through his nose. “There were some moments when I thought we wouldnae, but some improvisin’ got us through. Truth be told, once we had young Ashton, we were out quicker than expected. It’s hard to get into that castle but a much easier prospect to get out. I wondered a lot on the way back if it was too easy.”
“What do ye mean?” Iris asked.
The Laird stroked the thin layer of stubble on his chin as they walked together. “If he kenned we were comin’, he might have let us take the prisoner and used it to wage war on us. If he canprove we snuck into his castle, he would be justified in attacking us.”
Iris felt her fingers begin to tingle. “Ye think he took me brother to goad ye into a war?”
