Page 49 of Highlander's Wild Lass
“Ye ken I like to ride before dawn most days,” he said, swinging his leg over his horse and handing him off to the groom.
Mrs. Duncan held her hand to her forehead. “Right, right. Apologies, dear. I have been losin’ my mind gettin’ everythin’ together for Beltane.”
He followed her into the kitchens. A few of the younger maids fled from their path, causing him to chuckle. He wasn’t sure if they were more afraid of him or the formidable Mrs. Duncan.
“Is there anythin’ I can do?”
Mrs. Duncan closed her eyes and exhaled, turning to face him. “Will ye just make sure there is enough firewood for the bonfires? I ken Hamish is gettin’ up there in age and struggles grippin’ an ax on account of the gout.”
“Nae worry, Mrs. Duncan. I’ll see to it.”
He made his way through the courtyard and out passed the stone walls to the woods. He heard the heavy thudding of an ax into wood and followed it.
In a small clearing, that really couldn’t be called a clearing with how many stumps stuck out all over the place, he found Sebastian and old Hamish.
“Ah,” Sebastian called out, seeing Anthony approach. “I see my auntie convinced ye to come and help chop wood too?”
“She didnae tell me she’d roped ye into it too.”
“She must be losin’ it because she specifically woke me up to help Hamish.”
“How are ye, m’laird?” Hamish asked. He was sitting on a fallen oak tree, clenching and unfurling his fingers.
“I’m well, Hamish,” he told him. “Do ye have a spare ax?”
“Always,” he said, pointing a crooked finger to his cart.
Anthony took an ax, felt the edge, and went to the large stump near Sebastian. He grabbed a log and placed it onto the stump. “Hamish,” he said, “go see the healer for some balm for those fingers and find one of the kitchen maids to get ye a hot cup of tea.”
“Are ye sure? We need all the wood we can get today,” Hamish said, already rising from the tree.
“By all means, come back once yer all fixed up.”
Hamish gave a meager salute and disappeared toward the castle, leaving them alone in the quiet, cool dawn.
“Ye look very awake for this early hour,” Sebastian said, a rueful smile lighting his face.
Anthony raised the ax and came down on the log, only barely burying into the top. “I can say the same for ye.”
“Aye, but I’ve been here helpin’ Hamish.”
Anthony shrugged. There couldn’t be any way that Sebastian knew what happened last night with Celestia. He could still hardly believe it himself.
As much as he desired her physically and appreciated how intelligent she was, never in his life did he think that he’d take her into his mouth the way he did last night. And he truly did not think that was ever going to happen due to how adamantly opposed Celestia was to the idea of him.
He rose the ax high above his head and came down again on the log, ripping it in half, the two pieces falling off the sides of the stump.
“Well, I do have to tell ye somethin’,” he said with a grunt, placing another log on top of the stump. “But ye have to promise to nae speak of it to anyone, especially yer auntie.”
Sebastian brought his ax down into a fresh log. “Daenae hold me in suspense.”
“Promise ye won’t tell yer auntie, Bas,” Anthony said, pointing the ax at Sebastian.
Sebastian crossed his heart with two fingers. “I swear I willnae tell a soul, especially auntie.”
Satisfied with Sebastian’s promise, he said, “Celestia came to me last night.”
“Last night? It was pourin’ rain last night.”
