Page 56 of Sighs of the Highland Wind
Then she caught herself up short.‘He is not ‘my’ Cameron,’she told herself sternly. Granted, he had put his arms around her and held her close, but that was because she had been distressed and he was a kind-hearted soul who wanted to help. He was fond of her, as she was of him, but would they go as far as marriage? She sighed. Why was it always the man who had to ask the woman? Why could women not be the same as men?
Ava shook her head as if to chase the thoughts out of her mind and continued walking, trying to force herself to think of other things, but the more effort she made, the less she succeeded. Thinking about him was so much more pleasant than thinking about anything else at all!
She was so completely absorbed that she did not realize that she was close to Cameron’s house until she heard the sound of two men’s voices raised in what sounded like a fierce argument. One voice was deep, gravelly and extremely loud and aggressive while the other was much higher in pitch, so piercing that it cut through the air like a needle.
Ava rounded the last bend in the path before coming upon the two men who were shouting and gesticulating wildly. The deep voice came from Cameron, who was standing very close to the other fellow.
The smaller man was older and much shorter, with a shock of pure white hair and a big-nosed face that was red with rage. He was poking Cameron in the chest with his forefinger, obviously to make a point, but Cameron was so much taller that he had to tilt his head back to look into his eyes.
They were both shouting at the same time so that Ava could barely make out what they were saying, but it seemed to be some dispute over money. Ava watched them from a short distance away as they argued, standing just out of sight for a while. When she thought she had heard enough, she stepped out from behind the bush behind which she had been hiding and walked towards them.
As the two men saw her, silence fell almost immediately. Both of them froze and stared at her for a few moments, then Cameron stepped forward and reached out his hand to her. Tentatively, Ava took it.
The smaller man glared at her with beady brown eyes and asked loudly: “who are you?”
“She is my friend, Ava Struthers,” Cameron answered, before Ava had a chance to reply. He turned to her. “Ava, this man is no’ my friend. His name is Ben McCluskey, an’ he owns the plot of land next tae this one. I owe him some money for barley seeds, but as I explained to him, my harvest was terrible this year an’ I can’t afford to pay him. I have offered to work for a few hours a week tae help him wi’ his haymaking to pay off the debt, but he wants a bit o’ this wee bit o’ land my Mammy left me. It is a’ I have to support myself.”
Ava felt rage boil up inside her as she looked at the mean face of the short, rotund little man who did not look as if he had ever done a day’s work in his life, but she curtsied politely, and sawhim puff up with pride. “May I ask how much land ye have, sir?” She was careful to sound respectful in order not to antagonize the little man.
“Twenty acres,” he replied proudly.
Ava raised her eyebrows and smiled at him. “That is a nice big bit o’ land,” she remarked. “Ye have done well for yourself. I would love to know your secret! Cameron has only five. Do ye think, since you have so much land, that you could maybe give him a wee bit more time to pay off his debt? I know he would be very grateful, an’ so would I.” She gave him her most winning smile.
For a moment McCluskey just stared at her, then he looked at Cameron again. “How much time?” he asked.
Cameron tried not to look as stunned as he felt. “If I helped wi’ the hay, that would likely take about two weeks,” he proposed. “I would work for free, an’ ye could take my wages as payment, as I said before.”
“If ye take his land he will never be able to make enough money to pay ye,” Ava pointed out. “Because there will be hardly any crops, an’ he would no’ even be able to eat never mind sell anythin’.”
McCluskey nodded. “Aye, that makes sense.” He held out a hand to Cameron, who shook it. “We have a deal. But you will have tae work hard, ye hear me?” He turned, then looked back and twitched a smile at Ava, mounted his big chestnut mare, and rode away.
3
Cameron’s blue eyes were wide with astonishment, and he was speechless as he watched the departure of the hateful little man. He shook his head in disbelief as he looked down at Ava.
“How did ye do that?” he asked incredulously. “I tried to reason wi’ him. I begged, then I lost my temper, but you only spoke tae him an’ you got him tae agree wi’ my suggestion. How did ye do it?”
Ava shrugged. “Womanly wiles?” she suggested with a mischievous smile.
Cameron threw back his head and laughed. “I believe ye!” he cried. “He is a vain, stupid creature, an’ a wee bit o’ attention from a pretty woman is enough to have him eatin’ out o’ your hands. Thank you very much, Ava. I could never have done that without ye.”
“I was happy to help,” she replied. For a few seconds she found herself completely unable to look away from Cameron’s turquoise blue eyes. She had the strangest feeling that he couldsee into her mind and discern her thoughts, but a moment later he looked away.
“I only hope I can work hard enough to keep him happy,” he said doubtfully, sighing. “It seems there will no’ be enough hours in the day to do everything he wants me to do.”
“But you can do it.” Ava was encouraging. She put her hands on his shoulders. “Look at these. You have pulled plows wi’ these shoulders and arms. A wee bit more hard work will no’ bother ye at a’.”
Cameron’s love for Ava surged like a bright flame inside him, but how could he tell her when he had nothing to offer her? No woman could live with him on a piece of farmland that was barely big enough to support him. He could never raise a family on it.
Now that he was working for McCluskey he would likely not have enough time to gather in his own crops, and Jimmy would probably not have enough hay to sustain him all through winter. The more he thought about his situation the worse it seemed to become. He gave a deep, involuntary sigh, wondering if Ava thought as little of him as he thought of himself.
“Ye look so sad, Cam,” she said suddenly, and he jerked his attention back to her again.
Her amber eyes were gazing at him worriedly. “Has that fool upset ye?”
“Aye, a bit,” he replied. “Or maybe I am just feelin’ sorry for myself, Ava. Nothin’ seems tae be goin’ right. First the crops, now the money.” Then abruptly he stopped and looked at her, and said the first thing that came into his mind. “You are such agood woman,” he said warmly. “When the time comes ye will be a wonderful wife an’ mother.”
Ava caught her breath. What was he going to say next? However, she waited in vain, for he turned away again. “It is very early for you to be here,” he observed. “Did ye finish your work quick today?”
