Page 3 of Highland Renegade
“Just the things that are valuable to me and my sisters. I am sure it will all fit into a room or two at the most.”
His frown returned. “But why? Ye’ll just be staying long enough to see the property, aye?”
“Well…no.” She looked at her sisters and then back to him. “We plan to live here.”
“What?” He heard the word spoken in unison behind him where his brothers lingered.
She glanced at them, then opened her reticule to withdraw a document and took a deep breath.
“I am sure you will find everything in order,” she said as she handed him the papers. “This is the title deed. I am the new owner here.”
…
For the space of a full minute, Emily could have heard a needle drop on the soft ground. No one spoke. But then, they probably didn’t have to. The stunned looks on the faces of the men behind Ian slowly changed and she could almost see a dark cloud building over their heads.
The cloud could have been her overactive imagination, since the three men and the one girl all had raven black hair. The younger girl had lighter brown hair. The men’s eyes—narrowed at the moment—ranged from blue to green to hazel. As she tried not to overtly stare at them, they seemed to increase in size, which was already formidable, both in height and width of shoulders.
Emily tore her gaze away and looked up at Ian defiantly. “Up” being the operative word, since he was even taller and broader than his brothers. She was not exactly short herself, at five and a half feet, but she barely came to his shoulder. She squared her own and refused to look away.
It was only then that she noticed the unusual golden color of his eyes. Like a wolf’s. And he was eyeing her as a wolf might its prey. She could almost feel the tension in his body, as though all those muscles were coiled and ready to spring. A sudden scraping sound nearly caused her to jump. Then she realized he had crumbled the papers in one large fist.
Perhaps announcing that she was the new owner could have waited, given that his face looked like it were chiseled out of stone.
She took another deep breath and hoped her voice wouldn’t shake. “Were you not informed about the deed?” For a moment, she didn’t think he was going to answer.
“Nae. I wasna.”
It sounded like a growl and for a brief second, she wondered if there was any truth to the myth of werewolves. She gave herself an inward shake. If nothing else, she had toappearbrave for her sisters who for once were silent and watching her. Nor would it do to show fear in front of the MacGregors. She’d learned that much from her husband. She lifted her chin.
“I am sorry you were not informed.” She gestured to the crushed papers. “Thatcopyof the deed should make it quite clear once you read it.” He made a sound that was definitely a growl this time, and she forced a smile. “But do not worry. I have no intention of asking you to leave.” This time she distinctly heard a series of growls from the group behind Ian and swallowed hard. Somehow she managed to keep the smile pasted on her face. “In fact, I would like to ask your help in teaching me to manage this holding. That should be to all of our benefits, do you not think?”
For a moment he stared at her with an expression between wary and cautious, as though he might be dealing with someone not quite sane. Then he turned to his brothers and all hell broke loose as they started shouting in Gaelic and gesturing wildly.
Emily tried not to cringe. This wasn’t turning out exactly as she expected.
Chapter Two
“What do ye propose we do?” Rory asked yet again.
“Damned if I ken.” Ian poured a dram of whisky, drained it, and leaned back in the leather chair behind the massive desk in the library. The brothers had retreated there as soon as Maggie, their housekeeper, had taken charge of the Sassenachs. The idea had been to plan strategy, but so far none of them had come up with anything. They just kept shaking their heads as though they’d all been clouted with the hilt of a claymore.
“I will ask our solicitor to make sure the papers are legal,” Carr said.
“’Tis the king’s seal on them,” Ian replied bleakly, then pushed the crumbled sheets across the desk. “Look for yerself.”
Carr smoothed the papers and glanced at them before folding them neatly to tuck into his shirt. “Still. We want to make sure.”
“That doesna solve the problem,” Rory grumbled. “Those women want tolivehere.”
“Well, it wouldna be so bad to look on the one called Lorelei,” Alasdair said with a chuckle. “She’s verra bonnie.”
Rory snorted. “Ye think all women are bonnie.”
“Well, they are.” Alasdair didn’t seem the least bit affronted. “But ye have to admit, that one looks like the faeries sent her, with her pale hair and silvery eyes.”
“More apt, the demons sent the other one,” Rory said.
In spite of the dire situation, Ian grinned. While Maggie had been leading the women into the castle, one of their wolfhounds had enthusiastically tried to make Juliana’s acquaintance. Unfortunately, he had barreled into her from behind, causing her to stumble and fly forward like a leaf in the wind. Rory had, by instinct, leaped forward, too, catching her before she’d sprawled on the ground. She’d been furious by the time he’d set her back on her feet, whether from embarrassment or the guffaws from his brothers or both, she’d offered a string of English curses that would have been hard to rival.
