Page 44 of The Iron Highlander
“Why are ye mucking the stables?” said Grear.
“Dirty jobs, someone has to do it, and it might as well be me.” Kate replied with a smile, using her body to hide the saddle on the horse.
“I see,” said Grear, “Best ye start at the end of the wall, and work yer way all the way to the other side, and then move it out so it can be cleared away by the servants. Normally, the servants would do this, but since yer feeling very generous, then that would be fine.”
Kate let out a sigh and looked to the older woman who smiled at her, “I…”
“I ken why ye are here, Kate, I see the horse behind ye, and I understand. This is someone ye love, and they are going into the mouth of the lion, and ye want to help them. Ye want to be there to make sure everything goes fine.”
“I would be able to help them get to Lily.”
“But ye and I ken that I’m not just talking about Lily.” Grear replied, walking over to the horse and rubbing the side of the beast. “She belonged to me, for years. Whenever Reuben’s faither, needed me at his side for war, I was on her, side by side with the man I loved, protecting him.”
Kate got on the horse and looked back at Grear, feeling the tears at her eyes. Grear had been more than a host, in a way, she had been a mother herself. “Thank ye, Grear.”
“Nae, thank ye. I have known that boy since he was born, and I raised him myself. I see what ye do to him, and that brings joy to my heart. Go and make sure he returns safe, we will be here, waiting for ye to come back to us.”
Kate kicked the horse and as she left the stables, she heard Grear telling her to be careful. It was the last thing she heard from another person, up until she heard the sounds in the woods after sneaking up on Reuben and Hudson.
“Ye followed us here!” Hudson exclaimed, bringing down his axe.
“Aye,” Kate replied, turning to Reuben who had a frown on his face. “I couldnae just sit back and do nothing.”
Hudson laughed, looking at Reuben, “I guess ye followed our tracks to find us, aye?”
Kate nodded. She knew how upset Reuben was going to be, and she understood the risks. She knew that there was a chance that everything would go south. But she had to risk it, for a chance to save her sister, and also, to be with Reuben.
“Well, we cannae send her back now, it’s late, and we do need to eat, so…” Hudson began, and went quiet as Reuben shot him a look.
Kate heated the dried meat and bread over the fire, and handed it out to them to eat. She could not bring herself to eat, knowing that just a little way from where they were, was Max Sweeney, the man who she knew would be fuming with rage as he realized that he could not get her and her sisters.
They took shifts sleeping, with Reuben and Katherine going first. Kate woke up just as Reuben did, and they both waited till Hudson began snoring before Reuben walked over to her. He had not spoken to her the entire time, and now that they had some sort of privacy, he took his chance.
“Kate, ye know this was dangerous. This was more than I can account for. I begged ye not to come. Ye realize how crazy yer uncle is?”
“I do, and that is why I decided to come. Max shows no mercy, and I can help, if I can…”
“Kate what if ye get hurt!” Reuben spoke so loudly that Hudson stopped snoring for a moment. They both stared at each other, unsure of what to say. The silence was broken by the snoring ofthe man again, and Reuben continued. “I can take care of this Kate, I can bring back Lily, nothing will stop me. Even if it kills me, I will bring her back. But if ye are hurt in the process, I willnae be able to live with myself. Do ye understand me?”
“More than ye know,” Kate replied, she reached out and grabbed his cheek, kissing him softly. “The same reason ye daenae want me here, is the reason I am here, Reuben. Yes, I want my sister safe, but if ye get hurt while doing something for me, if ye get killed because I came into yer life. I willnae be able to live with myself either. So, I will be there, right by yer side, and I will help you get past this, and keep ye safe, in any way that I can.”
Reuben looked into her eyes for a moment, Kate could see him struggle to make peace with what she had said to him, and he finally caved, letting out a breath. “Please, stay close to me, so I can protect ye.”
“Aye,” Kate replied, resting her head against him.
Reuben reached in, kissing her gently across her cheek, drawing a smile to her lips.
“Cannae wait till we get back home, aye? Yer supposed to be the lookout!” Hudson spoke, drawing them out of their moment, causing Reuben to chuckle.
The night passed without event, and by morning they were off riding again, with Reuben keeping an eye on the roads as they got closer and closer to the castle. In the distance, the hightowers of the castle came into view, and they stopped the horses, looking to make their plan.
“The estate has a large fence running all the way around it. Just like yer own,” Kate began as they got off the horses. She used a stick to draw into the dirt as she spoke. “The fence is really high, and there is nae way over it from the inside, save for a tree to the left side of the castle entrance. There is only one way through the walls, and that is the main gates. They are guarded however, and might be a problem leaving.”
“So if we get Lily, we might have a problem getting her out, aye?” asked Hudson.
“Aye,” Kate replied. “But she has gone over the tree before, and we can do it again. We just need a distraction, and we will make it over.”
“I think we can take care of that,” said Reuben. “But we need to find her first.”
