Page 44 of The Highlander's Inconvenient Wife
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Jasper tightened the girth on the stallion’s saddle as he clenched his jaw and thought of Joan. The beast neighed and shook its head as Jasper smoothed his hand over the horse’s magnificent flanks. Darragh had said that it was better to wait until morning when things had cooled down, but he couldn’t just leave Joan out there, not when he needed to tell her how much he loved her.
I should never have left her alone.
The thought ran through his mind like a hot knife slicing through butter as the guilt ate away at his heart. He’d never be able to forgive himself if something happened to her. While he could see the logic in Darragh’s plan, it did little to give him peace. Even if Darragh knew the man as a friend, Jasper couldn’t possibly wait until morning for talks of peace. Something was telling him that he needed to act swiftly to get Joan back.
Taking a final deep breath, he looked around the barn to see if anyone had followed him before placing his foot in the stirrup and steadying his frame.
“I dinnae think ye would wait,” Darragh said as he stepped from the shadows. “The look in yer eyes while we spoke told me that ye wouldnae wait to get her back.”
Jasper paused just as he was about to pull himself into the saddle. “I cannae just leave her,” he spoke with his back to Darragh. “I ken that ye say MacAdair willnae harm her, but she belongs here with me. I’ll go mad if I have to wait until mornin’. There’s also somethin’ that doesnae sit well with me about the whole story. I feel as if I should act now.”
“Aye,” Darragh came forward and placed his hand on the horse’s muzzle. He seemed thoughtful at first as he smoothed the palm of his hand over the horse’s chestnut mane and neck. “I’ve been here a’fore,” he said with a faint smile around his lips. “An’ I agree, somethin’ doesnae sit well with me either. MacAdair wouldnae have felt prompted to save her without a good reason.”
“Did ye have to go through something similar with Avery?” Jasper asked as he wondered how the English lass had come to marry a laird in the highlands. He felt relieved that the man was not trying to stop him from leaving.
Darragh chuckled softly before shaking his head. “Avery an’ I have our own story; it’s a good one, but I was referrin’ to her sister Melissa. She married a friend of mine; they had a very shaky start where they denied their feelings for one another, but it came to a point where Daniel had to go an’ rescue her as well. I told him to wait, but he charged off in the middle of the night.” His lips curled into a genuine smile. “I always seem to give good advice, but people seldom follow it.”
“Did he get her back?” Jasper asked hopefully, feeling as if he could trust the man, at least for now if not fully.
“This wouldnae be a very good talk of he didn’t.” He raised his eyebrows and smirked before shaking his head. “Aye, he got her back. They are married now with many bairns. Just like me an’ Avery, they may have taken the long road, but they got there in the end.”
“That gives us all hope for a better future.” Jasper began to warm up to the cold laird with his bulky build and long black hair. He seemed formidable with his height, yet there was a softness to him when he spoke of love and especially his wife.
“These English lasses have a way of fightin’ their way into yer heart,” he said light-heartedly. “Ye have nae defense against them, an’ a’fore ye ken what’s happenin’, ye find yerself wantin’ to burn the world just to make sure they are safe.”
“Aye, I would have fought ye now if ye stood in me way,” Jasper smirked.
“Ye wouldnae have won, but I respect that.” Darragh returned Jasper’s gaze with a humorous glint in his eyes. “I ken that ye are set in yer ways.” He seemed slightly uncomfortable as he spoke. “I also ken yer reputation an’ how ye became laird, I dinnae blame ye for nae trustin’ anyone, but I wanted to say that ye daenae have to keep yer gates shut. After I’ve seen the way ye are willin’ to protect Joan an’ do anythin’ to get her back, I think ye are an honorable man. Just ken that ye will always have an ally in clan MacKinnon.”
Jasper searched his face for any trace of irony or even a hint of an indication that he was trying to fool him. Instead of the usual arrogance and secrecy that he saw in men’s eyes, he was met with nothing but understanding, and he felt a glimmer of hope that not all men were out to see him fall. While he was not ready to sign any kind of parchment that bound him to another clan, he was willing to concede that a friendship may not be such a bad idea. There were times in life when you needed other people to rely on.
“Aye, I will keep that in mind; thank ye,” he said honestly and turned back to his saddle with the intention of leaving as soon as he could. Enough time had already been wasted on talking while Joan could be in even worse danger.
“Now go, an’ get the woman ye love.” Darragh held out his hand in a gesture of friendship and trust. “I will look after the women here at the castle an’ stop them from burnin’ the world to the ground in yer absence.”
Jasper hesitated for a second before grasping the other man’s hand and accepting the offer of peace. “Thank ye, Darragh; truly, I mean that. I’ve never been able to trust another man in me life, but with ye I can see that I found an ally”
The men exchanged a warm smile of understanding before Jasper hoisted himself into the saddle, shifting his position until he was comfortable. “Good luck with the women; if me maither gets restless, just have yer wife take her into the kitchen an’ cook,” he managed to joke before reachin’ for the reins.
“Wait!” a voice from beyond the doors of the stable called out, making them both turn to face the entrance. “I have something ye need to hear!” MacAdair suddenly appeared in the doorway as he bent over double with his hands on his knees, panting for breath.
Jasper saw red as he jumped from the horse in one swift motion and ran at the man with lightning speed. His hands were on the man’s throat before anyone could react.
MacAdair fell back as Jasper pinned him to the ground with his knees on either side of his body.
“Where is she?!” he yelled in the man’s face as he tightened his grip. “Ye willnae live to see the light of day if anythin’ has happened to her!” he growled angrily. It took every ounce his strength not to kill the man who had taken Joan away from him.
The man gasped for air as his face began to turn red, his lips gasping as if he were a fish that had been taken out of the water. He tried his best to grip Jasper’s arms and loosen his grip, but the hold that Jasper had on his neck was just too great.
“Let the man speak,” Darragh said as he placed his hand on Jasper’s shoulder and applied a small amount of pressure that brought Jasper back to his senses. “He cannae tell us where Joan is or what happened if ye take his life,” he reasoned.
Shaking his head as if he had been in a daze, Jasper released his grip and stood up, allowing the man to breath as he took a step back and watched him. The only time he’d ever been that angry in his life is when his father had slapped his mother on that final night.
“Good man,” Darragh patted Jasper on the shoulder in a reassuring manner. “Ye did the right thing.”
MacAdair gasped as he gulped the cool evening air in large breaths. “She was nae harmed when I left her.” His voice was hoarse from the pressure that Jasper had applied. “But I dinnae ken if he will do anything to her, so ye have to listen to me.” He rubbed his throat as he spoke, shutting his eyes against the pain.
