Marti Talbott's Highlander Series, Book 1

She was his for just a moment, quick to come and even quicker to pass away. He tried to think what he could have done differently. He shouldn't have made her stay inside the wall and if she came back, he vowed he would never do it again. He would see that the bridge remained down all day and raised only at night or when there was certain danger. He didn't like the idea of not having a guard with her, but he was willing to ask her what she wanted when she came back...if she came back.

He pulled off his other shoe, stretched out on the same bed she once slept in and stared at nothing at all. She was gone, she might not ever come back and he had to find a way to live with it.

Kevin closed his eyes and whispered, "Come back to me, Anna MacGreagor."

*

When he glanced out the window just after sunrise, Kevin spotted a man sleeping in the middle of the meadow. Harold! How had he forgotten about Harold? Kevin wasn't completely dressed. One shoe was on, the other was not, and he couldn't have cared less. He went flying down the stairs and out the door, yelling for Justin on the way. He could hardly wait until the drawbridge was lowered so he could get out. Then he ran into the meadow with Justin, Thomas and Clymer right behind him.

Harold heard the noisy bridge come down and stood up to greet them. For a moment, he wasn't sure Kevin was going to stop before he ran him down, and the other three looked like they would trample him as well. When they finally did stop, he stroked the side of his beard. "I have begun to worry about you MacGreagors. I have been in and out of your hold three times since I got here."

"How?" Thomas demanded.

That was the last thing on Kevin's mind. "Have you seen Anna? Is she well? Do you know where she is?"

Harold smiled. "A little worried about her, are you?"

"Worried? I have nearly lost my mind."

"Well now," Harold began, walking slowly away with the men following close behind. He knelt down, picked up a rock and started to examine it. "They showed up on my doorstep a few weeks ago. I do not mind telling you, I was surprised to see them. What do you suppose they wanted to do?"

"I have no idea," answered Kevin.

"They wanted to burn that hell house they called home."

"And did they?"

"Aye, they burned it two days running. The first day, it didn't burn completely, so they lit it again. Then they shouted their rage and called Stoneham a few names I have never heard before. I believe some names were in your fine language. After that, they danced, drank wine and celebrated."