The Highlander’s Match: Highland Destinies, #4

By Aileen Adams

Highland lass Kristine Somerlad is neither male nor old, and yet, she's the town elder, tasked with the safeguarding of a village which has been facing attack after attack and calamity after calamity. She's written to their laird repeatedly, seeking assistance and protection from marauders. To no avail. And now the laird has sent the captain of his guard to collect the tithe. After all they've been through, all the losses, and now they want what little the village has. She will do her best to make sure she pays the obligation, though it galls her.

 

Highlander Fergus is a scarred, embattled, embittered soldier. He's suffered greatly in his life, and has resorted to living a solitary and silent life. As the captain of Laird Carrick's guard, he's been given the duty of collecting the tithe. No big task, one would think. Until he runs into a lass who for some strange reason has become the village elder. A lass who stands up to him and suffers fools lightly. A stubborn lass who refuses to accept help. By damn, he'll see to it she lets him help her and her people. At any cost.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AilAd
• Release date: Jan 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215214657

Book preview

1

C heckmate. Ha! I beat ye again, Moira gloated.

Again? Niall quipped. Ye must be losing yer focus, Blaine.

Blaine scowled at the board, trying to figure out how she had managed to outmaneuver him. They had been playing chess together for the year that Moira had lived in the keep, and he could count on one hand the number of times she had beaten him, most of which he had let her win. Yet today, she had won two games in a row. Perhaps Niall was right.

Och, I have had enough of these games. Blaine pushed himself off the sofa and made his way to where Niall stood with a glass of whiskey. It is too late for a lad to be able to focus on anything anyway.

Donnae be grumpy because you lost. That is nae verra good character, Moira chided.

Leave him be, love, Niall told her, crossing the room to take his spot by her side. Blaine will find any reason to be sullen. He cannae help it.

Blaine’s scowled deepened. As happy as he was for his friend, their newlywed marital bliss only illuminated Blaine’s loneliness all the more.

Why are ye always such a grumbler, Blaine?

Moira’s gentle question caught him off guard. He thought about how to answer it as he poured himself a glass of whiskey. The amber liquid warmed him from the inside out as he swallowed the glass full in one go.

Despite what Niall might have you believe, he said after clearing his throat, I am nae always in a foul mood. Ye ken that as well as I do.

Och? Is that so? Tell me then, Niall teased, When was the last time ye were enjoying yerself? Happy, and nothing was bothering ye?

The last time I flattened ye on the training field. Yesterday morn was it?

Niall only laughed at the verbal jab, telling his wife that it was indeed the morning before when Blaine had last bested him during their training.

That is enough, ye two. I swear, ye are worse than brothers, Moira scolded. Now, I will nae let this drop, Blaine, so stop trying to avoid me question. What has gotten into ye?

I could tell ye what the problem is, love, Niall told her in whispered tones as if that would keep Blaine from hearing him. He has nae had the company of a bonny lass in too long. He should be in a tavern finding one right now, nae playing chess with ye.

Och, Moira called, playfully slapping Niall on the shoulder. Ye cannae be serious.

Deadly. Donnae worry about him much. I am sure he will figure it out himself in nay time.

Blaine swallowed another glass of whiskey, hoping the burn of the alcohol would ease the burn he felt at his friend’s words. Despite their lack of shared blood, he and Niall were brothers, as far as he was concerned. He had saved Niall several years ago from a brutal group of raiders, sparing his life. It was a few years after that that Niall was able to return the favor and save Blaine’s life. The two had been tightly bonded ever since. Perhaps they had gotten too close if Blaine was so transparent to Niall now.

The only kind of lass I would find in a tavern is one I would rather nae get caught up with. They are only good for causing trouble, Blaine informed them, reclaiming his seat on the sofa across from the newlyweds.

I still think it would do ye some good to get out of the keep, Niall said in a much more serious tone. Ye have been cooped up here for far too long. I am sure ye could find a bonny lass who interested ye if ye actually went outside the keep walls to look for one.

Blaine rubbed his temples, the movement pulling the scars on his face this way and that. They were another reminder as to why he would never find a woman like Niall had. Blaine simply was not graced with the good looks his friend had been given. Blond hair and blue eyes that had made the girls swoon since they were boys set Niall apart from the rest of the clan. Blaine stood apart too, but for other reasons.

To start, he was often at least half a foot taller than the rest of the men in the room and perhaps twice their size. His stature alone scared off most of the women in the clan without even factoring in his reputation. If someone didn’t know his story, the scars covering one side of his face, both his hands, and scattered throughout the rest of his body told them all they needed to know. Blaine was the enforcer in the clan. He was Niall’s right-hand man, the captain of the guard. And while most of the time Blaine took pride in his well-earned position, right now, he felt it was more of a burden than anything else.

It is nae about who I am interested in, Blaine said matter of factly. I donnae think there is a woman in this world who would be interested in me.

What are ye talking about? Moira asked, no judgment in her question.

That was one of the things Blaine had liked about Moira when they had first met. She had felt the wrath of other people’s opinions enough that she rarely cast judgment on anyone else.

I have too much blood on me hands, Moira. I wouldnae make a good partner for anyone. I am too hardened, too scarred. The people of this clan donnae see me the way they see ye, he said, gesturing to Niall. I am the threat, the bad guy, the man to stay as far away from as possible in every room I walk into. Nay stranger ever gets close enough to see me any differently. That is the way I prefer it.

Och, Blaine— Moira started to argue.

Blaine threw a hand up, cutting her off. Nay. I donnae want or need yer pity. What I have said is just the simple truth of it. This is me lot, and I have accepted that. It is nae written in the stars that we all find the love that ye two have for each other. I will spend me days swinging me sword and knocking heads together. That is enough for me.

Niall and Moira shot glances at each other, gratitude and reverence shining in their eyes.

So nay, I will nae be making any trips down to the tavern. There is nay point.

What if ye are wrong? Moira questioned.

Blaine arched an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to explain.

What if ye have it all wrong? What if ye are nae some villain, some brute that everyone wants to stay away from? Ye certainly were nae that way to me when we first met in the woods outside me mother’s cottage. Even after I had threatened ye with a shovel, ye were calm and patient. Bad men are neither of those things.

Blaine grunted, unsure of how to respond to what she was saying.

What if there is someone out there for ye, and ye donnae ken it because ye are too stubborn to even hope?

He shrugged, huffing out a frustrated breath before saying simply, Then I am wrong.

I hope the world proves to ye that ye are, Moira said with the kind of fervor she was known for. I hope some lass comes out of nowhere when ye least expect it and makes ye question everything ye thought ye knew. I hope ye fall in love so hard and so fast that ye donnae even ken what hit ye.

We will see, Blaine muttered.

2

I t is a verra bonny morning, Niall commented as he crossed the last few feet separating him and Blaine.

Aye.

Och, back to one-word responses, I see. Did our conversation in the library last night use up all of yer words?

Blaine gave Niall no response as he folded his hands behind his back and watched the men below him train.

I want ye to lead the tithe this year.

What? Blaine questioned, whipping around to face his laird.

It will be good for ye. Ye should spend some time with the other men, get out of the keep for a bit, Niall said casually.

Moira put ye up to this, Blaine heaved.

She suggested it, aye. But it is a decision I made alone. I hope ye can see this for the honor it is. There is nae another man I would trust to do this in me stead. Ye will be responsible, nae only for the yearly taxes, but for seeing to the well-being of each village.

Blaine merely nodded. He knew it was a great honor, indeed, but he also knew it was Moira meddling in his life. One night of loneliness, and she was convinced everything in his life needed to change. He was content to be head of the household guard. Most days, he was fulfilled in ensuring the safety of his clan with the steel of his sword. He didn’t want to give that up—at least, he didn’t think he did. Regardless, Blaine knew that Moira and Niall only had the best of intentions, and he would not refuse an order from his laird.

I donnae understand why ye are nae going, Blaine argued, trying to get Niall to see reason. It is important for the clan to see their laird.

Aye, but things have just settled down here. I have little desire to set off again and leave her behind. Moreover, Moira and I will leave again in the spring so the clan can meet her as me wife. It would be better for all for ye to go in me place.

Blaine knew Niall well enough to know that he had made his mind up, and there would be no changing it.

I will go pack me saddle.

Donnae forget to say yer goodbyes to Moira. If ye donnae, I will nae hear the end of it until ye return. She will think for weeks that ye are nae happy with her and she will blame me for it.

Blaine stalked off toward his room, his silent footsteps leaving imprints in the dewy grass. He had hoped that last night’s conversation would be forgotten, but that was obviously not the case. As much as he begrudged the reasoning for collecting the tithe, Blaine greatly looked forward to spending the next few weeks camping in the woods. As a member of the house, Blaine was given his own large chamber, complete with a fireplace and a wardrobe, and a bed large enough for at least three grown men. But as a warrior, he found that nothing quelled his restlessness quite like sleeping under the stars.

It did not take long to pack. He kept his few things constantly at the ready. His sword was almost always strapped to his hip, as were the dirks hidden in each boot and underneath the plaid that wrapped around his shoulders. With his bedroll and an extra tartan tossed over his back, Blaine was ready to begin the journey. It would take weeks, maybe even months, to ride to each town, collect and document the tithe of each villager, and then haul it all back. Perhaps Moira and Niall were right—perhaps this trip would be a good thing.

I am off, he announced, finding Moira curled up with a book in her favorite spot in Niall’s office.

I hope ye ken that I am only trying to protect ye, she said, moving to stand in front of him.

Lass, it is me job to protect ye, nae the other way around.

But who will protect ye from yerself? she argued gently, her hands resting on her hips in stubborn determination. Och, I donnae want to quarrel with ye, nae before ye are about to leave for God kens how long. I only want ye to ken that ye have people who care about ye, that ye are nae an impossible man to call family.

Blaine nodded, shifting his weight uncomfortably. Niall might be the kind of man who welcomed these kinds of conversations, but Blaine certainly was not.

I need to go if we are to make good time.

It was an excuse, and they both knew it, but Moira threw an arm around his neck anyway. She had to stand on the tops of her toes to reach him, and she stepped away as quickly as she had approached. Her show of affection stunned him for a moment.

Be careful, aye? she warned. And keep an open mind. Ye never ken what’s waiting for ye around the corner.

Ye donnae have to worry about me. If I cannae handle myself in me own clan, then I have no right to be the Captain of the Guard.

With that, Blaine turned away and walked out of the keep. Despite it being his excuse to end the conversation with Moira, he really did not have much time before he had to go.

His horse was saddled and waiting for him in the courtyard along with the other men who would be making the journey with him. It would be much faster if he could do this himself, but he could not protect the tithe alone, and so an entourage of a dozen others rode with him.

I will see ye in a few weeks. I trust ye to use yer discretion and treat me people fairly, Niall said, clapping Blaine soundly on the back.

Blaine returned the gesture before tying his bedroll to the back of his saddle and swinging himself up. He did not bother telling his friend goodbye. The two had been through so much together that a farewell was not needed. As Niall had stated, he trusted Blaine enough with the task set before him that promises of a safe return were unspoken. Instead, he sent his laird a parting bow and kicked his horse into a run.

3

The days pass by in a blur. Each year of the tithe, the men took a different route in order to lessen the threat of any raiders. This year, they would be traveling to the outermost villages first and circle their way around until they made it back to the keep. With the keep positioned safely in the middle of the clan land, this was the safest and fastest way to collect the tithe. But it also meant that for the first several days, all they did was ride hard. From the moment dawn broke until hours after darkness set in, the men stayed atop their horses, hooves pounding the hard dirt beneath them.

Nothing out of the ordinary had happened thus far. It was luck that Blaine was sure would not last, but