HIGHLAND PROMISE (THE SONS OF GREGOR MACLEOD)

Chapter Three

She found the kittens the next morning.

The first anguished meow reached her ears when she was picking wild roses in the valley where they'd slept. Four kittens, about five weeks old, crawled over their mother's dead body beneath a crumbling log, hungry and scared.

'Twas a pitiful state that she well knew. The MacKenzie castle was but a half day's ride. It'd be no trouble to take them, no trouble at all.

Hovering on the edge of camp with her plaid pulled up and the kittens underneath in her arms, she searched for Darach. She couldn't see him or Lachlan anywhere.

A purr vibrated through her chest, and unable to resist, she peeked inside. The kittens roused mewing and tumbling over one another. Her heart swelled as their wee tongues and soft paws tickled her face, their fur soft as velvet. She'd longed for a pet all those lonely nights at her uncle's home.

"Caitlin."

She jumped and turned to find Darach and Lachlan standing behind her, looking so big and brawny in the sun. The kittens batted against her plaid.

Lachlan cocked an eyebrow at the commotion. Darach's brows slanted inward.

"Nay."

"What do you mean, nay?" she asked with growing alarm.

"I willna have cats in my home. I doona like them."

"I doona have any cats."

He stared at her a moment then reached forward and tugged open her plaid. The kittens blinked in the bright sunlight.

"Nor will I abide deceit."

"'Tis not a falsehood, verily. They're kittens, not cats."

"Kittens need their mother. You will return them to their den."

He turned and strode into the clearing toward the horses. Caitlin ran after him, dogging his heels.

"Their mother is dead, and the kits are too young to survive. I'm taking them with me, Darach. 'Tis the Godly thing to do."

"The Godly thing to do is to leave them to their fate. Survive if they can, provide sustenance for other animals if they cannot."

"I'll not abandon the babies to die. If you leave them, you'll leave me, too."

He turned. That muscle jumped in his cheek. "They're not babies, Caitlin, they're kittens. They smell and skulk around. I doona like animals that skulk."

"Have you ne'er had a cat? They're loving and playful. And verra useful in a keep."

"Nay."

"But—"

"My dogs will eat them."

Relief flooded through her. He was just worried lest they be hurt. "Doona fash, Darach. I willna allow your beasties to hurt my babies."

He made a disbelieving sound she'd come to know quite well. "How do you plan to stop them?"

"With training and discipline. Same as all animals."

"You think you can train my devils? They're bigger than you."

"Size doona matter. They will want to please me and therefore do as I ask."

"That sounds familiar," Lachlan said from behind her.

She ignored him, but Darach did not. His shoulders tensed further. He glared at her another moment then mounted his horse. The others did the same.