A Minx for the MacKenzie [Highlanders Love #2]

Chapter 7 - Picture of Adair

The sounds of the world rushed by her ears like a river on a quiet night. The scene of Adair smacking her away when she had entered, not even noticing her as he dashed out was a memory that would be burned forever in Amhuinn's mind. He would've dashed out had Tristan not been coming up to relieve Scottie after the page boy had spent the dawn awake at the door. The two of them caught the young 4-year old just as he was breaching the door, and held the squirming blond boy in the room again.

Hammond's voice served to break the haze that had came over her. "Amhuinn, ye have to tell me, or I risk me clan's safety. Why is the young lad so attached? Ye made it sound like he was tortured in there."

"He..." she paused, casting her gaze anxiously to the ground. Her fingers somehow found their way to worry at the plaid she barely noticed draped around her shoulders. Her blonde locks hung limply around her head, and Hammond could see the nervous way in which her blue eyes darted.

"Lass, dinna fash." He couldn't bear seeing her fuss, and tried to gentle his tone as he let his arms drop from gripping her shoulders. "I just have to see that my clan is safe, and fer a good cause."

Silence came from Amhuinn, as she considered his words. Should she trust him? Inwardly, she gave a dry laugh. Technically, she had no choice, did she? Hammond had already stolen her son back, and obviously from the way Adair behaved, he deserved an explanation, since the young one obviously didn't want to be here.

"Adair is my son. And the laird of the Kincaid clan, is his father. His name is MacCallan." she started. Hammond raised a brow.

"The laird of the Kincaid clan isna a Kincaid?" he queried, quite confused.

"Nae." she explained, taking a deep breathe before continuing. "Fergus Kincaid was a good laird. But he died when I was twenty. He had no heir, fer his only son had perished of the fever when he was much younger, and his wife didna give birth to anymore. Dougal MacCallan was his nephew, his wife's brothers' son. Dougal's parents had left for adventures and never returned, and his care was left to his uncle. But Fergus had been too busy to care as a proper father should fer a son."

"Dougal grew up thinking he is entitled to whatever he wants, for he was raised since the age of ten as the heir apparent to the Kincaid clan. And because Fergus was too busy, he dinna had the time to discipline Dougal, who grew up to be a bitter, self righteous man. The servant's dare not deny him for he was vindictive and commanding, even as a child. No one would go near him." Amhuinn bit her lip. "No one but me."

"Why did ye?" Hammond asked.

"I had been fifteen when I first approached him. He had just been brought in to the Kincaid's, and the castle, just a year or two younger than me. I'd say about thirteen? My mother was the housekeeper of the castle, and Tamhas and I stayed with her within her quarters. He had seemed lonely, and I had wanted to see if he needed help on getting somewhere." she spoke in a tone of reminiscence. Hammond could almost see a small Amhuinn going up to a shadow of a boy, and his heart went out to the young girl. If she had been so innocent and willing to befriend a new boy in her clan back then, what had made her into the cautious, wary woman he now had before him?

"I made it a point to seek him out. Everyday, I looked fer him. I introduced him to the lands, brought him to the creek behind the castle, showed him how I helped me mother milk the goats." she murmured.

"Did he reciprocate? " Hammond asked gently. She nodded.

"In a way." she replied, pulling the plaid tighter around her as if to ward off a chill. "For the next few years, I would seek him oot and he would come with me. Tamhas warned me against doing so, but I dinna listen to him. He exchanged a few words, but I had always put it off as him still reeling from his parents death and being uprooted from home."