My Highland Heart (On Hold/Editing)

Chapter Eight

Alex was sitting alone in her chamber reading by the open window enjoying the late afternoon sun when she heard the sound of horses coming into the courtyard below. As soon as she looked up she watched the three MacTavish brothers returning from where ever they disappeared to for most of the day. Although she was still angry with Kieron, she had also missed seeing and spending time with him today.

After finding the message from her Uncle that had fallen out of Kieron’s pocket, she had decided to eat this morning in the privacy of her chamber but did join her father in the hall to break the noon meal together as she had promised Meg. Alexandra tried to put on a good face and hold a pleasant conversation with him, but her mind kept going back to what both her father and Kieron had tried to hide from her. As soon as the meal was over she retreated back to her room to think of what to do with the information she discovered.

It was a strong knock on her door that pulled her once again from her thoughts. Thinking it was Kieron, and not wanting to see him at the moment, she chose to ignore it at first until another more forceful knock followed.

“Alexandra, I know ye are in there. So please open the door before ye force me to have Elliot break it down,” Evan’s voice announced. Alex quickly jumped from her chair to unlock and open the door before any damage came to it knowing it would not be the first time Elliot would have done something like that. As soon as the door opened she found herself surrounded by two familiar strong arms and solid chest that was shared by all four of the MacTavish brothers. “How are ye me little sister?”

Alex smiled as she pulled slightly away from Evan to look at him. She maybe two years old then the twin brothers, but in size she was little compared to them. “I am well me little brother.” But her smile quickly left her face as she saw the look of disbelief in his eyes and realized that Kieron must have told his two brothers about their first argument.

“Ye’re no foolin’ me...and neither did Kieron earlier when he also tried denyin’ it. Ye both need to talk and he needs to find ways of tellin’ ye how he feels without trippin’ over his words.”

Alex’s heart fell heavy in her chest as she thought of how she had hurt Kieron and it was obvious that he was feeling the same. But then she remembered his demand and the note she found. Crossing her arms over her chest, Alex turned away from Evan to hide her feelings from him.

Within moments she felt those same two arms wrap around her waist to turn her back towards him. “If ye no will talk to Kieron, perhaps ye will talk to me then. I promise to listen openly to yer side as I did when listen to his.”

Alex looked into Evan’s eyes and found only the honesty and concern of a brother to a sister and gave him a small smile. She then followed him over to her chair by the window and sat down as he picked up the other from in front of the hearth and placed it beside her own. Once he too was seated, Evan simple looked at her to tell her he was ready to listen.

She looked at her hands that were placed in her lap before she began her story of everything that happened this morning in this very chamber. When speaking of Kieron and their more passionate moment, she felt her blush but like the good friend and soon-to-be brother-in-law, Evan stayed quiet as promised all the way through until she finished with Kieron storming out. Alex continued to look at her hands not wanting to see his reaction to her story, and at the moment she was also trying to hide the fact that she did not tell him everything.

“Well ‘tis clear that all of this was a misunderstandin’ on both parties. Ye did no give Kieron a chance to finish what he was tryin’ to say and Kieron did no do well explainin’ his feeling’ or reasons why,” Evan stated while taking one of Alex’s hands in his much larger one giving it a small squeeze to show his understanding. “Alexandra, ye know that the last thing any of us would ever do is hurt ye. We all love ye very much, especially Kieron, and only want to see you happy and safe. What came out as a demand was no meant to be, so please allow him to finish and explain?”

Alex knew everything that Evan told her was true, but she still could not forget about the secret that Kieron had kept from her. And all though he did not mean to hurt her, he did, and she was not ready to talk and forgive him...not yet anyway. Alex lifted her face to give Evan an answer he was obviously waiting for to deliver to his older brother.

“Thank ye for comin’ to see if I was alright and for allowin’ me to tell my side, but I am no ready to talk to him just now and wish to be alone to think.” She then returned her eyes to her lap. Evan give a low sigh as he gave her hand one last squeeze before releasing it to stand and leave her chamber.

After the door closed she turned to look out her window again and watched as Evan rejoined his two brothers in the courtyard and to give Kieron her verdict. His reaction was immediate as he looked up towards her window with sadness on his face and then turned to walk towards the hall with a slight slump in his broad shoulders. He was hurt by her not wanting to speak with him, she knew it, but she needed to show him now that she would not allow him to place demands on her. Not now and certainly not after they were married.

There was a quick but forceful knock before her door was thrown open so hard that it let out a loud banging noise from hit the wall. Alexandra looked up to be greeted now by a very angry Elliot. She jumped from her chair as she returned his scowl with her own.

“Elliot, how dare ye enter by chamber like that, I very well could have been in the middle of undressin’.”

He quickly gave her one of his well known evil grins as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Then I would have finally beaten Kieron at somethin’…even if it was only by seein’ ye naked before him.” His words would have shocked others, but not Alexandra. She knew the brothers well and was use to Elliot’s quick devilish tongue.

“Well for your sake and manhood you did no, for Kieron sure would have seen to your punishment,” Alex stated just before Elliot turned to close her door again. “I do wish that you MacTavish’s would stop coming and bothering me in my bedchamber. It is no proper for a lady to have a man up here, let alone with the door closed.”

Elliot made his way across the room but did not sit in the chair that was previous vacated by his twin only moments ago. He walked to her window looking out and then turned his attention back to her.

“Now me little sister, ye are goin’ to tell me what is really goin’ on between ye and my big lug head older brother.”

Alex lifted her chin and crossed her arms over her chest before answering. “As I am sure you have already heard…he made demands on me that I no wish to comply to. I told him so and he stormed out. I no want to speak with him just yet to allow him to correct his wrongs. I will allow no man, husband or no, to make any demands of me and the sooner Kieron understands that the better our marriage will be.”

Elliot was quiet for a few minutes and he looked at her closely. Again he gave her his devilish grin. “Now, tell me the real reason why ye will no speak to him? What did he really do to upset ye so? And I want only the truth this time Alexandra.”

She knew she was in trouble. Nothing seemed to get past Elliot…that was one of the many reasons why Kieron had made him his first in command. He would always be at Kieron’s side when addressing others and would be his other set of eyes. Elliot has a gift of reading people and he always knew when someone was lying, or in Alex’s case, keeping something from him. So without answering, she walked over to the book she was reading earlier, pulled the folded message from the back page and handed it to him.

“What is this?” Elliot asked as he started to open it.

“Just read and then ye tell me. I found it on the floor after Kieron left by chamber this mornin’.”