A Scotsman's Promise

Chapter 28

Teig frowned at that response. "Calen, a man goes after what he wants. No exceptions."

Calen didn't respond. As usual. It was no use to argue such a point with his father.

Teig waited a short moment before leaving Calen on his own again, as was customary with their conversations. This was why Calen made sure to have Katrina around whenever he and Da needed to speak. She was the only mediator that could ever bring their conversations to a peaceful ending.

Calen took a deep breath and stretched his shoulders, trying to ease the tension from both his muscles and his mind. He went back to his woodpile, hoping the repetitive motions would bring some semblance of peace to his thoughts. He was also hoping the quiet air around him would bring him something new to think about now that Micara and his sisters were no longer frolicking in the river. Maybe if they stayed out of sight long enough, he would be able to clear his head.

The three young women, Katrina, Maggie, and Micara, were in the garden at the back of the cabin. The sisters had given Cara a lesson in gardening. They showed her which plants to pull, how to wield a hoe, and how much water to give each of the tiny seedlings that had sprouted only in the last couple days. They had been working most of the morning in the sun and they were grimy and beginning to sweat.

"When we finish," Maggie said, pausing to swing the hoe she carried at a group of plants, "We should cool off in the river."

Cara froze and her her heart began to race. Only Will and Calen knew of her fear of water. She wanted it kept that way. Water was an embarrassing and inconvenient fear when one considered the mode of transportation most used by those living along the St. Lawrence was the river itself.

"Sounds like a plan," Katrina agreed, "Micara, what do ye think?"

"I couldn't," Micara stuttered, thinking of a plausible excuse, "I haven't the clothes."

Katrina shrugged, "I'll find ye something o' mine."

"But I cannot swim," Cara insisted.

Maggie giggled. "Nor I, at least not well, I can hardly manage to keep afloat. Only Katrina can make it across the river without a fear of drowning. We'll just wade in and splash about for a bit."

The sisters' eyes were practically pleading with her to agree. Cara bolstered her courage, telling herself she could handle a bit of splashing if she stayed in the shallow water.

"I suppose," she mumbled reluctantly.

Maggie gave a small squeal and Karina smiled. "We should have enough water with the next buckets and then we can be finished," said the older sister.

Maggie picked up her empty bucket and started towards the river. Katrina grabbed another and jogged after her. "I'll race ye," Katrina challenged, her long legs making short work of Maggie's head start. Maggie responded by picking up her skirts and starting into a mad dash down the path. Katrina was right at her heels.

They were around the house and out of sight before Micara had gathered her wits and calmed her terror enough to think to follow them.

They hauled the last round of water and the sisters quickly stowed the buckets and pulled Micara along into the cabin. The girls pooled their wardrobes, mixing and borrowing until all three of them had something suitable for a dunk in the river.

They were all decked out in a pair of the fringed leggings Cara had seen Katrina in on the day they first met. Katrina lent Micara a faded blue shirt which she had told her had belonged to Calen when he had been an adolescent but that Katrina had taken over.