HIGHLAND SONG BWWM

Chapter Eight

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Chapter Eight

"Those two women are coming with us, laird?" Alec asked. He sounded incredulous. He was MacIver's first in command. His hair was a dark shade of sable brown, and his features had been fine while young, but as he'd entered his teenage years, his nose had grown crooked from being broken so often.

"They are," MacIver said shortly.

"So, we willnae be riding towards the Maitland land then?" Alec said, as he turned his eyes from the women to his laird, who was busy tightening the straps on his saddle.

"Aye, we will be going home first." He glanced over his shoulder at the women, his brow furrowing. "Aberdeen wishes for me to use them at the keep."

"The keep?!" Alec said in disbelief. "But no woman wishes to work in the keep. The men are all living there till the barracks has been rebuilt... though some prefer sleeping outside."

"Aberdeen doesnae wish for the women to stay on his land."

"So, the old man wishes to throw them on you." Alec sounded irritated. "The man is always throwing his unwanted our way. That damn Megan still refuses to tell us the name of the man who fathered her baby, and the midwife refuses to deliver her baby because she says the girl is tainted."

He jerked his head towards the two women. "If that ain't all, we still have Cooper and Eric. The boys don't trust anyone, and won't let man or woman come close to them. They're living like wild animals on our land." He shook his head. "Now he wants to send you two heathens from the lands of the heretics to be watched."

"Sorry for taking so long," a calm voice spoke in English, cutting off the rest of Alec's complaints to his laird.

Alec's eyes widened as he hadn't noticed the two women had come closer during his speech. He watched as the women spoke, their eyes focused primarily on his laird.

He'd never seen such odd clothing before. Both of the women wore man leggings that were made from some odd material that stretched over their legs. While one was wearing a simple shirt with something drawn on it, the other had on a large white coat.

They both had dark gold skin, though the one with the shorter hair had a darker tone to hers. She pushed at the black things that were settled on her nose. They were clearly foreign. How on earth had they gotten so far north?

Hearing his name called, Alec focused on the conversation. The women would have a hard time if they didn't learn any Gaelic. Most Highlanders refused to speak English and would pretend ignorance if they heard it.

His laird was speaking to the short haired Lass. "You will ride with Alec. He is my first in command."

Alec stiffened when quizzical eyes turned his way. He couldn't stop his lips from lifting in a smile when the young woman smiled at him.

His laird motioned to himself when he spoke to the other one. "You'll ride with me."

"I think it would be better if I rode with someone else," Lyla said, her eyes not once meeting MacIver's. He didn't know why, but this fact irritated him.

So, he walked forward and grabbed her by the arm and pulled her over to his horse. "None of my other men would wish to ride with a woman." He'd lied; his men would do whatever he told them to.

"Fine," she said, jerking her arm out of his hold. She glared up at him. "I'll ride with you."

He didn't need her to say anything else. He grabbed her by the waist and literally tossed her onto the seat. She cried and scrambled, trying to find her balance. He quickly followed. Settling behind her, he wrapped his arms around her and grabbed up his reins. Her body tensed, and he felt her try to sit up straighter.

Annoyed, he placed a firm hand on her forehead and pulled her closer. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "We've a long way to go, Lass. If ye sit like that, your back will suffer."

Lyla shivered in reaction to the fierce man whispering in her ear. What was wrong with her? She'd never had such reactions to men before, and quite frankly, she didn't like it.

His arms were wrapped around her, making her feel like she was surrounded by two strong bars. His back was radiating heat. Lyla closed her eyes and whispered a silent prayer that whatever attraction she was going through would end as soon as possible. She had to focus on her and her sister's return to their time.

Speaking of which, she turned her head around, trying hard to see behind the large brute. "Ericka, are you okay?"

Her sister nodded. She was sitting side saddle, but on the lap of the large warrior. The man, unlike MacIver, had dark brown locks that were short and curled slightly, and his brilliant green eyes showed annoyance. He was frowning down at Ericka as if he was puzzled by something.

Ericka hadn't seemed to notice as she lifted a hand and gave a thumbs up. "Sure am." She gave an amused look to the horse's head. "I'm thinking as long as the animal doesn't think I'm grass, we'll be fine with one another."

Lyla smiled at her sister. Apparently, Ericka had decided that looking at the bright side would keep her sane.

The warrior grunted, and the horse stepped forward, which caused Ericka to lean back against him. He stiffened and Ericka glanced up and gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall on you." She straightened up, but the warrior placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back against him, still not speaking a word.

MacIver, eager to get back to his keep and land, loudly whistled, and soon, he and his men were off.

The gait of the horse threw Lyla and she found herself leaning closer to MacIver, her hand falling to his thigh. She was so focused on not falling, she didn't hear his sharply indrawn breath as her fingers touched the flesh of his legs.

The journey forced her to accept the truth of her sister's words. The idea of time travel had been impossible to believe, and truthfully, Lyla had held a suspicion that her sister was pulling some sort of prank on her. She'd kept her eye open for cameras or something that would seem out of place in her surroundings.

Yet, as their retinue galloped over the harsh land and left the Aberdeen land behind, her breath caught at the view of the untamed land that spread out before her. Tree leaves were turning the color of reds and golds and were made more intense by the setting sun. The land wasn't simply plains but was made of rolling hills, and in the distance, she could see a mountain range. The sky was wide and looked like an amber jewel had been set afire, coloring the clouds and land in a golden, copper light.

"Wow!" The words left her lips before she could stop them. The horse splashed through water, which caused her to cry out and lift her arms to block herself from getting sprayed. When she lowered her arms, she realized the man she was riding with had lifted his cloak to cover her.

She blinked, and not turning around, she whispered, "Thank you." He didn't respond, and she hadn't expected him to.

Slowly, as the minutes grew to hours, Lyla's eyes grew heavy, and somehow, she turned herself and pressed her head into his neck. She was so sleepy. She tried to fight it, but before she could do so, her eyes were closed and her breathing became steady as she fell asleep.