She dismounted Cadarn and led her through the small opening into the magical space, stopping abruptly when she found it wasn’t empty.
“Rory.”
Kyla attempted not to reveal her dismay that her brother was there, sitting on the tree stump in the middle of her clearing. She had, years ago as a child, shown him this place. While he didn’t venture here much, she now wished she had never revealed it to him at all. She had once thought it could be a place for them to play together, a place that existed only for the two of them, but he had never shown much interest in it—or in any aspect of the land, really. He only came now and then to fetch her when she was needed.
“Kyla.” He rose. “I thought you’d appear here if I waited long enough. Where have you been, sister?” he asked, eyeing her quizzically when she came closer.
“Exploring,” she responded, deciding that would have to be enough information for Rory. “Rory, what in the heavens did you do to some of those McDougall men?”
“McDougall men? That is actually why I am here to talk to you. You see, Finlay—”
“No, not Finlay or his family. Some of their crofters, they seemed to hate me simply for the fact I was a MacTavish, despite the fact I don’t recall ever seeing them before in my life. They did, however, give me a message for you. They told you to never return. What did you do, Rory?”
“Nothing much, really,” he said, his eyes looking everywhere but her.
“Rory…”
“Fine!” He threw his hands up in the air and turned from her, his hands on his hips as he tilted his head back as though suddenly finding great interest in the leaves that covered them above. “We had a bit of a card game there the other night and…” he looked a mite sheepish.
“And what?”
“I may have cheated them out of a coin or two. It took them awhile to catch on to my ploy, but by the time they did I made sure I was halfway out the door.”
“Rory!” Kyla exclaimed, punching him on the shoulder hard enough that he winced. “What the devil is wrong with you? It’s not as if these men do not know who you are or where you live. They’ll seek retribution for that!”
He winced. “I was quite in my cups at the time so I didna much care,” he said. “Now, I just avoid them.”
“Oh, Rory,” she sighed, “will you never learn?”
“Likely not,” he said with his impish grin that always led her to forgive him, no matter what he had done. He walked toward her, pushing back his hair, as blond as her own. “Listen, Kyla… you understand, do you not, why Father has asked ye to marry Finlay McDougall?”
“Of course I understand,” she said, raising her arms beside her. “It’s as it’s always been—marry a McDougall, unite the clans, we all benefit from one another, everyone comes out ahead. Except me. I’m sorry, Rory, I’ve tried to do what everyone wants of me, tried to be accepting, but isn’t this too much? I don’t want to pity myself, but why has no one ever thought of what will happen to me in this situation? I’ll be left in a life of misery, trying to keep Finlay McDougall happy.”
“I understand, Ky,” he said, softening his words as he looked into her eyes. “Finlay’s not the friendliest of sorts. But the truth is, he’s not so bad. He would never do anything to hurt you, that’s for certain. He cares about his land and his people, though he needs help learning how to turn a profit. And maybe some help with some of his charm, but that can be worked on.”
“He’s so stubborn,” she said, making a fist as she turned from her perusal of the horizon. “He thinks he knows how to run his clan—how to run our clan. But the old ways aren’t necessarily the best ways anymore. I don’t want to have to submit to his will, to turn over the MacTavishes to their way of doing things.”
“Which is exactly why he needs us—needs you,” Rory said, looking at her in earnest. “You can show him the way. We both know you’re the one with the head for books between the two of us. You also know this land better than anyone. Fin’s tough on the edges, true, but he’ll soften, just you see.”
“Why are you pushing this, Rory?” she asked, eyeing him. Her brother was typically fairly uninterested in both business affairs as well her future, so she was perplexed as to why he was trying to sway her to her father’s way of thinking.
“Well…” he wouldn’t look her in the eye, but rather looked from side to side as if trying to find something to which he could fix his gaze to. “Kyla, this life here, ‘tis not for me. My life is in Glasgow, and London. You know how I love it there—the women and the parties and the gambling halls—I need this time to be free before I settle down, and if we were tied to the McDougalls, I would not have to worry so much about the clan and our business interests. The McDougalls could lend a hand while Father continues to manage things here until I’m ready.”
“Rory MacTavish, is all ye think of is yourself?” Kyla exclaimed with a glare.
“Kyla, ‘tis the same as you are doing, by not wanting to marry Finlay,” he replied, spreading his hands in defense.
“That is not true at all! Not agreeing to marry someone because ye want a happy life is much different than leaving behind all of your responsibilities to pursue women and gambling!”
“Oh, but Kyla, ye should see these casinos. They’re
