He tried to check himself but couldn’t keep from responding to her statement.
“Kyla, this is so much more than business. Our clans are our families. We share a history with them, going back generations. When things are difficult, we must band together, not feed off of them, living a lavish lifestyle while they suffer!”
Kyla said nothing for a moment, and when Finlay looked closer, he saw she was shaking with anger. What he didn’t know was if she was angry at him or at herself.
“Do you know, Finlay, I was having an enjoyable morning until I ran into you. You know as well as I do that there is no longer much left of the clan way of life,” she said, looking at him with her nose in the air. “The McDougalls are holding onto the past when, as their future leader, you must look to the future.”
“How glad you must be that you no longer have to marry Callum and join the McDougall family, who don’t understand the prospering future business of the MacTavishes,” he responded with sarcasm. “What will you do with yourself now?”
She turned to him, her green eyes flashing in anger as she glared at him.
“Whatever I choose to do, Finlay McDougall,” she said, “It is certainly none of your concern.”
With a flick of Cadarn’s reins, she turned and raced away, leaving him staring after her.
Whatever had come over him? Finlay kicked himself. If he couldn’t have the easy-going charm of Callum and Roderick, he wished he had the sense to keep his mouth closed like Adam.
The problem was, he cared too much. About the clans, and about her. He knew her too well and loved her too deeply to not be concerned with her family’s affairs.
Roderick had always told him when it came to women to keep things simple, to speak about the weather, or gossip among the people. Kyla, however, was so much above that, and Finlay certainly couldn’t bring himself to discuss such mundane matters when there were items of much more importance to explore.
He and Kyla hadn’t had many one-on-one conversations. Usually there was a whole horde of family about, and she had always been much better friends with Callum and Roderick. He also knew he shouldn’t have mentioned her future, although he only did so because he thought of it likely as often as she did. He didn’t think he would ever love another, but he knew he would never pursue her, as she could never love him back. He was aware that he was hard to love, he knew that. “Brooding” was the term his sister Peggy used to describe him. “Pain in the arse,” his brothers would say, although they all respected his wisdom and the tenacity with which he dedicated himself to their holdings. Even though, he supposed, it was likely more because none of them wanted to deal with the responsibility, so they were more than happy to leave it to him.
“You need to add spirit to your life,” Peggy always told him, and she was right. He needed more light in his life. He just didn’t know how to find it.
3
Of all the nerve, Kyla thought as she raced back through the trees to Darfield Keep, home of her family, the MacTavishes. Who did Finlay McDougall think he was, that he could talk to her so? Insulting her family and insinuating she had no future now that his brother had left her behind for another? It irked her to no end.
She loved the McDougalls, she really did. She had grown up with them; they were her childhood playmates and remained her friends to this day. But Finlay had always been a prickly one. More often than not, he had refrained from their exploits, looking on with disdain. He had always been lacking the fun in life, and for that reason they had never been particularly close.
She was also angry because she knew some of what he said was a little too close to the truth. However, he had to understand that to survive as a clan, change was required—one could not be afraid of living in a different way. It was true, she didn’t always agree with her father’s decisions, but there had to be a middle ground.
When Kyla returned to the keep, she unsaddled Cadarn and spent some time brushing her down after the hard ride through the hills and the brush. It was therapeutic, relaxing and calming her after the heated conversation with Finlay.
She entered the small castle, surprised to see her father shaking hands with none other than Duncan McDougall as her brother Rory stood to the side with a smirk on his face.
“Good day to you then, Duncan,” said Niall as he said farewell to one of his oldest acquaintances. “We will speak again soon.”
Duncan nodded at Niall and Rory before finally smiling warmly at Kyla as she stood just inside the door before he took his leave.
“Whatever was that about, Father?” she asked as she shook her tangled hair back from her face.
“Come, Kyla,” he said, motioning her in the door. “Have the noon dinner with us. There is much to discuss.”
“With me?” she eyed him warily, cocking an eyebrow. She helped her father with much of his business interests, but he typically didn’t consult with her, just listened to her suggestions and took on any that would make money as his own ideas, ignoring her pleas for improvements for the people who served the land.
He gave her a hard look, his eyebrows coming to a vee as he frowned at her.
“There is no need for that tone, daughter,” he said crossly. “Come sit.”
Rory gave her a questioning look as they followed their father into the cavernous dining hall. It was quite large for the three of
