A Good Man
Author: Bethany Hauck
Date: 2017-07-23 04:00:00+00:00

A Good

Man

The McCabe’s Book 2

By: Bethany Hauck

C opyright © 2017 by Bethany Hauck

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing, 2017

KDP Self Publishing

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 A Good Man

Chapter 2 I Do

Chapter 3 Preparations

Chapter 4 Wedding Night

Chapter 5 Lachlan Returns

Chapter 6 Jacqueline and Connor

Chapter 7 Laird of Tioram

Chapter 8 Defiant Wife

Chapter 9 Tioram

Chapter 10 Christening

Chapter 11 A Mother’s Lesson

Chapter 12 Village Terror

Chapter 13 Rescue

Chapter 14 Just for Fun

Epilogue

Gleann:

Hamish-father and Laird of Gleann

Annabelle-mother (died shortly after giving birth)

Children:

Eadan

Ross and Ham (twins)

Alastair

Craig and Rory (twins)

Owen

James and Jacqueline (twins)

Nessa McDougal-Married to Eadan

Tarmon

Connor-Married Jacqueline McCabe

Fiona-Connor’s sister

Caiden-Conner’s father and Laird of Tarmon

Alyssa-Connor’s mother (deceased)

Alyssa and Annabelle-Connor and Jacqueline’s twin daughters

Angus-Tarmon guard

Helga-Tarmon midwife.

Tioram

William-Captain of the McCarthy guard.

Iain McCarthy-Laird of Tioram  Angela’s Da.

Catrina McCarthy-Angela’s mother

Kenna McCarthy- 17 Angela’s sister

Rhona McCarthy- 14 Angela’s sister

Angela McCarthy-Married to Ross McCabe

Villains

Catherine McCoy-Connor’s mistress before marriage.

Lachlan Stewart-Tried to force Angela into marriage

Chapter 1 A Good Man

“Are you sure you don’t want me to wait for you?” Ham McCabe asked his brother Ross. “You’re sure it’s only going to be another day or two?”

“No need to wait,” Ross told him. “I know you’re anxious to see Jacqueline’s new babies. I’ll finish my business here and head home as soon as it’s done.”

“I hate leaving you to travel alone,” Ham said. “At least I have a few men riding to Tarmon with me. I’m sure if I need it, Connor will let me borrow some of his men to go the rest of the way to Gleann after I visit.”

Although Gleann was the home of clan McCabe, Ham was planning on stopping at Tarmon, the home of his sister Jacqueline and her husband, Connor Fraser. Jacqueline had recently given birth to twin daughters, and he was anxious to see and meet them both.

“No need to wait, I’ll be fine. I’ll try to tag along with someone heading that way if I can. If not, I’m not worried, it’s only a day and a half ride. Tell Jacqueline I’ll be along in less than a week,” Ross told him.

“I thought you said a few days?” Ham remarked.

“It should only be a few days, but if you tell Jacqueline that, and it takes longer, she’ll be worried and give me grief when I get there,” Ross said laughing.

“That’s true,” Ham said and smiled back at him. Both brothers loved their little sister dearly but knew better than to worry or anger her.

“Plus if she gets too mouthy I can’t turn her over my knee anymore,” Ross said, again chuckling. “That’s now Connor’s right.”

Ham burst out laughing and added, “you mean Connor’s problem. As much as I love our little sister, she can be quite a spitfire.”

“That she can, brother, but I wouldn’t want her to be any other way. Head for home, I’ll catch up with you in a few days,” Ross said again. “If not at Tarmon, then at Gleann.”

“Are you sure you want to wait for your armor to be completed? I’d be happy to come back with you in a fortnight if need be,” Ham said.

“The blacksmith said only another day or two, and it’ll be done. It may be only a two-day trip, but once I get back to Gleann, I plan on staying put for a long while,” Ross said. “We’ve been gone for three years; it’ll feel good to live back at our home again.”

“Then I’ll see you there, safe travels, brother,” Ham said as he turned and mounted his horse. Waving one last time at his twin, he rode through the open castle gates, heading in the direction of Tarmon, the home of his baby sister.

Ross watched him leave and then pulled the paper the armorer had given him out of his pocket reading it once more. He decided to make a trip to the smithy shop the armorer used, to make sure his order was now being completed. He and Ham had spent the last three years in the service of the king, and just like his brother, he was more than ready to head back home to settle. Seeing his sister Jacqueline and oldest brother Eadan both married and happy had made him begin to think it might be time to settle down, and take a wife of his own. He had always wanted children and couldn’t wait to travel to Tarmon and meet his two new nieces. After a day or two visit, he planned on heading home in time for the birth of Eadan and his wife Nessa’s first baby, which was due in just a few months.

Ross was so engrossed in his own thoughts he didn’t even feel the wind that had begun to blow until the paper he still held was snatched out of his hand and began to blow away. “Damn it,” Ross mumbled, and began chasing after it.

The paper, with his proof of order and payment, seemed to pick up speed as it reached the corner of the castle getting caught up in a cross breeze there. Ross began to run after it and rounded the corner of the castle, catching up to it. He rounded a corner and snatched it out of the air, looking up he couldn’t help but notice what was happening off in an isolated corner of the garden he now stood in. The scene was so bothersome he came to an abrupt stop.

“Let me go,” a woman was saying as she fought off the man trying to lift her skirts.

“You will be mine, Angela McCarthy,” he hissed at her as he pinned her more firmly against the wall. “Once I’ve had you no one else will want you, then finally you’ll be forced to marry me.”

“I’ll never marry you,” she said as she tried to scratch, hit and knee him, trying everything to get away to no avail.

“You will,” he said, laughing menacingly. “Your father will have to agree to the marriage once I tell him I took your innocence.”

The woman finally got an arm free and raked her nails down the man’s face drawing blood and making him cry out in pain and anger. Before Ross could react, the man backhanded the woman viciously across the cheek. Ross had seen enough. He quickly stepped forward, grabbing the unknown man by the shoulder, he pulled him away from the woman, without saying anything, he then quickly punched him twice in the face making him fall to the ground.

“That is no way to treat a lady,” Ross said to the man. Then turning to the woman, he asked, “are you alright, My Lady?”

“I don’t know,” she said as she began to cry and slide down the wall until she was sitting on the ground holding her injured cheek.

Ross decided he needed to deal with the man first and turned back towards him. “Who are you?” he demanded.

“None of your business,” the man sneered at him. “This is no business of yours. Go away.  This is a private matter between the lady and myself.”

“Do you want me to leave you alone with this man?” Ross turned his head and asked the woman.

“Nay!” she cried. “Please get me away from him.”

“If I see you near her again I’ll run you through,” Ross warned the man, giving him a small kick with his boot. “Get out of here.” He turned back towards the woman with every intention of helping her to her feet. As he reached for her, their eyes locked, Ross couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She finally broke eye contact with him and gazed over his shoulder; he saw her eyes grow wide with fear once again. Knowing something was wrong he quickly turned back around. The man who had been attacking the woman was running towards him, trying to pull his sword free.

“Look out,” she finally was able to scream.

Ross, who had been in many battles, pulled his sword and pointed it at the man before he could free his own. “Walk away before you force me to kill you,” Ross calmly warned him. “I’ve killed many men fighting for the King. One more won’t bother me.”

“This isn’t over,” the man, who had come to a stop just inches from the sword Ross held out, said to both of them. Pointing at the woman he said, “she is mine. You can’t protect her forever.”He turned and walked away. For a minute Ross thought about killing the man then and there, but decided to let him live, as long as he left peacefully.

“Who was that?” he asked, turning back to the woman, “and if you don’t mind me asking, who are you?”

“My name is Angela McCarthy,” she said to him. “Thank you for saving me. That man was Lachlan Stewart, and he was trying to force me to marry him.” She once again began to cry softly.

Ross didn’t know why, but he was drawn to this woman and quickly pulled her up onto her feet and into an embrace. “Shhh,” he said softly, “you’re alright now. Is there somewhere I can escort you where you’ll feel safe?”

“I’m supposed to meet the captain of my father’s guard in the hall of the castle. I know Lachlan is going to lie and say he compromised me. I can’t be forced to marry him,” she said crying even harder. “I just can’t. He’s a horrible, vile man.”

“Where is your father?” Ross asked her.

“I came with a large escort of his guards for the Mayday festival. I’m supposed to head back home with them on the morrow,” she said. “I met Lachlan two days ago, and he’s followed me around since.”

Although Ross felt bad for the girl, he could see why Lachlan had become obsessed so quickly with her. Even with the bruise he had put on her cheek, she was beautiful. She was small, barely coming up to his chest, but she had the most enticing hourglass shape he had ever seen. Her hair was the most unusual color, not quite golden but not red, and those green eyes could draw in any man.

“Do you really think your father would make you marry a man that would hit you and compromise you in such a way?” Ross asked.

“If he lies what else can my father do? My reputation will be ruined,” she said, her eyes once again filling with tears. “My father won’t have any other choice, who else would marry me?”

“Come,” Ross said putting his hand upon the small of her back. “Let’s go find a cool cloth to put on your cheek and get you to a safe place.”

“Who are you?” Angela asked him. “You haven’t even told me your name so I can thank you properly for saving me.”

“I’m Ross McCabe,” he introduced himself. “My family lives in castle Gleann, a small keep about two days ride from here.”

“Thank you, Ross McCabe,” she said sincerely. “You’ve saved me for now, although I don’t know for how long.”

Ross felt bad for Angela, and he again steered her towards the castle forgetting all about checking on the armor he had ordered. It didn’t seem as important as the safety of this small woman. “How did you end up out her alone with him anyway?”

“I just needed to get away,” she said. “My father told the men who traveled with me to keep me safe, and they haven’t let me out of their sight except when I’m in my chamber at night. I just wanted a few minutes alone. Lachlan must have followed me out to the gardens.”

“Why would you wander away knowing that man had been harassing you?” Ross asked, becoming slightly angry. “You’re lucky nothing worse happened. You need a good spanking woman.”

“No man has ever spanked me,” she said back to him, showing some spunk he hadn’t seen until now. It reminded Ross of his sister, and even though he was angry with her, it made him like her even more.

“I can tell,” Ross said. “Maybe that’s the problem.”

“And no man ever will,” she shot back at him, her tears completely drying up.

“We’ll see about that,” Ross mumbled so she could barely hear him.

The two walked together silently, both lost in their own thoughts. Ross stayed at her side, keeping an eye out for any sign of Lachlan Stewart, determined not to leave her until she was in the safekeeping of her father’s guard. When they entered the main hall, Angela came to an abrupt halt.

“What’s wrong?” Ross asked, seeing her become tense.

“Lachlan is talking to William, the captain of the guard my father sent,” she said.

“Let’s go see what he’s saying,” Ross said to her. He walked slightly ahead of her. He wasn’t sure who William was, but spotted Lachlan talking to a man who had his back turned to him.

“She will have to marry me now,” Lachlan was saying, not seeing them approach. “I’ve made her my wife in every way but having the ceremony.”

“I don’t believe you,” the guard was saying, “I’ve known Lady Angela for many years, there is no chance she would willingly do that.”

Ross once again walked up in front of the man and without a word, punched him right in the mouth, making him fly backwards, and land on the ground. “Whatever this man is saying is a lie,” he said. “I came upon him attacking the lady in the back garden, against her will.”

“Ross McCabe?” said the guard.

“William McGuire,” Ross responded, shaking the man’s hand. “I haven’t seen you in years.”

“I’m glad to see you, old friend,” William said. “I’d love to catch up later, but right now can you explain what happened with Lady Angela, please.”

“I came across the Lady and that man in the back garden. He had her pinned against the wall and was trying, against her will, to compromise her. I put a quick stop to it.”

“Why did you wander away, Lady Angela?” William said to her. “You know your father wanted me to watch over you while you were here. You may end up forced to marry this knave if he spreads rumors about you.”

“I’m going to tell everyone I had her already,” Lachlan spat at them from the floor. “Even if only a few believe me, it will be good enough. You will be my wife very soon, Angela McCarthy.”

“Never,” she said back at him. “I’ll die a spinster before I marry you.”

Ross reached down and pulled Lachlan up by his shirt and shoved him towards the door, “go now,” he said to him, “while you’re still able. I’m about to make it so you’ll never walk or talk again, so you better think before you say anything else.”

Lachlan walked towards the door but turned back before exiting saying loudly, “you’ll be my wife by the end of the day tomorrow. If not, your reputation will be ruined.”

“What have I done,” Angela whispered and sunk into a chair. “I can’t marry that man.”

Ross, who had grabbed a cloth and soaked it in a bucket of cool water he had found in the hall, placed it on her cheek. He couldn’t believe how drawn he was to this woman. “Will her Da actually make her marry him?” he asked William.

“Laird McCarthy is a good man, but he may have no choice if Stewart spreads his lies about the lady,” William said to him.

“Do you think that could happen?” Ross asked.

“It’s very possible,” William said. Turning back to Angela he said, “I think we need to pack your things and leave here as soon as possible.”

“How bad do you want to avoid marrying that man?” Ross asked Angela.

“I’d do anything,” she said. “I can’t marry him. He’s horrid.”

“Good,” Ross told her, making a decision.

“What do you have planned?” William asked him.

“Don’t leave her alone and meet me in the kirk in an hour,” Ross said to William.

“Why?” Angela asked.

“Because you and I are getting married,” he said to her.

Chapter 2 I Do

“Married?” Angela almost yelled, “we can’t get married.  We just met and barely know each other.”

“Would you rather be forced to marry Stewart?” Ross asked.

“Nay,” she said.  “How can I marry you without my Da’s approval?” she said to him.  “What would my Da think about this, William?”

“I’ll speak to your Da,” William said.  “I’ve known Ross McCabe for a long time.  We come from neighboring keeps, and even though I’m a bit older than him, we played together as children at festivals.  I’ll explain to Iain why you had to marry quickly.  If Lachlan Stewart starts spreading lies, or worse yet goes to the King, you may be commanded to marry him.”

“We need to do this today,” Ross told her.  “I need your acceptance, Lady Angela.”

“So this will be a marriage of convenience,” Angela said to him.  “We can have it annulled later.”

“Nay,” Ross said to her. Then he added more softly so only she could hear,  “if we’re married in the kirk, it will be a real marriage.  We’ll also need to make sure it’s consummated.  I won’t have anyone question the validity of the marriage.”

“How can you be so sure about this?” Angela asked him.

“I don’t know, Angela,” he said, “there is just something that seems to draw me to you.  I have a good feeling about this.”

“Alright,” she said quietly, then to William she added, “if you think my Da will approve, then I agree.”

“I’ll set everything up,” Ross told her.  “Be at the kirk in an hour.  Everything will work out, try to trust me a little.”  Ross walked away, for some reason feeling good about his decision.

“Do you think he knows?” Angela said to William as she watched him leave.

“He has no clue,” William said grinning.

“Should I tell him before the wedding?” she asked him.

“Nay,” William said.  “I’m telling you, My Lady; there aren’t too many men better than Ross McCabe.  In fact, I believe your Da and Ross’ Da know each other.  I know the McCabe name was brought up for possible husbands for you.”

“Really?” Angela asked.

“Really, Lady Angela,” William said and smiled at her.  “Iain may be a bit shocked at first, but he’ll understand why this had to happen.  Would you like me to escort you to your chamber to change before the wedding?”

“Aye, William,” she said.  “I’d like that.”

An hour later Angela and William showed up at the kirk right on time.  Ross was already in attendance with the priest who was being paid to perform the ceremony.  Although it was a rushed affair, Angela was surprised when the priest performed a full mass to celebrate the nuptials.

“You may kiss your bride,” the priest said at last.  Ross was beginning to think they would never get to that part.  He leaned down and pressed his lips to Angela’s, something he had wanted to do since he’d helped her to her feet and back to the castle hours earlier.  He was pleasantly surprised when his new wife seemed to respond, and he was able to deepen the kiss.  He slowly put his arms around her, pulling her closer, until he heard the priest clear his throat.

“Sorry, Father,” he mumbled pulling away from his new bride, but not being able to erase the smile on his face.

“God bless you both,” the priest said.  “Go with God.”  Ross put his hand on his new wife’s back and steered her out of the kirk and into the yard out front.

“Are your things packed?” Ross asked her as they stepped outside the kirk.

“Aren’t we staying here tonight?” Angela asked him.

“I was hoping to leave soon.   The King is in Edinburgh and won’t be back for another night, even if Lachlan tries to force a marriage when he returns, we’ll be long gone from here.”

“Are you planning on going to Tioram?” William asked.  “I have a large guard to accompany you.”

“I need to go to Tarmon first,” Ross said.  “I’d like to have Angela accompany me there, and then I’ll make sure she gets to Tioram.  My home is at Gleann though, that’s where we’ll end up living.”

“You’ll have to see Tioram first,” William said, wondering if Angela would tell him anything different.

“I’m looking forward to seeing your childhood home,” Ross said to his new wife,  “but I promised my sister I’d stop and meet my new nieces, and if I don’t show, there will be hell to pay.”

“Why is that?” Angela asked.

“Jacqueline is the baby of the family,” he said chuckling.  “The youngest of nine and the only girl in the bunch.  She can both shoot a bow and ride a horse better than I can, I don’t anger her if I don’t have to.”

“Is she mean?” Angela asked.

“Nay,” he insisted, “she’s the sweetest thing ever, unless she’s angry.”

“I can’t wait to meet her,” Angela said, although she wasn’t sure that was quite true.

William, who had been listening spoke up, “I’ll be accompanying you both the Tarmon with half of the men.  The other half I’ll send back to Tioram to let Laird McCarthy know what has happened, and the result.  Hopefully, he won’t be too upset with any of us.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Ross told him.  “I’d like to leave soon.  I just have a bad feeling we haven’t seen the last of Lachlan Stewart.  I probably should have killed him while I had the chance.”

“I’m feeling the same,” William said.  Then he turned to Angela asking,  “is your trunk packed?  Should I send one of the men up to gather it?”

“It is,” she told him.

It didn’t take long, and the large group headed out together.  Ross, Angela, and William were joined by forty of Tioram’s soldiers.  The large group traveled on horseback but were slowed down by the cart that held Angela’s trunk.

“It’s going to take us three full days at this pace,” Ross complained to William.

“I was afraid the cart would slow us down, but we couldn’t leave it behind,” William said.

“I need my clothes and things,” Angela added.

“Tomorrow when we separate, I’d like you just to pull out a few things that you’ll need. We’ll send the cart and your trunk to your home with the men traveling there,” Ross told her.  “That should help us travel a bit quicker.”

“Nay,” Angela said firmly.  “The trunk stays with me.”

“Nay, wife,” Ross corrected, “the cart goes home with the rest of the guard.”

“Then I go with the guard,” she said back to him, her voice rising as she became annoyed.

Ross leaned over and grabbed the reins of her horse bringing both animals to a stop.  He then leaned in close to her saying, “I don’t know how things are done in your family, but in mine, a wife listens to her husband and does not argue with him in public, or in front of other men.”

“Let go of my horse,” Angela said and smacked his hand with her riding crop.”  William who had been watching the exchange winced when he saw the look that flashed across his long-time friends face.

Ross dismounted his horse and quickly pulled Angela down from hers.  He then turned back to William saying, “my wife and I need to have a private conversation about proper behavior.  Tell the men to take a break.” He then leaned down and picked his new wife up and slung her like a sack of grain over his shoulder, stomping off into the woods not far away.

William couldn’t help but grin.  He had always been fond of all of Laird McCarthy’s daughters, but he had a feeling about what was going to happen in the woods.  He had to agree that Lady Angela had earned it with the way she’d acted.

“What are you doing?” Angela demanded as she pounded her fists on her husband’s back.  “Put me down right now.”

“I’m taking you for a private chat, wife,” he said.  “You may not want anyone else to see what’s about to happen.”

Angela complained the entire short walk until Ross came across a log lying next to the path where he was walking.  He sat down and pulled his new wife off his shoulder and promptly turned her over his knee.  At first she froze, not understanding what was happening until she felt Ross pulling up her skirts.

Smack, smack
“Ouch,” she screamed as Ross brought his hand down once on each side of her arse.  “What do you think you are doing?”

“Getting your attention,” he replied.  “Let me know when I get it, and you decide to listen and quit screeching.  Just remember, the guards aren’t that far away and will hear you if you yell too loudly.”  He then proceeded to make his point without addressing her again.
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.

“Alright,” she finally cried out, tears filling her eyes.  “I’ll listen.”

Ross quickly turned her upright letting her skirts fall back around her ankles and pulled her down to sit on his lap.  He put his arms around her, pulling her close before speaking, “first,” he calmly began, “I will not ever argue with you in front of others.  Second, if you would have asked me politely I would have gladly explained my reasoning.”

“Well,” she snapped at him.  “Explain then.”

Ross flipped her back over his knee and pulled her skirts back up and began again.
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.
“I’ll explain nothing as long as you have that attitude.”

“I’m sorry,” she said.  She couldn’t believe how much he was hurting her, “I won’t do it again.”

For the second time, he flipped her up onto his lap, pulling her close.  “Now, ask me your questions in a respectful tone.”

“Why can’t I take my trunk with me?” she asked.  Although she was still angry, she wasn’t going to risk him hitting her again.

“I believe that Lachlan Stewart is going to be a problem.  Your trunk is slowing us down.  The quicker we get to Tarmon, and behind the walls there, the safer you will be.”

“Why do you believe Lachlan is a problem?” she asked.  “We’re married now.  He can’t make me marry him anymore.”

“What if you became a widow?” he said to her.  “What if he abducted you before we have a chance to consummate this marriage?  That’s something I didn’t want to rush you into; I was hoping to give you a few days to get to know and like me.” He stopped talking and smiled at her.

“I’m not so sure I like you now that you’ve beaten me,” she said to him.

“Beat you?” he asked.  “This was not a beating; it was a spanking.”

“Same thing,” she said.

“Not at all,” he told her.  “Did I use my fists on you?”

“Nay,” she replied.

“Did I leave any bruises on you?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she said.  “I can’t see where you hit me.”

“I can guarantee your arse is barely pink,” he said chuckling.

“I don’t think it’s funny,” she snapped at him.

“There lies the problem, Angela,” he said to her.  “Have I talked to you in any way but with respect?”

“Nay, Ross you haven’t,” she sighed, answering him honestly.

“But you’ve snapped at me and questioned my actions many times already,” he explained to her.  “I don’t expect you to agree with me all the time, but I do expect you to disagree with me respectfully, or, if you really feel the need to argue, to wait and do so in private.”

Angela nodded and then added, “I’m not sure I want to be married to a man that hits me.”

“A man that hits a woman out of anger is not a man,” Ross told her.  “A husband will lovingly correct his wife on her arse and thighs.”

“Did your Da correct your mother?” she asked him.

“I don’t really remember my mother that well,” he explained.  “I was only seven when she died.”

“That’s so sad,” Angela told him sincerely, “I’m so sorry.”

“It was a long time ago,” he added.  “How about your mother?” he asked.  “Is she still alive?”

“Aye,” Angela replied.  “My Da and her have been married for over twenty years now.”

“And your Da has never spanked her?” he asked.

“I’ve never seen him spank her,” Angela said, and then after thinking added.  “Sometimes though, my Da will tell her to meet him up in their chambers.  Whenever he’s done that, I know he’s not happy with her.  I’ve always thought they just talked things out in private.”

“They probably talked it out with your mother over his knee,” Ross told her.

“Possibly,” Angela said, then giggled.  “I have noticed she usually finds something to do when they return so she doesn’t have to sit down.  I just  never thought of it before.”

Ross couldn’t help it and began to laugh.  “How old are you, Angela McCabe?”

Angela was shocked at first, it was the first time she had been addressed by her new name, “I’m twenty,” she replied.  “How old are you?”

“I am six and twenty,” he answered.  “Are you ready to return?”

“Wait,” she said, “can I ask another question?”

“Of course you can,” he told her.

“Are you really worried that Lachlan might try to kill you or take me?”

“Aye,” he said.  “I’m not sure why, but I get the feeling he won’t give up on making you his wife.  He was willing to take you by force to ensure you had to marry him.  That’s a man who will do anything to get what he wants.”

“Alright,” she said.  “Then I agree with you about sending my trunk to my home.  I’ll need to pick out some things to take with me though.”

“Fair enough,” he told her.  “My sister Jacqueline is close to your size so I’m sure she’ll have things she can share with you if needed.”  Then he laughed and added, “well she used to be about your size, but she recently had twins.  I’m not sure what size she is now.”

“Do twins appear in your family often?” she asked him.

“Very often.  I’m a twin with my brother Ham.  You’ll probably meet him at Tarmon.  My sister Jacqueline is a twin with my youngest brother James.  And then there are Craig and Rory,” he explained to her, enjoying holding her on his lap and wanting to prolong the conversation just a few minutes longer.

“That’s a lot of twins,” she said amazed.  “Then there are other brothers?”

“Eadan is the oldest at eight and twenty.  He married a lovely girl named Nessa last year.  Then myself and Ham, next is Alastair who is five and twenty, then Craig and Rory who are three and twenty, then Owen who is one and twenty, and last come James and Jacqueline who are now nine and ten years.  I’ll tell you  more about them as we travel if you like,” he finished, lifting her off his lap and putting her back on her feet.

“Ross?” she said, and he looked at her.  “You don’t plan on spanking me all the time do you?”

“Only when you need it, wife,” he said smiling back.  “There is something you should be aware of though.  Today I went easy on you and left your shift down, that won’t happen again.  Wives get spanked on the bare.  That will be the way it will happen next time.”

Angela gasped and said, “maybe there won’t be a next time.”

“I wouldn’t count on it, wife,” he said and laughed at the expression on her face as he steered her back out of the woods to rejoin their group.

They all traveled together for the rest of the day and camped together that evening.  Angela was surprised as they settled down for the night when Ross laid his bedroll next to hers, and pulled her close to him to sleep, not trying anything more.  She slept well, warm and secure in her new husband’s arms.

The next morning, Ross, Angela, William, and a dozen others continued to travel East towards Tarmon, while two dozen others branched off towards the northeast with the cart still slowing their progress.

Ross was happy to be able to travel at a much quicker pace, and by nightfall, the walls of Tarmon come into view.  His new wife would now be safe and secure in his sister's home.

Chapter 3 Preparations

“Ross,” yelled Jacqueline as she ran down the steps to greet him, “you’re here.  I was beginning to worry.”

Ross grabbed his sister up and swung her around in a circle happy to see her.  “We had a few problems on the way, but finally made it safe and sound.”

“Problems?” Connor Fraser, Jacqueline’s husband, asked as he came down the steps behind his wife and shook Ross’ hand.  “What kind of problems?”

Before Ross had a chance to answer Jacqueline noticed Angela sitting atop her horse. “Hello,” she said walking over to her, “welcome to Tarmon.  I’m Jacqueline Fraser, Ross’ sister.”

“Hello,” Angela answered.  “I’m Angela McCarthy...I mean Angela McCabe, Ross’ wife.”

“Wife?” Jacqueline said to her and then turned towards her brother.  She smiled at him and said, “this is going to be a good story isn’t it?”

“I’m curious to hear it myself, daughter,” said Hamish McCabe as he descended the steps with Connors Da, Caiden Fraser.  “I think we should let my new daughter get off her horse and get these men settled first though.”  He then pulled his son in for a quick hug.  “Glad to see you, son.”

“Da,” Ross said, surprised to see the man.  “What are you doing here?”

“I’m visiting my daughter and granddaughters,” he said.  “Ham is somewhere around here also.”

“Fiona is showing him how well she shoots with her bow now,” Jacqueline said.  “I wanted to go with them, but my husband was being unreasonable this evening.”

“Watch it, wife,” Connor leaned over and said softly to her.  “It’s been a long while since you’ve been over my knee.”  Angela, who was close enough to hear him, gasped.

“Just ignore the overbearing beast,” Jacqueline said to her as she rolled her eyes.  Turning to her husband, she said, “welcome my new sister, Connor.”

“I’m sorry, Angela,” Connor said to her, “excuse my manners, my wife is correct, I should have welcomed you here first, then threatened to put her over my knee.”

“Stop it,” Jacqueline said laughing, slapping him playfully on the arm.

“You’ll pay for that later, wife,” Connor said giving her a quick kiss, showing her and their guests he was also playing around.

Ross walked over and helped his wife down from her horse.  “I’d also like to introduce you to William.  He’s in charge of Angela’s escort.  You may remember him, he grew up at Brahan, and we used to meet up at some of the festivals Da would take us too.  Is there a place for him and his men to bed down for the night?”

“William,” Jacqueline said, “welcome to Tarmon.  I’ll have one of the maids make up a room for you.  Connor, get Angus and have him show the rest of these men where they can clean up and bed down for the evening.  Are you hungry?”

“Starving,” Ross told her.  “We didn’t stop for an evening meal.  I’ll explain why we wanted to get here quickly when we get everyone settled.”

“I’ll have a meal served up for you and the men,” Jacqueline said to him.  Ross was impressed; his sister had turned into the perfect Lady of the Keep and hostess.

“Thank you, little sister,” he said to her, giving her another quick hug which she gladly returned,  when they finished, the group headed into the hall.

While they sat and ate, Ross filled the McCabe and Fraser families in on the circumstances of his marriage.  Angela sat quietly while he talked, feeling a bit shy and not sure where she fit in.

“So are you worried about this Lachlan Stewart trying something?” Ham, who had returned to the keep with Fiona asked.

“Aye,” Ross replied. “The man seemed a bit crazy.  When he struck Angela in the face, I wanted to kill him.”

“No man strikes a lady like that,” Caiden Fraser said.  “There is a better place to get a woman’s attention.”

“Oh stop it, Da,” Fiona told her father giggling.  “You’re going to make poor Angela think you’re all brutes.”

“They are all brutes,” Jacqueline said, although she was grinning.  She then turned to her new sister, “Angela, I’ve ordered you a bath, and I’ll take you up to your room if you’re ready.”

“I’ll show her the way,” Ross said, and began to rise.

“Sit down, brother,” Jacqueline said to him.  “Give her a chance to settle.  I’d like to spend some time with my new sister and get to know her in private.”

“I’ll give you a few minutes then,” Ross said and sat back down.

“You’ll give us an hour and no less,” Jacqueline told him, giving Connor a look.

“Very well,” Ross said.

As Angela rose from her seat, Hamish McCabe, who had been silent the entire time finally spoke.  “Did you know that your mother and my late wife used to be quite close friends?”

“Nay, sir,” Angela answered him.  “I heard your wife died many years ago.”

“That she did,” he answered.  “I’m just curious, did your parents ever have any sons?”

“Nay, Laird McCabe,” Angela again answered.  “Just myself and my two younger sisters.”

“First, you will call me Da,” Hamish told her.  “I am thrilled to add another daughter to the family.  Second, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing Iain McCarthy very soon.”

“I don’t think he’ll come here.  The guards will tell him what has happened and that we’ll be along shortly,” Angela told him.

“You are the oldest daughter, and you’ve married a man without your father’s permission.  If I remember how Iain is, he’ll be here sooner than you think,” Hamish said.  “We’ll talk more later, daughter, go enjoy your bath.”

“Thank you, sir...I mean Da,” Angela said and smiled at him.  From the look he had given her after asking about her family, she had a feeling he may already know the secret she hadn’t even told her new husband yet.  She was hoping he wouldn’t be upset with her when he found out.  Afterall, it was the reason Lachlan had tried to force into marrying him.

Jacqueline led Angela out of the hall and up the stairs, leading her into the room that had been prepared for the newlyweds.  She was hoping the bath she had ordered would be ready and waiting.

-------

“That sister of mine gets bossier the older she gets,” Ross complained after they left.

“Didn’t you say the marriage was rushed, Ross?” Connor asked him.

“It was very rushed,” Ross said.  “We were married within a couple of hours of meeting.”

“Does your new wife know what is expected of her tonight?” Connor asked.
“I’m not sure.  I’m assuming her mother has talked to her,” Ross answered.

“You’re assuming, but you don’t know. Give my wife some time to talk to her and prepare her,” Connor said.  “It’ll make things easier on both of you.  A woman is very scared the first time.”

“Oh,” Ross said.  Finally realizing what his sister was doing.  His mind was now on the conversation his wife and sister were probably having upstairs.

-------

“I’m not the best ladies maid, but I wanted you to be able to relax for a few minutes,” Jacqueline said as she helped Angela into the tub.

“Thank you,” Angela said as she sunk down into the warm water.  “This feels wonderful.  I always feel so dirty after a day or two of traveling.”

“So do I,” Jacqueline told her.  “Just soak for a bit.  I noticed you don’t have very much clothing with you.  Do you have a nightdress?”

“I was just going to sleep in my shift,” Angela told her.  “Ross insisted on sending my trunk with the rest of the guards to Tioram.”

“I’ll get you one of mine,” Jacqueline said.

“You don’t need to do that,” Angela said, surprised by the kindness she had been shown since arriving at Tarmon.

“I’ll return in just a few minutes.  You can get washed up while I’m gone,” Jacqueline said.

Angela washed quickly; it felt wonderful to wash the dust off and get clean again.  She was just finishing washing her hair when Jacqueline returned with a large drying cloth and something to wear after.

“Let’s get you dried off,” Jacqueline said, holding the cloth up and helping Angela step out of the tub and wrap up in it.  “Do you need some help brushing out your hair?”

“I’m not even sure where my brush is,” Angela told her.  “I know I brought it with me.”

“I had one of the maids unpack your things; I hope that’s alright.  It’s on the table next to the bed, let me grab it,” Jacqueline told her and did just that.  She then walked behind Angela and began helping her brush out her long hair.  “I don’t want to make our conversation awkward, Angela, but is there anything you’d like to ask me about what’s going to happen tonight?”

Angela, all of a sudden, became nervous.  “I wish we could wait until we knew each other better,” she said.

“From what Connor told me, you need to make sure this marriage is consummated in case this Lachlan tries anything to say your marriage with my brother isn’t binding,” Jacqueline said.

“I know,” Angela said.  “I’m just a little scared.”

“Don’t be,” Jacqueline told her.  “Although the first time can be a bit uncomfortable, if a man takes his time, it can also be very pleasurable.  The right man knows what to do.”

“Do you think Ross is the right man?” Angela asked her.

Jacqueline blushed and then said, “he’s my brother, so I try not to think about him in that way, but yes, I think Ross will be very kind and take care with you tonight.”

“I don’t know what to do,” Angela said to her honestly.

“You don’t need to know,” Jacqueline said.  “Ross will show you what you need to do.  Just be honest with him about what you like or don’t like.”

“Thank you, Jacqueline,” Angela said as Jacqueline slipped the nightdress she had brought over her head.  Angela turned to look in the mirror and blushed.  “This nightdress shows everything.”

“Aye,” Jacqueline told her and giggled.  “It’s Connor’s favorite, although it doesn’t seem to stay on very long when I wear it.”

“Thank you so much,” Angela said as she turned and wrapped her arms around her new sister.

“We’re going to be good friends,” Jacqueline said hugging her back.  “We women have to stick together in the McCabe clan; we’re very outnumbered.  Let’s get you tucked into bed.”

Jacqueline helped her over to the bed where the covers were already pulled back and helped her get settled.  “Can I ask you something?” Angela said.

“Of course,” Jacqueline said.  “You can ask me anything.”

“On the way here your brother beat me.  Do you think he’ll do that often?” Angela asked.

“He beat you?” Jacqueline asked.

“Aye.  He put me right across his knee and beat me.”

Jacqueline couldn’t help it and laughed.  “He didn’t beat you; he spanked you.  What did you do?  Ross is usually calmer than my other brothers.  He hasn’t spanked me near as much as Eadan or Alastair.”

“Beat me, spanked me, it’s the same thing,” Angela said, “and I really didn’t do anything.  He sent my trunk away, and I wanted to bring it here.”

“Not the same thing at all,” Jacqueline told her.  “A man beats his wife out of anger; he spanks his wife out of love.  Let me ask you a question.  Did you argue with Ross in front of the men or did you wait and talk to him in private?”

“I don’t understand,” Angela said.  “Why does that matter?”

“A man will lose respect from his men if they see his woman doesn’t respect him enough to follow his directions.  And when it comes to spankings, I’ve been over my husband’s knee many times since we were married.  He’s spanked me with his hand, my hairbrush and a belt, and afterward, he holds me and tells me how much he loves me,” Jacqueline tried to explain.

“How can you believe he loves you after that?”

“Because he always warns me about my behavior beforehand.  He’s never hit me with his fist, and he’s never left a bruise on me, well maybe a welt or two,” Jacqueline again tried to explain.  “I’m doing a terrible job explaining this to you.  All I know is I’ve never gotten a spanking I didn’t deserve, and afterward, I feel so safe and loved I can’t even describe the feeling.  Give Ross a chance, he’s a good man, and I’m not just saying that because he’s my brother.”

“Thank you again, Jacqueline,” Angela told her.  “I look forward to getting to know you better.”

“And I you,” Jacqueline said to her, kissing her on the cheek before standing to leave.  “I need to go feed my daughters, is there anything else you need?”

“Nay.  You’ve made me feel very at home,” Angela told her as she snuggled down under the covers.

“Good.  Have a good night, we’ll talk more on the marrow,” Jacqueline told her as she left the room closing the door behind her.

Angela was nervous but felt so much better after her talk with Jacqueline.  She had been pleasantly surprised the night before when they’d camped out under the stars, and her husband had pulled her close but had not tried to consummate the marriage then.  She had to admit; she had slept well and been quite warm wrapped in his arms.

She hoped Ross would be gentle with her, Jacqueline seemed to believe he would be.  Her mind then drifted to what had happened in the woods when she had argued with him about her trunk and the spanking he’d given her.  She had been arguing with him at the time, something she had never seen her mother do with her father in front of any of the men.  She was just beginning to wonder if Ross was right, maybe her Da did spank her mother when she heard his steps, and the door to the room opened.

Chapter 4 Wedding Night

“How was your bath?” Ross asked her, not sure what else to say.

“It was wonderful,” she told him.  “I really like your sister.  She’s very kind.”

Ross laughed and said, “I’ll tell her you said so.  She is very kind though, always has been.”

Ross, who was also nervous, found himself at a loss for words, he walked over to the bed and blew out the candle on the bedside table before getting undressed and climbing in next to Angela. He reached over and put his arm around her, pulling her over to him.

“I don’t know what to do.” she honestly told him, feeling nervous again.

“I didn’t expect you too,” he told her.  “Right now we’re just going to lay here and nothing else.”

“Nothing else?” she asked.

“Not until you’re feeling more comfortable,” he said smiling at her.  “You asked me about my family earlier but didn’t tell me about yours.  I’d like to hear more about them.”

“What would you like to know?” she asked as Ross laid on his back and turned her towards him, having her lie her head on his chest as he began softly rubbing her back.

“Tell me about your parents.  Do you have brothers or sisters?” he asked feeling her relax against him.

“You already know I was raised at Castle Tioram.  My Da’s name is Iain, and my Mither’s name is Catrina.  She’s from the McFarland clan,” Angela said, sighing against Ross’ chest as he continued to relax her.  “I have no brothers, but two younger sisters.  Kenna is ten and seven, and Rhona is ten and four.”

“All girls,” Ross said teasingly, “your poor Da.”

Angela giggled and said, “we do have a habit of making him a bit crazy sometimes.”

“I love that sound,” Ross told her.

“What sound?” she asked.

“The sound of you laughing,” he answered.  “I don’t think I’ve ever really heard it before.”

“You haven’t really known me at my best,” she told him.  “I usually laugh quite often.”

“Then that’s going to be my mission, to make you laugh,” he said.  “I want to see you happy and laugh all the time.”

“That’s so sweet, Ross,” she said.  “I’ve just been so scared and worried about what happened back at the castle.  I’ll be happy when we get back home.”

“We’re going to have to talk about that soon too,” he said.  “But not tonight.  I’d really like to kiss you now if you’ll allow it.”

Angela lifted her head from his chest and nodded at him as he put his hand on the back of her head and gently brought her lips down to meet his. Not knowing what to do at first she was stiff, but as Ross softly continued she began to kiss him back.  Ross proceeded to give her small closed mouth kisses until she seemed comfortable and was kissing him back.  Once she seemed ready, he pulled her head down again, a little more firmly and opened his mouth, running his tongue along the seam of her closed mouth.

Angela pulled back, and Ross let her, “what are you doing?” she asked.

“Kissing you,” he said.  “Trust me; you’ll like it.’

“With your tongue?” she asked, unsure.

“Aye,” he said chuckling.  “I promise you’ll enjoy it, but if I do anything you don’t like, you just tell me to stop and I will.”  Although she was unsure, Angela nodded and let Ross once again pull her head down towards his, pressing their lips together.

Angela was surprised how much she enjoyed kissing her new husband, this time when his tongue touched her lips; she opened them just enough for him to slide his tongue into her mouth until it touched hers.  Ross slowly coaxed her into the kiss as he slid his tongue in and out of her mouth until she began swirling her tongue with his.

He decided it was time to advance things just a bit more, instead of just rubbing her back he began running both his hands from her shoulders down to her arse cheeks giving them a slight squeeze before bringing them back up and doing it again.  Although his wife stiffened the first time, with each pass of his hands, she seemed to relax just a bit more.

Ross carefully pulled the covers down so he could see his wife.  Thanks to the full moon that was shining brightly outside and projecting light through the window in the room, he could see her quite clearly.  The gown she had on was quite sheer; Ross silently thanked his sister.

“How about taking off this nightdress?” he asked Angela.

“But then I’ll be naked,” she said, shocked that he had asked her to do such a thing.

“Well, aye,” Ross said chuckling.  “That was the idea.”

“You’ll see everything,” she said, not sure if she could lay naked with any man.

“I’m already naked,” Ross told her.  “With the covers pulled up you can’t even tell, I won’t look until you tell me I can.”

“You’re naked?” Angela asked, wanting to lift the covers to see for herself, but being too embarrassed to do so.

“I always sleep naked.  You’ll get used to it,” he told her, smiling up at her.

“Do I have to take it off?” she asked him.

“Nay,” he answered.  “But I’d like it if you did.”

“Turn your head,” Angela said, deciding to do as he asked.  Once his back was turned, she quickly pulled the nightdress over her head, laid back down and pulled the covers up to her chin.  “You can look now.”

Ross turned back towards his new wife and laughed softly.  “That wasn’t so bad was it?” he asked her.

“Not yet,” she said.

“I promise you’ll like it,” he said. He reached over and pulled her into his arms again, laid back and pulled her chest on top of him so that her generous breasts were pressed against his own bare chest.  Angela gasped at the contact as Ross pulled her head down and began kissing her, not giving her time to protest.

Angela couldn’t believe the sensations kissing Ross caused.  She felt like she could kiss him forever.  Her breasts tingled where they rubbed against his bare chest, making her want to wiggle against him.  As he swirled his tongue with hers, his hands again began to stroke down her back, over her buttocks, giving them a squeeze, before journeying north and starting all over again.

Soon Ross pulled his mouth from hers and moved his lips down to her neck, kissing and suckling in places that made her tingle in lower places on her body that had never tingled before.  She let out a small moan, turning her neck to give him better access.

“Does that feel good, wife?” he asked her.

“Aye, Ross,” she said, bringing her lips down on his again.

This time Ross began to stroke her hips and sides, bringing his hands up to the outside of her breasts and softly rubbing them.  When his wife again didn’t object he kissed her harder before pulling her body fully on top of his.  Angela froze as she realized her naked body was in full contact with his.

“It’s alright,” he said to her.  “Nothing we do in this bed is wrong.”

“I’ve just never been near a naked man before,” she said.

“I would hope not,” Ross said laughing.  “You’ll never be with another besides me either.” He then gave her two quick smacks on her butt.
Smack, smack.

Angela couldn’t help it and giggled nervously.  “I won’t, I promise.”

Once again Ross began kissing her neck as he felt his cock grow hard.  He gently pulled his wife’s knees down so that she straddled his torso, pushing her up slightly so that he could grab a breast in each hand.  He gave them a gentle squeeze, making Angela again moan softly.

Ross gently grabbed his wife under each arm and lifted her slightly so that his mouth was even with them and quickly pulled one nipple in sucking on it at first gently, then applying more pressure.  When his wife again didn’t protest he pulled back letting it make a popping noise as he let go and did the same to the other.

“Do you like that?” he asked her.

“Aye,” she said.  “It feels so good.”

By now his cock was rock hard and although he wanted to ram it into his new wife he knew he had to be gentle.  As he suckled her breast, he reached down and began to run his thumb along the crease of her cunny.  Angela jumped at first, but Ross was persistent and kept suckling first one breast and then the other as he pushed his thumb through her folds, finding her clit already hard and her cunny wet.

Ross liked the reactions he was getting from Angela, although at first, she jumped when he had touched her, she quickly settled down, and as he began to rub back and forth from her opening up to her hard little nub, she began to rock her hips.  He knew she had no idea that she was doing it.  He again pulled a nipple into his mouth and bit down on it just hard enough to distract her as he pushed a finger up inside her extremely tight hole.

“Ohhhh,” she moaned again as she pushed her hips down onto his hand driving his finger even deeper.  “What are you doing to me?”

“Showing you the marriage bed is nothing to be scared of,” he said to her, smiling at her.  “Just do what feels good.”  He pulled her earlobe into her mouth and sucked on it as he pulled the one finger out and pushed two back in preparing her for what was yet to come.

Ross pulled his soaking wet fingers out of her cunny and repositioned her so that her cunny now sat right upon his cock.  He grabbed a breast in each hand and squeezed as he rocked his hips up making his cock slide between her folds and across that nub that was growing harder with each touch.

“What is that?” Angela asked.

“That’s my cock,” he told her.  “Do you like that?” he asked as he again pushed his hips up making his cock slide through her folds and hit the spot again.

“I do,” she said and began to rock her hips herself as he played with her breasts and kissed her lips and neck.

Ross knew his wife had no idea that she was doing it.  She began to rock faster and push down harder as his cock made contact with her nub.  She began to breathe harder and louder with each pass.  Knowing she was about to cum, he took hold of her hips, pulling her tightly onto him, she began to grind her cunny down on him. Then it happened, he felt her whole body tighten as her nub began to pulse against his cock.  He quickly lifted his wife’s hips, aligning her opening with his cock, he pulled her back down as he thrust his hips up, tearing through her maidenhead in one motion.

“Ouch,” Angela cried out, the pain being overpowered by the orgasm she was still experiencing, her body convulsing with pleasure.

“The worst is over,” Ross told her as he stayed still inside of her, letting her body relax on top of him.

“That was the worst?” she asked when she could finally think again and process what had just happened.

“That was it,” he said.  “Tell me if this hurts.” He pulled his hips back slightly, pulling out just an inch of his cock, before pushing back in.

“It stings a little,” she said.

“It’ll get better,” he said as he quickly flipped her over, while still inside her so that she was underneath him.

He then began pulling out and pushing back in just a bit more each time, carefully watching his wife’s reactions to make sure he wasn’t causing her any pain.  Soon Angela forgot about the slight pinch of pain she’d felt at first.  What Ross was doing to her began to feel so good she began thrusting her hips up to meet him, wanting more.

“Feel alright now?” he asked her.

“Aye, Ross,” she said.  “Do it harder, please.”

“Your wish is my command, My Lady,” he said, chuckling as he pulled out and pushed back in harder than he had before.

Soon Ross slipped both arms underneath his wife’ knees pushing them up as far as they could go as he pulled out and thrust his cock back in.  With each thrust, the pace became faster, and soon he was ramming into her as she moaned and squirmed underneath him.  Once again Angela felt her body tighten and then the pleasure again overtook her.  She wasn’t sure, but she thought she heard someone scream.

Ross was pleasantly surprised when his wife screamed and came, squeezing his cock so tight he was only able to thrust into her three more times before erupting himself.  As soon as his climax was done, he collapsed on the bed next to her, and once again pulled her into his arms.

“So that’s what married people do?” she asked him smiling.

“That’s what they do,” he said smiling back.

“I’d like to try that again,” she said to him.

“Are you sore?” he asked.

“Aye,” she said.

“Then tomorrow, wife,” he answered her, pulling her head down onto his chest.  “We’ve got the rest of our lives.”

Chapter 5 Lachlan Returns

“Has anyone seen my wife?” Ross asked his Da and Caiden Fraser who were sitting in the hall, each holding and playing with one of their granddaughters.

“She was with Jacqueline and Fiona last I seen,” Hamish told his son.

“Maybe they’re with Connor then,” Ross answered and walked to the table, then he smiled and said, “give me one of those babies.”

“I really don’t like having to share,” Hamish teased his son.  “You’re just going to have to get one of your own.”

“Give us some time, Da,” Ross said laughing as his father handed him Annabelle.  “She is so cute.”

“That she is, son,” Hamish said, as he made silly faces at the baby making her smile.

“You’re going to scare her, Da,” Ross said jokingly, turning away with the baby quickly.

“Never,” he said.  “She loves her Grandda.”

“What’s everyone doing in here?” Connor asked as he walked into the hall with Fiona.

“I was looking for my wife; I heard she was with your wife and Fiona,” Ross answered looking at Fiona.

“Maybe she’s giving Angela a tour of Tarmon,” Connor said.  “I told her not to leave the keep with this Lachlan fellow on the prowl.”

Ross noticed Fiona look away as Connor answered and directed his next question towards her, “do you know where the two of them are, Fiona?”

“Nay?” she answered, saying it more as a question.

“Are you trying to hide something, daughter?” Caiden asked her.

“Nay?” she again answered.

“I think you’re hiding something, sister,” Connor said to her, looking her right in the eye, “spill it.”

“I promised your wives I wouldn’t tell,” she said guiltily.

“Not tell us what, Fiona?” Connor asked her, becoming annoyed.  Then he took a guess, “did they leave the keep?”

“They just went to the archery field,” Fiona said.  She turned to Ross and asked, “did you know your wife shoots?”

“I didn’t know,” he said.  “But that doesn’t make it alright for her to sneak off when Stewart is still about.”

“Agreed,” Connor said.  “I plan on setting my wife straight as soon as I get her home.”

“I agree with that,” Ross said, handing the baby back to his Da. The two men headed for the door and the archery field.

-------

Jacqueline and Angela were having a grand time.  Although Angela was not as good as Jacqueline, which not many people were, she could handle a bow quite well.  “Who taught you to shoot?” Jacqueline asked her.

“My Da,” Angela answered.  “With there only being daughters, he taught all of us how to handle a bow.  Did you learn from your Da?”

“I learned from my brothers,” Jacqueline answered.  “Mostly Eadan, Ross, Ham and Alastair.”

“I can’t wait to meet Eadan and Alastair and the others,” Angela told her truthfully.  “I was so nervous about meeting your family, but you, Ham and your Da have been so kind it makes me want to meet the rest.”

“I’m glad,” Jacqueline told her.  “I remember what it was like when I first came here and met Connor’s family.  I was terrified; now I love them as much as my own family.”

“I can see how close you all are,” Angela said.  “I want that too.”

“Just be yourself, and the rest of my brothers will love you as much as I do.  I’m so glad you’re my new sister,” Jacqueline said; giving Angela a big hug which she gladly returned.

“Thank you, Jacqueline,” she said.  “You’ve made things so much easier for me.  Do you think we should head back before our husbands notice we’re gone.”

“It’s probably too late for that,” Jacqueline said laughing.  “Knowing Connor, he already knows.  Somehow he always knows when I go against his orders.”

“Aren’t you scared he’ll spank you?” Angela asked.

“I know he’ll spank me,” Jacqueline told her.  “He hasn’t spanked me since I had the twins.”

“Are you saying you want him to spank you?” Angela asked surprised.

“It’s not the spanking I want,” Jacqueline told her.  “It’s what comes after.”

“What comes after?” Angela asked her.

“I have a feeling you’re going to find out soon,” Jacqueline told her and pointed to their husbands, who they could see coming towards them still at a distance.

“We have a few minutes if you’d like to take another shot or two,” Jacqueline said to her giggling.

“How can you laugh knowing your husband is going to beat you?” Angela said, worried about what Ross was going to do to her.

“Neither of our husbands is going to beat us,” Jacqueline told her, “spank us, probably.”

Before Jacqueline had time to finish what she was going to say, three men came out of the trees on the side of the archery field with swords drawn.  “Put down those bows, pretty ladies,” one of them said menacingly.  “We’re being paid good money to take one of you, but I don’t have a problem with taking you both.”

“Being paid good money from who?” Jacqueline asked, stalling for time, knowing the men couldn’t see Connor and Ross heading towards them.

“From a very generous man who wants that one,” he said pointing at Angela.

“Lachlan Stewart?” Jacqueline shouted out.  “Get yourself gone before you end up dead.”

“I’m not scared of no lady learning how to use a bow,” another one of the men said snickering.  “Let’s just take them and leave.  Lachlan can have his lady, and we’ll have fun with the other.”

Jacqueline had heard enough, as the men stepped forward, she drew an arrow and loaded her bow, letting the arrow fly before any of the men could react.  Her arrow hit the crass man dead center in his chest.  Jacqueline was surprised when another arrow hit the man standing next to him in the stomach, dropping him to his knees.

“You killed him,” said the third man.  “You bitch,” he said and stood to attack again.  “You killed me brother.”

Again Jacqueline pulled an arrow and let it fly the same time Angela did, both arrows striking the man, making him drop instantly.  Jacqueline looked up just in time to see her husband running towards her as he swept her up into his arms, Ross did the same to Angela.

“Are you both alright?” Ross asked.  “What’s going on?”

“Those men came out of the trees and said they were going to take us,” Jacqueline said, as a tear rolled down each of her cheeks.  “They said they were hired by Lachlan Stewart to get Angela, and they were going to keep me for themselves.”

“This is why I wanted you to stay in the keep, wife,” Connor angrily told her.  “We’ll be discussing this in private when we get back to the castle.”

Connor let go of his wife and went to check on the three men.  Two were dead and the third badly wounded.  “Let’s get this one back to the keep and question him.  Maybe he can tell us where Lachlan Stewart is.  I’ll help you track the bastard down; no one threatens my wife.

“Agreed,” said Ross. He turned to Angela and said quietly, “we’ll also be having a private discussion in our room.”

Connor and Ross each took one of the man’s arms, half carrying and half dragging him back to the keep where he was turned over to William and Angus for questioning.

“See if you can find out where Lachlan Stewart is,” Connor told Angus.  “I’ll check in with you soon.” He then took his wife by the arm leading her into the hall and up the stairs.  As he passed his and Jacqueline’s fathers, he said, “keep the babies for a little bit.  I need to talk to my wife.”

“My wife and I also need a private discussion,” said Ross as he led Angela up the stairs behind them, and into their own room, closing the door and barring it behind him.

“Please don’t beat me, Ross,” Angela said to him, she was shaking she was so scared.

“Do you really think I’m the kind of man who would beat my wife?” Ross asked her.

“You are going to,” she said.  “I can tell.”

“Nay,” Ross said, “I’ve told you before I’ll never beat you, but I am going to spank you till you promise to listen to what I tell you.”

“I’ll promise now,” she told him.

“Not good enough,” he said.  “Do you even realize, you could have been taken today by those men?  God only knows what they would have done to you or my sister.”

“I know,” Angela said to him.  “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.”

“You’re going to be even sorrier soon.  I want you to take off your dress.  I’ll let you keep your shift on since this is your first serious punishment,” he told her.

“Nay,” Angela said.  “I’m sorry.”

“Take off the dress, Angela, or I’ll start adding extras with the strap,” Ross calmly told her.

Angela wasn’t sure what was going to happen but knew she didn’t want to earn any extras.  She quickly stripped down until just her shift remained.  Ross grabbed the chair from the desk that sat in the corner and brought it to the middle of the room.  Sitting down, he called his wife over to him.

“Come here, wife,” he said.  Angela very slowly walked towards him. “Lay yourself over my lap.”

“I can’t-do that, Ross,” she said.

“You have ten seconds, and then I start adding extras,” he calmly told her.  Angela thought about it for a second and then laid herself across his knees feeling both scared and silly.

Ross wasted no time, grabbing the bottom of her shift and pulling it up exposing her bare arse cheeks.  “Nay, Ross,” she cried trying to reach back and pull her shift back down.

Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.
“Put your hands down on the floor, now, Angela,” he told her.

“But you can see everything,” she complained, not wanting to reach back and earn extras, but not being able to put her hands down.

Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.
“None of this count towards your punishment until your hands are down,” Ross told her.
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.

“They’re down,” she said, putting her hands down on the floor below her.

“Better,” he said as he rubbed her arse which had turned a nice pink color.  “Now let me explain what is going to happen.  You have fifty spanks with my hand coming.”

“Fifty?  You’ll kill me if you hit me fifty times,” Angela complained already crying.

“Nay,” he said.  “It won’t kill you.  I do want you to think about what those men would have done to you if they had gotten hold of you.  You’d be begging for just fifty swats on your arse.”

“You’re right, Ross,” Angela said, thinking about what Lachlan would have done to her if the men would have even turned her over to him.

“Let’s get this over with then,” Ross said and began.
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack. Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack. Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack. Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack. Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.
“That’s thirty, wife,” he said, rubbing her cheeks that were now beginning to turn red.  “I just want to keep you safe.  I’m beginning to fall in love with my wife, and I wouldn’t want anything to happen to her now.”

“You’re falling in love with me?” Angela asked.

“Definitely,” Ross answered as he began again.
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack. Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack. Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.
“That’s fifty,” Ross said.

“Can I get up now?” Angela asked him sniffling.

“Not yet,” he told her.  “We aren’t quite done yet.”

“You said fifty spanks,” Angela cried.

“I said fifty spanks to start,” Ross replied.  “I’m going to let you up, and I want you to go get your hairbrush off the table and then come back to this position.”

“Please, Ross, no more,” Angela said and began crying harder.

“Do as I say, wife,” Ross told her and stood her on her feet.  Angela did as he asked, handing him the hairbrush and getting back into position.

“Just ten more,” Ross told her.  “These are to remind you that I only tell you not to do things to keep you safe.  Once Stewart is gone for good, I won’t keep you from doing the things you enjoy.  I’ll even take you to the archery range and shoot with you.”

“I am sorry I didn’t listen, Ross,” Angela said as the brush came down on her sit spot for the first time.
Splat.
“Ouch,” she screamed.  “I can’t take that, Ross, it’s too much.”

“You’ll take it,” Ross said and continued with the rest of the punishment.
Splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat.
“And we’re done,” Ross said pulling her up to sit on his lap and putting his arms around her. Angela winced as her arse came in contact with his leg.

“I don’t ever want you to do that to me again,” Angela cried into his chest.

“I won’t have to if you listen to what I say.  Believe it or not, I didn’t enjoy it,” Ross told her.

“My arse hurts,” Angela said to him.

“Want me to kiss it and make it better?” Ross asked her, smiling at her.

“That only works for children,” Angela said, although she did grin at him.

“Oh it works on wives too,” Ross said.  “Let me show you.”  He then picked her up and carried her to the bed, laying her down, so her head, torso, and hips were on the bed with her legs hanging over the side.

Ross dropped to his knees on the floor in front of her and spread her legs wide.  “Ross,” she squealed, trying to close her legs.

“Trust me,” he said to her.  “You’re going to love this.”  He then leaned forward, taking the sides of her cunny in his hands and pulling them apart, baring her opening and clit.  He leaned forward more and ran his tongue from her opening all the way up over her clit, making it jump and pulse.

“Oh,” she said and laid back.

Ross chuckled and did it again, and again, and again.  On the last pass, he held his tongue in place on the nub that was beginning to harden.  He took his hand and placed a finger at her opening swirling it around in the wetness that was beginning to collect there.

“I told you that you’d like it,” he said after she moaned.

“Why does that feel so good?” she asked him.

“Just lay back and enjoy it, wife,” Ross said as he pushed his finger up inside her and began licking her nub over and over again.  Soon she was bringing her hips up to meet him each time he thrust his finger inside of her.  Ross pulled out one finger and replaced it with two, he laid his tongue flat against her nub and pushed down on it as hard as he could running it back and forth firmly.  It didn’t take long until he felt his wife tighten around his fingers as her nub began to throb and jump under his tongue.

“Ross,” Angela screamed.

Ross smiled as he reached down and released himself from his brays, he stood up quickly and with one thrust entered his wife as far as he could go.  Angela, who thought her orgasm was over, began to cum again, “oh my god,” she yelled as she tightened around Ross’ cock.

Ross began to thrust in and out of her quick and hard as he leaned down to kiss her.  It didn’t take long for his own orgasm to overtake him and he erupted into his wife, collapsing half on top of her.

“So that’s what Jacqueline was talking about,” Angela mumbled.

“What?” Ross asked her.

“Your sister,” Angela tried to explain.  “She said Connor hasn’t spanked her since before the babies were born.  She said she didn’t miss the spankings, just what comes after.  Is it always like that after a spanking?”

“I really don’t want to know about my sister and Connor,” Ross said laughing.  “She will always be my baby sister, even though I know she has two children, I don’t want to even think about what her and Connor do in the privacy of their rooms.”

“Do you think her punishment is over already too?” Angela asked.

“No way,” Ross said laughing.  “She will sass him and earn extras.  I’ve disciplined my sister before; she never makes it easy.”

Angela joined in laughing with him as he pulled her up onto the pillows and into his arms, where they both fell into a light sleep.

Chapter 6 Jacqueline and Connor

“Strip,” Connor said to Jacqueline as he barred the door behind them.

“Why?” Jacqueline asked.  “I can just pull my skirts up.”

“That’s five extra with the strap,” Connor said to her.  “Would you like to make it ten?”

“Fine,” she said to him and started taking off her clothes till finally, she stood in front of him naked.

“Now into the corner,” Connor said.

“I hate the corner,” she complained.  “Just spank me and get it over with.”

“Ten extra,” Connor said.

“Stop, Connor,” Jacqueline said.  “I’ll do it.  You don’t have to be so mean about it.”  She stomped over and put her nose in the corner like she had been told.

“Did you disobey me today, wife?” Connor asked quietly behind her.

“You know I did, Connor,” she spat back at him.  “Why ask me questions about things you already know the answer too.”

“So why did you do it, Jacqueline?” he asked.  “You had to know I’d spank you.  Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”

“Nay,” she answered truthfully.  “I knew you’d find out.”

“Then why?” he asked her.

“I don’t know,” she answered.

“Not good enough, wife,” he said.  “Put your hands up on the wall next to your head.” He waited for her to follow directions before continuing, “don’t move your hands.  Let me know when you want to give me a truthful answer.”  He then began bringing his hand down on her bottom cheeks, alternating sides.
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.

“Stop,” Jacqueline cried out, fighting back tears.  “I just missed our time up here together, just the two of us.”

“So you did it on purpose so that I’d spank you?” he asked her, not believing what he was hearing.

“Aye,” she said.  “Not the spanking part though, the part that comes after.”

“Do you have any idea what those men planned on doing to you?” he asked her.  “What if there would have been more of them?”

“I know, Connor,” she said.  “I never thought it would be dangerous.”

“Well I did,” he said.  “That’s why I said to stay in the Keep.”  He walked over and stacked pillows on the edge of the bed.  “Come over here and lay across the pillows,” he said to her.

Jacqueline walked slowly and did as she was told, she knew Connor was very angry with her.  He didn’t give her much time to settle before grabbing her hairbrush and starting in on her arse with it.

“I can’t believe you would put yourself in that kind of danger,” he began saying, then paused as he brought the brush down.
Splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat.
“If something happened to you I’d be devastated,”
Splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat.
“Not to mention our children growing up without a mother.”
Splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat.
“Don’t you know how much I love you?”
Splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat.

“Stop, Connor,” she cried.  “I’m so sorry.”  How could she have put herself in danger and not thought about her daughters?

“Stay there,” he said to her.  “You’ve got ten with the strap coming yet.  Let’s get this over with so I can hold my wife.”

Connor said no more as he grabbed his belt wanting to get the punishment over with almost as much as his wife did.
Swish, thwack, the strap landed across her thighs.  “Don’t move,” he told her.  “I don’t want to have to add more.”  Jacqueline nodded and closed her eyes, waiting for the next stroke.
Swish, thwack, swish, thwack, swish, thwack, swish, thwack, swish, thwack, swish, thwack, swish, thwack, swish, thwack, swish, thwack.

“Done,” Connor said dropping the belt on the floor and pulling his wife up into his arms.  Jacqueline laid her head down on his chest and cried.

“I’m a terrible mother,” she said between her sobs.  “I didn’t even think about my children and put myself in danger.”

“You are a wonderful mother,” Connor said as he stroked her back.  “You wouldn’t even let me get a wet nurse, and insisted on feeding both of our daughters yourself.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t listen to you and could have never seen them again.  I’m so sorry, I’ll try to be a better wife,” she again sniffed.

“You couldn’t be any better of a wife,” Connor told her.  “I don’t ever want you to change.  I love you just the way you are.  I just want you to be more careful.  The girls would miss you if something happened, but I don’t know if I would survive it.”

“Oh, Connor,” she said.  “I love you so much.” she reached up and put a hand on both sides of his face as she pulled him down and pressed her lips to his.

It didn’t take long, and Connor felt his cock begin to harden as his wife let her tongue stray into his mouth.  She reached down and began to rub his cock through his brays and kilt.

“Let me help you with this,” she said as she broke their kiss and dropped to her knees in front of him.  Pulling his brays down and his kilt off.  She gently grabbed his cock in her hand and stroked it just the way he had taught her, and she knew he liked.

“That feels so good, wife,” Connor said as he laid his hand on top of her head.

“This will feel better,” she said as she leaned forward and licked his cock from the tiny hole on the top all the way down to his balls underneath.

“Open your mouth and suck it,” he said as he pulled her head forward onto his cock.  Jacqueline did as he asked.  She loved sucking Connor’s cock almost as much as he liked having it done.  She began working up a rhythm pulling in as much as she could before pulling back.

“Stop,” Connor said, pulling her off of him and helping her up off the floor.  He led her over to the bed and leaned her over it just as she had been for her punishment.  “This way you don’t have to lay on your sore arse.”

“How considerate of you, husband,” Jacqueline said giggling.

Connor leaned over her, placing a hand between her legs, rubbing her in all the right places.

“Is this what you missed, wife?” he asked her.

“Aye, husband,” she said, moaning as Connor thrust two fingers up inside her.

“Next time just tell me, wife,” he said.  “I’d be glad to meet you up in our rooms anytime.” He pulled his fingers out of her and thrust his cock into the just vacated space.  “Then we can have a fun spanking instead of a punishment spanking.”

“Really?” Jacqueline said as she thrust her hips back against him.

“Really,” he said.  “Cum now wife, right now.” As he said it, he took his already wet finger and pushed it up her arse making her explode and tighten around him.  Connor thrust inside her twice more before he too came inside his wife.

“That was wonderful,” Jacqueline said as she lay next to her husband.

“Aye, it was,” he said and kissed her.  “I could sleep now.”

Jacqueline laughed and said,  “me too, but our daughters will be hungry soon.”

“Then let’s head downstairs together,” he said.  “I think I’m going to keep you in my sights a bit more often.”

The two got up from the bed and began dressing in the clothes they discarded just a few minutes ago.

“Don’t worry, Connor,” she said.  “I’ll listen to what you tell me.  The thought of our daughters growing up without a mother terrifies me.”

“Me too,” Connor said and gave her a playful slap on the arse.  “Let’s go, wife.”

“Aye, husband,” she said, giggling as she ran out the door ahead of him.

Chapter 7 Laird of Tioram

“Riders heading this way,” Angus reported to Connor.

“Can you tell who they are?” Connor asked.  “Are they flying a banner?”

“They are,” Angus said.  “But they’re too far out to see clearly who it is.”

“Close the gates for now until we know for sure they’re friendly,” Connor told him.  “We can always reopen them if all is well.”

“I’ll get right on it,” Angus said leaving the hall.

“I’m going to head up to the wall to see if I can make out who’s coming,” Connor told the rest of the family, who were gathered having their evening meal.

“I’ll come with you,” Ross said, and Ham nodded in agreement.

“Can I come?” Jacqueline asked.  “I’ll leave as soon as you tell me too and I’ll stay behind the Parapet.”

“Just for a little while,” Connor said to her.  “I don’t want you up there if it turns dangerous.”

“Can I come too?” Angela asked Ross.

“Same rules as for my sister,” Ross told her. Angela nodded and followed along.

“You two will watch the babies for me won’t you?” Jacqueline said to the two Grandda’s, who hoarded the babies as much as they could.

“Of course we will,” said Hamish to his daughter.  He was already holding Alyssa while Caiden held Annabelle.  Jacqueline knew they switched often making sure both babies got equal attention.

“If you need me, just send Edith to get me,” Jacqueline told them both before turning and following her husband and brothers up onto the wall to see who was heading to their home.

“Can you see the banner?” Connor was asking Ross as she joined them.  “You know more of the family crests than I do.”

“I can’t make it out yet,” Ross told him, trying to focus on the banner.  “We should be able to see it more clearly soon.”
“I know who it is,” Angela suddenly yelled out.  “It’s my Da.”

“Are you sure?” Ross asked her.

“Aye,” she said excitedly.  “I’d know that rider out in front anywhere.  That’s definitely my Da.”

“Open the gate,” Connor yelled to his guards, as the group got closer.

“That’s definitely Tioram’s banner flying,” William, who had just joined them, added.  “I believe Lady Angela is correct, and that’s Iain McCarthy riding in the front.”

Angela ran down the stairs heading towards the gate to greet her Da.  It seemed like such a long time since she had seen him, although, in reality, it’d been just a little more than a fortnight.

“Whoa,” Ross said to her grabbing her around the waist to slow her down.  “Hang on there.  We’ll meet him inside the gate just in case there’s any trouble.”

“It’s my Da, Ross,” she said to him somewhat annoyed.  “What kind of trouble could there be?”

“I don’t know, wife,” he said to her in a warning tone.  “Remember our discussion a few days ago and your promise to listen to my concerns?”

Angela nodded, realizing she was being warned about her tone and attitude. Not wanting to be spanked again so soon she said, “I remember, Ross.  I’m sorry.”

“I know you’re excited to see your Da, I don’t want to ruin that for you,” he said and smiled at her.  “I just prefer to do it here surrounded by Tarmon guards.  We didn’t get much information from the man that attacked you before he died.”

Again Angela nodded as her Da and his guards rode through the gate of Tarmon and right up to her and Ross.  “I’ve been so worried about you,” Iain McCarthy said as he jumped off his horse and hugged his oldest daughter.

“Didn’t the men who brought my trunk home tell you what happened?” Angela asked hugging him back.

“They were attacked along the way.  Only half of them made it back and many of them were wounded,” Iain explained.  “I did hear a tale of you being married.”

“Hello, Laird McCarthy,” Ross said extending his hand to the older man.         “I’m Ross McCabe, and I did marry your daughter.”

“Ross McCabe,” Iain said, not taking the hand that was still held out to him.  “Any relation to Hamish McCabe?”

“He’s my Da, sir,” Ross answered.  “He’s actually in the great hall right now making silly noises and faces at his granddaughters.”

Iain McCarthy laughed out loud at that statement and said, “well that’s something I definitely need to see.”  He reached forward, finally accepted the hand Ross still held out to him.  “I heard what you did for my daughter.  I’m hoping for more of the details of what happened, but I believe I owe you my thanks.”

“No thanks needed, Laird McCarthy,” Ross said.  “I didn’t just marry her out of duty.  I married her because, for some reason, it just felt right.  Your daughter has a pull on me I just can’t explain.”

“I felt the same way from the moment I met her mother,” Iain told the young man.  “Let’s go see your Da.  I haven’t seen him in probably fifteen years.”

Ross and Connor left the Tioram guards in the hands of Angus and William and made their way into the great hall.  As they entered Hamish McCabe was in the process of blowing raspberries on his granddaughter’s belly making her laugh and squeal out loud.

“Well I’ll be damned,” Iain said loud enough for Hamish to hear him.  “You weren’t kidding; he is making silly faces with his granddaughter.”  He then burst out laughing.

“Iain McCarthy?” Hamish called out.  “I had a feeling we’d be seeing you soon.  I figured it would take at least another day or two though.”

“My guards were attacked on their way home,” Iain explained.  “I was worried about me daughter, and left as soon as I heard the story about what happened at the castle.”

“You know then that my son married your daughter,” Hamish said to him as Iain took a seat next to him.

“Aye, I do,” Iain answered, “and who is this lovely little lady you’re entertaining?”

“This is my granddaughter, Annabelle,” Hamish said handing the baby over to Iain and then reaching over and taking the other from Caiden.  “And this little lady is her twin sister, Alyssa.”

“They’re beautiful,” Iain said as he bounced the baby on his knee.  “I wouldn’t mind having one of these myself next year.”

“Da,” Angela said, her face turning red.

“Well, I wouldn’t, daughter.  You’re married now and I’d love a grandchild, boy or girl is fine with me,” he said smiling at her.

“We’ll work on it,” Ross said laughing as he put his arm around his wife and pulled her into his side.

“Don’t encourage him,” Angela said to Ross but smiled at his good humor.

“Everyone sit,” Caiden said.  “Pull up more chairs, Connor.”

Connor did as he was told and soon all three Lairds, William and Angus, Connor and Jacqueline, Ross and Angela, plus Ham and Fiona were settled around the table discussing the attack on the Tioram guards.

“Do you think it was this Lachlan Stewart fellow again?” Ross asked.

“I’m sure it was,” Iain answered.  “One of the guards that survived recognized him.  He also said they searched the camp afterward looking for the woman.  I’m glad you brought her here, Ross.  I hate to think what might have happened if she was in the group heading for home.”

“Why is he so insistent on making you his wife?” Ross asked Angela.  “He has to know that we’re married now.”

“He doesn’t know does he?” Iain asked his daughter.

“Nay,” was all she said as she answered him.

“What don’t I know?” Ross asked.

“So you never had a son?” Hamish asked his old friend.

“Nay,” Iain answered.  “We were blessed with three beautiful daughters.  There were some birthing complications with the last and Catrina never conceived again.”

“Probably a good thing,” Hamish said, remembering the death of his own wife after the birth of Jacqueline and James.

“I think so, my friend.  The midwife said another birth could be the death of her.  No one understands that more than you,” Iain replied.

“What don’t I know?” Ross again asked.

“I have no sons to make the next Laird of Tioram,” Iain explained to Ross.  “That means with Angela being my oldest daughter; her husband will get that honor.”

“Me?” Ross asked, “Laird of Tioram?”

“Aye, son,” Hamish said and smiled.  “If you’re going to be a Laird, you really need to keep up.”

“You knew?” Ross asked his Da.

“I had an idea,” Hamish answered. “I remember Iain saying years ago that if he only had daughters; he would just make his son by marriage the next Laird.”

“And you knew?” Ross asked his wife.

“I knew,” she nodded and said.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”  Ross asked.

“Because I wanted you to get to know me for who I am,” Angela answered, “not for what you get by marrying me.”

“That actually makes sense,” Ross said and leaned over giving his wife a hard kiss in front of everyone.  “So far I like everything I’ve learned about you.”

“That makes this old man happy then,” Iain said.  “It’s actually funny, Hamish, I was thinking about contacting you to arrange a marriage between Angela and one of your sons.  Even though I haven’t seen you in many years, I knew you were a good family.  I also remembered you had a lot of sons.”

“Then fate has obviously stepped in and arranged the marriage itself,” Hamish said.

“You’ll have to return with me to Tioram of course and make it your home,” Iain said to Ross.

“I always thought I would live at Gleann and be in charge of the guard there,” Ross said, still letting the news settle in.

“Owen can take over the guard in a few years after he serves the King,” Hamish said.  “We’ll miss you at Gleann but you’ll only be a few days ride away.  I’m happy for you, Ross; this is a great opportunity.”

“I would have liked to have been able to go home and say goodbye to everyone,” Ross told his Da.

“Connor and I are heading to Gleann to visit in a few months since Nessa will be having her baby.  Why don’t you and Angela meet us there then?” Jacqueline suggested.

“That’s a wonderful idea,” Ross said, cheering up.  “I’d love to introduce Angela to the rest of our brothers.  Would you like to do that?” he asked his wife.

“I’d love to meet them all,” Angela said smiling at him.

“Then let’s plan on it,” Jacqueline said.  “It will be fun to all be back at Gleann together again.  When will you have to leave for Tioram?”

“I’d like to spend the day letting the horses rest up, and we can all spend the day visiting tomorrow and head towards home the next day.  It’s an easy ride from here,” Iain answered.  “With the dozen guards you brought with you and the fifty I brought with me I believe we should be safe from attacks heading home.”

“Just to be safe I’m going to send another thirty of mine to ride with you,” Caiden said.  “This Stewart fellow seems a bit crazy if he’s still trying to get to Angela.”

“He is crazy,” Iain said.  “He came to Tioram a little over a year ago and asked for Angela’s hand in marriage.  I refused of course since he hadn’t even met my daughter before.  I knew he must have found out somewhere about her husband becoming the next Laird of the clan.”

“You never told me that, Da,” Angela said.

“I didn’t want to concern you,” Iain said.  “He left after I turned him down, I haven’t heard anything about him until the guards told me what happened at the castle.”

“Thank God Ross came along when he did,” Angela said and shuddered.

“I am also grateful for that,” Iain told her.  “You may have been forced to marry the man, but I can almost guarantee, you would have been a widow by the next morning.”

“Da!” Angela exclaimed and then giggled.

“It’s the truth, daughter,” Iain said to her being serious.

“I wish now I would have run him through when I had the chance,” Ross said.

“I wish you would have to, son,” Iain answered.  “No use dwelling on it now.  I have a bad feeling that killing him is going to end up being the only way to get rid of Lachlan Stewart.”

Chapter 8 Defiant Wife

“You be careful, son,” Hamish told Ross as he was preparing to travel to his new home.

“I will, Da,” Ross said to told him.  “I don’t trust Stewart for a second.  If he attacked the last group heading for Tioram, he’ll try again.”

“Hopefully with the guards Connor is sending along, he’ll leave you alone,” Hamish told him.

“Considering we’ll have close to one hundred men he’d be crazy to try something,” Ross said.  “My fear is he’ll try to snatch my wife somewhere along the route.”

“Keep her close to you no matter what happens,” Hamish said.  “We’ll see you in a few months at Gleann, if you need anything before that just send a messenger, we’ll always be there for you.”

“I’ll be there, Da,” Ross said and was surprised when his father hugged him.

“I’m really proud of you, Ross,” Hamish said.  “You’ll be missed at Gleann.”

“I’ve been gone for three years, Da,” Ross said smiling at his father.

“But then I used to tell myself you’d eventually be coming home.  Now I know you won’t be,” Hamish said.

“It’s only two days travel,” Ross said.  “You make sure you come visit us when this Stewart mess is cleared up.”

“You know I will,” Hamish said, “especially once there’s a bairn to bounce on this old knee.”

“You’re becoming baby obsessed, Da!” Ross teased.

“Never knew how much I’d enjoy being a Grandda,” Hamish said, laughing with his son.  “I’m not even upset that I have to stay at Tarmon for a few more days.  It’s more time to spend with those beautiful baby girls.”

“Good.  I felt bad that Connor was sending the guards he promised to you as escort to get home,” Ross said.  “They should be back in a few days, and then you’ll be able to get back to Gleann.”

“No rush,” Hamish said.  “Just take your time, guard your wife, and be safe.”

“My turn to say goodbye,” Jacqueline said pushing her way in between her Da and brother.  “You be careful out there.  I love your wife; you make sure she gets home safe.”

“I’ll make sure,” Ross said, then he whispered. “I think I love my wife too.”

“Make sure you tell her that,” Jacqueline said.  Then she hugged him and said, “I’m sure going to miss you.”

“I’ll see you in a couple of months, you’ve gone much longer without me around,” Ross teased.

“I know.  But I always knew you were eventually coming home then,” Jacqueline said, fighting back tears.  “This time you’re going to a new home, and I have a new home.”

“We’ll still see each other, little sister,” Ross said hugging her again.  “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” she said.  “Now get out of here before you make me cry again.”

“Two months,” he said as he mounted his horse.  “I can’t wait to see Eadan’s new son or daughter.”

Jacqueline waved as her brother, sister by marriage, and the large group of guards rode out of the gates.  A tear slid down her cheek as she watched them leave.  “Goodbyes are always hard,” Hamish said to her as he put an arm around her shoulders.

“They are, Da,” she said, then after thinking for a minute, she giggled and added,  “sometimes I miss when we were all growing up and running around Gleann making the villagers crazy.”

“That you did, daughter, that you all did,” he said laughing with her as they headed back into the castle.

Ross rode in the middle of the guard for more than an hour, scanning the side of the road and looking off into the distance for trouble before finally relaxing.  Angela rode next to him with her Da on the other side.  Almost half the men rode ahead of them with the other half behind as they created a barrier around Angela, a plan they had come up with before leaving Tarmon.

“You are not to leave my sight for any reason until we are safe at Tioram,” Ross finally said to Angela.

“Well I’m going to have to leave your sight once in awhile,” she said to him.  “I’m going to have to attend to my personal needs along the way.”

“Your personal needs won’t be so personal along the way,” Ross told her.

“You can’t go with me and watch, Ross,” she said.

“Either he does, or I do, daughter,” Iain, who had been listening to the conversation, said.

“Da,” she complained, “some things are private.”

“Don’t argue, Angela,” Ross warned her.  “You promised me you would listen.”

“Oh that’s right,” she said, becoming angry.  “That would be while you were hitting me.”

“You hit my daughter?” Iain almost shouted, pulling up on his reigns.

“I spanked your daughter,” Ross answered, “and I’m about to take her into the woods and do it again if she keeps this attitude up.”

“Ahhh,” Iain chuckled.  “I’ve had to take her mother into the woods a few times over the years myself.”

“You would never hit Mither,” Angela said to him.

“You’re right,” he said, “I would never hit her, but I’ve spanked her many times.”

“I can’t remember you ever spanking her,” Angela said.

“Some things are private between a husband and a wife,” Iain answered.  “Spankings are one of those things.”

“Oh,” Angela said.

“Aye, oh,” Iain replied.  “With the way you’re acting, I wouldn’t blame Ross for turning you over his knee for a round.”

“If it’ll make you both feel better,” Angela said, “I’ll make sure Ross is with me every second on this trip.”

“Thank you,” Ross said.  “I’m not trying to make you miserable, Angela; I just want you to be safe.  I don’t trust Stewart for a second.  I keep waiting for an ambush around every turn.”

“Me too, son,” Iain said.  “I just have a feeling something is going to happen.”  Ross nodded in agreement.

They rode the rest of the day and luckily had not encountered any problems as they made camp for the night.  Connor and Jacqueline had supplied enough food for each person traveling to be able to eat without having to worry about hunting or cooking.

“Want some bread and cheese?” Angela asked Ross as he laid out their bedrolls near the center of the camp, close to one of the fires that had been built.

“I’m starving,” Ross said as he sat down next to her, taking the food she offered.  “Thank you.”

“It was nice of your sister to make sure we had enough supplies to travel,” Angela told him.

“It was,” he said.  “Sure makes the trip quicker when you don’t have to stop to hunt and cook.  Your Da says we should be at Tioram by early afternoon.”

“I’ll be glad to get home.”  Angela said.  “Are you upset with me for not telling you about becoming the next Laird?”

“Well it would have been nice to know,” Ross said, then chuckled and added, “it was quite a shock when your Da mentioned it.  I understand though why you didn’t say anything, and just so you know, I’d have married you even if you were just a maid.”

“Really?” Angela asked. “Why?”

“I don’t know for sure.  I told you before; there’s just something about you that I can’t get out of my head.  It’s like you’re a flower and I’m a bee,” he said.  “I’m drawn to you.”

“I’m glad,” Angela told him blushing.  “I’ve never really liked anyone as I do you.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m falling in love with you,” Ross admitted.

“Really?

“Aye, really,” he replied, grinning at her.

“Well then, I’m pretty sure I’m falling in love with you too,” she said, grinning back.

“Good to know, wife,” Ross said pulling her in for a quick kiss, making Angela giggle.

“I need to go into the bushes for a moment before we sleep,” Angela told him.

“Come,” he said, standing up and extending his hand to her. “I’ll walk you over and stand guard.”

“I won’t go far, Ross,” she said.  “Please, can’t I have just a few moments to attend to my needs in private?”

“Nay,” he said.  “I won’t watch, but I’ll only be a few feet away.”

“Very well,” she said, putting her hand in his and letting him help pull her up.

Ross walked her into the tree line and found a clump of bushes where she would be able to have some privacy.  “Go right back there,” he told her.  “I’ll wait here.  If you hear anything not right just call for me, and I’ll come running.”

Angela nodded and walked around the bush.  She didn’t like that Ross was so close, it was embarrassing for him to be able to hear what she was doing.  Angela looked around and seen another group of trees not far off.  Ross would never know if she wandered just a little further away.  “I’m going to need a few minutes,” she called to him.

“Take whatever time you need,” Ross called back.  “I’ll wait.”

Angela walked softly to the area she’d seen.  She glanced back over her shoulder to make sure Ross was not watching before going behind them for the privacy she so badly felt she needed at that moment.  Just as she was lifting her skirts, she heard a noise behind her.

“I knew I’d eventually get you,” she heard Lachlan Stewart hiss in her ear as he clamped a hand over her mouth.  “You’re mine now.”

Angela began to struggle and fight with everything she had as Lachlan dragged her further into the trees. Not knowing what else to do, she opened her mouth and bit the hand he held over it as hard as she could, causing Lachlan to pull it away from her mouth for just a moment.

“Ross!!” she screamed as loud as she could before Lachlan again clamped a hand over her mouth; silencing her.

“You bitch,” he said to her as he punched her in the side with his other hand.  “You’ll be quiet, or you’ll pay the price.”

“Angela?” she heard Ross yell in the distance.  “Where are you?”

Although Angela knew Lachlan would be true to his word and she would pay for her defiance, she began fighting him with every ounce of strength she had.  She kicked, hit, and bit until finally, he had to take his hand away from her mouth again to hold onto her firmly.  He again struck her.  “I said quiet,” he again hissed at her.

Ross could hear the commotion in the trees not far away and ran in that direction pulling his broadsword from his back as he went.  When he broke through the trees, the image he seen made him see red, as Lachlan Stewart struck his wife on the side of the head making her lose her balance and almost fall.

“This time, Stewart, I’m going to kill you,” Ross yelled as he ran towards them.

“She was mine first, McCabe,” Lachlan sneered at him.  “I’m just claiming what should have been mine.”

“She will never be yours,” Ross said.

“You may be safe this time, but I’ll be back,” Lachlan said as he pushed Angela roughly away and ran deeper into the woods.

“Stay here,” Ross said, catching her before she fell and sitting her gently on the ground.  Angela just nodded at him.

Ross ran as quickly as he could trying to catch up with the man in front of him.  As he broke through the trees and entered  a clearing Lachlan Stewart was mounting his horse, which had been tethered there.

“Your wife will be my wife as soon as I see you dead,” Lachlan said, making sure he got the last word in. Pointing at Ross he said,  “you’ll be seeing me again soon.”

Lachlan never anticipated Ross McCabe’s next move.  Although he was still too far away to catch Lachlan before he took off on his horse, he pulled his dirk and threw it at him.  He had been aiming at his chest, but just as his arm went forward, he stumbled on a rock, making the dirk go off target, hitting Lachlan’s hand and severing his middle finger, which fell to the ground next to his horse.  Lachlan looked at his bleeding hand and quickly pulled it to his chest.  He never said another word as he kicked the sides of his horse and rode away as quickly as he could.

Ross quickly made his way back to his wife who was still sitting just where he’d left her.  “Are you alright?” he asked her checking her head where he had seen Lachlan strike her.

“Aye,” she said.  “Did you catch him?”

“Nay,” he told her, “although he is missing a finger now.”

“You cut off his finger?” she asked, and for some unknown reason laughed softly at the thought.

“Lucky dirk throw,” he told her and smiled at her.  He picked her up and cradled her in his arms and began walking back to camp.

“I can walk, Ross,” she said to him.

“I feel better if you let me carry you,” he told her.

They didn’t talk anymore on the way back, each lost in their own thoughts.  Ross gently set her down on a log near one of the fires that had been lit for warmth that night.

“What happened,” Iain asked seeing Ross carry her back.

“Lachlan Stewart was in the forest and attacked her,” Ross said to him.  “I just can’t figure out how he got close enough to pull her away with me standing just a short distance away.”

“He grabbed her?” Iain asked.  “Did he hurt you, daughter?”

“He hit me a time or two,” Angela told her Da.  “I’ll be a bit bruised tomorrow, but it could have been much worse.”

“Do you know how he was able to sneak up on you?” Iain asked.

“I may have wandered further away than I was supposed to,” Angela reluctantly admitted.

“What do you mean you wandered off?” Ross asked.

“I didn’t want you to hear me, I thought I could go just a little bit further away and it would be alright,” she said, seeing the anger on Ross’ face.

“Even though you knew Lachlan Stewart could be out there somewhere, you wandered away?” Iain asked her.

“I didn’t think he would be following us, Da,” she said.  “If I knew he was out there I wouldn’t have done it.”

“I’ll be back,” Ross said and stood up.

“Where are you going?” Angela asked.

“First, I’m going to go for a walk to calm myself down,” he said through clenched teeth, “then I’m going to find a place where I can spank you in private, until you agree never to put yourself in danger like that again.”

“I already agree to that, Ross,” she said to him but he just put his hand up, turned and walked away.  “Ross,” she yelled after him.

“Let him go, Angela,” her Da told her.

“He’s so angry,” she said.  “I’ve never seen him angry before.”

“He has a reason to be angry at you.  I’m not too happy with you myself,” Iain told her.

“I’m sorry, Da,” she said again.  “I won’t do it again.”

“I’m sure you won’t by the time your husband finishes with you,” Iain told her.

“You’re not going to let him beat me are you?” she asked.

“Nay, I won’t let him beat you,” he answered.  “But the spanking he’s going to give you has been well earned.”  Angela gasped, shocked at his words.  “You stay right there,” Iain told her.  “I need to walk a bit and calm down myself, before I turn you over my knee first.”

“Da,” she called to him.

“Not another word, daughter,” he said and walked away.  As he walked past William, she heard her Da tell him to keep an eye on her.

Angela sat by the fire and thought about what she’d done.  Ross and her Da were right; she had put herself in danger because she hadn’t listened to what they told her.  How could she have been so stupid knowing Lachlan was still around.  It seemed like quite a long time before Ross finally returned.

“Come with me,” he said extending a hand to her.

“Ross, I’m sorry,” she tried to say as she put her hand in his and let him pull her to her feet.

“We’ll talk later,” he said. He led her quite a ways into the woods until they came to a large rock.  “No arguing with me Angela.  I want you to lift your skirts and lean over the rock right there.”

Although she wanted to argue and plead with him, Angela knew she deserved whatever was coming.  How bad could a spanking really be, she had survived the last one and she would survive this one.  She slowly lifted her skirt and leaned forward as she’d been asked.

“Your shift too,” Ross said as he cut three branches off one of the surrounding trees and began to strip the bark.

“Someone could see me,” she told him.

“No one will see you.  I’ve already checked the area,” Ross calmly replied.  Not wanting to anger him again she did as he asked.

“You are to stay in position,” he told her.  “No one will hear this punishment unless you make noise.”

“Alright,” she said.

“The first ten will be across your calves,” he said.  Angela didn’t know what he meant till she heard the noise and felt the first strike on her right calf.  At first ,it didn’t feel like much, but within a few seconds, it began to burn.
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish.

“Stop, Ross please,” she said after the tenth stroke.  “It’s too much.  You must be making me bleed all over.”

“Never had a switch taken to you before I see,” Ross said.  “I can assure you that I haven’t broken the skin anywhere, but it will sure feel like it.  The next ten are going just above your knees.”

“Please, Ross,” she begged, beginning to cry.  “It’s too much.”
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish.
“Please stop,” she screamed on the tenth stroke.

“Do you think Lachlan Stewart would have been kind to you and not hurt you?” Ross said.  “I can’t believe you put yourself in such danger.  I’m going to make sure it never happens again.  The next ten will be on the upper thighs.”
Swish, swish, swish swish, swish, swish swish, swish, swish, swish.

“I know what I did was stupid and it could have ended much worse,” she said to him, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“That’s a start.  I don’t tell you to do things to be mean to you.  I love you, Angela, and I just want to keep you safe.  I can’t-do that if you disobey me every time you disagree with me,” Ross said to her.

Angela was crying too hard now to say anything and just nodded, knowing what he was saying to her was true.  “The next ten will go on your sit spots.  Stay in position and don’t move and this will be done,” he told her.
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish.

“That’s it,” Ross said, throwing down the switch and grabbing his wife and pulling her into his arms.  “Please don’t ever put yourself in danger like that again.  I just found you, I can’t lose you yet.”

“I’m so sorry,” Angela cried, clinging to him.  “I love you too.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear,” he said, taking her chin and making her look up into his eyes.  “I’d really like to kiss you right now.”

“I’d really like you to kiss me right now,” she answered, smiling through her tears.

Ross cupped the back of her head and brought his lips down softly onto hers.  He pulled back once and then did it again.  The third time Ross opened his mouth slightly and touched her lips with his tongue.  He was thrilled when she opened her mouth immediately pulling his tongue in and swirling it with her own.  Ross felt his cock harden and pulled his wife closer knowing she could feel it through her skirts.

Angela didn’t know what was wrong with her.  Although Ross had just punished her more severely than ever before, she couldn’t get enough of him.  As he kissed her, that special place only he had ever touched before, began to tingle.  Ross pulled her in closer still kissing her and she could feel how hard his cock was as it pressed into her belly.  She brought her hand up and rubbed it first, then gave it a firm squeeze.

“If you keep doing that, wife I’m going to bend you back over this rock and take you right here,” Ross joked with her.

“Is that possible?” she asked.

“Very possible,” he told her.

“Aye, please,” she said, breathing heavy.

Ross didn’t try to talk her out of it.  He gently turned her around and with his hand on her back, gently pushed her torso back down over the rock in the same position she had been in just a few minutes earlier.  This time he didn’t wait for her but pulled her skirt and shift up, laying them across her back.

“Spread your legs,” he whispered into her ear.  Angela did as he asked.

Ross reached down and ran his hand over her mound, even on the outside he could feel she was wet.  He took one finger and ran it back and forth over her folds, going just a bit deeper each time till he was finally running his finger from her cunny hole to her nub which was already hardening from his attention.

As he rubbed her cunny with his hand, he leaned over her back, pushing her hair out of the way, he began kissing and sucking her neck and earlobe.  Angela moaned as Ross finally pushed one finger inside of her, not even realizing it, she instinctively pushed back, trying to make him go deeper.

Ross couldn’t believe what a lucky man he was.  Not only was his wife wet, she was soaked.  He took his finger out of her and ran it back up to her clit which was now rock hard.  He rubbed over and around it, spreading the wetness from her cunny all around.  Again Angela moaned and he added a finger and pushed two back up inside of her.  Pushing them in and pulling them out, working up a steady rhythm as his wife pushed back against him with each finger thrust.  Ross knew he couldn’t take much more, he reached down and released his cock from his brays.  It sprung free sticking straight out.  Ross pulled his fingers out and began to vigorously rub his coated fingers around her nub, pushing a little more firmly than before.  Angela was rocking against him, trying to get his hand in just the right spot.

“Are you ready to cum wife?” Ross asked her.

“Please, Ross,” she said.  “I can’t take much more.”

“Then cum now,” he said, pinching her clit and feeling it began to pulsate under his finger and thumb.

“Oh,” Angela began to yell out just as Ross pushed his cock up into her with one forceful thrust.  Again the spasms of orgasm overtook her as her husband pounded into her from behind while he rubbed her nub, never giving her orgasm a chance to lessen.

Ross was in heaven.  Angela was cumming so hard and squeezing his cock so tight it was unbelievable.  He had never had sex that felt this good before.  He pounded into her, at first scared he was going to hurt her, then realizing she was enjoying it as much as he was.  It didn’t take long for him to feel his balls tighten as he exploded inside of her.  He slowed his pace down letting both of them catch their breath.  Finally, he pulled out and again turned his wife towards him, kissing her.

“I didn’t know that was possible,” Angela told him as she laid her head down on his chest.

“There are a lot of ways to enjoy each other,” Ross told her.  “Once we get settled, I look forward to showing you more of them.”

“I think I’m looking forward to them too,”  Angela answered and giggled.  She pulled her skirts down in the back and leaned against the rock behind her for just a second before jumping back up.  “Ouch.”

“You’ll be sore for a few days,” Ross told her.  “Please don’t ever scare me like you did today ever again.”

“I won’t,” she said.  “I know I deserved the switching you gave me.  Even my Da threatened me, and he’s never spanked me  before.”

Ross just nodded at her.  “Are you ready to go back to camp?”

“I need a moment of privacy,” she told him.  “I never got to go when Lachlan grabbed me.”

Ross laughed and led her over to a bush not far away letting her take care of business.  He knew this time she wouldn’t wander away.  When she finished he led her back to camp.

Chapter 9 Tioram

“I can’t wait for you to meet my Mither and sisters,” Angela said to Ross as their horses topped a hill and Tioram came into view off in the distance.

“We’ve still got another hour or more to travel, daughter,” Iain said to her. Then he turned to Ross and explained, “just as we can see Tioram from up here, my guards in the tower next to the gates will also see us.  Once we descend back down the hill, we won’t catch sight of the castle for quite a while again.”

“That’s a nice feature to have if you were being attacked.  Is there always a guard keeping a watch on this hill?”

“Always,” Iain told him.  “We haven’t been attacked for many years here, but back in the day, when the clans warred often, I’m told it saved the lives of the villagers many times.”

Ross nodded.  “I can see why.  I’m assuming you would move the villagers into the keep then?”

“Aye,” Iain explained.  “The castle and hall are quite large.  A bit bigger than Tarmon anyway. The McCarthy clan has always done well with their farming; we also raise cattle and sheep here.”

“Glad to hear that,” Ross said approvingly.  “I hate to hear of any clan where children go hungry in the winter months.”

“Our people may not eat like royalty during the winter, but no one has gone hungry in many years,” Iain told him proudly.

“Glad to hear that too,” Ross said laughing.  “I do like to eat and do so as often as possible.”

Iain and Angela laughed with him until Iain finally said, “let’s get home.” He kicked his horse into a trot, and the rest followed as he led the way to Tioram and Ross’ new home.

Ross, who had been impressed with the size of Tioram at a distance, was almost overwhelmed with how large the keep and castle were up close.  “I didn’t realize how large the castle was going to be when we stopped on the hill,” he said to Angela.

“It is a rather large place.  My grandparents had twelve children and added onto it at that time.  With my Mither and Da only having the three of us, there’s plenty of empty rooms,” Angela explained.

“You’re Da has hinted more than once that he’d like some of those empty rooms filled,” Ross said jokingly to her.

“He only hinted to you?” she asked smiling back.  “He came right out and told me.”

“I’m willing to work on filling one soon,” he said grinning.

“I thought we had already started working on it?” she said blushing, but smiling back at him.

“That we have, wife,” he said to her as they rode through the gates and up to the steps leading into the castle.

Three women came rushing down the steps towards Angela and Iain as the horses came to a stop.  Ross knew from his discussions with his wife that they would be her mother and two younger sisters.

“Da, Angela, I’m so glad you’re home,” said the youngest girl.  “I missed you both.”  Angela got off her horse and hugged the young girl.

“I missed you too, Rhona,” Angela told her, she then turned and hugged her other sister and finally her mother.

“I was so worried about you,” said Catrina McCarthy.  “When the soldiers that survived the attack on them made it back here and told us about what had happened at the Mayday festival, your Da left right away to find you.”

“It was quite terrifying for a bit, Mither,” Angela told her.  “Oh, I want you all to meet someone.”  She took her mother and sister Kenna by the hand, leading them over to where Ross had dismounted his horse and had been watching his wife greet her family.  “This is my husband Ross McCabe, Ross this is my Mither, Catrina McCarthy.”

“It’s nice to finally get to meet you, ma'am,” Ross said politely.  “Angela talks about you all the time.”

“Welcome to Tioram, Ross,” Catrina sincerely told him, “and thank you for saving my daughter.  I heard what you did from one of the wounded soldiers I’ve been helping care for.”

“Saving Angela was easy,” he told her.  “I’ve come to care for her very much in the short time we’ve been married.”

“Ross,” Angela interrupted, “these are my sisters Rhona and Kenna.”

“Hello, ladies,” Ross said, giving them a slight bow.  “I’m delighted to finally meet you both; your sister talks about you often.”

“You’re really married?” Rhona asked Angela, “to him?”

“She really is,” Ross answered for his wife.  “We married a sennight ago.”

“Welcome to Tioram,” Kenna said to him.

“Come, everyone,” Catrina called to the group as the stable boys led their horses away.  “I’ve had the cook prepare a meal for you.  Once the guards seen your group on the hill, I knew you’d probably be hungry when you arrived.”

“Actually, Mither, Ross’ sister Jacqueline sent us with enough food to travel for three days instead of the two it took to get here.  We ate well, but a hot meal would be appreciated,” Angela told her.

“I thought there were only McCabe boys,” Catrina said.  “Last I heard there were six of you.”

“There are actually eight boys and one girl,” Ross said.  “Jacqueline is the baby of the family, and she married Connor Fraser last year.”

“They have the cutest twin girls, Mither,” Angela excitedly told her.  “I’m an aunt.”

“Twin daughters?” Catrina asked.  “She must be very busy.”

“She is,” Angela said, then she laughed and added,  “well actually she sometimes has to fight to get to her own babies.  Alyssa and Annabelle somehow end up with their grandda’s quite often.”

“Annabelle was your mother’s name wasn’t it, Ross?” Catrina asked.  “I met up and corresponded with her many times when I was younger, before she married your father.”

“Annabelle was my Mither’s name, and Alyssa was Connor’s.  Both of them lost their mother’s young and decided to name their daughters in memory of them,” Ross explained.

“That’s a lovely way to honor them,” Catrina agreed.

The family sat down at the head table, and the servants began to bring out various meats, roasted vegetables, cheeses and fresh bread.  Ross hadn’t realized how hungry he was until the smell reached him.

“Don’t be shy,” Iain told him.  “Dig in.  We have a wonderful cook here at Tioram, and I think you’ll be happy with the meal.”

“It smells terrific,” Ross said as he began to fill his trencher.

“So tell me about your family, Ross,” Catrina said.

“Especially about your brothers,” Kenna added, making Ross grin.

“Well,” he began, “you already know I have seven brothers and one sister.  Eadan is the oldest.  He married a very nice girl last year named Nessa, and they are having their first bairn in a few months.  Eadan will be the next laird of Gleann.  Then there is myself and my twin brother Ham. Ham is Eadan’s second, I was supposed to take over training the castle guard, but that has now changed.  Next is Alastair.  He’s a wonder with training horses and is now running the stables at Gleann.  Then there is another set of twins, Craig and Rory.  Rory has recently finished an apprenticeship as a tanner and returned home where he will take over that duty.  Craig is almost done with his apprenticeship as a blacksmith.  When he returns home, he’ll also take over that responsibility in the village. Oh no.”

“What is it, Ross?” Angela asked.

Ross began to laugh as he explained, “the day I came across Lachlan Stewart attacking you I was on my way to the blacksmith to see about an order I placed for some new armor.  I never picked it up.”

“Will the blacksmith hold onto it for you?” Catrina asked.

“I’m sure he will, for a short while anyway.  I just don’t know when I’ll have a chance to go retrieve it,” he said.  “No worries, I’ll figure something out another day.”

“We’ll find a way for you to get it,” Iain told him.

“Finish telling me about your family,” Catrina prompted.

“Alright,” Ross said.  “After Craig and Rory, comes Owen.  Owen just finished fostering with the Fraser clan.  He’s now in the service of the King for the next three years.  He’d like to become a knight, and my Da is hoping he’ll take over the guard in my place when he returns.  That just leaves Jacqueline and James.  They’re the last set of twins.”

“Your mother had three sets of twins?”  Catrina asked.

“She did,” he answered, “although she passed away two days after Jacqueline and James were born.”

“That must have been difficult for your sister to grow up without a woman around,” Catrina said to him.

“I’m sure it was,” Ross said, “but she learned from us.  She can ride better than everyone except Alastair, she’s better with a bow then all of us except Eadan, she knows how to use a dirk, and we had just started teaching her how to use a sword when she married Connor.”

“She is very good with her bow,” Angela said.  “She took me to the practice fields and showed me.  She offered to help me with my skills the next time we meet.  She made me feel very welcome at Tarmon, and I like her very much.”

“A woman doesn’t need to master such a skill,” Iain said.  “All you girls have learned the basics, that’s enough.”

“I disagree, Iain,” Ross said.  “A woman should know how to protect herself.  Jacqueline has used her skills once.  She saved not only herself, but also Angela when Lachlan hired mercenaries to abduct her.”

“I didn’t hear about that,” Iain said.  “How did it happen?”

“Neither of them were supposed to be out of the keep,” Ross explained.  “They not only almost paid a heavy price for disobeying their husbands on the field, but also paid a heavy price from their husbands afterward.”

Iain nodded at him and smiled knowing exactly what he was telling him.  “So what about your brother James, is he still at Gleann?”

“Nay,” Ross said.  “He attends university.  James has always been very smart and excelled at his studies.  He asked my father to send him to the University in Glasgow, and my Da agreed.  When he returns, he’ll work with Eadan on contracts for the clan.”

“That’s impressive,” Catrina said.  “A well-educated young man can be quite an asset to a clan.”

“My Da agrees,” Ross said as he finished his meal.

“Is he married?” Kenna asked.

“Not yet,” Ross answered, hiding his grin.  “He has two years left before his studies will be completed.  I don’t think he’d even consider it until he’s finished.”

“Let me show you to your rooms,” Catrina said.

“I can show him, Mither,” Angela told her.  “You don’t need to worry about it.”

“I have a surprise for you, daughter,” Catrina told her.  “When I heard you’d gotten married I had you moved to a more fitting room.”

“You moved me?” Angela asked, she was surprised to hear this news, she’d been in the same room for as long as she could remember.

“Come,” Catrina told them both.  “Let me show you.”  She led them up the stairs and down a long hall, past the room Angela had stayed in almost her whole life, before stopping at a set of double doors at the end of the hall.

“You’re giving us Grandda and Grandma’s old room?” Angela asked.

“It used to be the Laird’s rooms.  When they passed away your Da and I were happy in the rooms we’d always used, and left this one empty.  Since Ross will be the next laird, and you the lady of the keep, it seemed only fitting to move you in here now,” Catrina told the couple.  “This room has been empty for far too long.”

Angela hugged her mother and said, “thank you.  I’ve always loved these rooms.  I remember playing in here when Grandda was still alive.”

“I had the rooms cleaned, the mattress restuffed and fresh linens made for the bed,” Catrina told her.  “They are now your rooms, and you can decorate them any way you want.”  She opened the doors and motioned for Ross and Angela to enter before her.

Ross was amazed by the size of the room he entered.  The solar was spacious, with a large fireplace against one wall.  Catrina walked over and opened one of the doors leading off of the room and said, “Ross, this will make a nice study for you, there’s already a desk in here for your private use.”  She then walked over to the other door, which opened into a large bedroom.  “This will be your bedroom.”  Ross entered the room and looked upon the most enormous bed he had ever seen.

“This is more than I ever expected,” Ross told her.  “Thank you, Catrina, you’ve made me feel very welcome.”

“You are welcome, Ross,” Catrina said and gave him a quick hug.  “You saved my daughter from a horrible man.  I’m grateful for that.  I’m going to take my leave but I’ve ordered a bath to be sent up for both of you.  I’m sure you’ll appreciate it after traveling.”  With those final words, Catrina turned and exited the room, leaving Ross and Angela alone for the first time in two days.

Chapter 10 Christening

“It’s going to feel wonderful to be clean again,” Angela said as the servants brought in the tub and buckets of hot water.

“I agree,” Ross told her.

“I forgot to have my Mither send up one of the maids to help me with my bath,” Angela said.

Ross watched the servants leave not wanting to answer her until they were gone.  Once the door closed behind the last of them, he turned to his wife, “if you don’t mind, I’ll be your ladies maid tonight,” Ross said smiling at her.

Angela blushed but answered, “I don’t mind.”

Ross led her into the bedroom where the tub had been set and filled and began undoing the laces on the back of her gown.  He peeled it off of her, letting it fall to the floor around her feet.  He grabbed the bottom of her shift and pulled it up, making sure he ran his hands up the sides of her body as he went until he pulled it over her head, letting it fall onto the floor near her dress.  “You are beautiful,” he said to her as she stood in front of him naked for the first time.

“Thank you,” she said, her face turning red.  She wanted to bring her arms up to cover her breasts but knew Ross was enjoying looking at her, so left them down.

Ross swept her up into his arms, making her giggle, and carried her over to the tub, where he gently lowered her into the warm water.  “My maid has never done it that way,” she said laughing.

“I would hope not,” Ross said, laughing softly.  He wet the washcloth in the tub, grabbed the soap, rubbing the two together to work up a lather.

“What are you doing?” Angela asked him, watching what he was doing.

“I’m going to wash you,” he said smirking.

“I can wash myself, Ross,” she told him.

“But I’d like to do it for you,” he said as he began running the cloth across her back.  “Let me do it.”

Ross washed her back, her arms and then reached around the front of her, washing first her stomach.  When she didn’t protest, he let his hand roam higher, until he was washing her breasts.  He looked at his wife’s face, seeing how red her cheeks were, he began to laugh softly.  “Are you embarrassed?” he asked.  “I’ve seen all of you before.”

“But we’ve always been in bed before, and you were naked too,” she said, although her face was still red, she grinned at him.

“I can remedy that,” he said and began taking off his clothes so that he was as naked as she was.  Angela couldn’t help but stare when he pulled off his brays, and his cock stood straight out.

“Can I touch it?” she asked him, still staring at his cock.

“Anytime you want,” he said moving closer and taking her hand in his, pulling it towards him and helping her wrap it around his protruding member.  “Like this,” he said, showing her how to stroke him.  Her wet hand slid up and down his shaft, making it jump.

“It’s softer than I thought it would be,” she said.

“That’s not soft, woman,” Ross said to her, making her giggle again.  “Scoot forward.”

“Why?  What are you planning to do?” Angela asked although she was already doing as he asked.

“I’m joining you in the tub,” he said, climbing in behind her and pulling her back against him.

“Oh,” Angela said as she felt his hard cock press against her arse.

“Let me finish washing you,” Ross said.  Taking up the cloth and reaching around in front of her and again thoroughly washing her breasts.  He worked his hand lower, washing her belly.

Angela laid her head back against Ross’ chest, enjoying the sensations he was bringing out in her as his hand worked the washcloth over her body.  She didn’t even notice when he let go of the cloth, letting his hand drift even lower.  Soon his fingers were on the folds of her cunny rubbing first the outside and then pushing a little firmer until his fingers were rubbing that special spot that she had recently learned felt so good.

“Your little nub is already hardening,” he told her.

“What little nub?” she asked him.

“Give me your hand,” he said to her, she did as he asked and he guided her hand between her own legs, letting her touch that special spot for herself.

“Oh,” Angela said, as he pushed her fingers through her folds and she felt what he had been talking about, making it jump under her touch.

“Rub it,” Ross said, his hand still on top of hers.

“This seems so wrong,” she told him, rubbing on the spot that felt so nice.

“Nothing is wrong when we’re alone in our rooms together,” Ross whispered in her ear.  “Keep rubbing,” he said as he took his hand off hers, bringing his fingers to her opening and pushing one inside.  “Does that feel good?”

“Aye,” she answered, adding a bit more pressure and raising her hips up in rhythm with her husband’s plunging fingers.

“That’s it,” Ross whispered in her ear.  “You look so beautiful right now.”

Angela didn’t know how beautiful she looked, but between Ross’ and her own fingers, she sure felt good.  She felt what Ross called her little nub grow even harder, and added just a bit more pressure, working her fingers over it faster and faster.  Finally, she felt it begin to convulse as her orgasm began.  “Ross,” she called out to him, pushing back against him even more.

“I’ve got you,” he said to her, taking her hand in his and running it over that special spot, making her orgasm go on and on.  Finally, her body began to relax, and he let go of her hand.  Seeing her make herself cum had made his cock so hard it was almost painful.  He needed it in his wife right now.  “Turn around,” he said to her.

Angela did as he asked immediately, wondering what he had planned next.  He didn’t make her wait long, grabbing her by both hips, he lifted her over his lap and pulling her down onto his cock, sinking to the hilt with one thrust.

“You’re in control,” Ross told her.  “Move however feels good for you.”

“What do you mean?” she asked him.

Ross took her by the hips again, lifting her up slightly before letting go and letting her cunny slide down onto his cock again.  “Like that,” he said.

Angela took hold of the sides of the tub and lifted herself up, feeling his cock slide out about half way before letting herself fall slowly back down onto him.  She shifted her knees as far to the sides as she could, making her sink down just a bit further.

“Feel good?” he asked her.

“Aye,” she answered lifting herself again and coming back down.  It only took her a minute to figure out a good rhythm.  Soon she was rising and coming down onto his cock faster and more firmly, not paying any attention to the water that was beginning to slosh over the side of the tub.

“That feels so good, Angela,” Ross told her,  “I’m not going to last much longer.”

“Mmmmm,” was all his wife said in reply.

“Cum with me,” Ross said, placing his hand between their bodies, again finding her clit, which had hardened once more.  He began rubbing on it with some force, as Angela’s breathing became harder and faster.  “Cum with me now,” he said and pinched that nub.

“Ross,” Angela screamed, as her body exploded with pleasure, her cunny squeezing his cock so tight he could barely thrust up into her.  To silence her, Ross pulled her lips down onto his as he also came forcefully, pulling her hips down firmly on top of him and grinding up into her.

Ross kissed her repeatedly, swirling his tongue with hers until Angela collapsed on top of him.  “I think I like this part of being married,” she said, looking him in the eye and grinning.

“If you like that,” Ross said to her, “just wait, there’s plenty more to show you yet.”

“I can’t wait,” Angela said, and they laughed together.

“Let’s get cleaned up, wife,” Ross said to her.  “We still need to christen that big bed.”

It didn’t take them long to finish washing up.  “We made a mess on the floor,” Angela said as Ross helped her climb out of the tub.

“It’ll be dried up by the morning,” Ross said to her, wrapping her in a drying cloth as he climbed out of the tub himself.

“It looks so different now,” Angela said, looking at his now softened cock.

“Not for long,” Ross said grinning at her.  “Do you need help brushing your hair?”

“Nay, I can do it,” she said, picking up her brush and pulling it through her long locks.  “I need my nightdress.”

“Nay, you don’t,” he said, again grinning at her.  “I’m just going to take it off of you anyway.  Are you done?”

“Aye,” she said, finishing braiding her hair and wrapping the drying cloth more securely around her.

“Good,” Ross said walking over to her and pulling the drying cloth off of her and letting it fall to the floor.

“Ross,” was all she had time to say before he picked her up in his arms, making her giggle once more, and carrying her over to the bed they would now share.

“I’m not done with you yet,” he said to her as he laid her down and then crawled on the bed himself.

Ross decided not to give her time to think, he crawled over her and began kissing her on the lips.  Once he felt her arms go around his neck he began kissing her neck, suckling on the spots he had learned made her sigh and moan.

Angela moved her arms from around his neck and placed her hands on his head, grabbing a fistful of hair in each hand as he slid further down her body.  He began kissing her breasts, pulling each nipple into his mouth, sucking at first gently, and then more firmly.  Again he slid down further, running his tongue from her breasts to her navel, swirling his tongue around the indention there.

Angela moaned, gripping his hair even harder.  “If you pull any harder, wife, you’ll be tearing my hair right out of my head,” Ross said laughing softly.

Angela blushed and softened her grip slightly.  “I’m sorry,” she said.

“No need to be sorry,” he told her.  “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.  You’ll enjoy this even more.”

He then slid down even lower kissing her on the mound of hair that covered her cunny before slipping his tongue into her folds there.  She gasped and moaned once more, tightening her grip on his hair without realizing it.

Ross winced but said nothing, grabbing the folds on each side of her cunny, he pulled them apart giving him a perfect view of what lay inside.

She was pink and soaking wet, making him smile again before running his tongue from her nub all the way down to her back entrance.

“Oh,” Angela said, jumping as he made contact there for the first time.

Ross did it again, and again, and again, each time he did, his wife jumped a bit less, getting used to the sensation and enjoying it more with each stroke of his tongue.  He pressed his tongue firmly on top of her clit as he plunged two fingers up into her opening and began stroking in and out, curving them just a bit until he found the spot up inside of her that felt a bit rougher.  He continued until she was so wet, she was actually dripping off his fingers.  He pulled them both out of her cunny and placed one on her bottom hole, rubbing the wetness around and around.  As he once more pushed his tongue down firmly on her hardening nub he began to slowly work his finger into her tight virgin bottom, again making her jump.

“ Oh my,” was all Angela was able to mutter as the sensations he was creating overwhelmed her.  It didn’t take long for her body to erupt and spasm as another orgasm began.  “Ross,” she screamed, just like she had in the tub.

Ross pushed his finger up into her bottom more firmly when he felt her body begin to spasm, working it inside up to the top knuckle before pulling it out and doing it again.  Her nub was rock hard and pulsed under his tongue as he ground down on it as hard as he could, he kept going until finally, he felt her body begin to relax.

Not giving her time to catch her breath he climbed up on top of her, pushing his cock, which was once again rock hard, into her slowly.  He pushed in a quarter of the way and then pulled out, then pushing in just a bit more before pulling out, each time pushing in a bit more until finally sinking all the way in.

He kept the pace slow and gentle until finally, his wife whispered to him, “harder Ross, please, do it harder.”

“Your wish is my command, My Lady,” he said to her as he propped himself up more firmly on his forearms and began plunging into her more forcefully.  “Better?” he asked smiling down at her face.

“Faster,” she said grabbing hold of his arms and trying to pull him down more firmly on top of her.

“You’re being quite demanding tonight, wife,” Ross said teasingly to her, picking up the pace as he let his head fall forward pressing his lips to hers.

“It’s my command, husband,” she said as he broke the kiss, smiling up at him.

After that, there was no more talking as their lovemaking became wilder and more frantic.  Ross couldn’t get enough of her.  His tongue plunged into her mouth, swirling around with hers as he pushed his hips forward and pulled back as quickly and forcefully as he could.  Soon he felt his balls harden, pushing into his wife forcefully one last time, causing her to cum again at the same time as him.  The walls of her cunny gripped his cock so tight he could barely pull out again as they both moaned and then shouted out together.  Ross had bedded many women, all experienced, and none had ever turned him on like his inexperienced wife.

Ross pulled out of her and collapsed on the bed beside her trying to calm his breathing.  “I would say this bed is properly christened,” he said, throwing his arm over his eyes.

“I would agree,” Angela answered, giggling beside him.

“You wear me out, wife,” Ross told her, turning on his side, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her towards him, cradling her close to his body.

“Mmmmm,” was all his wife said in response as she drifted off to sleep.  Ross followed soon after.

Chapter 11 A Mother’s Lesson

“But I want to go riding today, Ross,” Angela said to him.  “It’s not fair that you get to leave the keep and I can’t.”

“Lachlan Stewart isn’t after me, wife,” Ross said to her.  “Until he is caught or dead you’ll stay where I know you’ll be safe.”

“Then I’ll just wait until you leave and ask Kenna if she wants to go for a ride,” she sassed at him.  “You can’t watch me all the time.”

Angela knew before she even finished the sentence she had gone too far.  Ross said nothing to her, he just got up, grabbed her around the middle, carried her back to the bed, sat down and promptly pulled her face down over his knees.

Angela felt him lift not only her skirts but also her shift as he bared her and grabbed her hairbrush off the table next to their bed.  He still said nothing as he began bringing it down repeatedly on one cheek and then the other.
Splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat.

“Stop, Ross, stop,” she began screaming after the third stroke.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

“You did mean it,” he said after the tenth time the brush connected with her bare arse.  “It’s not my fault your Da wants to show me around the village and introduce me to the tenants today.”

“It’s still not fair,” she again said, not thinking about the position she was still in.  “You’re leaving, and I’m stuck here.”

“You’ll be too sore by the time I’m done with you to sit a horse anyway,” he said as he began to bring the brush down once more.
Splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat.
“If this is what I have to do every morning to keep you safe, then so be it, wife,” he told her, starting again.
Splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat.

“I’ll stay home,” she called out finally.  Ross looked at her arse cheeks.  They were now a bright red, and he knew she would never sit a horse this day.  He pulled her upright and sat her on his lap making her wince with the contact.

“Don’t you understand,” he began to explain as he used his thumbs to wipe the tears from her cheeks,  “now that I’ve found you, I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you.”

“If I was with you and my Da I’d be safe,” she said softly to him.

“Nay, Angela you wouldn’t be,” he answered her.  “I wouldn’t take you out with less than twenty men right now.  Stewart attacked the guards bringing your trunk back with a bunch of hired mercenaries, and I don’t know how many he’s hired.”

“Why hasn’t he stopped now that we’re married?” she asked him.

“Because he’s mentally ill?  Maybe his pride has been hurt?” he explained.  “I’m just waiting for him to try to kill me so he can get to you.  Your sisters are also vulnerable, and he could try to take one of them since he can’t have you.  Your Da has given them orders to stay in the keep also.”

“Oh no, Ross,” she said, throwing her arms around him.  “I couldn’t bear to have anything happen to you, or my sisters either.”

“If you were out there with us, I’d be too worried about you to watch out for myself,” he explained.

“Will you take me out later?” she asked.  “I’m going to go crazy here in the castle all day.”

“We’ll see how today goes,” he answered, giving her a quick kiss and standing her back up on her feet, letting her skirts fall back into place.  “Please just do as I say today, I need you to be safe.”

“I’ll stay here,” she finally said, “but I’ll hate every minute of it.”

“That’s all I ask,” he said again, once more kissing her then holding the door open for her to exit in front of him.  She walked ahead rubbing her arse as she went.  Ross smiled as he exited the room behind her.

-------

“I’m so glad you decided to help us today,” Catrina said to her daughter as she kneaded the dough to make bread for the evening meal.

“There was nothing else to do today,” Angela answered pouting.  “Ross won’t let me leave the keep.”

“He’s just trying to keep you safe, daughter,” Catrina said to her, grinning at the longtime Tioram cook, Isla.

“He made that very clear,” she answered, reaching back and rubbing her butt without even thinking.

“A little tender this morning, deary?” Isla asked.

Angela blushed, realizing what she had just done.  “Maybe a little,” she said honestly to the two women who were grinning at her.

“It’s never good to argue with your husband,” Catrina told her.

“I didn’t argue with him, Mither,” Angela said.  “I just told him he couldn’t keep me from going for a ride once he left.”

“And could you ride a horse if you wanted to right now?” Isla asked her as she pounded the dough on the work table.

“I can barely sit in a chair at the moment,” Angela said, making Catrina and Isla laugh.

“You’ll learn,” Catrina said.  “You’re Da gave me many days where I didn’t want to sit down when we first married.”

“I bet Da never used your own hairbrush on you,” Angela said, once more reaching back and giving her bottom cheeks a quick rub.

“His hand, my hairbrush, his belt, a switch,” Catrina said, lifting a finger each time she listed another object and making her daughter feel better.

“I would never have believed Da beat you,” Angela said.

“You’re Da would never beat me,” Catrina told her.  “Do you think your husband beats you?”

“I don’t know,” Angela told her.  “Ross’ sister Jacqueline said the same thing. According to her, a man spanks his wife out of love.  In some ways, I’d say I deserved it though, and he’s always kind afterward.”

“I think your husband loves you and just wants you to be safe,” Catrina told her.  “Trust me, if your Da ever thought that boy was beating you, he wouldn’t live to see the next sunrise.”

“Do you think so, Mither?” Angela asked.

“I know so, daughter,” she said.

“I just hate being stuck in the castle all the time,” she said.  “He doesn’t even want me to go out the castle doors unless I’m with him.”

“Can you blame him?” Isla said.  “I saw what that Lachlan Stewart and his men did to some of the guards returning home.  It wasn’t a pretty sight.”

“I know, Isla,” Angela answered.  “I also talked to the men who returned.  I took some of them breakfast this morning.  I wouldn’t want any more men to die or be hurt because of me.

“You can get your husband to take you for a walk inside the gates after dinner I’m sure,” Catrina told her.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to convince him to do that, Mither,” Angela said.

Isla laughed and said, “You’re still a new bride.  You’ll learn there are ways to get your man to do what you want.”

“What ways?” Angela asked.

“Oh dear,” Catrina muttered blushing an even brighter red than her daughter had earlier.

“Mither, are you blushing?” Angela asked.

“This is not a conversation I ever thought I’d be having with one of me daughters,” Catrina said.

“Tell me, Mither,” Angela begged, “please.”

Catrina sighed and asked, “how are you enjoying the marriage bed so far?”

“I like it just fine,” Angela said, looking down at the dough she was shaping and blushing herself once again.

“Let me tell her, Lady Catrina,” Isla said, laughing.  “I can see how hard this is for you.”

“Does your husband always start things between you at night or do you sometimes get him going?” Isla asked her.

“Jacqueline, Ross’ sister, told me on my wedding night that my husband would lead and I should just follow,” Angela explained, “so I always wait for him to start.”

“That was for the wedding night, Angela.  If you want to get your husband to do what you want, you have to learn to seduce him.  Take control, and ask what you want when he is at his weakest,” Isla told her.

“But I don’t have the…,” Angela paused, looking for the right word, “equipment.”

“Aye, you do,” Isla said.  “Use your hands, your mouth and whatever else you need to and take control in the marriage bed.  Men like that, at least my man always did.  Worked every time.”

“Does it work on Da, Mither?” Angela shyly asked.

“Most of the time,” Catrina told her.

“Then tell me what I have to do,” Angela said to them both.  The two women giggled and described how to get a man to agree to most things.

-------

“That was a great meal tonight,” Ross said to her as they got ready for bed that evening.  “I heard you helped make the bread today.”

“I did,” Angela said.  “How did things go with my Da and meeting the people of Tioram?”

“It went well,” Ross answered.  “A few of the tenants at some of the farms did say a stranger was asking questions about the keep.”

“Do you think it was Lachlan?” she asked worriedly.

“I know it was,” he said.  “They all said he was missing a finger.”

“I’ll never get out of this castle if he’s still around,” Angela pouted.

“I’ll try to take you out for a bit tomorrow afternoon,” Ross said to her as he crawled into the bed beside her.  “But we will stay inside the keep walls until Stewart is caught.”

“Thank you, husband,” Angela said as she leaned down and kissed him, surprising Ross by touching her tongue to his closed lips for the first time.  Breaking the kiss, she said, “maybe we could just leave the keep to walk to the village?  We could always take a few guards with us.”

“I’m not sure that would be safe,” Ross said as his wife reached under the covers and cupped his sack, giving it a squeeze before moving her hand a bit higher to play with his still soft cock.

“But you’ll think about it?” she asked.

“I’ll think about it,” Ross said laying back enjoying what she was doing as his cock quickly hardened in her hand.

Angela, who was kneeling on the bed next to him, stroked his cock a few times, feeling it get harder and longer each time she slid her hand back up to the tip.  She swirled her thumb around the top where a few drops of liquid were already gathering, spreading it around the base as much as possible.

Ross closed his eyes, enjoying his wife’s ministrations.  It was the first time she had taken any initiative in their bed.  He almost jumped when she leaned forward, running her tongue across the tip, licking the new pool of moisture that had gathered there.

Angela stroked him again before running her tongue down his now rock hard cock from the tip to his sack underneath.  Ross moaned, exciting her, making her do it again, and then again, and then again.

“That feels so good, wife,” Ross said to her.  “Don’t stop now.”

Angela smiled a bit, then opened her mouth and sucked in just the rounded part at the tip, flicking her tongue across the top at the same time.  When Ross again moaned, she knew he was enjoying what she was doing, making her feel more confident.  She pushed her mouth down further onto him and pulled back, sucking harder.  Ross reached down and grabbed the back of her hair in each hand, gently pushing her head down again and then pulling it back up, showing her the rhythm he enjoyed most.

Angela was pleasantly surprised, never had she thought she would enjoy sucking her husbands cock so much.  She was able to go down further and further each time until eventually, she could feel it hitting the back of her throat.

“Relax,” Ross said, gripping her hair more firmly, pushing her down even further until she felt it actually slide into her throat a small ways, almost making her gag, before he pulled her head back up.  The next time she went down, she was able to push his cock into her throat herself before pulling back up.

Ross couldn’t believe it.  Never had any woman sucked his cock so deeply.  Each stroke from his wife went deeper and deeper until it was actually sliding into her throat each time.  He felt his balls tighten and knew he couldn’t hold back much longer.

“I’m going to cum, wife,” he said to her, still holding onto her head.  “Try to swallow it if you can.”  He pushed her head down again, making her go deep, feeling it enter her throat.

Angela wasn’t sure what he was talking about until he pushed her head down further than any other time and she felt the liquid shootout, hitting the back of her throat as she swallowed it down.

“Where did you learn that?” Ross said as he pulled her back up to lay beside him.

“I heard talk in the kitchen,” she answered.

“Well whoever told you about it,” he said smiling at her, “you can tell them it didn’t work, I will still decide tomorrow if going out of the gates is a good idea or not.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Angela lied, but couldn’t keep from smirking.  She reached down and again stroked his semi-hard cock, making it begin to rise once more.

“Really?” he said.  “I don’t believe you.”

“I just wanted to see what they were talking about,” she again lied, his cock once again hard as she continued to stroke him.

“That’s the oldest trick in the book,” he said to her, flipping her over onto her back, rolling on top of her and plunging his hard cock inside her.

“Ross,” she said, grabbing hold of his shoulders and pushing her hips up towards him, pushing him deeper inside her.

“You’re so wet, wife,” he said to her.  “I think you enjoyed sucking my cock.”

“Maybe I did,” she answered, panting, one hand on each of his butt cheeks trying to pull him in further.

“Then I’m a lucky man,” Ross said to her.  He pushed himself up onto his knees as he pushed hers up to her chest.  “Hold your knees right here,” he said to her.  He waited until she had a grip on them before grabbing both her hips and pulling her into him as he pushed forward as firmly as he could.  “Hang on, wife,” Ross said.  He then picked up the pace, slamming into her as he pulled her forward, quicker and quicker he went.  He let go with one hand and began to once again play with her clit, which instantly grew hard under his fingers. Until again he felt his sack tighten and he knew he wouldn’t last much longer.

“Cum now,” he said and slapped her clit three times, just hard enough for her to begin convulsing as her body erupted underneath him.  Ross followed her on the next thrust as her cunny gripped him tight.

“Maybe you can try to change my mind again tomorrow,” Ross said as he collapsed next to her on the bed, wrapped her arm around her and pulled her into him.  “I enjoyed that.”

“Oh you,” Angela said as she slapped him on the arm around her waist.  “Maybe I’ll never try it again.”

“Maybe it worked, and we’ll go to the village tomorrow,” he said as he laughed at her.

“Really?” she asked.

“I’ll ask around in the morning.  If no one has seen Stewart  we can go into the village,” he answered, then added, “with a large guard.”

“You really think I need a bunch of my Da’s guard just to go outside the gates and into the village?”

“I won’t take any chances with your life,” Ross explained.  “No guard, no village.  You decide.”

“Fine, we can take a guard,” she said, becoming annoyed.

“We’ll see,” he again said.  “I’ll let you know what I find out at the afternoon meal.”

Chapter 12 Village Terror

“Can we go?” Angela asked him the next afternoon as he walked into the hall for the afternoon meal.

“There has been no sight of him in the village or any of the outer farms,” Ross said.  “At least that’s what I’ve been told.  I’ll talk to William and get some men together to accompany us.”

“Maybe he finally gave up and left,” she said hopefully.

“No matter wife, we’ll go, but you’ll stay right with me while we’re out,” Ross told her, his tone warned her that he was serious.

William entered the hall and walked to the table where the family was sitting.  “We have an unknown rider heading towards Tioram, Laird,” he said.

“Do you think we should shut the gates?  Does it look like a threat?” Iain asked.

“Nay, laird,” William answered.  “It looks like a lone rider.”

“It isn’t a female is it?” Ross asked.

“I don’t believe so,” William answered, surprised by the question.

“Why do you ask that?” Iain asked him.

“Just making sure it isn’t my sister Jacqueline.  She can be a bit of a spitfire,” Ross explained.  “Although now that she has the babies she’s a little more cautious.”

“Your sister would make a two-day ride by herself?” Iain asked him.

“At one time she would have tried it,”  Ross told him.  “I’ve turned her over my knee more than once for her reckless behavior.”

“Sounds like she may need it more,” Iain said and grinned at him.

“She probably does,” Ross laughed and agreed, “but that’s Connor’s problem now.”

“Don’t let him mislead you, Da,” Angela said.  “Jacqueline is a wonderful person.  I enjoyed her company, and she made me feel very welcome at Tarmon.”

“I will agree with you,” Ross said smiling at his wife, “my sister may be a spitfire, but she is the kindest person you’d ever meet.  I do love her dearly.”

“Tioram and Tarmon were allies many years ago,” Iain said.  “I’d like to renew the friendship and possibly reestablish the alliance we once had with them.  Do you think the Fraser’s would be interested?”

“They probably would,” Ross said.  “We’re all extended family now.”

“Agreed,” said Iain. He then turned back to William and said, “let me know when the rider gets close to the gates.  I’d like to be outside to greet whoever it is.”

“I’ll join you,” Ross told him.

“I thought we were going to the village?” Angela asked him, feeling disappointed.

“We will once I know it’s safe,” he told her.  “We need to know who this visitor is and that he isn’t associated with Stewart.”

“Alright,” Angela said.

“I’d like you to stay inside until I know whoever it is isn’t a threat,” Ross said to her.  Angela nodded and got up from her chair, leaving the room and not hiding her disappointment.

“I hate to disappoint her like that,” Ross said to Iain.

“I know, son,” Iain answered.  “There’s nothing that can be done about it now.”

William reported the rider was close not long after the meal was completed.  Ross and Iain stood at the top of the steps that led into the castle and watched the lone rider as he rode through the gates.

“I can’t believe it,” Ross said smiling.  “I’d know that rider anywhere.”

“You know him?” Iain asked.

“Better than anyone,” Ross said as he started down the stairs.  “You met him briefly at Tarmon; it’s my twin brother, Ham.”

“I can’t believe you’re here,” Ross said to his brother as he dismounted and turned, giving Ross a quick embrace.

“I wanted to make sure you made it safe, and everything was going well,” Ham said.

“It’s been going well,” Ross assured him.

“Where is my new sister?” Ham asked, then looked up as Angela came down the steps to greet him.

“Ham,” she said, giving him a hug, “it’s so nice to see you again.”

“You too,” he told her, returning her hug.  “I was a bit worried about you both.  I’ve heard some disturbing reports about Lachlan Stewart.  It seems he’s telling everyone he can how Ross stole his bride.”

“He didn’t steal me,” Angela said her face flushing in anger.  “He attacked me, and tried to force me into marrying him.”

“I know, sister,” Ham said.  “That’s why my Da suggested I make the trip here and let you both know what’s being said.”

“How is everyone back home?” Ross asked.

“Everyone is good.  Eadan and Nessa are getting excited about the baby arriving soon.  We received a letter from James recently, and he’s planning a visit home this summer sometime.  He’s enjoying his studies at University very much.  Rory is home now and has taken over as the village tanner, and Craig will finish his apprenticeship in a few months and then he’ll also be returning.”

“And Alastair and Owen?” Ross asked, needing to hear about all his brothers.

“You know Alastair,” Ham said chuckling, “he’s happiest when he is with the horses.  He’s visiting at Tarmon this week, we all sneak over and see the babies as much as possible.  Da is the worst; I think our sister has to fight with him to get her children back sometimes.  We haven’t heard from Owen, but he’s probably training and traveling with the King’s Guard.”

“I was afraid it was going to be Jacqueline when they said a lone rider was coming in,” Ross told him, laughing out loud.

“Those days are over for our sister.  Motherhood has calmed her down a bit, although I believe she ends up across Connors’ knee quite often,” Ham said smiling.  “They are still planning a trip to Gleann in a few months, and I hope you and Angela are still planning to come as well.”

“Angela and I do plan on being there,” Ross told him.  “I just need to deal with Stewart first.  He’s becoming a problem, although he now has one less finger on his right hand.”

Ham’s smile quickly left his face as he told Ross,  “I think I may have met up with him on my way here.”

“Where?” Ross asked.

“In a village a day’s ride from here.  A group of men rode in while I was resting in the tavern, one had a freshly bandaged hand and was complaining about being attacked and his finger being cut off,” Ham told him.

“I didn’t attack him.  He’s lucky to be alive, I stumbled when I threw the knife, or he wouldn’t be,” Ross told him.  “Do you think we can catch up with him?”

“Nay,” Ham said.  “The group was talking about leaving again after they had something to eat and drink. I didn’t hear where they were headed.”

“I see we have a guest,” said Catrina as she came down the steps towards the brother’s and Angela, she grabbed her husband’s arm and pulled him along to give a proper greeting.

“Catrina and Iain McCarthy,” Ross said.  “I’d like you to meet my twin brother, Hamish McCabe the younger.”

“You’re named after your Da?” Catrina asked.

“Aye.  My oldest brother Eadan is named after our Grandda who passed away shortly before his birth,” Ham told her.

“Then that was a wonderful way for your parents to honor his memory,” Catrina said.  “Are you hungry or thirsty, Ham?”

“I ate not long ago, but I could use something to take the travel dust out of my throat,” Ham admitted to her.  “Then I would love a tour of your new home, brother.”

“Angela and I were going to head into the village soon,” Ross said to him.  “You’re more than welcome to join us.”

“I’d like that,” Ham said as he followed them into the hall where he was also introduced to Kenna and Rhona who had also been curious about the visitor.

Soon, Ross, Angela, and Ham were off for the village that lay not far outside the wall of Castle Tioram.  They weren’t alone, accompanying them were William and ten other castle guards.  “The village here is much bigger than Gleann,” Ham commented.

“Aye,” Ross answered.  “It’s even a bit larger than Tarmon.”

“Impressive,” Ham said.

“Iain is a good Laird,” Ross told him.  “He’s been introducing me to the tenant farmers and the villagers.  I’ve come to see that they’re happy here, and from what they’ve told me there is always plenty of food to make it through the winter months.  There’s a blacksmith, tanner, tinsmith, weavers and other tradesmen; they even have their own priest at the kirk.”

“You are happy here then?” Ham asked him seriously.

“I am, brother,” Ross said.  “I do miss the family, but luckily, we’re only a two-day ride from Tarmon and three-day ride from Gleann.  We can visit often.”

“It makes me happy to hear that,” Ham told him.  Ross could tell his brother was happy for him.  “You never showed me your armor that you were waiting on.”

“Everything happened with Angela, and I left without picking it up,” Ross told him truthfully.

Ham laughed.  “I’ll be heading to visit with Owen in a few weeks.  I’ll be happy to pick it up for you if you’d like.  I can take it back to Gleann, and you can get it when you come to visit.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Ross told him, slapping him on the back, as he picked up a scent in the air and stopped walking,  “I smell smoke.”

“So do I,” Angela, who had been quietly listening to the brothers talk, answered.  “I hope nothing in the village is on fire.”

“You are not to leave my side, wife,” he said as they hurried in the direction they believed the smell was coming from.

“Oh no,” Angela said as they got closer and could see the smoke rising into the air.  “Something is definitely on fire.”

“William send one of the guards back to the castle to let Iain know what’s happening,” Ross said.

“Do you want him to escort Lady Angela back to the keep?” William quickly asked.

Ross only thought about it for a moment before telling him, “nay, she stays with me.  One guard would not be enough to protect her if this is the work of Stewart.”

William quickly gave the order to one of the guards as the rest rushed towards the fire.  They rounded a corner and finally found the source of the smoke.  Two cottages and the shop where brooms and brushes were made and sold, were burning.  Flames were already crawling up the sides of the buildings, and the roofs were beginning to catch fire.  Villagers were running towards the blaze, buckets in hand, ready to battle the flames that were quickly spreading.

“My son,” a woman screamed as she ran towards one of the cottages, “my son is inside sleeping.”

Ham didn’t think twice as he took off running towards the burning home, kicking the door open and barging through the flames to get inside.  He emerged minutes later with a limp boy no older than three summers in his arms.  “Where’s your healer?” Ham said as he coughed from the smoke he had breathed in.

“She’s coming,” one of the villagers said back.  “Is he breathing?”

“Barely,” Ham said as he handed the child to his mother, who cradled him in her lap as she sat on the ground.

“We need to form a line,” Ross said, trying to organize the villagers in a bucket brigade from the well to the burning buildings.  He turned back towards William and told him, “I need to help.  Do not leave her side.”

William nodded at him as he took Angela’s arm and led her off to the side where they would be out of the way.  “I feel like I should be doing something, William,” Angela said to him.

“There is nothing we can do right now, My Lady,” William said to her as he stopped well out of the way of the villagers who were throwing water on the fire. “My orders are to stay here and guard you, and that’s exactly what I’ll be doing.”

The pair were so engrossed in watching the fire and the effort to stop it; they didn’t hear the footsteps that quietly snuck up behind them until it was too late.  Angela heard a loud thump and seen William fall to the ground next to her.  She began to turn around to see what had happened but barely had time to start her turn before a hand covered her mouth and quickly pulled her back into the trees and out of sight of the rest of the village.

Within a few minutes, her hands were tied in front of her, and she was thrown on a horse in front of none other than Lachlan Stewart.  “I told you that you’d be mine,” he said snarling at her.

“My husband will kill you when he finds out what you’ve done and catches up to you,” Angela spat at him.

“Shut up,” he said, slapping her across her head hard enough to make her head spin.  “He’ll never find us.  I was willing to be a good husband and treat you well to be the Laird of Tioram, but you ruined that for me.  I’m sure you’ll understand that I have to punish you now for taking it all away from me before I make you my wife.”

“I’m already married,” she said.  “No church will marry us.”

“It’s amazing what even a man of God will do for money,” Lachlan said to her.  Angela began to scream for help, but Lachlan was faster, he wound a gag over her mouth, silencing her before kicking his horse forward, motioning for the ten men that were with him to follow.

Chapter 13 Rescue

“Ross, Ross,” he heard his name being yelled as he threw another bucket of water onto the fire.  He turned to see William holding his head, blood seeping through his fingers.

“William?” Ross said, confused at first and looking around for Angela  “Where’s my wife?”

“I don’t know,” William told him.  “We were standing back out of the way, and someone hit me over the head.  When I awoke, she was gone.”

“Stewart has her,” he said as Iain rode up with at least another twenty guards who immediately dismounted and joined in the battle to control the burning buildings.

“Who does he have?” Iain asked, dreading the answer he knew he was about to receive.

“Angela, he has Angela,” Ross told him.  “I’m going after her, and this time I’m going to kill him.”

“I’m going with you,” Ham said, he had overheard the conversation as he approached.

“It could be dangerous, brother,” Ross told him.  “I don’t know if I’m heading into a trap or not.”

“We entered this world together, and if need be, we’ll exit it together,” Ham told him, patting him on the shoulder.

“Aye,” Ross said, actually grateful Ham was going with him.  “I need to go back to the castle for a quick moment and grab my weapons.”

“As do I, brother,” Ham said as they each grabbed one of the horses from the guards who had just arrived.  The fires were under control and with the men that had come with Iain, would be put out shortly.

“I’m going too,” Iain said, mounting his horse.  “That’s my daughter he has.”

“I’d like to go to, Laird,” William said. “I feel responsible.  I was supposed to be keeping her safe.”

“This is not your fault, William.  It was a well laid out distraction that worked.  Pick out five of the best soldiers in the guard to accompany us also,” Iain nodded at him and said.  “We leave in ten minutes.” With those words, the group quickly headed towards the keep to grab the weapons they knew they were going to need for the coming battle.

“This time I’m not going to let him live,” Ross said.  “I made that mistake once.”  Ham and Iain just nodded, agreeing with him.

-------

“Don’t touch me,” Angela said as Lachlan pulled her down from the horse for a short break.  They had been riding for hours.

“Get used to it, My Lady,” he sneered at her.  “I’ll be touching much more of you later tonight.”

“I’d rather die than have your hands on me,” she said.

“I like it when the ladies fight back,” he said as he pulled her close to him so only she could hear.  “It makes my cock hard.”

“You’re sick,” she spat at him.

He just laughed and told her, “if you have personal needs to take care of you need to do that now.  I’ll escort you into the woods.”

“I would like a moment of privacy,” she said to him.

“I’ll turn my back.  That’s as private as you’ll be getting.  I don’t trust you not to run off,” he said.

“Where would I run too?” she asked him.  “I’m not even sure where we are.”

“I still don’t trust you,” he told her.  “You’ve already said you’d rather be dead than with me.  That would ruin all my fun.”

Angela said nothing else as he led her into the woods and to a small clump of brush.  “Quickly now,” he told her, “unless you need my help.”

“I don’t,” Angela said to him as she rushed behind the brush.  Lifting her skirts just high enough for her to take care of her business but not so high that he would be able to see if he tried.

“Should have lifted your skirts just a bit higher,” Lachlan said as she returned, confirming her fears that he had been watching her.

“Pig,” she said as she tried to march past him.

Lachlan grabbed her by the arm and spun her towards him, putting his face close to hers he said, “watch how you speak to me.  You already have a severe punishment coming later, what you say  to me the rest of this day, will determine how bad it will be.”

Although his words made her shiver in fear, she refused to show it, marching passed him without even looking at him.  She silently prayed that Ross would find her before nightfall.

-------

“How far ahead of us do you think they are?” Ross asked Ham, as he studied the tracks they had found.

“Maybe an hour,” Ham answered.  “He’s either not concerned about leaving a trail, or he’s not smart enough to cover his tracks.”

“Keep your eyes open and watch for an ambush somewhere along the way,” Iain told them.  “I know we all want to rush and catch up with them, but we won’t do my daughter any good if we get killed first.”

“I agree with you, Iain,” Ross said, “but I won’t slow down so much that they get further ahead of us.  It makes me sick to think about what that monster could be doing to her.”

“Try not to think about that, son,” Iain told him.  “I’m struggling with the same thoughts, but I know I have to stay alert to save her.”

“Let’s mount up.  If the rest of you plan on stopping for the night that’s fine, but I won’t stop until we catch up with them.  I don’t know how it happened so quickly, but I love that woman too much to let anything happen to her,” Ross told them, mounting his horse.

“I’m with you, Ross,” Iain told him.  “I love her too.”

“I’m with you, brother,” Ham also said,  “always.  You know where you go, I go.  Been that way since we were young.”

“Why are we standing around talking,” William said from behind them, “let’s get moving.”

The rest of the men remounted and took off once again following the trail Lachlan Stewart had left.  Five of the most skilled guards from Tioram followed in their path, knowing a fight was likely to happen when they caught up with the men who had taken their beloved Lady Angela.

They stopped once again a while later at the side of a small river, letting the horses drink and have a short rest.  They had been riding them hard trying to catch up to Lachlan and his man.  “They crossed here,” said Ham.  He then crossed the river, wading a small distance downstream searching for the tracks from where they emerged from the water.  “Found them,” he called.  They remounted once again, continuing north.  “From the look of the river, I’d say they are less than half an hour ahead of us now.  The dirt their mounts churned up from the bottom of the river hasn’t even had time to settle yet.”

“We need to travel quietly then,” William commented.  “If we’re that close we sure don’t want them to hear us coming.”

“Agreed,” said Ross, slowing his horse and the rest of the group down a walk.  “As much as I want to catch up with them, I don’t want them to know how close we are.  When we do catch them, Lachlan Stewart is mine.”

“Make sure it’s painful,” Iain said to him,  “that’s all I ask.”

The group, traveling much slower, followed the tracks left by Angela’s captors.  This time they kept their eyes open for any sign of a camp being made for the night, knowing they were closing in on them, and this would all be coming to an end soon.

-------

“We camp here for the night,” Lachlan told the group of mercenaries he had hired as he stopped his horse in a small clearing.  He dismounted and pulled Angela down after.  “Make a small fire to heat some food.  Make sure it isn’t too noticeable.  I don’t know if we’re being followed.”

“Do you want guards set up?” one of the men traveling with him asked.

“Of course I want guards,” Lachlan said back to him.  “Don’t ask questions like an idgit.”

The man stared at Lachlan as he walked away holding the lady by her arm.  He already regretted taking this job with his men.  The man had no idea what he was doing.  When they had taken the lady from Tioram, he didn’t know it was the daughter of the Laird.  That was bad news if a large contingent of the castle guard were in pursuit as he assumed they would be.  He had kept his eyes on the path behind him and so far had not noticed a large amount of dust being kicked up by the hundred or so horses and soldiers the laird would most likely send after them.

“I want one guard posted in each direction,” he yelled to his men.  “Keep your eyes open.”  He then muttered to himself, “I have a bad feeling about this.”

Lachlan again led Angela into the cover of the trees.  “I’m sure you need a minute to take care of your personal needs,” he said to her, trying to come off as being kind.

“I’d appreciate it more if you would leave me alone to attend to my needs,” she said to him.

“Not going to happen, Angela,” he snickered, running a finger down her cheek.  “Get used to my presence, you and I are going to be together for a very long time.”

“Don’t touch me,” she said as she slapped his hand away.

Lachlan lashed out slapping her on the cheek, “you hit me, and I hit back, remember that.”

“My husband will kill you for that when he catches up to us,” she said to him, holding her now throbbing cheek.

“I’m sure it took hours for them to put out that fire,” he said to her.  “By the time they even noticed you were gone, we were way ahead of them.  Hopefully, my men killed the guard that was with you.  They better have, that was their orders.”

“Why would you kill William?  He’d done nothing to you,” she said, as a tear rolled down her cheek.  She had known William all her life, and he had been one of the castle guards for as long as she could remember.  It devastated her to know he had probably died because of her.

“He should have given you to me at the palace when I went to him in the first place,” Lachlan told her.  “Even when I told him you and I were already lovers, he still denied me.  Then he turns around and lets you marry Ross McCabe.  He deserved to die for taking Tioram away from me.”

“You can’t have something taken away that was never yours to begin with.  Do you think my Da will ever welcome you to Tioram now, after what you’ve done?” Angela asked him.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said.  “Neither of us will ever be returning there.  You’re mine for however long I decide to keep you, once you bore me I’ll just get rid of you.  Think about that, My Lady.” He mocked her with the last two words.

“My only hope is I get to see you take your last breath before I take mine,” she spat at him as he once again slapped her.

“Do what you need to do, I’m hungry and would like to eat before you and I have a little private time together,” Lachlan told her.

Angela didn’t know what else to say or to do at the moment.  She kept quiet and attended her needs, thinking the whole time of a way to escape.  She knew deep down what Lachlan planned on doing to her that evening.  She just had to come up with a plan.  She had already decided that no matter what the consequences were, she would never make it easy for him.

-------

“There are four guards,” Ham said quietly to the rest of the men.  “They are on each side of the perimeter; we need to take them out first.”

“Did you see my wife?” Ross asked him.

“I couldn’t get close enough to the camp to see her clearly, but it looked like they were cooking a meal.  I believe Lachlan Stewart is keeping her close,” Ham told him.

“Did she look injured at all?” Iain asked.

“From what I could see, she is doing well,” Ham answered.

“You four,” William said, pointing at four of his elite guards, “sneak in and take out the guards.  Use whatever means necessary.  Signal us when it’s done.”  With those words, the four highly trained men walked off into the woods they were hiding in.

“How many men did you see total?” Ross asked his brother.  Ham had snuck up on the camp alone, he had reasoned with his brother that it would be easier for one to get close, plus he was worried his brother would have tried to rush into the camp alone to save Angela.  It would have been a death mission.

“If I saw them all, there were the four guards and another six mercenaries, plus Stewart,” Ham answered.

“Why do you think they’re mercenaries?” Iain asked.

“By the clothes they wear and the weapons they carry,” was the only explanation Ham gave.

“When you’ve been in service to the king as long as we were, you can spot the mercenaries,” Ross said to Iain.  “They aren’t as well disciplined as trained soldiers and guards.”  Iain nodded his understanding.

The men sat quiet in the tree cover, waiting for a signal from the Tioram guards.  Just as the sun was beginning to set, the sound of an owl hooting could be heard from two different directions.

“Two down,” William told the group.

Ross was having a hard time sitting still, he wanted to rush in and grab his wife away from that madman who held her captive.  He nearly pulled his broadsword and swung it as he heard something coming towards them through the brush.  He was grateful he hadn’t followed his instincts when two of the Tioram guards came through the trees to rejoin them.

“Any trouble?” William asked the two men.

“Nay, sir,” said the first.

“Mine almost got away,” said the second.  “But he won’t be causing any more problems.” Ross hadn’t noticed the blood on the man’s arms until that moment.

Soon after they again heard the sound of an owl.  “That’s three,” Ross said.  “Wonder what’s taking so long with the last?”

“Be patient,” Iain told him.  “It’s hard for me too, but we don’t need any mistakes made that could possibly alert them to our presence, and give them time to hurt Angela.”  Ross nodded at him in agreement.

Finally, just a few minutes later, they again heard the sound of an owl.  “That’s the last one,” William said, leading them forward towards the camp that was set up.

As they neared the camp Ross watched as Lachlan grabbed Angela by the arm, pulling her roughly to her feet. He began leading her into the trees that surrounded the camp.  He motioned for the rest to go forward while he veered off to the right, following Angela and Lachlan.  Once he was close enough to hear what was being said,  he slowed even more, creeping silently forward to not give away his advantage of surprise, knowing Lachlan Stewart’s life was about to end.

“Now you’ll be mine,” Lachlan said to Angela as he pinned her against a large rock and tried to pull up her skirts.

“Never,” she said, fighting him with every ounce of strength she had.  She hit, bit and kicked but no matter what she did Lachlan was just too strong for her.

“Very well,” he said to her, turning her around and pushing her forward so that her torso lay on the rock.  “We can do this the hard way.  The more you fight, the more exciting it is.”

Once again he began lifting her skirts as he released his cock from his brays.  Angela still hadn’t given up and kicked back with her foot, hitting him right below the knee.  “You bitch,” he said, slapping her across her head hard enough to make her ears ring.

Lachlan Stewart didn’t know it at that particular time, but it was the last mistake he would ever make.  Everything began going wrong for him all at once.  In the not too far off distance, he heard the men at his camp shout out and then the distinct sound of metal hitting metal.  He began to turn around as he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

Ross had watched as his wife kicked back, hitting Stewart, and then seen the slap he gave her.  That was all he needed, in one fluid motion he left his cover in the trees and began sprinting forward, pulling his sword from his back at the same time.  Stewart, with his hand still holding Angela down on the rock, turned towards him.  The last thing he saw was the broadsword in the hands of Ross McCabe swinging towards him.

Ross swung his sword forward with all the strength he could muster.  Never had he wanted to kill anyone as much as he wanted to kill Lachlan Stewart.  As Stewart turned towards him, their eyes met just before the sword connected with his neck, decapitating him with that one swing.  Lachlan Stewart’s body fell to the ground while his head flew through the air, hitting the ground many feet away and still kept rolling.

“You’re alright,” Ross said to his wife pulling her up and into his arms.

“You’re here,” she said clinging to him, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks.  “I knew you’d come, but I was afraid it wouldn’t be in time.”

“Was it in time?” he asked her, afraid of the answer he was going to receive.

“It was in time,” she said to him pulling him even closer.

“Thank goodness,” he said, kissing the top of her head.  “I was so worried about you.  I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” she said.

Ross and Angela had been so happy to see each other they hadn’t paid attention to the sounds of the battle that had been taking place back in the camp.  It wasn’t until Ham, Iain and William came crashing through the trees towards them that Ross realized the fight was over.

“You’re alive,” Angela said to William from the safety of her husband’s arms.  “Lachlan told me he killed you.”

“Just gave me a good bump on the head,” William said to her smiling.  “Sure glad to see you well, Lady Angela.”

“I am well now,” she answered.

“Can I have my daughter for a moment,” Iain said, walking over and pulling his daughter away from her husband and wrapping his own arms around her.  “I was so worried about you,” he whispered to her.

“I was worried about me too, Da,” she said.  “But I knew you and Ross would be coming for me.”

“As long as I’m alive, daughter,” he said to her, kissing her on the forehead.

“Can we go home now?” she asked, tears once again pooling in her eyes.

“Of course we can,” Ross said sweeping her up into his arms.

“I can walk, Ross,” she said to him.

“Right now I’d just like to hold you close,” he said to her as he headed back towards where they’d left their horses.

“Thank you, husband,” she said snuggling into his arms as the rest of the men fell in behind him.

“Anything for you, wife,” he said, kissing her soundly in front of everyone, making her giggle a bit through her tears.  “That’s a sound I love to hear.”  Angels sighed and laid her head on his shoulder, content to stay right where she was.

Chapter 14 Just for Fun

“Thank you for arranging this for me,” Angela said to Ross as she soaked in the large tub in their room.  “I felt so dirty after being with that man.”

“I’m happy to do it,” Ross told her.  “I know how much you like your bath at night.”

“So what happened to the rest of Lachlan’s men?” she asked.

“They all died,” he said.  “Any man who would participate in the kidnapping of a woman for money doesn’t deserve to live.  They might do it again to someone else’s wife, and that’s something I would never want to happen,” he told her, walking towards the tub with a large drying towel.

“And you’re sure Lachlan was dead?” she asked.  Ross had kept her shielded from seeing his body in the clearing.  It had been a gruesome sight.

“I’m positive, wife,” he told her.  “I didn’t want you to see it, but I cleaved his head right off and left his body for the animals in the area to take care of.  The man didn’t deserve a proper burial.”

“You don’t need to tell me any more,” Angela said, the color draining from her face.  “Will that bother you?  Knowing you killed a man?”

“Not at all. Once I saw him hit you I knew he was a deadman,” Ross told her honestly.  “No one hits my wife and lives.”

“Except you,” she said teasingly as he helped her from the tub, wrapping the drying cloth around her naked body and leading her over to the small fire he had lit in the fireplace.

“There is a difference, wife,” he said, collecting her brush and walking back over to her, sitting behind her he began brushing out her wet hair.

“What’s the difference?” she asked curiously, although she was sure she already knew that answer.

“What Stewart did to you was abuse.  He meant to hurt you so that you would be miserable.  He did it out of anger and hate.  When I put you across my knee, it’s to correct a behavior.  I don’t ask you for much, Angela.  You show me respect, and I’ll show it to you, when I ask you not to do something it’s because I don’t want anything to happen to you.  The biggest difference is when I spank you it’s out of love,” he finished, turning her face towards him and giving her a quick, but firm kiss on the lips.

“It is out of love isn’t it,” she said.  “I see the difference now.  You’d never hit me just to cause pain.”

“Never,” he told her seriously, looking her in the eye.  After a few more strokes with the brush, he then smiled and said to her, “you know there is another type of spanking that you might actually enjoy.”

“There is no spanking I’d enjoy,” Angela told him laughing.

“You’ve never had a pleasure spanking yet,” he answered.  “Would you like to try one?”

Angela looked back over her shoulder and seen the grin that was on his face, “alright,” she said a bit reluctantly.

“Come then,” Ross said, standing and extending his hand to her, holding it there until she placed her own in it.  He pulled her to her feet and led her over to the side of the bed where he sat down.

“Take the drying towel off,” he told her, looking into her beautiful green eyes.

Angela didn’t even hesitate; she let the towel fall to the floor around her feet.  Ross couldn’t help letting his eyes lower as he scanned his wife’s naked body.

“You are so beautiful,” he told her, cupping her breasts and running his thumbs over her nipples, making her shiver.

Angela blushed and whispered, “thank you,” not knowing what else to say.

“Lay yourself over my knees,” he said to her, helping her get into the position he had requested.  “If you don’t like it, just say stop and I will.”  Angela nodded.

Ross started out rubbing his palm across her left cheek and then her right before giving each side a soft slap.
Smack, smack.
He then rubbed gently again, soothing the sting he had just created.  He let his hand slide down each leg to the knee and back up before doing it again.
Smack, smack, smack, smack.
This time he let the last two be just a little bit harder as his wife lifted her hips up to meet his hand.  Once again he rubbed his hands down her legs and then up the inside of her thighs as they returned to her arse, rubbing the now slightly pink cheeks.
Smack, smack, smack, smack.
Again just a bit harder.

This time when he ran his hand across her arse, rubbing in the sting just a bit, he pulled her legs apart, giving him access to her cunny.  He let his hand slip in between her thighs finding her already wet.

“You seem to like this kind of spanking,” he said laughing and pushing a finger up inside of her.

“Shut up,” she said to him, smiling so he couldn’t see her, “a bit harder would be good.”

“Shut up?” he mocked her, chuckling.
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.
“Is that more to your liking?”

“Ayyye,” she said as he thrust two fingers up inside her.  “Do it again, Ross.”

“Whatever my lady wants,” he said.
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.
Angela was now pushing her arse up to meet his hand with each swat.

Ross again reached between her legs, this time using his fingers to rub vigorously on her nub, which had now hardened, at the same time he thrust his thumb up into her opening.  With his fingers working her clit and his thumb plunging in and out of her cunny he said to her, “hang onto my leg.”  Angela did as he asked, as he let go with the hand around her waist and again began spanking her just hard enough.
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.  Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.

Angela tried to hold back, and she was enjoying everything Ross was doing to her.  Within a few minutes, her body betrayed her, and she came harder than she ever had before.

Ross slowed everything down.  Rubbing her bottom cheeks that were now a nice pink color softly, giving a pat once in a while to rekindle the sting he had created.  “How was that, wife?”

“You can spank me like that anytime,” she answered as she lay across his knees, spent.

Ross helped her up and tucked her into their bed before undressing and climbing in next to her.  He then pulled her close, her back pressed to his front as he hugged her to him.  “Go to sleep now, wife; I’m so glad you’re home safe.” Kissing her on the top of her head, they both drifted into a sound sleep.

Epilogue

“Are you sure you can’t stay any longer?” Ross asked Ham as he mounted his horse.

“You’re more than welcome to stay as long as you’d like,” Angela added.

“I’ve been here for over a fortnight already.  Da’s going to be sending out a search party if I don’t return home soon,” Ham told them.

“We sent a messenger to Gleann.  He knows where you are,” Ross told him.

“That’s true.  I want to stop at Tarmon and visit with our nieces before heading home.  In a few weeks I’ll go to the castle to pick up that armor you ordered,” Ham explained.  “I’m hoping Owen will be around.  I’d like to make sure he’s doing alright.”

“Why stop at Tarmon? Jacqueline and her family will be coming to Gleann in a few weeks time, same as us,” Ross said.

“Do you know how hard it is to get ahold of those babies when Da is around?” Ham said to him laughing.  “The man is totally smitten with them.”

“That he is,” Ross said joining in laughing.  “Tell Jacqueline and Connor to wait for us before heading home.  I’d like to get a day or two to play with those girls myself.”

“Me too,” Angela agreed.  “They are both so sweet.  I really like your sister too and would love to have time for a visit.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Ross said to her.  “Safe travels, brother.  Seems strange not to be going with you.”

“This is the first time we’ve lived apart,” Ham said, realizing seeing his twin would become rarer now that they would be living apart for the first time.

“I know,” Ross said, “I’ll miss you, brother.”

“You won’t have time to miss me,” Ham said.  “I’ll see you next month at Gleann.  Maybe by then, you’ll have news of your own to share with the family.”

“When it happens I’ll be happy,” Ross said.  “Until then, I’m going to enjoy the time with my wife.”

Angela smiled to herself; she already had a feeling they’d be making that announcement soon.  She just needed to see the midwife to confirm what she already expected.  “Safe travels, Ham, and thank you again for coming to help save me,” she said to him.  “We look forward to seeing you soon.”

“That’s what family does, sister,” Ham said to her.  “If something happened to you, my brother would have been heart broken.  I couldn’t let that happen.  I’ll see you both in a month.”

Angela and Ross stood together and watched Ham ride out the gates of Tioram.

Once through the gates, Ham turned his horse and waved one last time to his twin and his wife, happy that things had turned out so well for the two of them.  He hoped to one day find a good woman to marry and the happiness his brother now had.  Oh well, he thought as he kicked his horse forward towards Tarmon, he’d think about that another day.

Thank you for reading:

A Good Man

The McCabe’s Book 2

Feel free to leave a review on Amazon letting me know what you thought of the book.

You can also contact me directly through email at

Bethanyhauck11@yahoo.com

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Other Books By Bethany Hauck:

An Honest Mistake

The McCabe’s Book 1

(Jacqueline and Connor)

Coming Soon:

The Man of Her Dreams

The McCabe’s Book 3

(Ham and Flora)