Blessing The Highlander by J. Lee Coulter Page A

           Garrick was outraged! How dare they slight his wife! “She is a bonny lass! How could they nae want her? I should strike them dead for their insult!” he seethed.
                 “I do nae ken their logic but I thought ye should ken that there may be those who would steal her away. We must remain vigilant.”
                 “Aye that we must.” Garrick sighed heavily as they approached the village.
                 ”What is burdening ye, Garrick?”
                 “I am going ta have ta bid Seamus ta the wedding feast...and keep down me meal. I will surely be tested on that day.” Angus commiserated with him.
     
                He sat in a chair across the room observing his beautiful young wife sleeping on the bed. He was charmed by her. He acknowledged that he should not have left her unaccompanied after the assault. She had needed him, he took note of as he saw evidence of dried tears. But he had needed to put some distance between them to get his thoughts back on a straight path. She befuddled him and he needed to get his logical mind functioning so that he could see to her protection.
                 A MacGregor! He was having a hard time believing that she was a MacGregor. But Angus’ conclusions were sound. Garrick just must accept it and go on. It changed nothing. He still would have wed her. He had wanted her and he took her. Her parentage would not have stayed him...even if she were common born.
                 What baffled him was how they could hear each other’s thoughts. He shook his head. In all his thirty years he had never heard tell of such. Was Seonaid a witch? He did not believe in witches. But, if not a witch, then what was she? He pondered the question for a time until... Nay. Nae a witch! She must be Fae!
                 He was startled at the revelation. He did not trust the Fae. They played with men as if they were baubles, just to toss them aside when they grew tired of them. He had one bedeviling him a few years back, but when she saw that he would not play her game she ultimately left him alone.
                 Garrick shook his head again in skepticism. No. He trusted her memory loss was genuine and he had never heard of such a thing happening to Fae. There must be another explanation. One thing was certain...he must come to know how to hinder this thought-sharing between them. At least until he ascertained if she was trustworthy since she was a MacGregor.
                 Besides, he did not like the idea of her probing into his feelings and memories. He had no wish for tender feelings sprouting up like weeds in his well-ordered life. He would enjoy her body, treat her well and get some heirs on her. She cannot expect more than that in her life. He had no time for such inanity as ‘love’ to play havoc with his structured life. Tis better to keep things simple .
                 A scratching at the door disturbed his contemplations. Garrick rose… giving entrance to the proprietor’s wife who was heavily laden with a tray of food. She was shadowed by her husband bringing a jug of wine and two mugs. They set their burdens down on the table near the hearth. Perceiving his sleeping wife, they left unobtrusively without speaking a word, nodding to Garrick as they departed.
                 Garrick poured some ale as the aroma from the venison stew wafted past Seonaid’s nose, causing her stomach to rumble as she stirred from her slumber. She stretched her stiff muscles, stopping short when she realized that she could still smell the delicious fare.
                 She sat up peering in the direction of the table and detected Garrick scrutinizing her. Seonaid self-consciously plucked imaginary lint from the fur coverlet, her green orbs cast downwards, awaiting an invitation to share the repast. She may well just be detecting the remnants of his meal,