Her frown deepened as she searched her mind. "The la.s.s your bothers fought over?"

Braden winced at her reminder. If ever the devil wore the face of an angel, it was in the guise of Isobailingen Kaid. Beautiful beyond description, the woman had ruined the life of every man she had touched.

"Aye," he said past the tightness in his throat, past the haunting memories that burned him through and through. "She was originally promised to Robby MacDouglas, but she couldn't stand the man and threatened to kill herself if her father forced her to marry him. My brother Kieran brought her here to escape her father's wrath."

Braden's stomach knotted as he recalled that day. Isobail had stepped into the hall, taken one look at Ewan, and in that instant decided he would make a better protector than Kieran.

"Didn't Isobail run away with Ewan?" Maggie asked.

"Aye, she did," he said, his voice thick.

The day after Ewan and Isobail had left, Kieran had killed himself.

It was less than six months later Ewan had returned home with the news that Isobail had left him in the middle of the night to be with a rich Sa.s.senach.

The news of what had happened to Kieran had destroyed Ewan.

To this day, Braden would like nothing better than to cross paths with Isobail and send her unmerciful soul back to h.e.l.l where it belonged.

But now was not the time to dwell on what Isobail had done. Now he had to rectify the lasting damage her actions had wrought.

He steeled himself for Maggie's reaction as he explained the matter to her. "And that is the reason the MacDouglas continues to attack us. He wants Lochlan to hand Ewan over to him for punishment. The MacDouglas will not see reason until he has Ewan's blood for taking Isobail from him, even though the b.a.s.t.a.r.d ought to be grateful Ewan spared him the lifetime of misery I'm sure she would have given him."

Instead of being deflated by his words, Maggie seemed to take comfort. She nodded grimly. "Then it's a good thing I took these matters into my hands, isn't it? Otherwise this would never end."

Braden stared at her in disbelief and fought a sudden urge to place his finger in his ear to clean it out.

Surely he hadn't heard her correctly.

"It won't end, Maggie. Eventually one clan or the other will attack its women and drag them back into their homes. Do you not understand that your plan can never work?"

She lifted her chin stubbornly. Her resolve shone brightly in her eyes. "It has to succeed. Sooner or later one of the lairds is bound to listen to reason."

"Sooner or later one of the lairds is bound to attack."

"They wouldn't dare attack their mothers, wives and daughters."

"What of Bridget?"

" 'Tis different."

Braden took a deep, calming breath before he said something he would regret. How could such an intelligent woman be so foolish?

This was going to be a long two days if she persisted in her nonsense. It would serve her right if he left her to fend for herself. In truth, he'd love to see her and Fergus square off and battle each other.

But he couldn't do that. Any more than he could let her face Lochlan's wrath alone.

"Then it is a good thing I'm here to protect you," he said at last, "since you're bound to be hanged for your unreasonableness."

She looked at him suspiciously. "Don't pretend to be here as a protector. I know what you came here for. You're here to seduce one of us so that the women will no longer listen to me and will return home."

Braden smiled to cover the p.r.i.c.k of his conscience. "Now, what would make you think that?"

"Because I know you for the randy scoundrel you are."

"You've always suspected the worst of me, little blossom, haven't you?"

An odd look came into her eyes as she regarded him. If Braden didn't know better, he'd swear it was a look of disappointment.

"There was a time, once, when I expected only the very best of you." The haunting quality of her voice tugged at Braden's heart. And when Maggie finished her sentence, it felt as though she had thrust a dagger through his gut. "Unfortunately, you grew into manhood."

"What do you mean?"

She shook her head. "Never mind. Tell me how long you intend to continue this farce of being our protector."

Braden decided to be honest with her. She had a right to know exactly what would happen should she persist. "Lochlan has given me two days. If I can't compel you from your sanctuary by then, he's going to tear down the walls and let the men have at the lot of you."

"He wouldn't dare!"

Braden nodded solemnly. "Aye, he would. You have to understand the position you've put him in. Right now the men are starting to doubt his ability to lead. If he can't bring you women under heel soon, then he will be forced to drastic measures."

Maggie felt her heart sink with his words. What would she do if they forced her hand? She had counted on the men's reluctance to harm them, but with each attack, her resolve had wavered.

Maybe she should just throw open the gates and go home.

This was just too much for a girl of two-and-twenty to deal with. 'Twas too much for a woman of eighty to deal with, for that matter.

Rubbing her hands over her eyes, she tried to think of some alternative. Some way to end this.

Whatever was she to do?

You're a good la.s.s, little Magpie, with a kind heart, she heard Anghus's voice in her head.I know I can trust you to always do what's right .

If only she had the strength to see it through. Weary from the struggle, from the constant complaints of the women, and from the uncertainty of her own mind, she looked up at Braden.

The sunlight cast dark reddish highlights in his sable hair, and his eyes glowed with that same compelling warmth that had once soothed her when she was just a wee bairn and he a boy. Even now she remembered the inner feeling of peace his youthful hugs had once given her.

How she wished she could trust him. She needed to trust someone. Even if it was a scandalous rogue with wenching on his mind.

"Tell me," she said, "why are you here, and not helping Lochlan to plan his attack against us?"

A deep emotion burned in his eyes, something she couldn't name. "I'm here to make sure no one kills you in retaliation for your actions."

Her breath caught at his words, at words she had waited a lifetime to hear. Could it be that after all this time, he might actually have feelings for her?

Dare she even hope for it?

"And why would you do that?" she asked.

"You were always Anghus's pride. I couldn't live with myself if I let something happen to you. 'Tis the least I owe him."

His words stung her heart even more deeply than she had thought possible.

What were you expecting, an avowal of love? You know better than that, Maggie. You're far too plain and simple to turn his head.

Her heart broken once again by him, she nodded.

Two days. She had two days left to think of something.

And she would.

Somehow.

Or you'll pay a dear price.

"Thank you," she whispered, patting him lightly on the arm. "I'm sure in two days I'll be needing a guardian."

"So, you're going to carry this all the way to Lochlan's deadline?"

She nodded, wishing she could think of an alternative. But there wasn't one. No matter how hard it was, she must see it through.

"I have no choice. If I open the doors and let everyone leave, I will be a laughingstock for the rest of my life. Look, there goes that crazy Maggie ingen Blar who thought she was some great chieftain to lead the women. She led them, all right. Right back into their homes where they could be slaughtered and raped in the middle of the night by the MacDouglas and his men."

He reached for her. "Maggie-"

"Nay, Braden," she said, stepping away from him. "Both of us have the same goal-to save the life of our brothers."

She looked up at him, allowing him to see the turmoil in her heart. "But tell me this. If I give in to you and Lochlan and lead the women home, who's to say that in the next battle it isn't you or Ewan who dies?

Will Lochlan still feel victorious then? Or you, if it is he or Ewan who is cut down? Where will your precious manhood be when you're standing over the grave of your brothers?"

Before he could stop her, she left him standing in the middle of the yard, mulling over her words.

Braden watched her as she entered the refectory.

d.a.m.n the wench if she wasn't right. He already knew the pain of losing a brother, and the last thing he wanted was to bury another.

There had to be some other solution to this madness. Something that would allow both Lochlan and Maggie to save face.

Clenching his teeth, Braden crossed the yard to slip through the back door of the kirk and return to the castle. He would go talk to Lochlan. Surely his brother would be more reasonable than Maggie.

If nothing else, he could try and bully Lochlan into a surrender.

After all, he was Braden MacAllister, the unparalleled, sanctified peacekeeper of the family. He'd dealt with his pigheaded brothers all his life. If he could maintain peace between the lot ofthem , then surely he could settle this petty squabble.

I mean, how hard could it be to bring peace between people who want it?

What of Kieran?

His gut tightened at the memory. Neither Kieran nor Ewan had wanted the fight that Isobail had caused.

They had even tried to work it out peacefully between them before she delivered her ultimatum.

Closing his eyes, Braden tried to blot out the lonely image of the green and black plaid, impaled by Kieran's family sword, lying on the cliff above the rocks where his brother had jumped into the sea.

He had tried so hard to keep his brothers from fighting. Tried to tell Kieran that there would be another lady he would love as much.

You know nothing of it, Braden. Hearts don't just stop loving, and when a man finds the woman he needs, he'll do anything to keep her. Anything!

Aye, that was a truth he'd seen firsthand on more than one occasion. Love made a man weak. It made him do unforgivable things, and in the case of Kieran, it had cost the man his very soul.

It was for that reason Braden would never allow himself to love a woman. He would never be such a fool.

Never.

His life belonged to him and he would make certain that no woman ever held control over him.

Besides, he enjoyed his carefree life and had no wish for it to change.

At present, the only thing he wanted to change was this stalemate between two obstinate fools.

Somehow, he would get the women back to their families by the morrow. Then Lochlan would have his men under control, and Maggie...

Well, he had a different plan for her. One he couldn't wait to get started on.

Chapter 5.

Weary and frustrated, Lochlan pushed open the door to his keep expecting an empty hall where he could sit quietly and brood over the events of the day.

What he found when the heavy door sc.r.a.ped open was about two score hostile men glaring a him as if he were the sole reason for their misery.

"This canna be good," he mumbled under his breath.

Lochlan paused with a frown. Never in his lift had he seen a more sour-looking group. They re minded him of a gaggle of geese ready to con front the axe-bearing farmer. The only problem with the image was that Lochlan had no axe.

Nor much of anything else with which to protect himself.

And the geese were restless. They swarmed around him, their voices loud and ringing off the stone walls as they all shouted at once.

Lochlan held his hands up to quiet them. Instead, they grew louder.

Fergus stepped forward and yelled for the others to quiet down. To Lochlan's amazement, they complied, and it was then he knew the leader of the irate geese.