The Wellspring (Kaitlyn and the Highlander #12) - Diana Knightley Page 0,113

barbarian, learning to calm the fuck down.

Right as I thought that, he turned his horse to show me, Isla, sitting in front of him on the horse, fallen asleep on his arm, and not the almost asleep, this was the deep, mouth open, drool rolling down her cheek kind of asleep.

He raised his brow. “Och, she has been lulled tae sleep on the back of a horse on the way tae Kilchurn, all m’dreams hae come true.”

I thought my heart might burst with love watching his wide shoulders with the wee bairn in his arms, astride the horse, leading me home.

“How much longer?” Hayley asked.

Magnus said, “Twill be another few hours.”

And so we rode.

As we got closer he stated simply, “I forget ye hae seen this afore.” I gathered from his voice that it bothered him.

“Yes, but… it was a long, long time ago when Old Magnus showed it to me. I don’t know how to describe it… with melancholy? It was all about the past, showing me his youth, your youth I mean, with the idea that we were about to part.” I frowned. “My point is, it’s all new, this, you showing me your childhood home and I’m here with the kids and this is going to be our home and… this is going to be great.”

“Thank ye, mo reul-iuil. Dost ye see the hills risin’ around us? Tis because of the mountain there, dost ye ken the name?”

“Ben Cruachan.”

“Aye, and up there,” he pointed, “is a cave. Tis where I will be hiding the vessels.”

“Awesome, I’d like to go with you when you do it.”

“Aye, I will need ye tae ken their location in case of attack.”

“Of course, but this is a time for new beginnings, right? We have most of the vessels, the future is carrying on without us, we have a new home on the horizon.”

Magnus grinned. “Och, ye are right.” He pointed up at the mountain. “See the mountain, Archie and Ben? Tis Ben Cruachan, our road is about tae take us tae the castle, sitting out on the loch. Are ye ready tae see it?”

The little boys yelled, “Yeah!” And then corrected themselves to say, “Aye!”

James said, “Katie, isn’t this just like that trip to the Keys? Remember? The train of cars?”

Hayley said, “How the hell is this like that trip to the Keys? Literally everything is different: the landscape, the weather, the transportation, the lack of decent rest stops—”

James said, “Pissing in the woods is a heck of a better rest stop than some I’ve seen.”

Hayley teased, “You would say that, you’re a dude.”

Quentin said, “Now that Hayley and James are bitching at each other, it does totally feel like that trip to the Keys.”

Fraoch turned his horse. “Anyone need some whisky?”

I said, “Now it’s exactly like the trip to the Keys.”

Sixty-six - Kaitlyn

After that our ride was so boring. We were so excited to get there and that mountain stayed the same size, though we rode and rode.

We began to be complainy.

Hayley said, “Can we please talk about how badly my arse feels about now?”

Emma laughed. “I can’t feel mine, I think it fell off back in Orlando. We should be at the Keys any minute now, right?”

Zach said, “The Keys? It might be hard to find a more opposite place.” He arched to look up at the mountain tops and just about fell off his horse. “Whoa! Whoa! Oh fu— I mean, Oh, fiddlesticks,” he looked cross-eyed at the boys. “That would have sucked, thankful right now for all those years skateboarding.”

He rode past me and pulled up alongside Ben and Archie’s horse. “Because you almost watched me fall off the horse, you get candy.”

Fraoch said, “I had tae watch it as well, dost I get candy?”

Hayley said, “Me! Me!” And Zach passed candy all up and down the row, riding and turning his horse very well.

We were on a low rise, green grass all around. Beaty, riding her horse expertly, took photos up and down the group, as we all ate sour worms on the back of our horses.

James said, “This is going to be a crazy photo.” He pulled his horse up alongside Quentin’s and they leaned in together, their kilts on, swords at their hips, sour gummy worms hanging from their mouths.

Beaty said, “It has never been seen afore in Scotland.” She sighed. “But I canna upload it tae Instagram.”

Quentin said, “You can go back with me when I go for supplies. We’ll upload your photos, taking