“N-Not really,” Catherine said, drawing his attention. “Not in this time, anyway.”
Daar raised one eyebrow. “Did ya stand in front of a priest?”
“Well, yes, we did, but I didn’t say… ”
She snapped her mouth shut when Daar waggled his finger at her. “It don’t matterwhen ya got married, girl,” he said. “As long as ya both live, the vows are binding.”
“But I didn’t vow anything. I couldn’t even understand what the priest was saying.”
Daar shook his head, his glare turning to a look of sympathy as his gaze moved from Catherine to Robbie, then back to Catherine. Only Robbie didn’t know who the priest felt sorry for, him or his poor, protesting wife.
“Catherine,” Daar said, stepping toward her. “Ya stood before a priest and accepted Robbie MacBain’s ring. That’s all the vows ya have to take.”
Robbie took her hand and led her toward his horse. “You worry about growing your tree, old man, and I’ll worry about my wife.”
Daar fell into step behind them. “Did ya see Cùram? Did ya have to fight him for the root?”
Robbie stopped and glared at the olddrùidh. “Our paths never crossed. But be mindful you plant that root where it will be safe. I had to destroy Cùram’s tree to get it, and once he discovers what’s happened, he’ll likely be looking for revenge.”
Daar gasped, stepping back and clutching the root to his chest, his eyes wide with horror. “Ya killed a tree of wisdom?”
Robbie gestured at Daar’s chest. “Not completely. There’s still the root.”
“But to destroy all those years of knowledge, MacBain. All that energy. The energy had to go somewhere. Where did it go?”
Robbie shrugged. “I have no idea, priest, and I don’t care. I did my duty to protect my family, and now you will do yours and reverse your original spell.”
“Aye, aye, I’ll start right now,” he said, nodding and stepping back, his eyes still wide with both awe and a good bit of fear. “And I’ll hide it well,” he added, turning and beating a hasty retreat down the mountain.
Robbie looked over at Catherine, only to find her staring up a him with her own look of horror. “What?” he asked.
“He… he couldn’t decide if all that energy wentinto you, or if itcursed you,” she whispered.
He leaned over, kissed her worried lips, and pulled back just enough for her to see his smile. “I can promise you I’m not cursed, wife,” he said, and kissed her again when she gasped.
He did a thorough job of it, too, and then took hold of her hand and led her over to their clothes. “If we hurry, you can still make it home before the school bus comes,” he said, stripping off his plaid and slipping into his modern clothes.
“Today’s Saturday,” she told him, rolling the kitten up in her shawl and setting him on the ground. “Everyone’s probably still sleeping,” she added, gesturing for Robbie to turn his back so she could change her own clothes with a bit more modesty. “And you saidI can make it home in time. Aren’t you coming with me?”
Robbie finished tying his sword and MacKeage plaid to his saddle and reached down and plucked the kitten from Catherine’s shawl. “I have to go to Gu Bràth first,” he told her, mounting up and tucking the cub inside his own plaid. “And I’ll give Winter her new little friend, explain to Greylen where Ian has gone, and ask him to call a clan meeting for this evening.” He held out his hand to her, moving his foot from his stirrup so she could mount up behind him. “And I would like you to schedule your day so you can come with me this evening.”
“To your clan meeting? But why?”
He patted her hand around his waist and started his horse down the mountain. “Because you were there. You can help assure them that Ian is happy.”
“But they’ll believe you. I don’t want to go.”
“But I want you to,” he said, stopping when he came to her horse. He reached around, lifted her off his saddle, and plunked her down on her own. He untied her horse’s halter and handed her the rope. “You needn’t bother with the bridle. Hell,” he said with a chuckle. “You could sleep for the ride home if you want. Sprocket’s only concern this morning is a bucket of grain and a nap in his stall.”
Catherine nudged Sprocket forward and started down the mountain. Robbie followed, wondering how to bring up his next concern. It wasn’t fair to ask anything else of his poor wife right now, considering all she’d been through, but dammit, until this one final matter was resolved, she would never be able to accept their marriage.
“I’ve been thinking, Catherine, that it’s probably time you invite Daniels to come visit his children.”
“What?” she cried, turning in her saddle to look at him. “Invite Ron to—are you crazy?”
He shook his head. “You and Nathan and Nora need to face your demon,” he softly told her. “Because until you do, the three of you will never be free.”
“So, you’re suggesting I just call Ron up and invite him to come see us.”
“Aye. Think about it, Catherine,” he said, moving his horse beside hers when the path widened. “To you and your children, Daniels is still the terrifying monster he was three years ago. But all of you have grown quite a bit in those three years, and maybe now you can see him for the pathetic creature he is.”
“There is nothing pathetic about Ron. Heis a monster. And you want me to expose my children to him? My God, I nearly got killed trying to get us away from him.”
“That won’t happen again,” Robbie softly promised. “Because instead of having two well-meaning friends watching your back, this time you have me.”
“No.”
“And you have the boys.” He leaned over and touched her shoulder. “I’m just asking you to think about it, Cat. For your children as much as for yourself. Let Nathan and Nora see their father again and finally realize they have nothing to fear from him. Give them the gift of courage, Catherine.”
“You make it sound as if it’s all in my head.”
“Nay. Only a fool would be unafraid of something or someone trying to destroy them.
But Catherine,” he whispered, grabbing Sprocket’s rope and stopping them both. “You have five guardian angels this time. Face your demon with us standing behind you, and show Daniels that he no longer holds any power over you or Nathan and Nora.” He reached up and caressed her cheek with his knuckles. “Your children can’t be free until they do. And neither can you.”
“I—I’ll think about it,” she whispered, urging Sprocket along the path ahead of him.
Robbie looked down and scratched his passenger’s chin. “What do you think, my little friend? Did I just blow it?”
The cub clamped his sharp little teeth over Robbie’s thumb and growled.
“Aye,” he whispered. “She’s mine.”
The first thing Catherine did when she got home was run into the living room and hug and kiss her children. And then she hugged and kissed them some more, until Nathan finally wiggled free, told her he was too big for that kind of stuff, and went back to watching cartoons. Nora just wrinkled her nose at Catherine and told her she smelled funny.
Neither child mentioned missing her last evening or this morning, apparently quite content to have the boys babysit them. Nora did mention that she ate too much ice cream but that Gunter had stopped the truck on the side of the road so she could throw up, that Rick had held her shoulders, and that Cody had washed her face with water from a brook. Nathan piped up, apparently listening to them as much as the cartoons, and said it had been ditch water, not brook water.
Gunter came tiptoeing downstairs just then, stopped on the bottom step, and smiled at Catherine. “Did you have a good vacation?” he asked. “What book did you read?”
“A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court,”she said, standing up and heading into the kitchen. “You should read it sometime,” she continued over her shoulder as he followed her. “It’s quite an adventure.”