Free The Reluctant Highland Groom by Marilyn Stonecross Page B

oak door and it let out a loud, bellowing creak that echoed through the drafty hall. The room was warm and smoky, with three of the four fires going at full strength. People were everywhere—Munroes and McHughs alike had taken seats at the heavy wooden tables, and a few had sprawled comfortable on the few rugs that had been placed in front of the hearths. Laughter danced on the air, along with the mouthwatering aroma of roasting meats.
     
    Not the solemn occasion he’d pictured in his head, but Alec was determined to see this through.
     
    He scanned the room and finally found Ramsey seated, as he’d imagined, with Sabrina right next to him. Ramsey’s fair-haired wife was deep in an animated conversation and didn’t notice Alec approach. Logan did, however.
     
    “ And there he is now,” Logan bellowed, aided by too much ale. He stood from his chair and wobbled a bit before clasping Alec by the back. “Just in time!”
     
    Ramsey rolled his eyes and stood.
     
    “ Alec,” he said, and Alec did not miss the slight hesitation in his older brother. Hell. Was everyone sotted tonight? Too bad they’d all gotten a head start on him—he was the one that could use a drink of something strong. “This is Connor McHugh, laird of the McHughs to the south.”
     
    Laird? When had old Zeke McHugh died?
     
    Hope blossomed in Alec’s chest. If he didn’t need to face Zeke McHugh, this unpleasant task would be far less trying.
     
    Alec looked to the man Ramsey now pointed toward and recognized him immediately. The oldest of the McHugh children, Connor, was a childhood companion of Ramsey’s. He stood now, and extended his hand to Alec.
     
    “ It is good to see ye again,” he said with what seemed like a paltry attempt at a smile. For a man only two or three years older than Ramsey, time had worn on Connor’s face. Creases from worry and anxiety made him look like a much older man than he was.
     
    “ And ye, Connor,” Alec said. “It has been at least twelve years.” Connor had always seemed a serious sort, but he almost did not look like the same lad who had rescued Alec from his sister’s clutches. Alec would not have recognized him if they had not been introduced.
     
    A servant handed Alec a mug, and he found a chair next to Logan. To his relief, the conversation did not turn to marriages or betrothal at his arrival. Mostly, the two families now helmed by the eldest sons talked of the growing season, sharing patrols on common borders, and the coming winter.
     
    It was not a promising discussion.
     
    “ We hav’na had the greatest growing season,” Connor said quietly.
     
    Ramsey nodded. Alec knew there was a lot of rot coming in as their crops were harvested—and now he knew it had spread to the areas around them.
     
    “ Have ye had any more encounters with the Gunns since the spring?” Alec asked. The Munroes hadn’t seen a Gunn in nearly three months, and their absence left him more worried than when they were spotted nearly daily last summer.
     
    “ Nay,” Connor replied. “And it doesna bode well. We’ve not heard anything from them since my Da died last year.”
     
    When the meal was finally served, the mood returned to lighthearted chatter and Alec was just beginning to relax. In fact, he’d not spotted the rat-faced girl at all. Perhaps she’d not traveled with her brother. Perhaps this visit had nothing to do with matrimony after all.
     
    Alec let his long legs stretch out in front him and enjoyed another mug of ale, not paying attention to the conversation and letting his shoulders relax for the first time in many hours. It was just then, when he’d finally let down his guard, that Connor struck.
     
    “ I think it’s time we get down to the real reason we are here,” Connor said. He’d taken a chair next to Alec and was now speaking so that only Alec could hear. “It’s time to make good on the betrothal our fathers agreed upon.”
     
    Alec held his breath, wondering if