The Highlander's Promise

What Way the Wind Blows

I messed up; I should have told Claire that I was not going to play her games. Somehow, she ended up reeling me in and I lost the one woman that ever meant something to me. I know she was in the hospital and she refused to see me, she would not even let me explain.

I tried telling Claire that we could get a new place, I would be with her just let Anna have Sheep’s Lodge, but that woman is spiteful and was trying to take Anna’s home away from her.

“Macky dear, could you help me paint the hallway, that color that was there is so boring.” I grit my teeth and rolled my eyes. Alexei told me that Claire could do whatever she wants but she is not going to keep the place.

Claire had other ideas and I was going to get Anna’s place back for her. Felix wasn’t even talking to me and most of the townsfolk were pleasant but I could tell they blamed me for Claire and her hand in Sinclair going to the hospital. Most of the town was here when she made a spectacle of herself.

“MACK! PAY ATTENTION TO ME! YOU ARE WITH ME NOW SO YOU BETTER FORGET ABOUT YOUR PRECIOUS ANNA.” I slammed the paint can down and she jumped.

“Listen ye harpy, I am only with ye to keep ye happy so ye don’t start trouble. What we had has long since died. I have no feelings for ye and ye best learn that.” She stuck her lower lip out and tears glistened in her eyes.

“How could you be so cruel to me! We grew up together, you made a promise to me that we would be together forever.” I grunted and stalked out to the barn, there were no animals here anymore, Daniel came and took them all to his place. He wasn’t even talking to me. I was alone, my sisters hated me because I let Claire back into my life.

I closed the door to the barn and sat down on the old hay bales. How was I going to make this right? Jer would not talk to me anymore he said it was a conflict of interest. He also hinted that Anna needed to recover from a loss. I thought it was because she lost her home but I found out Melinda had another estate further north.

I heard screaming coming from the house and ran out to see what Claire’s problem was now. She probably saw a mouse or something. I saw a tall black man and a petite Asian woman being kicked out of the house. I searched my brain to figure out where I saw them before.

“GET OUT OF MY HOUSE THERE IS NOTHING TO STEAL HERE! OH MY GOD PLEASE DON’T r**e ME!” The woman was holding her swollen stomach and looked ready to punch Claire and the man was trying to push past Claire.

“I am here to see my brother and Anna you wanker, why would I want some stringy old hag when I’m already married! Where is my brother you b***h?” The lightbulb went on in my brain as his words registered.

“Ye are Jer’s brother, right?” Claire ran over to me and hid behind me still crying and sobbing. I rolled my eyes and tried to disentangle myself from her. The petite woman narrowed her eyes at me and if looks could kill, I would be a smoldering pile of ashes.

“Gregor Mackenzie I presume? Weren’t you just the handyman and well having a thing with Annabelle?” I shrank back from the ice in her words, they cut through me and there was nothing I could say that would help my situation.

“That slut stole my fiancé from me. She was just a cheap fling for him and now she is gone. You are on my property and if you don’t go, I am calling the constable.” The man stood in front of his pregnant wife and tried to calm her down.

“Claire would ye shut up for ten minutes so I can find out what is going on.” She looked up at me and started sobbing again.

“Why do you hate me so much, you never used to be like this. What has that foul tramp done to you.” I heard a feral screech and the petite woman launched herself at Claire and punched her in the throat. The man was struggling to drag her back to the car and he shot me a nasty glare.

“Melina please, the baby, just go back to the car and I will deal with this.” She spat out some curses in Spanish and then stalked back to the car. The man, wait they called him Wuggie, continued to glower at me.

“Look dude, I just came to see my bro and his bestie, where are they? We want no trouble.” I sighed, I wish I could tell them where his brother and Anna went. If I knew I would be there begging for her to understand my dilemma.

“If ye go into town and visit the paint store, my Uncle Felix will let ye know where they are. A lot has happened since ye were here last.” I called my uncle to tell him that some people were coming to look for Anna and he said thank you and then hung up.

Claire was smirking at me and then walked back to the house with an air of triumph. I really needed to find out the truth about the claim about her kid and if he is really mine.