That night was the longest since they had left Lain Castle. Lord Alex pushed them all farther than they thought they could go, determined that if they were going to be safe, they had to be over the border by the time they slept.

Katerina, as the least experienced rider, had the most trouble keeping up. Finally, when they stopped, she talked to Lady Lina. “I cannot keep riding. Every muscle in my body is sore. I am ready to beg all of you to go on without me.” She knew it was not the right answer, but she was not certain what else she could do.

Lina frowned. “Give me a moment.” Katerina stretched her legs as best she could, but she could not imagine getting on that horse again. When Lady Lina returned, she said, “Braden is going to have you ride with him. He will put anything extra on his horse onto yours.” She held out something for Katerina. “Apply this salve to your legs and other places you are hurting. It will help you!”

After a moment of consideration, Katerina nodded. “That sounds like a good plan, milady.” She took the cream, looking around for a place to apply it, noting there were some bushes.

“Please, call me Grandmother like Braden does. There is no need for you to be so formal.”

By the time they were ready to venture on, Braden had already moved everything he could to Katerina’s horse, and he rode up beside her, holding down his hand to help her up. “If you sit across my lap instead of on the saddle, I believe some of the soreness will leave you.”

“How much longer? Do you know?” She did not want to sound like a whiny child, but the ride had already been so long, and she was tired.

“Sleep. I will make sure you are all right.”

That was the last thing Katerina remembered for many hours. When she woke they were stopping, and the sun was already much higher in the sky than they had allowed themselves to travel on any of the other nights. “Are we in Scotland?” she asked, fighting her way out of a sleepy fog.

“Aye,” Braden said softly. “We crossed the border a mile or two back. We are safe.”

“We are safe as long as the Scots we meet do not notice our English clothes and decide to kill us for simply not being Scots like they are.” She hid a yawn behind her hand before pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you for allowing me to sleep and get a break from riding. I do not know how I would have made it otherwise.”

“You are welcome. It is no hardship to hold my beautiful wife in my arms.”

Katerina blushed and accepted his father’s hand to help her down. “Will we have a campfire?” she asked.

Lord Robert nodded. “We will. I believe we are the safest we have been on this trip. Father chose this as the best spot for our camp, so here we are.”

She joined the other three women, and they worked together to fix a quick meal before they slept. It was simple oat cakes, which would fill them up and give them energy for the days ahead.

After they had eaten, they spread out, couples sleeping together and Mary sleeping closest to the fire. Katerina went happily into her husband’s arms. “You were very kind to me today.”

Braden kissed her forehead. “I will always try to be kind to you. I know this journey is difficult, but we need to make it.”

Katerina rested her cheek on his shoulder. “Thank you for making sure I was taken care of.” With those words, she fell asleep once again.

He looked down at the beautiful woman in his arms, wishing their marriage had started out differently but knowing their marriage was the most important thing in his world. He just had to help her see that.

* * *

After they had slept for just a few hours, they all woke and resumed their journey. “I feel much safer here in Scotland, but I feel that we must continue north. We have to be in the Highlands just as soon as we can get there,” Lord Alex told them as they quickly ate what was left of the oat cakes from the night before. “When we stop this evening, we will be able to spend a little time hunting and have meat for supper.”

Meat had been absent from their diet most of the time they had been on the road. It was time for all of them to be able to eat better so they would be healthier. Katerina rubbed her sore thighs, knowing she could not impose on Braden again. She would need to ride her own horse for this shorter day of travel.

She felt very revived after her longer sleep, and it was good to be able to be awake during the day again. They passed some Lowlanders as they went, but their garb was not completely out of place so there was no real animosity. It was nice to not fear for her life for the day.

* * *

By the time the family reached the Highlands, they had been traveling for eight days. They were all tired and travel-weary, and the higher altitude did not help them. Katerina felt a bit dizzy now that they had managed to reach the area they were looking to settle, and she hoped they could take a day or two to rest before they had to move on further.

It was the evening of that eighth day that they ran into their first Highlander. Alex spoke for all of them and hearing him speaking fluent Gaelic surprised Katerina if no one else.

After he spoke for a minute or two, he turned to the rest of them. “We are to head to the keep, where we will find the laird. We can petition him to join the clan, but the man thinks that we will be asked to move along.”

Katerina nodded, her head held high. If the others, all of them older than herself, could make this difficult journey without one complaint, then she could too.

Thankfully the laird of the keep spoke some English, so that is the language Alex addressed him in. “We are from England, where the nobles fight among themselves. We hope to be able to join your clan.”

The man looked him up and down carefully, spit on the ground, and said, “Nay!” He turned and walked back inside without another word.

Katerina had somehow believed that as soon as they reached the Highlands, they would be invited to join a clan and the dreadful journey would be over. That was not the case at all.

Their journey would continue north until they found a clan that needed them or at least was willing to accept them.

That night as Katerina went into Braden’s arms, he kissed her sweetly. “I cannot wait until I have you in a real bed. I will not try to make love to you out here on the hard ground, but when we have a bed, there will be no stopping me. I will make love to you.”

Katerina shivered at his words, and he pulled her closer. Every night as he held her, she felt more and more for him. Her stomach fluttered as he pressed kisses to her face. His hands roamed over her body, and if his parents and grandparents had not always slept so close, she would have happily let him make love to her. “Aye, you will.”

And with those words, they both slept from sheer exhaustion. They were in the Highlands now, but would they ever be members of a clan as they needed?

* * *

It was their eighth day in the Highlands, and still Katerina could not get used to the beauty all around her. The grass was greener, and the lakes were bluer. This country called to her in a way that England never had. She wanted to live here and belong here.

They went to what seemed to be the twentieth keep they had seen since they had reached the Highlands, but Katerina refused to give up hope. She could see a bit of fear in Mary’s eyes, but she would not let her own show the same fear. Nay, she would stay positive and certain of their future.

Alex went to the keep alone, while the others waited. A few minutes later, he came back, nodding at Braden, and speaking in Gaelic again. He waved for Braden to get down and said some more things to the man in front of him.

By the time the exchange was over, there was a huge smile on Alex’s face and the two men shook hands.

Alex walked over to the group. “Their laird died a month ago, and there is no clear succession for the next laird. He had no siblings and died childless. The people here are having trouble with their crops. I said that my grandson could make the crops grow so tall with a mix of three different types of dirt we could find within a small area that they would know on the morrow they would be fed for the whole winter.” He grinned. “So, he said that if my grandson could do that, they would name him laird in the morning.”

“Laird?” Braden asked surprised. “I assumed we would be peasants.”

“If you can make their barley and oat crops grow, we will not be peasants.”

Braden smiled. “I almost feel as if we are tricking them.”

“Why? You will provide the food they need for the winter, will you not?”

“I will.” Braden swung down from his horse. “We will need to get some pails so we can make it look as if we are making a mix to put onto the fields.” He looked around him. “Let us see what we can find to make this work.”

They spread out to get what they needed. Katerina found a young woman who was heavy with child. She looked hungry, and Katerina felt sad. “Do you have a pail we can use?”

The woman made a face as if she did not understand. Katerina made a scooping motion with her hands and acted as if she was holding something by a handle. The woman just stared at her for a moment, and then finally, she took Katerina’s hand and led her to her house.

Katerina looked around, finding a bucket beside the stove. She walked to the bucket and held it up—a questioning look on her face. “May I?”

The girl nodded, a grin on her face. She waved her away, letting her know it was all right that she borrowed it.

Katerina hurried back to the horses where the others waited. Robert was removing the bridles and saddles from the horses, and the three other women were building a small fire. Katerina was surprised at how cold it was in the Highlands in the summer, and she was not looking forward to the winter.

“I have a bucket. What should I do?”

Braden rushed over with a bucket in his hands. “Go down beside the lake and fill it with the dirt from there. I will get dirt from over that way,” he said pointing to the west, “and Grandfather can get dirt from the east. We will mix them all together, and if anyone asks, I will say they have to be applied after dark. Then I will ask the earth to grow the crops. Simple.”

Katerina hurried to him and kissed him quickly before she wandered down toward the lake. Within a minute or two she heard footsteps behind her and turned to see her father-in-law following her. “My father did not think you should be alone, so I volunteered to help you fill your pail.”

Katerina knelt beside the lake, and cupped her hands together, taking a drink of the fresh, clear water. “I needed that,” she said with a smile before she began scooping up the dirt with her hands. It was funny how just a month before, she would have been mortified if anyone had suggested she do such a thing, and here she was, not even pausing before doing as she was instructed.

Robert carried the pail back to where they were setting up camp, and Braden took the three pails of dirt and mixed them together, seeming to add something else to the mix, but Katerina could see it was nothing more than him acting like he was adding something.

When he finished, he divided the mound of dirt into the three pails, setting them aside. “I am going to the lake to wash my hands so I can eat supper with my family.”

He took Katerina’s hand, and the two of them walked toward the lake together. It had been a while since they had been together and out of earshot of others, and she was pleased. “Do you really think this will work?” she asked.

“If they think we can make sure they are fed—and we can—I think it will work beautifully.” Braden washed his hands and face in the water, and Katerina knelt and did the same. “You are going to be the laird’s wife.”

“It seems odd that they would make such an offer. I still have a hard time believing it.”

“As do I, but they will definitely keep us around, even if they do not let me be laird.” He shrugged. “That was our goal in coming here anyway. We wanted to be peasants, not run the clan.”

After she washed in the cold lake waters, she got to her feet and waited for him. Her husband’s broad shoulders always brought a bit of happiness to her. She no longer dreaded the night they would finally make love. He had treated her as someone who had thoughts and opinions throughout the trip, and unless something changed drastically, she did not think there would be a problem.

He got to his feet, and the two of them slowly strolled back to their campsite together. “Do you want to stay with this clan?” he asked.

“I have only met one person so far, but she was very nice. I will need to take her pail back in the morning.” Katerina rubbed the back of her neck. “I do think this is as good a place as any. And I absolutely love the view. I could stand and look out over the beautiful mountains and the lake all day long.”

“Then that is what we will do. If they will have us, of course.”

Back at camp, Robert had killed two large hares, and Mary was putting them over the fire to roast. They would feast that night!

After supper, they sat around their fire, aware that they received many strange looks from the clansmen, but they did not care. Their journey seemed to be at its end, and they were all very pleased with the turn out.

As soon as it was dark, Braden and his father went into the fields, dumping the dirt they had mixed together along the way. Braden squatted down and put his hand on the earth. “Will you grow the barley and oats for me?”

The land seemed to be startled at being spoken to, but it agreed, sending him visions of tall plants. He was not certain why the crops had not grown that year. He knew there was plenty of rain, and the land did not seem weary. Perhaps there had been a late frost, preventing the plants from growing as early as they should have.

They walked back to camp a few minutes later with empty pails. “I do believe there will be a very noticeable difference in the crops on the morrow,” Braden said softly.

They all went to their separate blankets then, but Katerina could not sleep. She was too busy thinking about how much her life was set to change. In just a few hours, they would know if this clan had been lying or serious. Either way, she was sure this would be their new home. The only question was whether she would be a lady or a peasant. Truthfully, she was not certain how much it mattered anymore. If she could make the kind of journey they had just made from England, she was sure she could do anything.

She fell asleep with a smile on her face, knowing she was much stronger than she had ever dreamed she was.

* * *

They woke at sunrise the following morning, and one glance at the fields told Katerina everything she needed to know. If they did not offer to let their family stay with the clan, she would be very surprised. She wondered for a moment if Braden also had the ability to kill the crops off, but she did not ask. Hopefully it would never be something that would be necessary for him to do.

As they were eating their oat cakes for breakfast, the man who had spoken with Alex the previous day came to the camp, waving his arms as he spoke in rapid Gaelic. He was obviously very excited.

Alex smiled and nodded. He turned to Braden. “You have been asked to become their laird. There has been much illness and many people in the clan have died in the past year. They are excited to have new people here.”

Braden got to his feet. He could not help but wonder how he was going to learn to fashion a kilt, but he figured there would be someone to teach him. The kilts of this clan seemed to be fashioned of a green plaid, and he wondered where he would get some for his family to wear.

The man, who introduced himself as Callum, led them into the keep, showing them through the house. The housekeeper came out to meet them, and Katerina was thrilled to realize she spoke some English. “I am Katerina,” she said softly, leaving out her title. “This is my mother-in-law, Matilda, and my husband’s grandmother, Lina.”

The housekeeper nodded her head. “I am Andrina.” The woman’s voice was very deep, and if Katerina had not been looking at her, she would have assumed she was a man.

“Are you willing to stay on and help us with our transition?”

Andrina nodded. “Callum is running around like a fool claiming you made the crops grow twice as tall overnight. We all know that is not possible, so what did you do to excite him so?”

“I did not make the crops grow overnight. My husband did. He has an affinity with the plants and the earth.” Katerina could not admit to the powers her husband had, but she could phrase it in the same way he had first phrased it to her. “Will you tell me about the clan?”

Andrina frowned. “It is really just a bunch of misfits who have come together. Many have left their own lands because of a disagreement. Some are outcasts. It is not a real clan, I am afraid. We had a man who was our leader, but he was killed in battle, and we have no one to replace him. The truth is we have been looking for a new leader.”

“That is very interesting. Does the clan have a name?”

“The last laird was a MacDougal, but as we are not all MacDougals we did not take on his name. What is your last name, Katerina?”

Katerina was startled for a moment when the other woman used her first name. Things were obviously done very differently here than back in England, but Katerina liked the idea of things being a bit more casual. “Lain.”

“That will not do. It sounds like an English name. Add a Mac or a Mc in front if you want to have a good Scottish name.”

Katerina frowned. “I suppose we could call ourselves the McClains. Would that be better?”

“Aye, it would.” Andrina led Katerina into the kitchen. “I was planning to serve a good brown bread and mutton for supper. Will that be suiting you and your family?”

“That sounds wonderful. Will you eat with us?”

“Aye, I will.” Andrina turned to her work, and Katerina could tell she had been dismissed. She turned around and left the kitchen, going back to her family.

“It seems we have a new name, Braden.”

“We do?” he asked, surprised.

“Andrina insisted we needed a Scottish name. How would you feel about being a McClain?”

He grinned. “Aye, that works. I am Braden McClain.”