At one point she turned sideways, gave a delighted squeal, and then was able to set herself to rights by using the weight of her body.

“ ’Tis a clever lass,” Gannon said in resignation. “I’ve no doubt that one day she’ll lead her own army.”

Christina and Keeley exchanged smug glances.

Gretchen landed at the bottom, coming to a skidding halt barely inches from one of the large trees that guarded the entrance to the forest. She waved her hand excitedly to let them know that all was well, not that they couldn’t tell that from the broad grin covering her face.

Dragging the shield behind her, she struggled up the hillside until Gannon went down to help her.

Crispen was next to go and he shouted all the way down, his laughter ringing over the snow. He spun in several dizzying circles at the bottom before coming to a halt in a particularly deep drift.

Robbie was next and he howled his displeasure at tipping over halfway down and rolling like a runaway snowball for the rest of the way.

Thinking it looked like good fun, Crispen and Gretchen threw themselves in the snow and began rolling down the hill after Robbie.

“Would you like to try it, Keeley?” Gannon offered politely as he pointed at the empty shield.

Her first instinct was a vehement refusal, but she swore she saw challenge in the warrior’s eyes. Her gaze narrowed and she fixed him with a glare. “You think me too cowardly to try.”

Gannon shrugged. “It does seem rather fearsome for a slight lass as yourself.”

Christina choked and covered the sound with rapid coughing.

“That sounds remarkably like a challenge, warrior, but I have one of my own to make. If I go down the hill without tumbling from the shield, you and Cormac must also attempt it.”

Cormac scowled. “ ’Tis unseemly for warriors to indulge in child’s play.”

“Well, if you’re afraid,” she said innocently.

“Did you question our courage?” Gannon asked incredulously.

“Aye, I did. What think you to do about it?”

Gannon threw down the shield and pointed. “Get yourself on it and prepare to be soundly trumped.”

Keeley rolled her eyes and settled herself onto the cold metal. “ ’Tis so like a man to allow his pride to go before a fall.”

Before she could say yay or nay, or anything else for that matter, Gannon gave her a mighty shove down the hill. She lurched back and grasped desperately at the edge of the shield and hung on for dear life as the slick metal flew over the ice-covered landscape.

Oh dear, this was indeed a lot more difficult than it appeared, and she would need all her wits about her to complete the run without taking a huge spill.

Down the hill the children chanted her name and cheered wildly as she drew near. The problem was she raced right by them and into the trees beyond.

She squeezed her eyes shut and curled her arms atop her head just as she went flying through the air. She landed with a bounce in a snowdrift and ate a mouthful of snow.

Thank goodness she hadn’t wrapped herself around a tree.

“Keeley! Keeley!”

It was hard to discern who shouted her name. It was a mix of the children and the roars of Gannon and Cormac. She glanced up in time to see the children fast converging while Gannon and Cormac—after instructing Christina to remain where she was—charged down the hill.

An uneasy prickle raced down Keeley’s nape. Her nostrils flared and she sensed … Her head whipped up just as several warriors charged through the trees, bearing right down on her and the children.

“Attack!” she yelled. “We’re under attack!”

Intrigued by the fact that Gannon had fetched an old shield from the pile of armor that needed repairing, Alaric followed after the other man as he trudged up the hill to where the children usually played. Only, no one was there. He knew that Keeley had taken the children to play as Ewan had given Crispen permission for her to do so.

He quickened his step to follow Gannon and when he reached the rise that Gannon had disappeared over, he saw Keeley, Christina, Cormac, and the children at the next peak. He quickly saw the purpose of the shield when Gretchen plopped down onto it and then went flying down the opposite side.

With a grin he started the long hike up the opposing side. He hadn’t slid down a hill on a shield in many a year. It still sounded like a hell of a lot of fun though.

When he staggered to the top, he was shocked to see Keeley settle onto the shield and then Gannon give her a mighty push. One way too big for a lass her size. She went spinning down the hill, out of control and obviously headed for trouble.

She disappeared into the trees just as Gannon and Cormac turned and saw Alaric standing there.

The two men started down the hillside at a near run, slipping and sliding along the way. The children had already disappeared into the trees after her, when Alaric started after Gannon and Cormac.

The men froze when they heard Keeley cry, “Attack! We’re under attack!”

Not wasting a moment, the three men drew their swords. Cormac shouted back toward the keep in hopes the men would hear, then he snarled at Christina to run for help.

As soon as they reached the trees, they were met by Robbie and Gretchen who stumbled out, tears streaming down their faces. They babbled incoherently as Gannon caught both of them against him.

“They have Keeley and Crispen,” Gretchen cried. “You must hurry. They have horses.”

“Christ’s blood!” Alaric swore. “We’ll never catch them on foot in these drifts.”

Using their swords for leverage, they rammed through the snow, following the hoofprints as they led farther into the forest.

Anger and fear beat strongly in Alaric’s chest. He’d nearly lost Ewan’s son before. They’d thought him dead. And now Alaric was faced with not only losing a lad who was dear to the entire clan but also a woman who was more dear to him than any other human being.

When they rounded the corner beyond a particularly dense settings of trees, the landscape opened up to a wide path through clean snow. To Alaric’s utter astonishment, Crispen jumped from behind one of the trees and threw himself into Alaric’s arms.

“Uncle Alaric, you must hurry. They have Keeley and they think she’s my mama. They’ll kill her when they know the truth!”

“How on earth did you get free, lad?” Alaric demanded. For if Cameron thought he held Ewan’s wife and his son, he’d truly have everything Ewan held dear in the world. He couldn’t imagine them simply letting Crispen go.

“Keeley kicked two of the men betwixt the legs and told me to run. She tried to run too, but the third man, the one who wasn’t rolling around on the snow, caught her by the hair and pulled her back. She screamed at me to go and that she’d never let me throw another snowball in my life if I didn’t heed her instructions.”

“The lass saved the boy’s live,” Cormac murmured.

Alaric nodded. “Aye, ’twould seems she has a habit of saving the McCabes.”

He grasped Crispen by the shirt. “Are you hurt anywhere, lad? I need you to go back to the keep and tell your father what has transpired here. Tell him we need horses and men. Make sure he leaves enough behind to defend the keep and that Mairin is safely locked away.”

“Aye,” Crispen said, determination etched into his youthful features. Only now he didn’t appear so young. He looked damned angry.

“Come,” he ordered Gannon and Cormac. “We continue on foot until the others have reached us on horseback. We must stay on their tracks.”

CHAPTER 22

Several long minutes later, Ewan thundered up, leading a horse for Alaric. Behind him, his men trailed, armor on, weapons at the ready.

Alaric threw himself onto the horse and ignored the scream of protest his side gave at the first time he’d remounted since his injury. Behind him Cormac and Gannon also mounted, while six of his men herded the children into a protective circle and took them back to the keep.

Not awaiting Ewan’s orders, Alaric charged forward, sending his horse into the drifts. At first the horse struggled but then found his footing and charged over the terrain.

He followed the sets of hoofprints, his brothers and men close behind him all the while.

“Have more care, Alaric,” Ewan called. “Could be an ambush.”

Alaric’s lips curled as he glanced back at his brother. “They thought they’d abducted Mairin. Think you that you would be telling me have more care if it was she who was danger?”

Ewan grimaced but fell silent.

“They couldn’t think to get far in this weather. ’Twas a risky abduction,” Alaric muttered as he studied the terrain.

“Aye. They’re desperate and hoped to strike when we least expected it.”

Caelen spurred his horse through a particularly deep drift. “We shouldn’t be leaving the keep unattended. ’Tis Mairin and the babe who are all important.”

In that moment, Alaric would have struck his brother if he were close enough. As it was, it was all he could do not to launch himself across the distance and drag him from his horse. Only the knowledge that for every moment lost, Keeley would be farther away kept him from venting his rage.

“Enough,” Ewan barked. “Keeley is important to the well-being of Mairin and the babe. We go after her. The keep is well guarded. Only a fool would launch a full attack in the dead of winter.”

“Cameron has proved he’s a fool tenfold over,” Alaric pointed out. “Let’s find her before it’s too late.”

Even as he said the words, dread filled his heart. He knew that as soon as it was discovered Keeley wasn’t Mairin, her life would be forfeit. She’d be discarded. Of no use. Cameron was ruthless in his pursuit of his goal and he’d allow no one to slow him down.