For the Love of Two Highland Bears (3 page)

Though, he and Malcolm had suspected such a thing for much longer than that, people who thought like them, now had the approval of the entire clan.

Yes, Gavin, our lass.
Malcolm shifted his gaze to Sunshine.

I knew who ye meant, ye ass. What makes ye think she wants tae hae anything tae do with us? I dinnae know about ye, but I pity the poor lass who has tae wake up tae the sight of your ugly mug on a daily basis. I cannae say seeing it daily is on the top of
my
list.

Malcolm scowled.
Don’t think that I hold the prize for homeliness. That would be ye.

“I think we’re scaring them off, Sunshine,” Roxie said with a laugh. She turned to Gavin. “Seriously. The man doesn’t appear to have aged the entire time I’ve known them and Sunshine seemed to stop aging when she turned nineteen or twenty.” She frowned. “As crazy as this all sounds, everything we’ve told you is the truth.”

“And we believe ye, lass,” Malcolm said as he started walking again. “We think ye know what ye seek.” Reaching out, he rested his hand on Sunshine’s shoulder. “but we cannae tell ye here. We must wait until we reach the keep.”

Gavin looked on with something close to envy.
What’s it like tae touch her, Malcolm?

It’s frustrating. I know who she is. Ye know who she is, but it’s going tae take work tae get her tae believe she belongs with us.

Aye,
Gavin agreed. They had a long road ahead of them and, if he wasn’t mistaken, their road would lead them to the United States to save Sunshine’s grandfather from himself.

Sunshine barely stopped herself from gaping at the inside of the castle when the two men led them inside. She expected cold stone floors and large, vaulted ceilings. She also expected to see tapestries hung on the walls. She didn’t expect the warmth. Weren’t castles supposed to be drafty?

“It’s beautiful!”

“Thank ye, lass.”

Sunshine spun around at the sound of the strange voice. “Uh, hello.” Her face burned as she turned to face another tall, gorgeous man.

His black hair fell over his forehead into his sky-blue eyes as he leaned closer and offered his hand. “It’s nice tae meet ye, lass. I’m Duncan Wallace.”

“We found the two lasses at the cave, Duncan.”

“Did ye, now?” Duncan asked turning toward Malcolm. “And ye invited them tae the castle tae spend the night? Good, good. We cannae have them getting chilled.” He turned back to Sunshine. “What brings ye tae our cave, lass?”

“She’s looking for the bear warrior,” Gavin answered for her.

“The bear warrior?” Duncan’s eyes widened. “Where did ye hear about that?”

“My grandfather told me about—”

“We think the lass is Carson’s granddaughter,” Gavin interrupted.

“What—who?” Sunshine asked, tearing her gaze from Duncan to face Gavin. “Who’s Carson?”

“My older brother.” Duncan rested his hand on her shoulder and gently turned her to face him. “Why do ye think you’re his granddaughter?”

“I never said that.” She pointed at Gavin. “He just did.”

“He’s one of us, Duncan. If what she says is true, and we hae no reason tae disbelieve her, he found himself crated tae America. He doesn’t remember who he is. Unless we hae another missing clan member or two that I don’t know about, he’s got tae be your brother.”

Sunshine wondered at the frown on the other man’s face. Did he not want to find his brother? She glanced around at the castle and answered that question for herself.
Of course he’s not happy.
After all, if her grandfather was his older brother, it meant
he
was no longer lord of the castle.

Suddenly, Sunshine wanted to be anywhere but here. She didn’t give a damn how hot these guys were. The last thing she wanted to do was lead these men to her grandfather and have them murder him in his sleep, all for a bunch of land and a pile of stone he couldn’t remember or give a damn about.

“What’s the matter, Duncan?” Another man entered the room, carrying two steaming mugs. “Enjoy the tea, ladies,” he said as he handed them the mugs. “Warm your fingers while Maggie, Duncan’s mother, fixes ye something tae eat. I’m Jamie.” He waved his arm toward the door he’d just walked through. “She said tae show ye tae the kitchen.”

Sunshine followed the man into the kitchen. These were strange, but incredibly nice people. The only person she wondered about was Duncan. She still didn’t know if he was happy at the prospect of seeing his brother again or if he was secretly devising a way to kill him to keep control of the castle.

The kitchen was a huge room with a large wooden table set in the center of it. A tiny dark-haired woman bustled about the room setting plates of food on the table.

“Take a seat and help yourself.” She pulled a chair out and waited for Sunshine to sit before setting a plate in front of her. “Ye must be starved. Go ahead.” She waved her arm. “Help yourself. We’ve eaten.” She smiled and sat down at an empty place. “I’m Maggie, but everyone just calls me Mam.”

“Take this, Mam,” Jamie said as he handed the woman a drink. “Duncan and I think you’re going tae need this.”

“I dinnae know what—”

“There’s no easy way tae say it, Mam,” Duncan interrupted. “The lass came here from America seeking information about the bear warrior.”

Maggie stared at Sunshine. “Where did ye hear about us, lass?”

“I don’t understand.” Sunshine frowned. “Where did I hear about
you
?” Sunshine shifted her gaze to each of the people in the room. “I don’t understand, are you saying—”

“Show them,” Duncan said.

After a bright flash of blue light, there was a giant white bear where Malcolm had stood.

“Oh, my God,” Roxie breathed and shook her head. “I always believed you…but…but this is incredible, Sunshine. Are you saying that your grandfather can do that? That’s so cool!”

“Yes.” Sunshine nodded.

“You’ve
seen
him do that and neither of you showed
me?
” Roxie shook her head. “I mean I knew you believed your grandfather, but…but I never thought…” She shook her head, throwing her arms up. “I don’t know what I thought, I guess. I just don’t understand why he wouldn’t show me something so incredible.”

“He didn’t want to scare you. Saying you can do something impossible is different than actually showing someone you can do it.”

Roxie stared at her for a moment then narrowed her eyes. “Can
you
do that?”

Sunshine shook her head. “No. I can’t.”

Another flash of blue light showed Malcolm standing in front of her as though the huge bear had never been there, taking up all of the room in the kitchen.

“She wouldn’t, now, would she?” Maggie asked. “She’s not a full shifter, nor is she mated.” She frowned. Not all humans who become mates turn shifter, but all half bloods do.”

“Half blood?” Sunshine shifted her gaze to Maggie. “You mean half breeds, like me?” Hell, she didn’t come to this country to find some strange, new form of bigotry. She could find enough of that back home.

“Dinnae upset yourself, lass. I dinnae say that tae make ye think anyone would feel less of ye for it.” Maggie shook her head. “It’s merely the way things are for some.”

“Oh.” Sunshine stared down at the table. She should have known that these people would never do anything like that. They were too nice.

Why was it that some people persecuted what they didn’t know or understood while others welcomed it with open arms? She glanced at Roxie who still stared at her with something close to distrust. “Don’t look at me like that. How were we to know that his changing shape in front of you wouldn’t freak you out?”

“That’s the thing,” Roxie said with a chuckle. “It
does
freak me out a little bit. All I’m saying is that, after almost thirty years, you two should have trusted me a
little.
After all, it’s not like I’m running to the government and telling them that you haven’t aged a day since you turned twenty.”

“True.” Sunshine sighed. How would she ever make this up to her friend? Roxie had been the best—moving with them every eight years, covering for them when others asked about their odd behavior.

Reaching over, Sunshine rested her hand over Roxie’s. “I’m sorry. You’ve been a true friend all of these years. I don’t know what else to say.”

“Say you won’t ever keep anything from me again.” She slapped her palm onto the table. “If you shift into a bear I want to know about it.”

“Deal,” Sunshine readily agreed with a smile. “I knew there was a reason I loved you.”

“Damned skippy.” Roxie took a sip of her drink. “Now tell me what we’re going to do about it.”

“First off, we’ll be heading tae the United States tae meet your grandfather.” Duncan said moving to stand behind his mother. “I dinnae think my mother has thought about it, but she will in a minute and she’ll insist on going, I’m sure.”

“I dinnae think I want tae be making a trip to that country. I still haven’t forgiven the blasted United States for harboring the humans who killed my Carson. If only they had left his body instead of carrying it—” She stopped, her eyes growing wide and she looked at Sunshine.

“Green eyes. Ye hae green eyes just like my Lachlan had. Just like Carson.” She turned to Duncan. “Do ye think her grandfather is my Carson?”

Duncan smiled and took his mother’s hand. “Yes, Mam. I think he is.”

After two days of preparation, they were ready to head to Michigan and break the news to her grandfather. In that two days, Roxie found two men in the clan who offered to show her Scotland while they made their trip. If the way Roxie acted was any indication, she would have a wonderful time while alone with the two men who seemed enamored with her.

Sunshine was only a little envious. After all, though Roxie got to stay in Scotland with two uber-hot Scots, she was travelling back to the States, in a private jet, with two in tow. She wasn’t sure why Malcolm and Gavin thought they had to accompany Maggie and Duncan, but she was glad they did.

She loved the way they made her feel when they looked at her with such intensity. Heat pooled low just thinking about the way they made her body tingle and practically go up in flames when they were near.

“Ready tae go now, lass?” Malcolm asked as he picked up her suitcase and headed for the door. “Duncan has taken care of the bill for ye.”

“What?” Sunshine shook her head. “He shouldn’t have done that. It was my bill, not his.”

“But he felt responsible for keeping ye and Roxie at the castle for two days.” Gavin grinned as he handed off Roxie’s things to one of the men who would show her friend around the country while she was away. “Take this tae your lass, Montgomery. You and Aiden take care of Roxie while we’re gone or you’ll hae Sunshine’s wrath tae contend with when we return.”

“Aye.” Montgomery nodded. “Hae a safe trip. Bring our laird back safely.”

“We will. Duncan and Maggie would hae it no other way.”

He was so certain that she would be coming back with them, when Sunshine wasn’t sure herself. She wanted to return, but she didn’t know if she could justify causing them the expense. What if Robert Anderson wasn’t the lost heir after all?

Sunshine had no doubt that, if she
was
the granddaughter of Carson Wallace, she would return with him. She was sure nothing would keep Maggie Wallace from dragging her long-lost son and her great-granddaughter home.

The only thing Sunshine feared was that he wasn’t Carson Wallace. After all, her grandfather never once called himself Carson. What if this was all a huge mistake?

Malcolm sat in the limo from the airport to the institution where Sunshine said they would find Robert Anderson. He frowned at the name. He wondered how the other man came by it.

Shifting in his seat, he drew his arm tighter around Sunshine as her head lolled on his shoulder in sleep. The trip had been an exhausting one for her. She didn’t have their metabolism or their energy. That didn’t matter to him. He loved the feel of her body pressed close to his and her scent filling his nose.

He wanted this woman in his life for as long as he lived. He’d fallen in love with the lass over the last handful of days and he wasn’t ready to give her up no matter who her grandfather turned out to be when they found him.

Maggie sat across from him, staring out at the passing scenery with unseeing eyes. He could tell by her expression that she wasn’t looking at anything beyond the tinted glass. Duncan held his cell phone, checking his email, no doubt making sure his mates were fine back at the castle and Gavin, damn him, slept like a babe, oblivious to the world around them.

Turning his gaze back to his mate, Malcolm smiled down at her. Thick lashes drew red-gold crescents on her cheeks as she rested against him, her soft breath occasionally brushing his neck. It took every ounce of willpower he possessed to keep himself from snatching her up, carrying her to the bathroom and making love to her until she screamed the thin door down. Her body called to him.

Aye. Just as it calls tae me.
Gavin said using their private mode of communication.
What do ye think she’ll do if her grandpa isn’t who we think?

Ah, so ye aren’t sleeping after all, are ye?

Nope,
Gavin answered as he sat up straighter and opened his eyes.
I was merely resting my eyes. Would ye answer my question now?

He has tae be.
Malcolm said with a shrug.
Who else could hae been in Scotland during a time when it was okay tae kill or capture wildlife and export it willy nilly?
There were laws against things like that now.

I guess I’m just worried that the lass will insist on staying here if her grandfather isn’t who we hope.

He is Carson.

How can ye be so certain?
Gavin scratched his head and stretched.

Ye heard Maggie. Not only has there only been one of us unaccounted for over the last hundred years or so, but our lass has Carson’s green eyes.

Gavin nodded.
I suppose ye could hae the right of it.

I do. I can feel it.
Malcolm tightened his arm around Sunshine and closed his eyes. According to the man hired to drive them, they wouldn’t reach the institution for another hour or so. He wanted to get some rest to look his best when meeting the new laird and the father of the woman with whom he intended to spend the rest of his life.