Johanna's compassion for the wounded animal warred with her fear. Aye, she was terrified; and when she slowly bent down to put her arms around the beast, she couldn't control her own whimpers.

The hound didn't let up his growling, but he allowed her assistance.

Johanna didn't realize her own strength. The dog leaned into her side. She almost toppled over from the weight, righted herself, and once again wrapped her arms around him. She held him behind his front legs. Bent as she was to her task, the side of her face was pressed against his neck. She kept up a steady stream of encouraging words and half-dragged the dog up the rest of the steps. It was backbreaking work, but when they'd cleared the last step, the dog found new strength and pulled away from her. He growled again and went in through the opening.

Dumfries paused at the top of the steps leading down into the great hall. Johanna again came to his assistance and half-carried him down the stairs.

Men putting the finishing touches on the mantel with their brushes quickly moved out of the way as Dumfries walked toward them. The dog circled the area in front of the hearth twice, then began to whimper. He was obviously in too much pain now to lie down.

Megan came running with the supplies Johanna had requested. Her mistress sent her back with the order to get the blanket off the bed.

"I'll get a fresh one from the chest, m'lady," Megan called out.

"No," Johanna said. "Take the one from my bed, Megan. Dumfries will be comforted by my husband's scent."

A few minutes later Megan tossed the blanket to her mistress. Johanna knelt down on the floor and made a bed for the dog. When she was finished, she patted the cover and ordered the dog down.

Dumfries circled once again, then collapsed on his side.

"You've gotten the beast inside, m'lady," Keith whispered from behind her. "That was quite an accomplishment."

She shook her head. "That was easy," she answered. "What conies next is a little more challenging. I'm going to sew him up. 'Tis the truth I dread the duty. Dumfries isn't going to understand."

She patted the side of Dumfries's neck again before leaning forward on her knees to look at the deep gash in his left flank.

"You can't be serious, m'lady. The hound will kill you if you touch his injury."

"I sincerely hope not," Johanna replied.

"But you're afraid of him." The soldier blurted out the reminder.

"Yes," she agreed, "I am afraid. It doesn't change anything though, does it? Dumfries still has an injury and I still have to sew him up. Leila? Have you found the jars of medicines?"

"Aye, m'lady."

Johanna turned and spotted Leila and Megan standing side by side on the top step. Megan held up the needle and ball of white thread, and Leila clutched her mistress's gray satchel in her arms.

"Bring them to me, please, and put them on the blanket."

Leila and Megan didn't move from the top of the steps. They started toward her when she motioned to them but stopped suddenly. Dumfries was at it again, growling low in his throat. The sound he made was very like what Johanna imagined a demon let loose from hell would make. It was quite chilling.

The women were afraid to come any closer. The realization astonished Johanna. She thought she was the only one who found the hound intimidating. She took sympathy on the women and went over to collect her supplies from them.

"Do be careful, m'lady," Leila whispered.

Johanna nodded. She was ready to begin her work a few minutes later. Keith wasn't about to let her take the chance of being bitten by the hound while she worked on him. He knelt down behind Dumfries and positioned himself so that he could easily grab hold of the dog's neck and pin him down if he tried to harm his mistress.

The dog amazed both Johanna and the soldier. He never made a sound all the while she prodded at him. Johanna made enough noise for the two of them. She whispered apologies and moaned every time she touched the injury with the linen square she'd soaked in the cleaning salve. She knew the medicine burned, and so she blew on each spot after she'd applied the thick liquid.

Into the chaos came Gabriel. Johanna had just threaded the needle when she heard her husband's voice behind her.

"What the hell happened?"

Johanna let out a little sigh of relief. She turned on her knees to look up at her husband. Lord, she had never been so relieved to see him. She watched as he walked across the hall to stand over her. His big hands were settled on his hips. His gaze was directed on his hound.

Keith immediately stood up. The other soldiers who'd followed him into the great hall moved back to give Keith room.

"I'd wager Dumfries met up with a wolf or two," Keith speculated.

"Think he found our pet?" Calum asked the question. He walked over to stand next to Keith.

Johanna went back to her task. She tied the knot in her thread, then put the needle down and reached for the second jar of medicine.

"You have another pet, m'lord?" she asked while she gently dabbed the yellow ointment on the cut. She used another linen square to smooth the healing salve along the jagged edges.

"The Maclaurins call one particular wolf Pet. Your hand's shaking."

"I can see it is."

"Why?"

"Your dog terrifies me."

Johanna finished dabbing the medicine on the injury. The salve would protect the cut from infection. It also had a side benefit of numbing the area. Dumfries would barely feel the sting of her needle.

"Yet she's tending him, Laird."

"I can see she is, Keith," Gabriel replied.

"The difficult part's over," Johanna said. "Dumfries shouldn't feel the rest of my prodding. Besides…"

"Besides what?"

She whispered her explanation, but Gabriel couldn't make out the words. He knelt down beside his wife. He placed his hand on the dog's neck. Dumfries immediately tried to lick his fingers.

"What did you just say?" he asked his wife while he stroked his hound.

"I said, you're here now," she whispered. She glanced over, saw his arrogant expression, and immediately added, "Dumfries will be comforted. He has great affection for you, m'lord. I imagine he knows you'll keep him safe."

"You know it too, Johanna."

She knew he expected her agreement. She decided his arrogance would get completely out of hand if she admitted she did feel safe when he was near, and so she remained silent.

It didn't take her any time at all to sew the injury closed. Gabriel helped her wrap wide cotton strips around and around the dog. He tied the ends together.

"He won't leave this alone for long," her husband predicted.

She nodded. She was suddenly overwhelmed with fatigue. Fear had drained her of her strength, she supposed.

She collected her supplies and stood up. A crowd of curious men and women stood behind her. Johanna spotted Glynis in the group and immediately turned her gaze away.

"She carried your dog inside, MacBain. Aye, she did."

As Keith told a somewhat exaggerated version, Johanna continued through the crowd. She hurried up the steps and down the hall to her chamber. She put her supplies away, washed her hands again, and then took off her shoes so she could stretch out on the bed. She planned to rest for just a few minutes and then return to the hall for dinner.

She fell asleep a few minutes later. Gabriel came up to the room twice during the evening to look in on her. He finally came to bed around midnight after making certain Dumfries was resting comfortably.

Johanna barely moved while her husband took off her clothes. She opened her eyes once, frowned up at him, and then promptly fell asleep again. Gabriel took a fresh blanket from the chest and covered his wife before he stripped out of his own clothes and got into bed beside her.