She nodded and told him about the honey shop.As she spoke, she watched his expression shift from hopeful curiosity to genuine excitement.
“I could do portraits, logos, maybe even book illustrations,” he said, already sketching absently as ideas sparked.“But if I’m working face-to-face, I’ll have to be careful.You know, with people noticing the ears and tail.”
“What about Ma and Pa?The others?”she asked.
Kitto’s ears flattened.“I’ve been thinking about that since we arrived at the castle.They’re happy, Sienna.Really happy.Pa’s already talking about collaborating with Niall on pottery containers for honey.Jamie’s settled in like he belongs.And Jago and Calan…” He shrugged.“They love helping with the estate work.For the first time, they’re not looking over their shoulders, waiting for someone to stare or whisper.”
“So you think they’ll stay?”
“I think for as long as Niall and Suzie want them.And from what I can see, that could be indefinite.”He set down his pencil and looked at her seriously.“The question is, what doyouwant?”
That night, Sienna sat at the desk again, but this time the words came more easily.
Dear Liam,
I’ve written this letter a dozen times, and nothing feels like enough for what I need to say.But Suzie told me to stop overthinking and be honest.So here goes.
I’m sorry.Not just for taking you from the gathering—that was unforgivable—but for every moment after when I was scared or too proud to be honest about what was happening between us.I was so caught up in my guilt, I couldn’t see past it to what we might have.
You once asked if I was sure we weren’t mates.I said no, but I think I was wrong—not about the instant recognition some couples have, but about the quieter bond that grows slowly.The kind that makes you miss someone’s voice when they’re not there.One that makes you look for them in every room.
I miss you, Liam.Your laugh and how you made my brothers feel normal.Watching you with my parents, seeing the respect you showed them.I miss the way you kissed me and made me feel like maybe I deserved something good.
Niall has offered me a job in Middlemarch—running a honey shop for Suzie’s family.Kitto wants to come too, for the art opportunities London mentioned.We’d be leaving our family for the first time, which terrifies me.But not as much as the thought of never seeing you again.
I know I have no right to ask for your forgiveness, let alone anything more.But if you think there’s still something worth exploring between us, I’ll be in Middlemarch by the end of the month.
With love and hope,
Sienna
She read it through twice, her heart hammering.It was honest—maybe too honest—but it felt right.Before she could second-guess herself, she folded it and slipped it into an envelope.
“Saber Mitchell, Middlemarch, New Zealand,” she wrote on the front, then added a note asking him to forward it to Liam wherever he might be working.
Three weeks later, Scott met Liam at Lake Tekapo.They’d driven from opposite directions—Scott from Middlemarch, Liam from Cam’s high country station—meeting halfway on one of Liam’s rare days off.The autumn air was crisp, the lake a startling blue under the clear sky, and the mountains stood sharp and snow-dusted in the distance.
“You know,” Scott said, settling beside him on a rocky outcrop, “for someone hiding out from civilization, you look like hell.”
Liam wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his glove.“Thanks.Real morale booster.”
“Just calling it.”Scott pulled a thermos from his pack and poured two cups of coffee.“When’s the last time you slept properly?”
“I sleep fine.”Mostly true.The farm work knocked him out most nights—it was the dreams that messed with him.
“Uh-huh.”Scott handed him a cup.“So.Interesting news from home.Saber says we’ve got some new arrivals from Scotland.”
Liam stilled.“Scotland?”
“Yep.A young woman and her brother.Something about a honey shop venture with Niall.”He shot Liam a look.“That’d be your Sienna, then.”
The coffee sat heavy in his stomach.“She’s in Middlemarch?”
“They’ve been there a couple of weeks.Her and the artistic brother—Kitto?He’s doing caricatures at the weekend market and is a huge hit with the tourists.”Scott kept his tone light.“Saber says she seems determined.And a bit lost.You planning to do anything about that?”
“Like what?”The words came out sharper than he meant.“She made her choice.She wanted to stay with her family.”
Scott took a sip of coffee.“Funny thing about choices,” he said.“Sometimes people change their minds.”
