For Brandon, it was an incredibly awkward situation. His gaze moved between Anne and Finlay, arching an eyebrow as he realized this was not the way strangers greeted each other. “Dae ye know each other?” he asked. The question lingered in the air. Had this been planned? He knew what Anne was capable of…was she here to take advantage of Brandon? Suddenly panic filled his mind. His father was a lonely old man and Anne had needed somewhere to stay, but had she known Brandon was his father? He needed to speak with her, and he needed to do it quickly.
“I think we might hae encountered each other once or twice,” he said smoothly. “Anne, could I see ye outside?” he was already moving towards the garden as he spoke. He gave Anne a glaring look of intent that she could not refuse. They left a bemused Brandon in the kitchen. Anne closed the door behind her and Finlay rounded on her.
“Are ye taking advantage of him?” he asked, jabbing a finger in the air.
Anne couldn’t believe that she was standing in front of Finlay again. She kept blinking, expecting him to disappear, yet there he was, and he was Brandon’s son! Now it all seemed to make sense, the estranged son, the way Finlay had spoken about his own father…and she could also see the resemblance as well. Herheart rejoiced at the reunion, at least until he had dragged her outside and accused her of taking advantage of Brandon.
As soon as the words left his mouth, fire raged in her heart and she scowled, glaring at him.
“Ye would dare think this of me?” she gasped, the words scorching her tongue. All the elation at seeing him again in this impossible situation fled, replaced by a deep anger. “And ye hae the cheek tae think this of me when ye are the one living under Murdoch’s thumb?”
Finlay glanced back towards the house, a worried look on his face as he did not want Brandon to hear this. He pursed his lips and took a breath.
“I’m nae working for Murdoch. Things never got that far. I went back tae the keep tae steal from the Laird, but as soon as I did I threw myself at the Laird’s mercy and told him the truth. He took pity on me. Gavin confessed tae the original crime. I was ready tae pay my penance for all the bad things I hae done before, but I wanted him tae know the truth about the relic. Thankfully, the Laird is wise and just. He took pity on me and allowed me tae become a member of his guard again.”
“Sae ye hae been here all this time?”
“Aye, as hae ye,” Finlay arched an eyebrow towards her.
“But what about Murdoch? Is he nae angry with ye?”
“Oh, I’m sure he is, but he knows better than tae try and hurt one of the guards. Besides, when he realized what hae happened, he moved elsewhere. I think he sensed that the winds were changing and he was nae gaeing tae be able tae get away with things as he hae before. The Laird sent some guards tae hae aword with him, but found his inn abandoned. Hopefully, we will never see him again.” He took a moment and then spoke softly. “I thought ye would hae left as well. I never imagined ye would stay here after what happened.”
Anne averted her gaze. To think that Finlay had been here all this time and she had been oblivious to it. “Aye, well, I was speaking with yer Da and told him my plight. He said that he could use some help on the farm. I could nae refuse such kindness. I hae nae idea that he was yer Da, though. But it makes sense now.”
“And I hae nae idea that ye were here. I came by taeday tae explain tae him what happened.”
“Why dinnae ye come sooner?”
Finlay scratched the back of his neck. “I could nae work up the courage. It hae been a long time and I was nae sure how he would react.”
“He regrets the way things ended between ye,” she flashed him a soft smile. Finlay nodded.
“I’m glad that we hae the opportunity tae begin again.”
“Perhaps that can be the case for us as well,” Anne said. “It seems we both hae the opportunity tae begin honest lives.”
“Ye would be able tae forgive me even after I lied tae ye?”
“As long as ye can forgive me for lying and stealing from ye,” she said, smiling widely. They both chuckled and closed the distance between them, as though they were drawn together by strings of fate. Their eyes sparkled as they both realized that they could actually have what they thought they were going to lose. Nolonger did they have to trick each other, and there was no reason for them to lie to each other again.
EPILOGUE
The days seemed brighter now that Finlay was around. Anne continued to live on the farm and told Brandon about how she and Finlay knew each other.
Brandon had interrupted their reunion. He came blustering out, wondering why they were taking so long and found them in the middle of an embrace. Finlay and Anne jumped away from each other quickly, fearing what Brandon might think of them.
“What’s taking ye sae long?” he asked, but the words dropped out of his mouth in a halted breath as he saw them. His eyes narrowed and he tilted his head. His voice grew low as he gave words of warning to Anne. “Anne, I know ye hae been starved of men yer own age, but ye need tae be careful with this one. He hae only just told me that a lass helped him decide what was important in life. Finlay, I hope ye are nae falling intae old ways. Anne hae a good heart and I will nae hae ye breaking it. Maybe ye should find this woman who was sae important tae ye and bring her here. Ye are always moving ontae someone new,” he spoke in an admonishing tone to his son, shaking his head gently.
Finlay and Anne glanced at each other, suppressing a laugh. Anne stepped towards Brandon.
“Brandon, I was that woman.”
Brandon tilted his head to the side. “Ye?”
Anne nodded. “Aye, although I was nae as honest with him as I was with ye. In fact, it was he who helped change me. We both thought we were from richer backgrounds than we actually were, and we were all the poorer for it.”
“Aye, Da, ye should be warning me tae watch out for her,” Finlay added in a playful tone. Anne giggled, but Brandon remained resolute. He stared at both of them for a few moments and then shook his head, muttering under his breath about young people and how it was so hard to understand them as he turned back into the house. He clearly did not appreciate the way they had lied to each other, but he seemed glad that they had both turned over new leaves.
