There were some moments she would treasure forever. Seeing Ailean lower himself to one knee before her was one. But this was another—the first morning of a new start.
“It is a truly lovely spot, this,” she murmured finally, breaking the companionable silence between them.
“So, ye will happily live here with me?” he replied, his hand tightening slightly around her waist. “Not disappointed ye won’t be Lady Maclean of Dounarwyse one day?”
Tearing her gaze from the sunrise, she glanced up to find him watching her. “I’d never covet such a role.” Even through the layers of sheepskin, she could feel the heat of his body, a furnace enveloping her. “In truth, I’m not sure I know how to become a steward’s wife either … but I will do my best.”
He gave a soft snort. “Don’t be so modest, lass. Ye’re worthy of more than this. But together, we can turn this ruin into something special.”
“Ye already have,” she reminded him.
Indeed, he was close to finishing the northern wall of the top floor, which meant that, as he’d planned, there would be a roof on the tower come Yule.
“Ye really love it here in Ardnacross, don’t ye?” she said, marking the way his fern-green eyes shone. “As much as I do.”
He was an emotional man. She knew that. After he’d taken her the first time the night before, and they’d lain together in the soft glow of the firelight, she’d seen his cheeks wet with tears. The sight had moved her.Hehad moved her. He had taken her with such tenderness and fierce passion that afterward she’d felt boneless as a jellyfish.
Her chest ached with love as their gazes held.
“I do,” he said huskily. “I didn’t know what I truly needed. It took my father’s actions to teach me that.”
“So, there isn’t any bad blood between ye now then?” she asked.
He smiled before shaking his head. “I can’t hold a grudge … not when he did me such a favor.”
The affection in his eyes made her breathing grow shallow. “I wish I felt so kindly toward my kin,” she admitted huskily. “Unlike yer family, they’ve never—” She broke off then, embarrassed by her outburst.
He tightened his hold on her. “Please, go on, love.”
She sighed. “There isn’t much to say. Only that I never belonged with them.”
“No … and after meeting yer mother and sisters, I understand why.” He paused then. “Yer father … he wasn’t cruel, was he?”
She shook her head, her throat constricting. “Not unless ye count coldness and apathy as abuse.”
“I would.” A hard edge crept into his voice then. A pause followed, as the glorious sunrise continued to bleed across the sky, before Ailean cleared his throat. “Do ye wish to speak of it?”
“No,” she answered honestly. “It’s all in the past now. I’d rather not cast a shadow over this bonnie morning.”
“Ye know ye always can confide in me?”
She smiled up at him, the tightness in her throat easing. “Thank ye.” She appreciated his concern, but she didn’t want to upset him with the truth of just how callous her family had been over the years. Maybe one day she would tell him of her childhood, of the things that had shaped her, but not this morning.
They lapsed into silence once more. After a few moments, she snuggled closer.
“Are ye cold?” he asked.
“Not really.”
In truth, the frosty air was making her nose numb and the tips of her ears ache.
“It’s a fine morning,” he said, squeezing her firmly against him. “Usually, I’d begin work shortly, but a day as important as this one needs to be celebrated.”
She glanced at him. “How?”
His mouth quirked. “Today, I will leave my stones and mortar, and ye will be absent from yer loom. Instead, I shall take ye on a ride.” He paused, his eyes twinkling. “There’s something special I want to show ye.”
She inclined her head. “Now that sounds intriguing. What is it?”
