Page 57 of A Kilted Marriage of Convenience

They were underway shortly, riding hard for home. Aidan felt the familiar weight of Ciara before him, and he smiled to himself deeply as he kicked his horse to gallop even faster.

* * *

Aidan and his group approached the next phase of Darragh’s plan. Lillie had pointed out the importance of having witnesses to verify that Aidan and Ciara were legally married in the eyes of God. That part involved a fair amount of deception. Lillie and Darragh had gone over it for hours with Aidan, fine-tuning it until it seemed perfect.

They knew it was impossible for MacNeil to allow Ciara to go without a fight. Their first step had been to rescue her from the castle as discreetly as possible. The next had been the hurried wedding in the forest. Both had gone to plan as well as could have been expected.

The third and most important step was to stage an announcement of their wedding to Laird MacNeil in a place so public that he would never again be able to claim that she was untouched. Darragh had pointed out an inn at a busy crossroads between MacDonald and MacNeil lands as the perfect location to stage their big reveal.

The inn was popular enough that Darragh had believed it would still be busy in the evening. At first light, as Aidan and his party had ridden off for the rescue mission, a second, larger group had ridden for the inn. They were to wait inside and around the place in the event that something went wrong. Several of them were to act as ordinary citizens who would witness the announcement, but they would all carry concealed weapons.

Darragh pulled up with his horse beside Aidan. “They are here,” he said, glancing over his shoulder.

Aidan turned around as well and could see dust in the air behind them. Several riders were coming down the open road behind them. It seemed like MacNeil had finally caught up.

As they got closer to the inn, Aidan could not help but feel a little worry. Everything had been going so smoothly, yet it could all come undone in the blink of an eye. His brother had handpicked the men for this mission, and he trusted every one of them. However, the closer they got to the conclusion of everything, the more Aidan felt a tightening in his chest.

Ciara had dozed off again at some point during the ride, and he shook her gently. The action reassured him greatly. This was why he was fighting; this was whom he was fighting for. He knew in that moment that he would do everything possible to make sure Keir never hurt her ever again. The plan was going to work because nothing else mattered than ensuring Ciara was safe, forever.

He took in a deep breath and glanced backward at the rising column of dust. The pursuers were getting closer, and he realized he was ready for whatever came afterwards.