Page 138 of The Laird’s Sinful Obsession

She finished binding his ribs and stepped back to examine her work. "That'll dae."

"Ye've steady hands," he said.

"I had a good teacher." She glanced at the window, where the morning light was beginning to shift toward afternoon. "What happens now?"

"Now," he said, pulling his shirt back on and wincing slightly, "we send word tae the king. We tell him what happened, all of it. We make sure he kens the truth of yer situation before anyone else can spin it differently."

"And if he daesnae believe us?"

"We deal with that if it happens." He stood and crossed to her, taking her hands in his. "But I dinnae think it will come tae that. Ye're me wife now. That changes the shape of things considerably."

She nodded, and some of the tension went out of her shoulders.

"Come here," he said, and pulled her against him again.

She went easily, resting her head on his shoulder, and they stood like that while the castle settled around them and the smoke from the village fires began to clear and somewhere out on the water, Torquil's ships sailed away without their laird.

"We did it," she said after a while. "We actually did it."

"Aye," he said. "We did."

"I love ye," she said.

Quietly. Simply. Like it was just a fact she was stating.

He went very still.

He pulled back just enough to look at her.

"I love ye too," he said. "I have fer longer than I've been willin' tae admit, even tae meself."

She stared at him. "Truly?"

"Truly." He touched her face, his thumb brushing across her uninjured cheek. "I'm nae good at sayin' these things. But aye. I love ye."

He kissed her, harder this time, and she thought that if that was what came after nearly losing everything, she would take it.

She would take it and hold onto it and never let it go.

EPILOGUE

One week later

"Braither."

Lachlann looked up from the accounts spread across his desk to find Calum standing in the doorway of his solar, travel-worn and grinning, a sealed letter in his hand.

He was on his feet immediately. "Calum. When did ye arrive?"

"Just now. Rode straight through from England tae Edinburgh." Calum crossed the room and clasped his arm in greeting. "I have news."

"The king's reply?"

"Aye." Calum held up the letter. "And ye're goin' tae want tae read it."

Lachlann took it and broke the seal, his eyes scanning the formal script quickly. The king acknowledged receipt of his correspondence. The warrant was voided. Torquil's claim was invalid. Lachlann's actions were justified.

Alba was free.