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The thought came without resistance now, without the hesitation that had once shadowed it. There were still dangers ahead. The Highlands would not settle quickly after what had happened in Dingwall. Responsibilities still pressed heavily upon him as laird and provost alike. Yet beneath all of it, something steadier had taken root within him.

He did not want a future that did not include her in it. The realisation settled deeply and without fear.

A movement near the stable yard drew his attention then, and he saw Cameron and Kenzie preparing to ride south for Foulis. The sight pulled him briefly back towards the duties still waiting to be finished this night.

He would have to say goodbye to his brothers before he returned inside. Before he found Sorcha again. Before he said the things gathering heavily and steadily inside his chest, no longer content to remain unspoken.

Gavan drew a slow breath and turned at last towards the flickering torches around the stable yard, the work of battle finally behind him, while the far more uncertain work of his own heart waited just beyond the hall doors.

“We should ride before the snow worsens,” Cameron said as Gavan approached. “Destiny will likely have the entire hall awake, waiting for word.”

At the mention of her name, Gavan caught the faint shift in his brother’s expression. Love had softened Cameron in ways battle never could.

Kenzie snorted quietly as he accepted his reins. “Aye, and if we delay much longer, she’ll send half of Foulis searching for us so that we can celebrate Yule.” The words drew the faintest breath of laughter from all three of them, brief but real.

Gavan glanced towards Lemlair where warm gold light spilled across the snow from the opened doors and brightly lit windows. Somewhere inside, servants prepared the Yule meal while the scent of pine and roasting meat drifted faintly into the cold air. Sorcha was there too. Safe.

“It does not feel like Yule,” Kenzie said quietly.

“Nay,” Gavan admitted. “But perhaps that is why it matters all the more.”

The hall door opened fully then, and Sorcha stepped out into the courtyard, wrapped in her cloak, the torchlight catching softly in her hair. Her gaze moved first towards the damaged yard, taking in the lingering signs of battle, before settling upon the three brothers near the horses.

“You cannot possibly mean to leave without coming inside,” she said as she crossed towards them. “The hall is warm, and Mrs Jacoby has threatened bodily harm upon any man who refuses food tonight.”

Kenzie’s mouth twitched. “A terrifying woman.”

“The most dangerous in the Highlands,” Cameron agreed solemnly.

A faint smile touched Sorcha’s lips before her gaze shifted back towards Gavan. “Surely the rest can wait until morning.”

Gavan glanced towards the men still moving along the trees. “There is much to do.”

“Have the wounded been tended?” she asked quietly.

“Aye,” Cameron answered before Gavan could. “Those hurt worst are already inside.”

Sorcha nodded once, satisfied. “Then the rest can wait until daylight.”

The simple certainty in her voice settled over the courtyard more effectively than any order. Around them, the remaining guards had already begun slowing their work, exhaustion finally overtaking them now that the danger had passed.

Gavan looked towards the hall once more. The Yule log still waited, unlit upon the hearth. Warmth glowed from every window. For the first time all night, the need to keep moving, to keep fighting, loosened its grip slightly inside him.

Kenzie swung into the saddle with a groan. “As tempting as warmth and food may be, if we do not return soon, Destiny will assume we have all died gloriously and start planning our funerals before dawn.”

“Very dramatic funerals,” Cameron added dryly as he mounted beside him.

Sorcha laughed softly then, and the sound caught Gavan unexpectedly hard. After so much fear and blood and uncertainty, that quiet laugh felt almost sacred.

Cameron reached down to clasp Gavan’s forearm firmly. “You held Lemlair.” His gaze sharpened slightly. “And you held yourself.”

The words landed more deeply than Gavan expected.

He returned the grip. “You came when I needed you.”

“We always will,” Cameron replied simply.

The brothers turned their horses northeast towards the road leading back to Foulis. Snow gathered steadily upon their cloaks as they disappeared slowly into the winter dark.