Choosing the Highlander (36 page)

Wilhelm wrapped an arm around her. “My poor lass. But fortunate that ye captured a confession of sorts.”

“Wish you’d give me the Walkman,” Terran said. “Would like to have listened to it with Aifric.”

Connie smiled at the thought. “Well, it was on its last leg anyway. Last round of batteries, that is. With another hour of play, it would have been useless. But it lasted long enough for me to do a little reminiscing…and to play the incriminating portion for Robert. You should have seen his face when he heard Ruthven’s voice played back. The poor man has had more shocks in the last few days than anyone deserves. But he quickly rallied and realized the information could help you.”

“And it did,” Wilhelm said. “When I saw you at the citadel, I thought—” He huffed a chuckle. “I thought you’d either gone wode or you were a thespian of the most talented sort. You played the part of Turstan’s daughter perfectly.”

She sat taller on the bed. How unexpectedly nice it felt to be praised for her acting ability. Good thing she could pull off the part, because from now on, she would be considered a daughter of an earl, married off to the son of a baron, thus creating a partnership between their clans. It was like something out of a historical romance novel.

Her life had turned into a love story. She could practically hear Leslie’s amused laughter ringing through the universe.

“The only part I’m interested in playing at the moment is that of your nurse,” she said to Wilhelm. “I believe it’s time for my patient’s sponge bath.”

“That’ll be my cue to leave,” Terran said. “See you at home, brother—and sister,” he added with a wink.

When they were alone, Wilhelm pulled her on top of him.

“Your ribs!”

“They’re bound. I wish to hold you, lass.”

She relaxed on him, feeling his lower abdomen move as he breathed with his diaphragm. He smelled of herbs, clean sweat, and her Wilhelm. His hands roamed over her back and head as if he needed to reassure himself they were really together again.

“I used to think love would hinder me,” he said. “I doona ken why I thought this. My father is a better man for my mother’s love. Mahap, ’twas safer to suppose I had no room in my future for a bride rather than wonder at my lack of interest in the women I’d been presented.”

She understood. There had probably been nothing wrong with those women. They’d most likely been beautiful and well matched to Wilhelm’s position as an heir to a barony. Like Milt, they’d probably looked like perfect candidates on paper. But the heart didn’t care about checklists and sensible choices. It seemed she wasn’t the only one to have learned this lesson of late.

Wilhelm buried his nose in her hair and breathed her in. “I ken now why none of the others drew my eye let alone my heart. My soul was waiting for you.”

The sweetness of his words washed over her like the silkiest, most fragrant bath water.

Leslie used the term
soul mates
to describe two people perfectly suited to one another. Connie had learned to dismiss the notion since Leslie had given the designation to dozens of boys and men since their pre-teen years. Every one of them had broken her sister’s heart. Connie had never understood the logic behind opening one’s heart to another if doing so primed the heart for breaking.

She understood now.

Choosing to love wasn’t a simple matter of weighing the potential benefits of a relationship against the possible risks. That was how she’d approached things with Milt. Rather, love—real, soul-deep love, looked outward.

Since coming to the past, she’d begun to understand that no amount of risk would stop her from loving Wilhelm. No matter what difficulties would come their way, she would do her best to support him. His goals held a higher place on her priority list than hers. His happiness meant the world to her even though she’d never much coveted happiness for herself.

Not even the possibility of a broken heart in the future would stop her from giving her all to him in the present.

Their present.

Her choice. Her Highlander.

She placed her hand over his heart. “You’re my soul mate, too,” she said without embarrassment or hesitation. “And my miracle.”

Chapter 30

Connie stormed down the stairs and into the dining room of the Murray keep. “Where is my husband,” she demanded of Selia, one of the kitchen servants, who was cleaning up after breakfast.

“Good morn’, milady,” Selia said. “I saved you a wee bit.” She hurried across the room to a covered platter. When she removed the cover to reveal a mound of scrambled eggs, several hunks of fish, and a half-loaf of bread with marmalade, Connie went weak in the knees. She nearly forgot her frustration that Wilhelm had let her sleep in. Again.

“Oh, bless you, Selia,” she said grabbing the spoon and taking a scrumptious bite of creamy, parsley-garnished eggs. “Please accept my apology for greeting you with such an outburst.” The English accent had become automatic. Often, she kept it up when she was alone with Wilhelm simply because she forgot she was doing it.

“Of course, milady.” Selia grinned at Connie’s abdomen. “I prefer your ire in the morn’ to hearing you retching upstairs. Those days are past now, aye. Not much longer an’ there’ll be a new heir in the keep.”

Connie took a long sip of tea before responding. “I’m half-way through and finally beginning to feel human again. Your excellent breakfasts help immensely.”

Selia blushed. “’Tis a team effort,” she said with a wink.

Connie had inadvertently introduced some modern lingo into the keep, and many of the staff enjoyed using her “queer phrases.” They tended to refrain around Wilhelm since any hint of her history made him uneasy, but after Connie’s tea with Gravois, she suspected it would take more than a slip of the tongue to undo all that fate had orchestrated for them.

For the first time in her life, she had ambition and purpose and happiness. Leslie had known this was possible. She’d had faith that success in life could occur alongside joy and vast amounts of love.

“If you’re looking for Wilhelm, he’ll be out in the west pasture with Terran,” Selia said. “What the two of them are on about, I’ve no idea, but they’ve a gentleman with them who stayed in one of the cottages yester eve. Seems to me they’re making a course for some games.” She brightened at this prospect.

Connie had quickly learned Wilhelm’s parents were every bit as social as her parents had been. Parties, dinners, bonfires, horse races, and games were common occurrences in Dornoch. Connie’s experience helping her mother plan fundraisers in Chicago had helped her feel like she had a place and a purpose in this new life. Not to mention Alpin and Gormlaith Murray were two of the warmest, most welcoming people she’d ever met.

Hunger sated, she trekked out of the keep to look for her husband. The scents of loam, freshly cut grass, and early-harvest apples made her chest swell with contentment. She’d loved living in the city, but no place around Chicago could hold a candle to her new home—Dornoch.

Arriving at the western pasture, she found Wilhelm unrolling a length of string between two pegs stuck in the earth. The stretch he was working on formed one section of a large network of squares made from the string. The entire grid approximated the size of a field hockey pitch.

Terran spotted her first and waved from where he stood with an unfamiliar man. They both seemed to be inspecting the grid.

She returned the wave, wondering how he was faring with Anice’s teething. He looked well rested enough. She would have to visit Aifric later to make sure Terran was taking his share of midnight shifts with the precious six-month old.

She’d been prepared to give Wilhelm a dressing down since he’d neglected to wake her when he rose at his characteristic pre-dawn time—again. But the sight of him in his great kilt with his sleeves rolled up to show off his muscular forearms spiked her lust and softened her annoyance.

There might be something to this berserker theory, because she’d never heard of anyone healing from broken ribs as quickly as Wilhelm had. Within two weeks of his arrest, he’d been back in the training yard with Terran. Now he was as fit and strong as ever, as evidenced by his stunning appearance and his mind blowing stamina in the bedroom.

Trying and failing to wipe the smile from her face, she went to Wilhelm. “You know, you’re not the only one with things to do in the morning.” He held out his arms to her, and she went into them without hesitation.

He stole her breath and nearly made her lose her train of thought when he surrounded her with his warrior’s body and kissed her hard and long. He only stopped when Terran began catcalling.

“If she wasna already with child, that kiss might have done the job! Take it to the stables, like a respectable couple!”

“Aye,” Wilhelm told her, ignoring his cousin. “You’ve verra important things to do, like resting and dining on a fine morning meal. Like dreaming about holding our bairn in your arms.”

“It’s impossible to stay mad at you.” He was so darn romantic. They’d been married five months, and he still looked at her like he couldn’t believe his luck in securing her love. She still got flutters in her stomach whenever he entered the room.

This is what Leslie had wanted for her. This was worth starting over in a new time, making new friends, adopting a new family.

“’Tis near impossible to leave you in bed in the morn’ and not wake you in the brashest of ways.” His smile conveyed naughty thoughts and tenderness all at once.

She didn’t need truth sense to know he meant those words since he often
did
wake her with intimate caresses. On more than one occasion, they’d wound up staying in bed until midday. As a consequence, they would have to stay up late to get their various chores and duties done. Connie would never complain on those late nights. Wilhelm didn’t seem to mind either, especially when the dark, quiet keep provided ample opportunities for lovemaking in interesting places.

She put her hands on hips and looked over the grid to hide the blush that must be evident from the heat in her cheeks. “Well, are you going to tell me about this mistress you left our bed for this morning?”

Wilhelm had been sneaking around with Terran for months. From the excitement shining in his eyes, she suspected she was about to find out the reason.

“When we were in Inverness, Turstan told me about the book from your possessions. He’d read a passage about Dornoch.”

“I remember.”

“Close your eyes,” Wilhelm said.

He must have a surprise for her. She’d learned that giving Wilhelm his way when he had that mischievous gleam in his eye always resulted in ample rewards. She obeyed, feeling utterly safe and cherished.

Something cool and smooth stroked down her cheek then over her lower lip.

“Can ye guess what this is?” her husband purred.

He stood so close their abdomens pressed together. She loved standing like this, aligned with him not just in purpose but also in body. Being near him felt so
right.
 

“It’s hard enough to be something quite unmentionable outside of our bedroom,” she said, her cheeks growing even warmer.

Wilhelm groaned.

“But it’s much too cool for that.” She tapped a finger on her jaw.” It’s too smooth to be your work-roughened hand. Hmmm. Is it a polished stone of some kind?”

“My clever beauty. Open your eyes.”

She did. And she gasped. On the palm of his hand, he held a brooch in the shape of a letter
C
. It was made of the most remarkable marble. It was a golden-greenish color with veins of sienna and rose. She’d never seen anything like it.

Wilhelm gathered her cloak-like shawl into a pleat just below the hollow of her throat and used the brooch to pin it in place. “The shape is for your name. The roses here and here—” He touched the two ends of the C where silver roses adorned the bracket, attaching the marble to the pin. “Are because you are my Constant Rose. The knotwork in the center represents life and love in perfect harmony. ’Tis a symbol of blessing.” He kissed her forehead, the gesture itself feeling like he was bestowing a blessing on her.

Her eyes fluttered closed. She felt obscenely warm and loved. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.” He’d given her many gifts, but she’d never seen one made from a material like this. “Tell me about the marble.” She bit her lip, suspecting he’d gotten the material from close by.

“We finally found it,” he said, and she knew he was talking about the mineral vein Turstan had told Wilhelm ran beneath Dornoch. “Turstan was right. Your ‘travel guide’ was right.” He lit up with happiness. “This will change everything. Consider it. A mine here in Dornoch. ’Twill bring my father clout he’s never had before. Our judicial act will gain the attention it needs. And we shall become incredibly wealthy,” he added with a disbelieving grin.

She remembered Gravois’s assertion that Scotland needed Wilhelm. And her. She couldn’t help feeling that this moment was the beginning of something big for them and for Wilhelm’s clan. It made her feel so proud to be a part of it.

“Congratulations,” she said, fingering the precious gift he’d just given her. “I have a feeling this mine is going to be good not just for Dornoch but for all of Scotland. But, darling, what does a mine have to do with this?” She waved her hand to indicate the grid.

“The keep is a fine structure. ’Tis served our family well for generations. But we’re out of rooms, lass, and our family is growing. I thought I might build you a castle in which to raise our children.” He shrugged as if this was no big deal. “My father agreed. He and my mother will remain at the keep, but this will be our home and will one day become the seat of the barony.”

Her memory pulled up the image of Skibo Castle she’d seen in the travel guide. One day, it would be home to Andrew Carnegie, the wealthiest man in the world in his time. It would be rebuilt and added onto over the years, but according to the guide, the site and some of the original structure would date back to late-medieval times. She’d wondered when the original castle would be built. How fascinating she’d get to
watch
it happen. She’d get to live in it.