Courage of a Highlander

by Katy Baker

He brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. “This isnae the most romantic of spots but I canna wait. I have to know, lass. I want ye beside me every day for the rest of my life. Will ye be my wife?”

  Kara reached up, cupped his face in her hands. “Of course I will. You’re my life, Aiden Harris. I don’t want to ever be apart from you again.”

  He breathed out, one long shuddering breath as though letting go of tension. “And ye willnae be,” he said. “I will always be by yer side. I will always be there to keep ye safe, nay matter what might come.” He kissed her tenderly and then took her hand. “Come. Let’s get out of here. I suspect yer law makers will come at the sound of gunfire. We can be back at yer apartment before they arrive.” He took a pace but halted when Kara didn’t move. He looked back. “What is it, lass?”

  “Not here,” she breathed. “This isn’t my home any more. I know who I am now. What I am. And my home is Dun Arnwick.”

  His eyes widened slightly. “Are ye sure, lass? I thought ye wanted to come back to the twenty-first century. I’ll stay here with ye, if that is what ye wish.”

  She shook her head. “It’s not. It wasn’t till I returned here that I realized how empty my life in this time is. Always chasing a story. Always moving on and never putting down roots. In Dun Arnwick it was different. I had a place, a purpose, and now I have the greatest story of them all about to unfold before me.” She met his gaze. “My life with you.”

  He stepped up to her, caught her hands in his. “Aye, lass. It will be a grand adventure.”

  Kara cocked her head. “As long as you aren’t planning on leaving, that is. I know about the king’s offer of giving you an earldom. Bhradain told me. Why didn’t you?”

  He winced. “Because I’d already decided to tell my king no. Because I’d already decided that I would go wherever ye did. Ye are my home, Kara. Wherever ye are.”

  Joy rushed through her and she felt a stupid, idiotic grin spreading over her face. She tightened her fingers around his. “That’s settled then. Let’s go home. And when we get there, you’re going straight to the infirmary.”

  With a wave of her hand she activated the arch and they both stepped through.

  Chapter 17

  Kara looked at herself in the mirror. She barely recognized the woman who looked back. There was no longer any sign of the twenty-first century journalist with her sharp business suits and her unquenchable drive. Instead, a Highland bride stared back at her, one whose eyes were filled with a peace that Kara had never expected to see there. She sighed.

  “I don’t know how you did it, but you’ve gone and made me look at least half presentable,” she said to Lucy, Beth and Annis. “You all deserve a medal.”

  “Half presentable?” Lucy replied. “My God, Kara, you look more than that. You look...oh, you know. I’m so happy. Who would have thought it? My Aiden settling down and with a lass from my own time no less?” Was Kara imagining it or did Lucy look a bit misty-eyed?

  Lucy, Beth and Annis had been working on Kara’s wedding dress for the past week, only letting her catch sporadic glimpses. But now, on the day of her wedding, it was revealed in all its splendor. It was a rich purple, like the heather that clad the hills of Skye, with the Harris plaid worked into the bodice. It was stunning. Lucy, Beth and Annis wore a matching outfit, if not as grand, as they’d all agreed to be her bridesmaids.

  There was a knock on the door and Old Dougie walked in. He halted when he saw Kara.

  “Oh my,” he breathed. “Ye are a sight to behold, my dear. Everyone’s assembled downstairs. Are ye ready?”

  Kara’s heart skipped. Butterflies flew in her stomach. “Yes, I’m ready.”

  Dougie nodded and then broke into a fit of coughing.

  Lucy rushed over and patted him on the back. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Dougie had only been allowed out of the infirmary yesterday.

  He frowned at Lucy. “Of course I’m ready! Ye dinna think I would let a little cough stop me from giving away our Kara did ye?” He held out his hand for Kara who took it. “I’m sorry yer own father canna be here to give ye away, my dear. I know he and yer mother would have been very proud of ye.”

  Kara swallowed against a sudden lump in her throat and forced a smile. “Thanks, Dougie.”

  “We’d better be going. If we keep young Aiden waiting much longer I fear he’ll barge his way in here and carry ye down to the altar himself.”

  Kara laughed. “We can’t have that can we?”

  Together they left the room and made their way through the castle to the Great Hall, Kara on Dougie’s arm, Lucy, Beth and Annis walking behind. They paused at the doors to the Great Hall and Kara saw that it was crammed full of people. It seemed that everyone in the village and a good number from all over the island had come for the wedding. The warriors from Aiden’s old command had turned up which Kara knew Aiden was exceptionally pleased about. Hell, even a representative from the king himself had ridden up yesterday, bringing the king’s personal good wishes and accepting his rejection of the Earldom of Marischal.

  The room grew quiet and all eyes turned towards Kara as Dougie escorted her up the aisle towards the high table which had been converted into a makeshift altar. There, Andrew waited to marry them as was his right as laird. And there also waited Aiden, Jamie at his side.

  Kara’s eyes met his as he watched her, unblinking, his gaze like a lodestone pulling her in. He seemed to fill her vision, everything else receding to unimportance. Sure, the hall was full, but to Kara it felt as though she and Aiden were the only people in the whole world. God, he was gorgeous. There was a faint blush to his sculpted cheeks and his eyes were wide, full of love and longing. He wore the traditional Harris plaid, his wide-shouldered physique only heightened by the way it pulled taught over his frame.

  And then he smiled and Kara’s heart seemed to explode in her chest.

  That smile was like seeing the sun after days of rain. She would never get enough of it. Of this man. Her man. Her Aiden.

  And then she was standing by his side and he was gazing down at her, his eyes speaking a thousand promises. They held hands and stared at each other as Andrew said the ritual words that would bind them together forever. And then Aiden was bending down and kissing her soundly enough to make her toes curl and to bring an answering cheer from the people in the hall before picking her up and whirling her around, a huge laugh of pure joy escaping him.

  He set her on her feet and leaned down, his forehead touching hers. “Mine,” he whispered in her ear. “Ye are mine. Wife.”

  “Yours,” she agreed. “For now and forever. Husband.”

  ***

  Boy, could Highlanders party. They shared a joy that was infectious and everyone in the Great Hall, and in the great pavilion erected in the bailey outside for those who couldn’t fit into the hall, joined in the fun, from the smallest child right up to gray-haired grandmothers. There was feasting and drinking and singing and dancing, the like of which Kara feared would take the roof off Dun Arnwick.

  Lucy led much of the music, playing the fiddle with several of the villagers accompanying her along with Dougie playing the spoons. Kara danced with practically everyone in the room and by the time she managed to take a breather, settling onto her seat at the high table, she was sure her feet would be killing her in the morning. Aiden, dancing with Beth, excused himself from his sister and came up to meet her. Settling onto a seat by his wife’s side he gave her a lopsided grin.

  “Surely nay tired already? The night’s only just begun.”

  “Only just begun?” Kara replied incredulously. “It must be well past midnight and it looks as if there’s no chance of anyone going to bed anytime soon.”

  “I did warn ye that we Highlanders like a good knees-up.”

  “You did,” she said, leaning over to kiss him. “And I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

  He returned her kiss and after a moment it deepened before they both remembered where they were. Aiden watched
her, eyes dark with lust.

  “Although there’s naught to say the bride and groom have to stay until the end. In fact, it’s expected that we’ll slip out at some point to be...alone.”

  “Is it now?” Kara said, raising an eyebrow. “Well I’d hate to break with tradition. What say we slip out now before anyone notices?”

  “I’d say that was a grand idea.”

  He took her hand and together they scraped their seats back and made a quick dash for the door behind the high table. It didn’t go unnoticed though. A round of cheers followed them. Kara blushed but Aiden only grinned at them. He paused at the door and gave the audience a flourishing bow before turning and leading his wife up the stairs.

  Passion overtook them before they even made it to their chamber. Aiden pulled Kara into an alcove where a large window looked out over the grounds and kissed her fiercely. Kara’s back pressed against the cold wall but she hardly registered it. Aiden’s mouth and questing hands robbed her of all thought. She kissed him hungrily, her body coming alive with desire as she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him hard against her.

  For one wild moment, Kara wanted him right then and there and be damned with the consequences but common sense reasserted itself. Aiden broke their kiss.

  “Come, wife,” he said hoarsely. “I canna wait any longer. I have to have ye.”

  Without waiting for a response he picked her up and carried her down the corridor. Kara laughed, wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his chest, thinking how never in a million years would she have believed that she’d be experiencing this moment: being carried to their marriage bed by her new husband. She had to keep reminding herself that it was real.

  Aiden pushed open the door to his chamber— their chamber—and then kicked it closed behind him. A maid had been in before them. A fire was burning in the hearth and scented candles had been lit all around the room, filling the place with flickering candlelight and the smell of summer flowers. Pristine white sheets had been laid on the bed.

  “Oh!” Kara said as Aiden put her down and she took in the room. “It’s beautiful.”

  “Aye,” Aiden breathed. “Just like my wife.”

  His eyes roved over her, seeming to undress her with his gaze. They were huge and dark, full of desire. He curled his fingers through hers then raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it.

  “Ye are all of me, lass. Do ye realize that? My heart and soul.”

  Kara gripped his hand tight, feeling tears prick the back of her eyes. “Just as you’re mine, Aiden Harris. Everything. Always.”

  He stepped closer, closing the distance between them until she could feel the heat coming off his body. Tenderly he placed a finger under her chin, tilted her face up to his and kissed her gently, his lips brushing over hers with the gentle touch of a feather.

  Kara’s eyes slid closed and she breathed in the scent of him. He smelled of open skies and pine needles.

  “Well that’s done it,” she breathed. “You’re going to have to help me out of this dress. I warned Annis that if she put so many buttons on the back they’d probably end up getting ripped off.”

  Aiden laughed softly. “We canna have that can we?”

  He turned her away from him and then stepped up behind her. His lips found the back of her neck, even as his fingers worked free the clasps on her dress. Kara’s eyes slid closed, a low moan escaping her. Aiden worked with deft fingers and a moment later pushed the dress off her shoulders so it fell to the floor. He pulled her against his chest, his lips caressing her neck, her shoulders, her earlobe, and Kara felt his desire for her pressing against her buttocks.

  It was too much. She couldn’t wait any longer. She spun, catching his lips with her own, even as she reached down and stroked his bulge through the material of his plaid. Aiden’s eyes slid closed and something close to a growl escaped him.

  Then his hands were on her, sweeping over the contours of her belly, her hips, her breasts. He grabbed a fistful of the thin shift she wore under the dress and yanked. With a tearing sound the material came away, leaving her standing before him naked. He yanked off his own plaid just as quickly, along with the linen shirt underneath. The candle light played light and shadow over his muscled body and Kara couldn’t help but eye him hungrily. She ran her hands over the hard muscles of his chest, his arms, feeling the puckered scar where Devereux’s bullet had been removed, before trailing her fingertips down the tight V of his hips and then his manhood which stood tall and proud, aching for her.

  With a hiss of in taken breath, Aiden scooped her up and carried her over to the bed, laying her on her back. For a moment he knelt over her, looking down as if trying to fix the memory of her in his mind but then all his restraint snapped and he was atop her, kissing her with feverish passion.

  Desire exploded along Kara’s nerves. She’d never wanted anything as much as she wanted this man, right here, right now. The feel of his strong body atop her, pinning her to the bed, the sensation of his hot skin against hers, the taste of his tongue and the smell of his scent all combined to devour her.

  He nudged her knees apart with his own and positioned himself atop her. The tip of his manhood bumped the space between her legs and Kara groaned, tilting herself to meet him. Aiden shifted, pushing his hips forward and drove himself inside her with a sharp, powerful motion that made them both gasp in pleasure. A core of warmth flared to life as Kara felt him slide into her right up to the hilt.

  Kara tilted her hips up to meet him as he began to move. Slowly at first but then with gathering force, he drove into her and their bodies met in an explosion of delicious passion. The core of warmth burning in Kara exploded through her nerves, sending sizzling bliss radiating through her blood. Nobody had ever made her feel this way. Being with Aiden felt right. It made her feel complete.

  “I will always want you,” she gasped into his ear. “Always want this.”

  In answer his tempo increased until he was driving into her with enough force to send the bedhead smashing into the wall. Kara screwed her eyes tight shut as her climax overcame her, a white-hot, blinding tide of ecstasy that swept her away and broke her into a million pieces. Aiden jerked as he reached his own climax, emptying himself inside her and then lying still for a long moment, head resting on Kara’s shoulder.

  Kara breathed deeply, coming back to herself slowly, loving the way her body melded with Aiden’s, loving the feeling of him atop and within her.

  After a moment Aiden raised his head and looked at her. He smiled, kissed her forehead and then rolled away from her, pulling her into the crook of his arm.

  A heavy, contented feeling was spreading through Kara’s limbs. It had been a long day. A perfect day. Now, it had a perfect ending. Her husband’s arms tightened around her and she snuggled against him, the heat from his skin keeping them both warm.

  “Thank ye, Kara,” he said suddenly.

  “For what?” she asked.

  He turned to look at her and his eyes were so full of emotion that it made Kara’s heart swell with love for him. “For turning up at the warehouse that day. For getting chased by that dog. If ye hadn’t, we might not be here now.”

  Kara barked a laugh. “I’d forgotten about that dog. Wow, he really was a match-maker wasn’t he? He deserves a bone or two.”

  Aiden laughed, a clean, pure sound, like the tinkling of rain. Kara laid her head on his shoulder thinking of all the steps that had led her to this point, to this man and her destiny. One thing was for sure, she could spend the rest of her life listening to that laugh. It was like the wind through trees. She would never get tired of it.

  He rolled to face her, leaned forward and kissed her again. His fingers trailed across her hips, her belly, then down to the sweet spot between her legs.

  After that, all thinking stopped.

  ***

  Kara dropped onto the sofa in her little apartment and flattened the newspaper onto her knee. The headline read: Local businessman
revealed as crime-boss. A big picture of Michael Devereux sat beneath the headline and the by line for the story, printed at the bottom, read story by Kara Buchanan.

  She read the words meticulously, ensuring her editor hadn't cut out anything important. He hadn’t. All the essential information was there. Kara had obviously kept out any details of herself, Aiden, and time-travel, and instead brought to light the many shady deals and protection rackets that Devereux had been involved in. His corruption turned out to be deeper than even she’d suspected. Since she'd penned the story, more and more people had come forward to give evidence of what they'd suffered at Devereux's hands and Kara had included their evidence in what she'd delivered to the police. Devereux himself might be gone, but his criminal network remained, and it was Kara's fervent hope that her story, along with all the evidence she'd been able to obtain, would help dismantle that network.

  The McQueen estate had been promised to the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh and the Key of Ages, its principal treasure, along with it. Kara felt particularly pleased about that. Finally, those artifacts would be where they belonged where everyone could enjoy them.

  Kara sighed as she finished reading. At last, she had her story. It was done. She folded the newspaper, put it down on the coffee table, and looked around. She'd come full circle, back to where she started. Her tiny apartment, where all of this had begun, hadn’t changed. The clippings from her father's murder where still pinned above the mantelpiece and her apartment was still cold and impersonal. She doubted her landlord would have any problems letting it out once she was gone. With a sigh, she rose and crossed to the mantelpiece, looking up at the faded clippings.

  "Well, I did it, Dad," she whispered. "I got my story. Turns out that it was bigger than I could ever have imagined."

  Oh, how she wished her parents were here now. What would they make of how her life had turned out? What would they make of her new husband?

  "They'd be mighty proud of ye, lass."

  Alarmed, Kara spun. Irene MacAskill stood behind her, smiling gently.