“I have thought on it and I will make for Scotland.”
“You will not be asking the English borderlords for aid then?”
Owain gave him a reluctant smile. “I have bowed to your wisdom, son. I am too old for wars and ‘tis up to the next generation to decide what is best for them. I am sad I shall never see freedom for my country but I am pleased to see you prosper.” His gaze softened.
Ieuan shoved aside the knot tightening his throat and nodded. “My thanks, Father.”
There would be no strong bond between them or great affection. There were too many years of distance between them. But a sense of peace settled over him, knowing his father would live out his days in safety in Scotland.
“You look after this woman. She is a fine treasure.”
He waited for her to stiffen at the word but instead she snuggled into his side. “That she is,” he agreed.
His father bid them farewell with one stern nod and mounted his horse to join his men. With his wife in his arms, Ieuan watched his father leave the village and head out onto the mountains. He couldn’t help feeling a new era of peace was in store for Wales. Like any Welshman, pride for his country was instilled in him but he would never expect the people of Wales to sacrifice their dignity and safety for the sake of pride. Instead they would have to work to make their country great again. Maybe one day, a long time in the future, they would gain their freedom.
In the meantime, he could not regret that his father’s plotting had given him a reward far sweeter than freedom. He twisted her in his hold and gazed down at her, drawing in her beauty and the way she looked at him as though there was no other man in the world. What he had done to deserve such a prize, he could never be sure but he’d work the rest of his years to be worthy of her.
“My father calls you a treasure and I cannot deny I think of you as such.” She lifted a brow and opened her mouth but he pressed a finger over her lips. “I sought you for riches but your love is worth far more than coin or gold or even beauty. That is why you are a treasure to me.”
Both her brows lifted now. “And these are the words of a warrior?”
“Aye, well do not repeat them.”
“I shall not.” She rose on her toes to press her lips to his. “But I shall treasure them,” she murmured against his mouth.
Just as he would treasure her. He kissed her firmly. Always.
THE END
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Other titles by Samantha Holt
Tempting His Mistress
Once Upon a Rake
To Steal a Highlander’s Heart (Book 1 of the Highland Fae Chronicles)
To Dream of a Highlander (Book 2 of the Highland Fae Chronicles)
To Avenge Her Highland Warrior (Book 3 of The Highland Fae Chronicles)
Contemporary Romance
Not Another Soldier
Too Much to Lose
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Copyright 2015 ©Samantha Holt
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organisations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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