When she was ready, she let Kelly help her put on her boots so she wouldn’t have to bend over, and then she stepped outside.
She glanced up at the cloudless sky, the color of a robin’s egg and it reminded her of springtime skies in Scotland. She closed her eyes and let the sun bathe her face. It felt like a soft warm blanket laying lightly on her skin. She opened her eyes and strolled toward the creek at the bottom of the rise. The flowing water sparkled with a thousand diamonds, each glistening star floating downstream, urged on by the slight breeze.
By the stream, she found an enormous rock to rest upon. She leaned back on her palms and admired the tenacious ruby, coral, and honey-colored fall leaves still clinging to tree branches. Many of those same colors lay under the trees as well and she heard them rustle in the gentle wind. The hills beyond the creek, where she could hear the songs of hundreds of birds, beckoned to her. She longed to go for a long walk as she used to do along the loch near her home.
Before long, she would be able to start hiking around Whispering Hills. She would soon have her strong body back. She had been helping Kelly out as much as she could, watching and feeding Nicole, folding laundry, and other light household chores. And day by day, she could feel herself returning. Soon she would be able to help Kelly with her other duties as well—cooking; making butter and apple butter; sewing; creating soap, candles, and baskets; cleaning; and tending to the cow, chickens, and vegetable garden. Kelly never seemed to finish no matter how hard her friend worked.
But Artis couldn’t wait to have her own home and family to care for.
“Are ye waitin’ down here for a charmin’ prince to show up?”
“Bear! What are ye doin’ home so early?” She was thrilled and more than a bit surprised to see him.
He took a seat beside her. “Well, if yer feelin’ up to it, I thought maybe I might carry ye to our land—you see I can learn. I want to show ye what we’ve accomplished so far. The carpenters ran out of wood planks and they all left for the day. But I have another load of timber being delivered tomorrow.”
“Oh Bear, that would be so wonderful. I felt well enough today that I just had to get outside for a while. And the doctor said it would be good for me to walk around a bit. I would truly love to go with you.”
“Well then, my love, let’s go!” He took her hand and led her back to where he had tied Camel. He stuck his head inside the cabin and told Kelly where he was taking her. Then smiling broadly, her charming prince put his big hands under her arms and gently lifted her up, setting her just in front of his saddle. Then he mounted and eased her into his lap. He gave her a quick kiss on her cheek and they were off.
Bear could almost feel Artis’ heart beat against him, so great was her excitement. As they approached their land, she was wide-eyed and breathless with anticipation.
When he turned Camel onto the land, his own pulse beat faster and his senses heightened. He’d dreamed of doing this so many times. At last, their home had taken shape enough that she would be able to grasp what it would look like when it was finished. With a wide grin he said, “There it is my love.”
“Take me there,” she said, clapping her hands together. She leaned forward in the saddle trying to see it better.
“Are ye sure, yer up to this?” he questioned.
“Go, go!” she said, impatiently waving her hands.
“Perhaps we should just admire it from here,” he said, teasing her.
“Bear, do ye want me to jump down and run up there?”
“Ye would na dare.”
“Aye, I would!”
He laughed and nudged Camel’s sides with his legs. He soon had them both standing in front of their home, nestled at the top of the rise among several magnificent hardwood trees. He picked her up and carried her over the threshold. It was just a framed threshold, leading to more framing, but it was the entry to where they would spend their lives together.
He sat her down but didn’t release her, keeping her back pressed against him.
She gazed around her, looking everywhere, and then took in a deep breath. “The new timber smells so wonderful.”
“Aye, it does,” he said, “and so do ye.” Her beautiful hair was piled charmingly on her head, like a crown made of copper and gold. So he nibbled little kisses down her exposed neck, breathing in her tantalizing scent. He forced himself to stop or he would soon be unable to.
He walked her through the generously sized rooms, explaining what each area was.
She started shaking with excitement when they reached their bedroom.
“Truly? This is it?” she asked.
“Aye, unless ye want it somewhere else.”
Longing showed vividly in her smoldering eyes. “Nay. I just want it.”
He did not miss her meaning. He wanted it to.
“I vow our first night here will be worth waitin’ for,” he promised.
Her eyes gleamed with an inner light and an expectant glint lit her face. “That’s a vow I can believe.”
And it was a vow he meant to keep.
“Shall we continue to tour our castle my prince?” she asked.
“We will have three hearths. One here in the bedroom,” he said as he led her out. “One in the parlor, and one in your cookin’ area. I’ve already hired a skilled mason.”
“Ye canna imagine how happy this makes me, Bear.”
“Oh, I can imagine that just fine. I feel like I’m in a wonderful dream, livin’ in heaven and a beautiful angel loves me. But it’s na a dream.”
“I do love ye Bear.”
He put his hand behind her waist and gently tugged her to him. Then he kissed her in their home for the very first time.
Chapter 34
A month later on an evening in late November, Artis leaned into Bear’s chest, breathing in his clean scent. He wore a new dark green jacket and a black shirt with laces at the neck. With his dark-red auburn hair, shining and slicked back, and just a hint of a copper-flaked beard, she thought him the most handsome man she’d ever seen.
His family, no their family, had joined them and they had all just finished sharing a pre-wedding feast inside her new home. William and Kelly truly felt like a brother and sister to her now. And she adored Kelly’s lovable child and Mister McGuffin too. They were the new family her uncle had told her to go find.
She remembered her uncle fondly and rested her fingers against the Clan MacKay badge he’d given her, now pinned on Bear’s chest.
The evening was cool but comfortable and she wore her tartan shawl, pinned together with her luckenbooth, on the arms of the wedding dress Kelly insisted she have made. After several fittings, the gold gown with tiny pink flowers stitched into the bodice, seemed to hug her figure perfectly. Everyone must have noticed bear’s wide-eyed admiration when he first set eyes on her as she walked out in it. He’d choked on the celebratory whiskey he and William were sharing as they waited for the ladies to come outside. He’d scanned her head to toe and beamed his approval.
William patted Bear on the back and told him to settle down, he’d soon be married.
As the sun slipped away, casting everyone in a warm gilded light, the family stood in front of Bear and her for a Livery of Seisin ceremony in the front yard of their newly completed house. Afterwards, William would perform their wedding ceremony and Artis’ excitement grew with every passing moment.
She picked up her dirk that she’d sat by the front door earlier and cut a twig off a nearby tree. Next, she bent down, careful not to soil her gown, and cut a piece of turf out of the ground. She carefully stuck the twig into the center of the soil, picked the clump up with both hands, stood, and looked at Bear. Holding both up to him, she said, “This land I now share with you as symbolized by this turf and twig I give to thee.”
Bear solemnly took the turf and twig in his outstretched hands. “This land I now share with thee as signified by this deed.” Bear stooped to the small hole she’d left and put the turf back into the ground. He ca
refully patted the grass and soil into place and then stood, giving her a soft loving gaze.
“The Livery of Seisin ceremony is where the word ‘deed’ comes from,” William explained. “We are witnesses to the deed of transferring land by turf and twig. It was a common practice, especially in remote areas, before we had land commissioners and written records of registered deeds.”
Artis wanted Bear to fully believe that the land was his as well as hers. She could tell by the broad smile that now lit his face that the ceremony meant a lot to him.
And it meant a great deal to her as well. They had both lost their family land in Scotland, but now their family could put down roots here in Kentucky. She was sure those roots would run deep and honor Scotland—onto generations—for it was often avowed that a Scot is a Scot, even unto a hundred generations.
Bear helped Mister McGuffin build a campfire to provide light and warmth next to an area that Bear had readied the day before for dancing.
William took a seat on a tree stump and played a mixture of lively and romantic music on his violin. Kelly danced in circles holding a smiling Nicole in her arms. And afterwards, Kelly handed Nicole to Bear. He’d gladly held the child while Mister McGuffin joyfully danced with his daughter. Soon, the other invited guests began to arrive; Judge Webb, Doctor McDowell, Lucky McGintey, the general store owner Daniel Breedhead, Commissioner Simmons, Colonel Byrd, and their wives, and they joined in the dancing too. Deputy Mitchell stayed in town to guard the prisoner.
The guests all brought gifts for their new home, but wanting to repay Bear for defending his store, Breedhead brought a delicate brass and crystal oil lamp that Artis thought would look pleasing in the center of their new dining table.
They’d only had a chance to sparsely fill the home with furniture, but Bear told Artis they would acquire the rest of what they needed in the coming months. He’d laughed when Artis said the home was so large, she thought it might take years.
Judge Webb opened the fine bottle of brandy he brought and shared it with Bear and William. After toasting to Artis, he said, “I regret that I must hold the robber’s trial tomorrow morning. I must be in Lexington the day after tomorrow. William, you and I can start the trial bright and early at 8:00.”
William groaned, but then quickly nodded his agreement.
“But Bear, there’s no need for you to get to the courtroom until 8:30 or 9:00. It should be a swift trial and hanging with all the evidence against the robber.”
“Indeed,” William agreed. “Several locations responded to my letters of inquiry and confirmed what I suspected—that the four robbers committed numerous murders during their raids of the other settlements.”
“I’m glad Artis wasn’t among them,” Webb said.
“She very nearly was,” William said.
Bear took a deep breath. He couldn’t believe how close he came to losing her. He suddenly needed to find her and excused himself from the conversation. When he located Artis, he locked his hands against her spine and drew her close. Without speaking, he rested his head on hers, just wanting to hold her like this forever.
While the others continued to celebrate and inspect the new candlelit home—one of the finest in the entire Boonesborough area—Artis took Bear’s arm and they strolled a short distance away.
The soft poignant notes of the violin drifted through the thick trees surrounding them. “Bear, the beauty of our home and our land exceeds everythin’ I could have hoped for. I could never have imagined this when I stepped onto that ship and left Scotland,” Artis said.
“Nor I, love,” Bear agreed.
“But here we are and we’re about to be married.”
He reached for her hand. “My heart married ye the very first time I beheld your face.”
“And my heart dreamed of ye when I was but a young daydreamin’ lass walkin’ the Highland hills.”
“Speakin’ of the Highlands, what do ye say we call our new home Highland?” he asked.
“That’s perfect!” she declared. “May we always feel at home at Highland.”
“Are ye ready to be married my love?” he asked.
“First I must tell ye somethin’.” Her courage floundered, but she forced herself to continue. “It grieves me to reveal this to ye, but I feel that I must before we say our final vows.”
“I will na have ye grievin’ on yer weddin’ day, so whatever it is, save it for tomorrow.”
“Nay, this is somethin’ I must tell ye now,” she pressed. “I should have told ye before now. But I have done my best to forget it ever happened. And, I confess, I thought that perhaps I would never have to tell ye. ”
His gaze searched her eyes. “All right love.”
“But while Kelly was helpin’ me get ready, she told me that ye would know.”
“I do na understand what ye are tryin’ to say.”
“Bear, when I was on board the ship on the way to the colonies, the Captain began lookin’ at me in a way that was too familiar. He kept doin’ that and I kept tryin’ to avoid him. I had na family or close friends to confide in. After about two weeks, he caught me and forced me into his cabin. I fought him with all that I had, but he was a large burly man and he threw me onto his bed. He gagged me and had his way. It was my first time and I bled on his sheet. Afterwards, he told me he would have me thrown overboard if I dared to tell anyone. So, to my shame, I kept quiet about it and stayed in my quarters for the remainder of the journey.”
“Oh my dear Artis, what a bloody bastard. I wish I could get my hands around his neck right now,” Bear swore.
“I know that a woman who is na longer pure is not as desirable to a man, but I hope ye can find it in yer heart to overlook that I have been soiled by another man.”
“Nay! Na man could ever soil ye. Yer soul is sinless and untainted. Yer heart is pure and virtuous. Yer body is beautiful and innocent.” He drew her against him and his mouth grazed her earlobe. “I love ye,” he whispered into her ear. Then he kissed her. His lips felt warm and tender against hers.
Tears of joy slipped down her checks as her smile broadened. He had not let her down. He accepted her as she was. Her relief was so great her heart felt light and ecstatic. “Now, I can marry ye.”
He gently wiped the tears from her face with his big hand. “Let us both think no more about the past—let us think only on our future. Especially tonight.”
“Aye.”
They strolled, arm in arm, back to the others.
Artis glanced up at the stars popping out, one by one, with each step she took. If she lived to be a hundred, she swore to herself that she would try to never look back again. She would always try to look forward.
And, she would waste no more time looking down at her feet. During the day, she would let the light of the sun shine upon her upturned face. And at night, she would gaze at the stars that light the streets of heaven.
She would also look up to Bear—not just because of his size—but because he was a good man. He’d just proven that to her once again. She gave him a smile of thanks.
“Are you ready to become husband and wife?” William asked as they reached him.
“Aye!” they both said at once.
Bear had spent weeks dreaming of the moment Artis would become his wife. And now the time was nigh. He was marrying an angel and he knew it for a certainty. She was a wee bit of heaven he could hold in his arms. Created just for him. He wasn’t sure what he had done to deserve such a blessing, but he thanked God for it.
She looked like an angel too. An angel who was a particular favorite of heaven, for on his last visit, the doctor had pronounced her fully healed with no permanent damage. With every day that passed since her injury, she’d grown stronger and seemed healthier than ever. And now, she radiated such grace and beauty she nearly glowed.
And if he wasn’t mistaken, based on the way her beautiful gown showed off her figure, she was able to wear a corset again too. The corset made the soft curves of her bosom peek out fr
om the top of her gown and made him yearn to run his fingers across them. In truth, his fingers ached to caress her entire body. A quiver surged through his veins at just the thought.
He’d fully recovered too from all his scrapes and scratches from the horrendous battle with the bear. And all the work on their house had left him feeling brawn and hearty.
He gazed at Artis and, completely enthralled, he had to fight the urge to go kiss her before the ceremony even started. There would be plenty of time for kissing, and a whole lot more later, so he forced himself to behave.
He caught the eye of Lucky McGintey. His friend’s face held a look of amusement. Lucky winked at him as though he knew exactly what was going through his head.
Bear shrugged his shoulders and gave Lucky a sheepish smile. There was no sense denying it.
Kelly handed Artis a bouquet of fall wildflowers that she and Nicole had picked together and tied with a ribbon that matched Artis’ gown. Artis patted Nicole on the head and thanked her.
William said he’d written a ceremony just for them and Bear was anxious to hear it. A tremor of excitement gripped his heart as his brother began.
“Put your right foot forward to symbolize that you will willingly walk together in life and come to the aid of the other when needed,” William instructed.
Bear put his right foot forward, and smiling, she did the same.
“Now, join your right hands to signify that tonight you gladly merge your lives together into one with all your heart, mind, and soul,” William instructed. “And that when your vows are spoken, your hearts will beat only for each other.”
Bear took Artis right hand in his and smiled down at her. His heart felt like it truly was merging with hers. His mind could think of naught but her and making her happy. And tonight, his soul would forever be joined with hers.
“Please repeat after me,” William said.
“I, Daniel McKee, now take you Artis MacKay to be my wife. In the presence of God and before these witnesses, I promise to be a loving, faithful, and loyal husband to you,” William said.
Frontier Highlander Vow of Love (American Wilderness Series Romance Book 4) Page 21