“He can’t go by himself!” Katie cried.
Gavin watched his sister carefully, then turned his regard to Evan. “I can do it, my laird.”
“Aye, lad. I ken ye can. Go on now.”
Gavin was out the door in a flash. Evan glared at Armstrong. “Now, ye will get up and slowly walk to where yer mon sits. My wife is a bit shaky with a gun, so I wouldn’t make any sudden moves, or she’s liable to shoot ye. Ye ken?”
“Aye.” Armstrong climbed to his feet with the knife still at his throat while Katie held the gun on the other mon.
Less than fifteen minutes had gone by when the door burst open and Alasdair, Ian, MacDuff the stable master, and Gavin raced through.
“It looks like ye have everything under control, brother.” Alasdair slapped him on the back.
“Aye. We need to transport these two to the castle. We’ll lock them in the basement and bring them to the magistrate in the morning.” Evan tossed the words over his shoulder to Alasdair as he headed over to Gavin.
He got down on one knee and looked the lad in the eye. “Ye did well, lad. I’m verra proud of ye. How ye kept calm when the trouble started, tried to help yer sister, and how ye got away and found the others and brought them here.” He gripped his shoulders. “Yer gonna be a fine mon some day.”
…
Katie wiped the tears from her eyes at Evan’s words. With Evan’s guidance and attention, her brother would be a fine man some day.
But, being the sister and only parent the lad had known, she had to have her word, also. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her brother. “Gavin, ye lied to Alasdair and got yerself into trouble.”
Gavin hung his head, a bright red hue covering his face. Evan climbed to his feet and placed his hand on Gavin’s shoulder. “Yer sister is right. Ye shouldn’t have lied to Alasdair. An honorable mon does not lie. Ye see all the trouble ye caused by going off on yer own when ye were told not to do that?”
“Aye,” the lad mumbled to his feet.
“’Tis time to head home. I believe everyone needs a good night’s rest.” Evan shooed Gavin out of the cottage and took Katie’s arm. “We need to have a serious conversation when we return to the castle.”
“Aye.” She was still torn on what to do about their marriage. She had no choice but to go to Argyll with Evan, however, right now she had no hopes that her marriage would be a happy one. She loved the arrogant man and would soon learn to handle him, but love and respect on only one side would make for a miserable life.
Once they all arrived at the castle, Evan gave orders to have Armstrong and his accomplice held in the basement. Gavin climbed the stairs, weariness in his steps, and headed to bed.
As Katie began her trek upstairs, Evan put his hand out to stop her. “I have a few things to discuss with Alasdair about our trip. I would like to start out tomorrow.”
Katie nodded, weary from their ordeal and from thoughts of her future. “Aye.”
Evan leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. “Wait up for me. I won’t be long.”
Katie had enough time to take a bath and help Meggie finish packing her things. She stood for a while by the window, watching the stars as they popped out, filling the sky with magic. She sighed and settled in the chair next to the fireplace, brushing her damp hair.
The door opened and Evan stepped into the room. It appeared that in addition to making plans with his brother, he’d also had time for a bath. Damp curls covered his forehead, and he wore well-fitting clean trews and a linen shirt stretched across his massive chest.
She tried very hard not to admire her husband or the way he walked across the room with the grace and confidence of a man who kenned his place in the world. He smiled at her as he approached. Her stomach knotted and her heart pounded.
How she loved him. Yet, at the same time, she didn’t have a lot of hope for their future together.
He knelt at her feet and took her small hands in his large ones. “I am verra sorry for the way I treated ye. I should not have ignored yer wishes and ideas. Ye are a smart lass, and I promise to try my best to listen to ye.”
“I appreciate that, but what about the paper ye so blithely burned? Ye ken I had hoped to find a way to have something for my brother, since my da left nothing but a crumbled castle and infertile fields.”
“Aye, I ken.” He rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles. “But ye also ken that the paper was not proof of anything.”
She shook her head, fighting back the tears. It had been such a long day and nothing seemed to be better now, either. “I would like to go to bed. Tomorrow will be a busy day.”
Evan stood and took her hand, leading her to the bed. She climbed up and settled in, her heart heavy. He sat alongside her and reached into his pocket and pulled out a paper. “I love ye, Katie, with my whole heart, and I cannot start off our marriage with this heaviness between us.”
He took her hand and placed the paper into it.