Page 48 of A Plaid Case of Loving Ye
I love ye.
Her pulse pounded in her ears, and a joy unlike anything she’d ever experienced coursed through her veins. “Oh, Ramsay. Ido.” She threw her arms around his neck. “I love ye! I—”
“Marry me, Nicola.” His lips were inches from hers. “Marry me and make my family complete.”
I love ye. Marry me.
Other lasses might have dreamed of this day, but for Nicola, she’d dreaded it. For so long, she’d dreaded having to answer to only one person. But now… Ramsay taught her how wrong she’d been.
She wanted this. She wanted to be his, and for him to be hers. She wanted them to belong to each other and raise Relic with all the love and mutual respect a child deserved. She loved her family, but she wanted the chance to live among a family where she was valued for herself, not just her healing ability.
But…before she could…
“Nicola? When a man offers marriage, he is looking for an enthusiastic response, preferably of the positive variety. ‘Tis no’ generally considered a good thing if the lass needs to ponder it for this long with that serious expression.”
His teasing drew a reluctant smile. “I’m sorry. I just…There’s something I havenae told ye.”
His good brow rose and he shifted his hold until she was tucked up under his chin, and when he hummed, his chest rumbled with it.
“Does it have aught to do with the fact ye’re an Oliphant?”
She stiffened. “Aye.”
“And does it have aught to do with the fact ye considered being an Oliphant a worthwhile secret? Ye wouldnae tell me yer clan, but I have to confess, Nicola, that I cannae fathom why. There’s nae history between our clans.”
“Nay…” Her whisper was full of shame. “But it has to do with yer history as a Hunter.”
This time, when he hummed, he tugged her away from him so he could hold her gaze. “I want naught between us, Nicola.”
“I dinnae want this between us either.” She took a deep breath and held it. “I love ye, Ramsay, but…during yer investigation into MacDonald, did ye find aught to point to the Oliphants? Evidence against us? A reason to think we were harboring the man, or something? Please, I have to ken!”
Frowning, he shook his head slowly. “Nay…Nay, I cannae think of aught to do with the investigation. Why?”
She released her breath in one big whoosh and dropped her chin.
“I told ye my youngest sister, Leanna, is married to Laird McClure. Do ye recall he’s a King’s Hunter as well?”
“Aye…I do now.” His blue eye lit with excitement at remembering something. “About a decade aulder than me, aye? Travels with a bald, dark-skinned bodyguard?”
“That’s Brodie McClure, and he married my second-youngest sister. They came to Oliphant Castle because they were looking forye. ‘Tis how I kenned yer identity; he described ye well. When ye went missing, the Hunters started searching for ye, and Kenneth discovered a clue that led him to us.”
“What clue?” Ramsay’s head was cocked to one side curiously.
“Ye left a message with one of yer contacts, and…and he took it as a warning.”
The birds chirped in the background, and the waterfall was more of a gentle burble…and Ramsay waited expectantly. She took another deep breath and met his eyes.
“Beware the Oliphants. That was the warning ye left about us.”
Ramsay opened his mouth, then closed it again. He tilted his head back and stared at the canopy above them, then switched his gaze to the water.
She could tell he was thinking, remembering…and she held her breath, praying whatever was coming to him wouldn’t ruin their chance at happiness.
Slowly—St. Crystal be praised!—his lips curled into a smile. Then his lips parted, and a chuckle emerged. By the time he turned back to her, he was outright laughing, and he continued to laugh as he pulled her to her feet.
The plaid was soft against her bare toes, and she wrapped her arms around her waist as she shifted her weight nervously.
And Ramsay…just continued to laugh as he scooped up his clean kilt and threw it over his shoulder.
