Page 57 of Plaid Attitude
“Da, aye,” he repeated, but this time, the mannerism seemed more thoughtful. “Where have ye been, lassie?”
Her chin rose, and she swallowed down the defensive instinct to feel guilty. “Bess needed me,” she said simply. “Doughall needed me.”
As her father’s attention turned to his Commander, Doughall squeezed her hand. “Aye, milord. Coira no’ only cares deeply for this clan, she understands when to put her own best interests aside in order to help those she loves.”
When she glanced at him in surprise, he winked. “Ye did, lass. Ye could’ve stayed with yer sisters, debating something everyone already kenned the answer to, in the hopes of coming out on top. Instead ye helped me, and in doing so, saved Bessetta’s life.”
Behind her, those who hadn’t already heard the events of the afternoon began to mutter.
On the bed, her father struggled to sit upright and Mother hurried to adjust his pillows.
“Coira, ye’ve been absent most of the afternoon, so I need to fill ye in on some things.”
He’d made his decision.
As recently as this morning, the realization would’ve caused dread to pool in her stomach. Now, however…
She had Doughall. She stepped closer to him. “Ye’ve picked an heir?”
“An heir, aye.” Her father’s gaze sparkled with something she couldn’t identify. “Over the last days, every person in this room has come to me with advice.”
Aye, that had been what they’d been discussing that morning, when Doughall had come to her. Her nod was jerky. “Everyone here is smart and has the clan’s best interest at heart. I hope ye heeded some of the advice.”
“Advice, aye. They all said the same thing, ye ken.”
Her heartbeat sped up, and she exchanged a glance with Doughall.
“Coira Oliphant,” her father began, then shook his head. “Daughter. Everyone in this room, including my Commander, has chastised me for my ultimatum. I see now thatyehave been the one leading this clan for years, and I would be a fool to take that from someone so capable, merely because ye’re no’ a man.”
Her heart was beating hard enough now she was becoming light-headed.
Da smiled. “Therefore, I have decided to ignore my silly ultimatum and declare ye, Coira, as my heir, assuming ye are willing to continue in the capacity ye’ve been handling thus far.”
Behind her, Kester and Robbie let out twin whoops of excitement as Leanna and Nicola cheered and the others began to clap. Coira could do nothing more than stare at her father, mouth agape.
To her surprise, Mother smiled and leaned over. “Verra good, Olaf.” She brushed a kiss across Da’s cheek. “Ye managed to get through all of that without a single one of yer stupid analogies.”
Da beamed, and Wynda burst out laughing.
Doughall, meanwhile, wrapped one arm around Coira. “Well?” he asked in a low voice. “This is what ye wanted, is it no’?”
Clarity struck. “Nay,” she breathed.
His expression turned wary. “’Tis no’?”
“Nay,” she repeated, turning in his arms to face him. “’Tis what IthoughtI wanted. But now I see ‘twould no’ be enough without ye.”
“Ye’ll have me, Coira, I swear it. I’ll be yer Commander, aye?”
“I have a different position in mind,” she declared impishly.
From his confusion, ‘twas clear she was doing a shite job of explaining, so she tried again.
As the cheers quieted around them, she took a deep breath. “Doughall, I never thought I’d become a mother, but with Bess ‘tis different. I love her and I want to help her grow and become a good human. I want to teach her how to be strong and loving and gentle, all at once.” She laced her hands behind his back, wondering how soon she could steal him back to her chambers to finish what they’d started earlier.
“And with ye…” She shook her head, knowing that wasn’t the way to begin either. “I never thought I’d be a wife. I neverwantedto be a wife. But I want to be a part of yer life. I want to stand besideyeand supportye, the way ye’ve vowed to support me. I want to spend my life as yer equal, kenning ye think of me that way. I want to wake up beside ye each morning and wonder where the damned hedgehog is hiding."
Behind her, Kenneth whispered, “Is that a euphemism?”
