Page 89 of The Wrong Highlander (Highland Brides 7)

“I am,” he said, finally meeting her gaze. “In truth, I’m glad he made me kill him. He killed me mother, and tried to kill ye. He got what he deserved, and I’ve avenged both of ye,” he said solemnly, and then smiled crookedly. “I really am fine.”

Evina relaxed a little, but then gave a sniff and shook her head woefully. “I think ye’ve spent too much time around Conran. He had blood pouring down his back and still claimed he was fine too.”

“Me?” Conran asked with disbelief, crossing the room to join them as Gavin smiled faintly and murmured something about removing the body. “Ye do the same thing. Ye did it just now about yer neck,” he pointed out. “And ’tis ye he grew up around and learned it from.”

“Oh, aye,” Evina murmured the admission, and then smiled and shrugged. “Well, I guess ’tis fine, then.”

Conran chuckled at the words and kissed her quickly. He then lifted her chin and peered at her neck again. “The bleeding has stopped.”

“I told ye ’twould,” Evina responded at once, but was secretly relieved. She hadn’t at all been sure it would stop bleeding. She just hated stitches.

“Aye, ye did,” Conran agreed, and then raised his eyebrows and asked, “Now, will ye please accompany me to the church so I can marry ye before something else happens to delay it?”

“Aye,” she said with a smile. However, she immediately dug in her heels when he tried to usher her away and said, “But . . .”

Pausing, he turned to look at her in question. “But?”

Evina glanced around, and then waited until Gavin had dragged the MacLeod’s body out of the room before turning back. Taking his hands then, she glanced down at them solemnly for a moment, before raising her gaze to his face to say, “Do no’ laugh, m’lord. But I think I love ye.”

Conran blinked at her words. “Ye think . . . ?”

“Aye.” She nodded. “’Tis ridiculous I ken after the fuss I made about no’ wanting to marry ye, but I was thinking on it while waiting for Da to collect me, and again while waiting for Garrick to kill me, and I decided I must love ye. That or I’m mad, because while I love me father and Gavin, and even Tildy, ’twas ye I fretted most over about leaving. Ye and all the things I would miss.”

“What would ye miss?” Conran asked, his voice husky and a soft smile curving his lips.

Evina shrugged helplessly. “The life I could have had with ye. The bairns we would have had. The talking and laughing. Having ye to share me burden with. Yer smile, yer laugh, yer cock, yer—”

“Me cock?” Conran choked out with amazement.

Evina frowned at him for the interruption, but admitted, “Aye. I quite like it.”

“Oh—I—That’s . . . good?” he finished lamely.

“Aye, well, I realize that may be surprising,” she admitted. “I mean, I didn’t at first as ye ken.” When he nodded weakly, she assured him, “But, as I told Saidh, I’ve become quite fond of it o’ late.”

“Ye told Saidh that?” he asked with alarm.

“Well, aye. We were discussing how painful the first time was fer me, and I had to assure her that we had got past that,” she explained.

“Ah, I see,” he said, and then cleared his throat. “Well, I’m flattered, o’ course. But mayhap ye might refrain from mentioning that to any o’ the other women.”

Evina raised her eyebrows. “So ye don’t want me to tell anyone how ye’ve a big cock and it gives me much pleasure?”

Conran opened his mouth, closed it again briefly to consider and then began to smile and said, “Well . . . I suppose ye can mention it to—Nay,” he cut himself off suddenly, shaking his head firmly. “As much as I would enjoy such rumors spreading around about my . . . er . . . virility, ye probably, definitely, shouldn’t say it to the other ladies,” he decided.

Evina nodded, but said, “Too late.”

“What?” he asked, aghast.

Evina scowled at his dismay. “Well, what the devil do ye think we women talk about when ye men aren’t around? The weather?”

Horror began to dawn on his face. “Surely, ye don’t talk about . . .”

“Aye,” she said when he couldn’t finish.

“Oh.” He stared at her blankly for a minute, and then seeming to realize she was waiting for him to say something, he cleared his throat and got out, “Well . . . I’m quite fond of yer . . . lady parts too.”

“Really?” Evina asked dryly. “I can say cock, but ye can’t bring yerself to say—”

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