Page 60 of Only a Highlander Will Do

“If you are certain,” Tormod tossed back over his shoulder at his friend.

“I am. Go now and say what needs to be said.” Graeme waved him away.

Tormod graced her with another smile, but instead of leading her inside the castle, he headed for the loch. “Since we still have some daylight, I would rather talk to you down here. Is that all right with you?” Tormod stopped to help Fiona over the rocks.

“It couldn’t be more perfect.” She placed her hand on his wounded arm to steady herself, and felt a tingle run through her. Her gaze shot to Tormod’s and he smiled as though he hadn’t felt a thing.

Curious.

*

As the sky continued to darken, Tormod helped Fiona past the rocky, uneven shoreline until they came to a smoother section of the beach below the castle. He headed for a large boulder that he and his brothers often sat on when they came down here, then helped to settle Fiona on top before joining her. They were not alone at the shores of the loch. In the distance, several men searched for driftwood while others used that wood to build a pyre.

“What are those men doing?” Fiona asked, studying the figures dotting the beach.

Tormod gazed at the long, shapely legs stretched out on the rock before him and smiled appreciatively. “Preparing for the Samhain celebration tomorrow night.”

“Does the castle celebrate the birth of you and your brothers or the end of the harvest season?”

“A little of both. The festival goes on for three days, with much food and merriment.” He caught her hand. Her fingers twisted with his.

“I’ve never been to a Samhain festival.”

He turned to her and raised her hand, entwined with his, to his lips. “Some of the villagers and castle residents disguise themselves as animals or spirits, trying to avoid attacks from evil spirits or so they won’t be kidnapped by fairies.”

“Will we wear disguises?”

“There will be no need.” He smiled down at her leather-clad form. “I’ll be beside you, protecting you from harm. Though it was you who protected and fought for me today, my sweet warrior.”

“I think it’s these trousers. They make me feel brave.” She bit her lip, trying to hide a sudden wayward smile. “No wonder men are so fearsome in battle. Wearing trousers, or even a kilt all the time must be quite liberating.”

“They are,” he agreed and matched her smile. “But in the future, the only one I want you to wear those trousers for is me. Your legs and your buttocks are more than a little appealing wrapped in leather.”

“Might I tuck these away for special occasions? Someday I might need to follow my husband back into battle.”

His gaze moved to her still-bruised neck.

“It will heal. Alex might have escaped, but I’d like to think that the fairy magic that protected us today will continue. He cannot hurt any of us as long as we have the fairies on our side.”

“You think it was fairy magic that protected us this day?”

She shifted her gaze to the loch. Several seals had gathered where the water remained still before it crested against the beach. The creatures stared at the two of them, watching, waiting. “What about your father?”

Fiona drew a long breath. “That was Alex, not the fairies. There is only so much their magic can do.”

His brows came together. “You really believe that strongly in their magical influence over our lives? I’m a MacLeod by blood, and even I don’t believe that.”

She reached for the length of tartan covering his wound and untied it. “Then how do you explain this?” She removed the bandage to reveal perfectly healed flesh beneath. No blood remained, no wound, and no scar from what had only hours before been a deep gash, almost down to the bone.

“How is this possible?”

Fiona shrugged and sadness curled her shoulders once more. “When my father was dying, I asked the fairies to help me continue to believe in their magic. And they healed you even as they let my father fade from this world.”

“I’m so sorry about your father.”

“I’ll miss his presence in my life, and I’ll miss the man he became at the end. If the fairy magic only worked to save either you or him, I’m glad it saved you.”

The sweetness of her words warmed him thoroughly, and he leaned close to brush her lips with a kiss. “I love you more than I ever thought possible.”