Page 102 of Desire of a Highlander

Instead, he asked her a question. “What did ye say to my brother?”

She shrugged. “I asked him questions. I did exactly what I’d have done in a difficult meeting. I tried to work out what he was really afraid of and what he really wants.” She met his gaze. “He doesn’t hate you. He’s just frightened for his people. I thought I could negotiate a middle ground, find a satisfactory solution that would give you both what you want. I was wrong.”

In halting, stuttering words, she explained the charter she’d proposed. As she spoke, Ronan felt an ache growing in his chest. It was exactly the kind of solution his father would once have praised, one where everyone could keep their honor.

But his eldest brother had left honor behind a long time ago when he’d tried to grab everything for himself.

When Elodie had finished, Ronan said, “And let me guess: he said no.”

She nodded. “I thought maybe this was the reason why Irene brought me here. I thought this was what I was meant to fix. I thought you and Bryce and all the people of the Steading were who I’m meant to save. But I’ve failed all of you.” She covered her face with her hands.

Ronan gently drew her hands away. “Look at me, Elodie. Look at me.” She raised her chin and gazed at him with tear-filled eyes. “Dinna ye get it yet? Ye have already saved me. Ye saved me the moment ye stepped into my life and I fell in love with ye.” He rested his forehead against hers. “And as for my people—our people—ye gave them hope. Ye taught them to work together. Ye made them stronger. Ye made me stronger.”

He leaned forward and kissed her gently. It was the only way he knew how to tell her everything that was in his heart. She returned the kiss with quiet tenderness.

“I love ye,” he murmured.

Her answering smile was small but real. “I love you too.”

Outside, the sounds of the camp carried on around them—voices, the crackle of fires, the distant bark of Bran and Skye. But beyond that, Ronan gradually became aware of something else. A distant clamor getting steadily louder. Then a horn call sounded in the distance.

Ronan leapt to his feet.

“What is it?” Elodie cried, scrambling up after him. “Are they here?”

Ronan nodded grimly, feeling something cold clench around his heart. “Aye. The Murdochs are here. And we are under attack.”

WE ARE UNDER ATTACK.

How could Ronan say those words so calmly? Elodie had known it was coming, of course, but knowing it and feeling it were two very different things. Terror shot through her and she moved instinctively closer to Ronan.

But he was already moving towards the tent’s entrance. His expression had become the calm, focused mask she’d seen only a handful of times before. Not the gentle blacksmith but the man who had kept an impossible community alive against all odds.

Without a word, he took her arm and guided her outside then turned to gaze towards the tree line where the sound had come from.

What if this was the last time she ever saw him? The thought struck with such force that she struggled to breathe.

Ronan stepped closer, his hands finding her shoulders. “Elodie.”

She looked up at him. His blue eyes were utterly steady.

“Ye know what to do.”

She swallowed. “I...”

“We’ve prepared for this.” His voice was quiet, but it cut cleanly through the panic threatening to overwhelm her. He squeezed her shoulders gently. “What is that phrase I’ve heard ye say? We’ve got this.”

She drew a shaky breath and then forced a weak smile. Weeks of planning, training, thinking through every possibility. She would not lose her head now.

She nodded once. “I know what to do.”

Around them the camp had burst into motion. Eamon was already shouting orders. The trained men and women grabbed their staffs, spears, and the few pistols they had. Bran and Skye were barking furiously, racing back and forth.

Ronan started to turn away but Elodie caught his arm and pulled him back. She grabbed the front of his plaid, went up on tiptoes, and kissed him. It wasn’t gentle. It was desperate. As her lips moved against his, she poured everything she couldn’t put into words into that kiss.

When they finally broke apart, she fixed him with her fiercest stare. “I’ll see you on the other side of this, do you hear? I will see you on the other side.”

His hand brushed her cheek. “Ye will.” Then he turned away and was gone, striding towards the gathering defenders, bellowing orders. “Form up! Perimeter positions!”