Page 52 of The Blacksmith’s Wish

“I remember thinking any man that risked looking foolish just to earn one of me daughter’s smiles was worthy indeed.”

A surprised laugh escaped Gowan. “I only wished to help.”

“I ken.”

Thom’s eyes glistened. “Ye’ve loved her quietly for years.”

“I suppose I have.”

“And she has loved ye just as long, though she was too stubborn to admit it.”

“That sounds like Effie.”

“That sounds exactly like Effie.”

The older man placed both hands on Gowan’s shoulders. “I’ve prayed she’d find a man who would cherish her fire instead of trying to tame it.”

Thom’s voice grew thick. “I’ve prayed she’d marry someone who’d protect her without dimming her spirit.”

Gowan swallowed hard. “I swear to ye, Thom. I’ll spend every day making certain she’s happy and I’ll love her until my last breath.”

“I ken.” The older man pulled him into a rough embrace, thumping him firmly between the shoulders. “Welcome to the family, son.”

For the first time since the fire, since being injured, since finding the Miracle Stone the knot that lived in Gowan’s chest unraveled completely. He hugged the older man back, emotion threatening to steal every word he possessed.

“Thank ye.”

Thom stepped away, clearing his throat. “Now…” His eyes twinkled mischievously. “…best go find the lass before she wears a path through me yard pretending she is nae waiting to hear what our discussion brought.”

A laugh burst from Gowan’s chest. “She is waiting?”

Thom snorted. “Lad…”—he pointed toward the front window—“she’s been hidden behind that tree since ye arrived.”

Gowan looked outside. Sure enough, the hem of a familiar blue skirt peeked out from behind the trunk. He couldn’t help smiling.

“She’s terrible at hiding.”

“Aye.”

Thom grinned broadly. “But dinnae tell her that.”

Outside, as if sensing she’d been discovered, Effie cautiously leaned around the tree.

The moment Gowan smiled and nodded, she clapped both hands over her mouth before breaking into a run toward the cottage.

Thom watched, his heart full, as his daughter raced across the yard toward Gowan, who’d walked out. “There goes the happiest lass in Skye.”

His wife came up behind and wrapped her arms around his waist. “And he is the luckiest man to love our wonderful daughter.”

Chapter Seventeen

A month later

Every morning since Gowan had come to her parents’ cottage to ask her father’s permission to court her, Effie awoke with a smile she could neither hide nor explain. It greeted her before she even opened her eyes, as though her heart remembered before the rest of her.

Spring had surrendered at last to the promise of summer. Wildflowers painted the hillsides in cheerful bursts of color, bees drifted lazily from bloom to bloom, and the days stretched longer beneath brilliant blue skies. Warm breezes carried the scent of fresh grass, damp earth, and the sea beyond the hills. It felt as though the whole of Skye had decided to celebrate alongside her.

Soon she would be Gowan’s wife. The thought fluttered through her chest every bit as wonderfully as it had the first time she’d dared believe it.