A Laird and a Healer (Rebel Highland Brides #2)

Bonus scene

About a month had passed since Keith had fully recovered. Since Tara and Gordon returned from the Knox Clan, they had fallen into an easy rhythm. The Keep was homelier and more welcoming than before. Gordon was in better spirits as well. He slept soundly, and his days were filled with spending time with Tara and Keith.

Life was exactly as Tara wanted it to be. She and Gordon were able to steal quiet moments with each other where they shared tender emotions and intimate touches, although their romance was still chaste.

Currently, they were walking along the edge of a wide loch. The water rippled as the wind caressed it. Keith was running along, pointing out when he saw the shadow of a fish. Then, he raced towards a gnarled tree with many branches protruding from it, swinging from branch to branch as he ascended.

Gordon called out a warning, although he muttered that it wouldn’t make any difference. Keith was just like his mother, Gordon said, possessing a will of his own. Tara suppressed a smile at these words, as she happened to think that Keith shared a lot in common with Gordon as well. They both followed their hearts.

Tara and Gordon passed him by and continued walking around the loch. Tara gazed at the horizon, her appreciation for this wild, untamed land growing the longer she stayed there. She had her hands clasped behind her back, while Gordon picked up a few stones and skimmed them across the loch. They paused for a moment, watching the stones bounce before disappearing below the water.

“Let me try,” Tara asked, and took a smooth stone from Gordon’s hand.

She threw it into the water, but it landed with a plop. Gordon laughed. Tara frowned and went through the motions again, but Gordon showed her how she was doing it wrong. He stood behind her and took hold of his hand, something that she wouldn’t complain about at all.

His large fingers curled around her dainty hand and enveloped the stone. Then he showed her the proper angle at which she should throw the stone. This time, when it left her hand, it bounced three times before it sank beneath the water. It wasn’t as many as Gordon had managed, but she was still proud.

Gordon then glanced behind them. Keith was out of earshot.

“Tara, I hae enjoyed ye being here, but I think it is time we make things official. I think it’s time ye should become my wife.”

Tara gave him a coy glance and turned away from him slightly, hiding her smile. She had been wondering when he was going to ask her to be his wife. It may have been mischievous of her, but she thought he should suffer a little bit, considering how she had suffered at the beginning.

“Och, well, Gordon, I understand, but I fear I may be tae young tae be married,” she said in a wistful tone, trying to sound as serious as possible. She tilted her head to look over her shoulders and saw his look of consternation.

“Tae young? How old dae ye expect tae be?”

“It’s just that I need tae make sure that I am making the right decision. I would nae want tae be naive and end up with the wrong man.”

“Wrong man?” he asked, his voice rising to become incensed.

Then she giggled, and he realized that she was playing. A cloud darkened his eyes.

“Ye are toying with me.”

Tara turned and flung her arms around his neck. “Can ye blame me? After all, when we first met, ye dinnae even tell me who ye were.”

“I was nae in my right mind,” Gordon growled, looking away.

Tara laughed again and realized that she had been a little too hard on him. She kissed him on the cheek and ran her hands through his long hair.

“Gordon, of course, I am nae tae young. But if ye want me tae marry ye, then ye need tae ask me better than that. It sounded like ye were making a deal with a merchant.” As she said this, Keith came running up and handed her a bouquet of flowers.

“I got these for ye!” Keith said.

Tara took them from the lad and smiled widely. “See, now this is a lad who knows about romance and flattery. I think ye could learn a thing or two from yer son,” she teased.

Gordon pressed his lips together.

“Ye are maddening, woman. Perhaps it is tae much trouble tae hae another wife…” he trailed away, this time giving Tara a dose of her own medicine.

Panic played on her heart and she grabbed his arm, pulling him back towards her.

“Nae! I was only playing,” she cried.

Gordon laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her into the air and spinning her around. The world became a blur, and this effect continued even as she settled on her feet.

“Tara, ye know how much ye mean tae me. Ye hae changed the way I see the world. I cannae imagine my life without ye. Please, save me from misery. Save me from loneliness. Be my wife and fill the rest of my days with happiness. Let me love ye with everything I can muster,” he said.

The words rolled past her ears and music began to play in her soul. A smile adorned her face and she nodded, accepting his proposal with a kiss. Gordon lifted her again and began running towards the Keep, with Keith beside them, whooping with delight.

“Am I going to call ye Ma from now on, then?” Keith asked Tara, when Gordon let her down on her two feet.

It was a very sensitive moment for all of them. Keith was just a lad, despite the strength of character he showcased while he was struggling with his disease. Tara has to approach that matter with care.

“I am perfectly fine with any name ye want tae call me, Keith. I know yer Ma will always have a special place in yer heart, and I dinnae want to steal that away.”

“But I’ve missed calling for her. Dae ye think she will be angry with me? Da is happy now, I made sure of that. So Ma must be happy too.”

“I think we are all happy, son,” Gordon petted Keith’s head lovingly. “Yer Ma will be glad ye have Tara look after ye in her place.”

“Great then!” Keith exclaimed and hugged them both.