Epilogue
“Careful now, lass,” Ryan said, his hands tight on Margaret’s waist to keep her from tripping. “There’s a fallen branch a few steps in front of ye.”
He’d tied a blindfold around her eyes at the gates of the castle, and though she’d protested, Ryan knew it would be worth it. Since it had been so long—over a month now—that he’d mentioned this spot, he decided to make it a surprise.
As they made their way around the grounds, she let him know just how displeased she was with her situation.
Though she hadn’t reached for her blindfold once, so he knew she wasn’t that upset with him.
And he was sure that once she saw what her surprise was, Margaret would forgive him for taking away her sight.
“This trip would be much easier if you allowed me to see where I was going,” she complained, but there was a hint of a laugh in her voice. “You wouldn’t have to lead me if you’d give me my vision.”
“We’re nearly there now,” Ryan assured her before scooping her up, one arm beneath her knees, the other supporting her back. She squeaked in an undignified manner before crossing her arms and pouting. “Ye wanted the journey to be easier, did ye nae?”
She sighed a bit dramatically before she said, “I did, but I was hoping you’d take this blasted blindfold off me, not pick me up as if I were a doll.”
“It’ll ruin the surprise if I remove yer blindfold,” he said as he carefully navigated through the thickening forest around them. “Besides, I ken ye could get away from me if ye wanted.”
“You either overestimate my strength or underestimate your own,” she sighed.
“Nay, I’ve seen ye,” Ryan reminded her, taking another carefully measured step. “Ye’re wiry. Ye could get down if ye put yer mind to it. I wouldnae stop ye.”
Had he not picked Margaret up, she’d have surely struggled to make it through this bit of their walk. It seemed as though she sensed that, too, as she didn’t give any further protest. Instead, she leaned against him, the heat of her body warming Ryan to his core.
In the last month, he’d only fallen more in love with her. It was clear that her initial fear of Highlanders was quickly fading away. She was popular with his men for the jokes she told, and she seemed to enjoy chastising them for their uncouth behavior.
The women of Clan McGhee couldn’t get enough of her, either. Lately, it’d been nearly impossible to get a moment with his wife alone during the day. It seemed the ladies of the castle wanted to spend as much time with their Lady as possible.
He’d also gotten to witness the focus that she gave each of her paintings. She was correct that she wasn’t all that skilled, but Ryan didn’t care. If he could cover the entirety of Castle McGhee with her artwork, he would.
That was to say nothing of her personality. The more time he spent with her, the more he realized that they were meant to meet. He knew that no woman but Margaret would be able to make him laugh the way she did nor bring out the playful nature of his that he once considered buried.
“Ye’re about to be put onto the grass; brace yerself,” Ryan warned before slowly lowering Margaret to the ground. “And keep quiet, aye? Ye daenae want to scare them, do ye?”
“Scare who?” she asked, following his instructions and keeping her voice down. “Ryan, where are we?”
“How about ye take yer blindfold off and see?” Ryan said with a smirk, looking out over the clearing that he’d promised to take her to. The deer here were watching the two of them with interest though they weren’t bothered by their appearance. “But daenae scream when ye see where we are.”
Slowly, Margaret brought her hands to the knot tied at the back of her head. Her fingers shook with excitement, so Ryan stepped behind her to help. As soon as the fabric was loose, he lowered it, waiting for her reaction.
She went still, but he could hear her sharp inhale when she realized where they were. Her head swiveled from left to right, taking in the herd of deer that had gathered in the clearing. Hesitantly, she took a step forward, her hands twitching at her sides, her desire to pet one obvious.
“There are so many of them,” she whispered, not taking her eyes off of the creatures. “This is the clearing you told me about, isn’t it?”
“Aye, it is,” Ryan said, unable to hide his amusement at her awe-struck face. “I told ye they liked to gather here.”
“There are at least six of them,” she said breathlessly, still surveying the group. Then, she nearly squealed as she said, “I think that’s the one that I met before! The smallest one over there!”
“Perhaps it is,” Ryan said, spotting the deer in question. It still had the remnants of youth in its coat though they were quickly fading. And it was looking directly at Margaret, its ears twitching as it studied her. “I think it kens ye from the way it’s lookin’ at ye.”
“You think?” she asked before taking another step toward it, her hand outstretched. Softly, she called out, “How are you, darling thing? Do you remember me?”
The fawn wrinkled its velvet nose as it slowly approached Margaret. After giving her hand a few curious sniffs, the animal leaned into her touch. She scratched its head, joy etched on her features.
“Ach, it does ken ye, see?” Ryan said as he kept his distance.
He didn’t fear running these animals off. They weren’t prone to that kind of behavior. Still, he wanted Margaret to get as much time with them as she could.
“It does,” she said, turning back to him for a beat, her features bright with excitement. “I can’t believe how calm the deer are. You said that the young ones are friendlier, but it doesn’t seem like the older ones care that we’re here, either.”
“Aye, they daenae,” he said, nodding at one that had come toward them while nosing along the grass. “Clan McGhee has always respected the deer. Protected them, too, if they needed protectin’. They havenae been hunted for generations, so they arenae bothered by humans.”
Margaret hummed, sliding her fingertips from between the fawn’s ears down its neck. The animal responded by getting even closer to her, leaning most of its weight against Margaret’s side. She giggled, continuing to give it the attention it was asking for.
“I’m glad to hear that the deer are used to people,” she said, now using both of her hands to pet the creature. “That means that I’ll be able to introduce our child to them once they’re old enough.”
“Our child, aye?” Ryan said, raising an eyebrow.
They hadn’t spoken about children just yet. While he was sure Margaret knew that he’d one day need an heir, he wasn’t keen on pushing the matter with her. He knew the time would come. It was surprising to hear her speak so freely about the possibility of a bairn.
“Yes,” Margaret murmured with a playful smile on her lips as she looked out at the clearing, taking in the lush green grass and the strong trees along the edges. “I want him or her to see this view, to appreciate the beauty of nature, and meet these wonderful creatures, too, of course.”
“Ye speak as though ye’ve put quite a bit of thought into this,” Ryan observed, the corner of his mouth tugging upward.
“Well, I suppose I have,” she admitted as she dropped her hands from the deer.
It looked her over once before it trotted back to the rest of the group.
When Margaret turned to fully face Ryan, she said, “It’s about time that we both started thinking about it.
It won’t be long before our little one arrives. ”
The words repeated in Ryan’s mind several times before he fully grasped their meaning. And when he did understand what his wife was trying to say, he still asked, “Are ye sayin’ ye’re with a bairn?”
“Cali and I believe so,” Margaret said, seemingly amused by Ryan’s confusion. “There’s no knowing for certain until my belly grows rounder, but all the signs are there. She couldn’t come up with another explanation for it. Neither could I.”
A beat passed as Ryan took everything in—the smile on Margaret’s face and the words that she’d uttered. Then, a grin of his own took over his features, and he wrapped his arms around her. She laughed as she returned the embrace.
“That’s wonderful,” he told her, holding her close. “Ye daenae ken how excitin’ it is to hear that.”
“I’m excited too,” she said against his chest. “You’ll be a wonderful father, Ryan.”
“And ye’ll be a wonderful mother.”
When Ryan finally loosened his grip on Margaret, the deer had fled the clearing. While she was sure that she’d kept her excitement tempered, clearly she hadn’t done all that well. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to care, not when Ryan seemed to be just as thrilled as she was about the pregnancy.
His brown eyes bore into hers with so many emotions flickering within them that she was unable to name a single one. Then, he was coming closer again. She met him in the middle, smiling into the kiss.
It was fierce and all-consuming. His lips, insistent against hers, spoke sentiments that couldn’t be articulated with simple words. They swelled, spilling from his chest into hers, filling her with so much love that her head spun.
When his hands found her waist, she gripped tightly onto his shoulders to keep herself anchored to the moment. The way he kissed her made her knees weak. It was as though he were cutting right to her core, her very soul.
Needing to be closer to Ryan, Margaret stepped forward, pressing her chest against his. He made a low noise, growling in response before pushing his hard length against her hipbone. The thrill of it ran through her, and her stomach swooped pleasantly.
“Ach, ye have nay idea the things ye do to me, Sassenach,” he said against her lips.
The next kiss he gave was off-center, hitting the corner of her mouth and her cheek.
Then, as he left a kiss along the column of her throat, he said, “Ye drive me absolutely wild. Ye make me into the beast ye claim me to be.”