Epilogue
MARY
The New Routine
(Or How You Build a Happy Ending with Paint and Sheep)
August in Scotland means the sun rises early, shines brilliantly, and there’s a solid chance it’ll rain in three hours. But right now, it’s beautiful.
I stand in front of the bedroom window.
Then I turn my head.
Finn is still asleep on his side of the bed, one arm tucked beneath the pillow, the other stretched across the mattress. His hair is messy. There’s the shadow of stubble along his jaw. He looks…
Peaceful.
It’s strange seeing him like this.
For weeks, all I knew was the tense version of him. Closed off. Guarded. Even after we started getting closer, there was always that stiffness in his shoulders, that constant vigilance in his eyes.
But now?
Now, asleep in our bed in the castle cottage, he finally looks like someone who’s let go.
Our bed.
We’re officially together now.
For real.
No fake relationship.
No arrangements.
No manipulation from Maggie.
Well… no new manipulation from Maggie.
She did confess to all the previous ones.
I glance around the room.
The bedroom is a chaotic blend of our two lives: my sweater tossed over his chair, his comic books stacked beside my veterinary textbooks, my makeup bag next to his razor on the dresser.
Our lives tangled together inside fifteen square feet of space.
It was only supposed to be temporary.
My house has been repaired now.
But the cottage became our place somehow.
Our home.
Movement on the other side of the room catches my attention.
Ragnar is asleep at the foot of the bed.
Ragnar.
The sheep who hated me with truly admirable consistency. The one who sabotaged every single attempt I made to get close to him. The sheep who only respected one person on this earth—Finn—now spends most nights curled up near us like an oversized loyal dog.
Speaking of dogs, Courage is here too.
He’s gotten into the habit of following Ragnar everywhere like a shadow. I think he genuinely believes he’s a sheep now because he bleats more than he barks.
I quietly leave the room and head downstairs to the kitchen.
The kettle whistles.
I make coffee.
Strong coffee.
The way Finn likes it.
The way I’ve learned to like it too.
A few minutes later, I hear footsteps on the stairs.
Finn appears in the doorway wearing wrinkled pajama pants slung low on his hips and a rumpled T-shirt, his hair sticking up everywhere.
“Morning,” he says sleepily.
“Hey.”
He kisses me.
The gesture has become as natural as breathing.
Then he sits at the table while I slide his coffee mug toward him.
“What’s your schedule today?” I ask as I sit across from him.
“Three consultations this morning. Duncan Fraser at ten.”
“Is he coming for an actual appointment or just to talk?”
Finn smiles into his coffee.
“Probably both. He likes explaining his whisky theories to me.”
“He adopted you.”
“Apparently.”
I sip my own coffee.
“I’ve got a litter of puppies coming in for vaccinations. And a horse at the stables that needs a full exam.”
“Busy day.”
“Yeah,” I agree.
“Nate’s stopping by the clinic this afternoon to finish the last touch-ups. Apparently the baseboards aren’t perfectly aligned or something.”
“He’s a perfectionist.”
“Reminds me of someone.”
I kick him lightly beneath the table.
He catches my foot and massages it gently.
Finn stands first and carries his mug to the sink.
“I should go get ready. Duncan’s always early.”
“Okay.”
He kisses me again.
Longer this time.
“See you tonight?”
“See you tonight.”
He leaves the kitchen.
A few minutes later, I hear the cottage door shut and the engine of his Land Rover start outside.
I stay sitting there in the sunlit kitchen with my coffee slowly cooling beside me, and suddenly I realize something:
I’m happy.
Really.
Deeply.
Simply happy.
The Glenfield veterinary clinic sits at the end of Main Street just past Ewan’s pub.
When I arrive, Mrs. Douglas is already waiting outside with her dog and six puppies.
“Morning, Mary! They’re ready for their shots.”
“Perfect. Come on in.”
I spend the next hour examining puppies, giving vaccines, and reassuring anxious owners.
The puppies are adorable.
Mrs. Douglas is wonderfully chatty.
She fills me in on the latest village gossip while I work.
“I heard Dr. McLeod completely redid his clinic,” she says at one point.
“That’s true.”
“So he’s really staying then?”
I glance up at her.
“Yes. He’s staying.”
She smiles warmly.
“That’s good. We need a good doctor around here. And the two of you make a lovely couple.”
My heart does a ridiculous little flip in my chest.
“Thank you.”
After she leaves, I stay leaning against the counter smiling like an idiot.
The village accepted us.
Finn and me.
Together.
Officially.
The clinic door bursts open.
Cameron and Connor storm in like twin hurricanes dragging Hamish between them.
“Mary! He ate something he definitely shouldn’t have again!”
I sigh.
“What was it this time?”
“We don’t know, but he threw up three times.”
I motion them toward the exam table.
Hamish looks at me with those overly intelligent eyes of his.
He looks guilty.
Not actually sick.
Just guilty.
“Hamish. What did you do now?”
He responds with an innocent bleat.
I examine him anyway.
Normal temperature.
Normal breathing.
Slightly sensitive stomach, but nothing alarming.
“He’s fine. Just give him water and keep an eye on him. He probably ate something weird, but nothing toxic.”
Cameron exhales dramatically in relief.
“Thank God. Maggie would’ve lost her mind if we brought home a sick Hamish.”
Connor leans against the counter with a grin.
“So. How’s couple life treating you?”
I roll my eyes.
“Great, thanks.”
“You and Finn are serious now, huh?”
“Yes.”
Cameron leans closer conspiratorially.
“So what’s next? Marriage?”
I nearly choke.
“We literally just got together. Calm down.”
“Maggie already pulled out her notebook,” Cameron warns.
My stomach tightens instantly.
“What?”
Connor laughs.
“We saw her writing in it last night. She had the conspirator face.”
I point at them both.
“You two seem awfully relaxed considering you’re probably next.”
The twins exchange horrified looks.
“What are you talking about?” Cameron asks.
“Now that I’m officially taken, Maggie’s moving on to the next victims.”
“The next victims?”
The twins look at each other again.
“Us,” they say together miserably.
I burst out laughing.
The medical clinic barely resembles its old self anymore.
Finn watches me nervously while I take everything in.
Everything changed.
There’s a new plaque near the entrance now:
Dr. Finn McLeod.
Inside, the walls are painted the exact blue-gray shade I suggested. The furniture is modern, clean, functional. The horrifying neon-orange plastic chairs have been replaced with comfortable seating that no longer assaults innocent people’s retinas.
The photos of McKinnon are gone.
Now there are bookshelves instead.
It’s truly his place.
Finn isn’t a temporary replacement anymore.
He’s no longer trapped inside a seventies-era office haunted by his predecessor’s ghost.
Now it’s his clinic.
“So?” Finn asks tensely. “What do you think?”
I turn toward him.
“It’s perfect. It feels exactly like you.”
His shoulders visibly relax.
“You’re sure?”
“Completely.”
He walks slowly through the room brushing his fingertips across the desk.
“I never would’ve had the courage to do this without you.”
“Yes, you would’ve.”
He shakes his head.
“No. I would’ve hidden behind McKinnon for years. But you…”
He looks at me softly.
“You forced me to look forward.”
Finn walks closer and takes my hand.
My heart swells painfully with happiness.
The clinic door opens behind us.
Nate walks in carrying a toolbox and immediately stops when he sees us.
“Oh. Sorry. Am I interrupting something important?”
Finn wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me against him.
“No,” I answer. “We were just admiring the finished work.”
Nate grins.
“Looks good, right?”
“It’s perfect,” Finn says. “Thanks, Nate.”
“You’re welcome, cousin. I’m gonna check those baseboards one last time and then I’ll leave you two alone.”
He disappears into the exam room.
Finn looks down at me.
“Maggie organized a family dinner tonight to ‘celebrate the clinic renovations.’”
I raise an eyebrow.
“To celebrate the renovations or interrogate us about our relationship plans?”
“Probably both.”
I laugh.
“A family dinner with Maggie. What could possibly go wrong?”
The whole family is there.
Warm.
Loud.
Chaotic.
Callum and Jane look exhausted. Apparently new parenthood is brutal. The image of Finn holding our future baby flashes through my mind unexpectedly, and my heart squeezes.
Someday.
Maybe.
Keira and Alistair arrive next, Alistair carrying a bottle of whisky from the distillery.
Lachlan and Emma look disgustingly happy.
Emma is gorgeous in a floral dress.
The twins are already here of course.
At this point they practically live at the castle.
Nate and Lily arrive late and breathless apologizing for losing track of time. The twins exchange deeply suspicious looks but wisely keep their mouths shut.
Honestly, I think they’re trying to stay off Maggie’s radar.
Poor idiots.
They have no idea how hopeless that is.
Maggie presides at the end of the table watching her family with the satisfied expression of a cat who successfully orchestrated global domination.
Dinner is incredible.
Mrs. Finley outdid herself: vegetable soup, roasted salmon, buttery potatoes, seasonal vegetables.
Conversations overlap around the table.
Callum and Alistair debate whisky.
Emma tells a hilarious story about the dry cleaners.
Jane asks Lily for nursery decorating advice because apparently theirs still isn’t finished.
Finn sits beside me quiet but present.
His hand finds mine beneath the table.
At one point, Maggie taps her spoon lightly against her glass.
“I have an announcement.”
The room falls silent instantly.
I glance at Connor and silently mouth: You’re next.
My cousin goes pale, and I barely stop myself from laughing.
“I simply wanted to say how proud I am of all of you,” Maggie announces.
“Callum and Jane, happily married. Keira and Alistair, who overcame generations of clan rivalry. Lachlan and Emma, proving love doesn’t care about age differences.
Nate and Lily, reminding us that some things don’t require strategic intervention. ”
Then her gaze settles on Finn and me.
“And now Mary and Finn. Who turned my little scheme into something real and beautiful. I may have orchestrated the circumstances, but the two of you did the rest. And once again, I’m delighted to discover my instincts were absolutely correct.”
Callum raises his glass.
“To Maggie McGregor. A woman who never loses.”
Everyone toasts.
Meanwhile, I stare at my cousins whose complexions are now drifting toward pale green.
After dinner, Maggie motions for Finn and me to follow her.
She leads us into her library.
Then settles into her usual burgundy chair while Finn and I remain standing in front of her like schoolchildren summoned to the principal’s office.
“I wanted to apologize,” she says simply.
I blink certain I misheard her.
“For what exactly?” I ask carefully.
“I manipulated you from the very beginning. The plumbing disaster via Fergus, who’s remarkably talented at creating catastrophes. Finn being forced out of the inn thanks to Moira MacTavish, who enjoys helping me far too much. The castle supposedly being full despite having three empty bedrooms.”
Finn crosses his arms.
“You trapped us.”
“I guided you,” Maggie corrects.
“Same thing.”
“Not at all. A trap is malicious. I only ever wanted your happiness.”
I can’t stop myself from smiling.
“Why, Gran?”
Her expression softens.
“Because I watched both of you dying from loneliness on opposite sides of the village. You, Mary, too independent to let anyone close. And you, Finn, too buried beneath guilt to believe you deserved happiness.”
She pauses.
“I couldn’t stand watching it anymore. So I created the circumstances. But you two did all the real work. You chose each other. Freely.”
Finn stays silent for a long moment.
Then finally mutters softly:
“You’re completely out of control.”
“I know,” Maggie replies with a smile. “But I was right, wasn’t I?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” he grumbles.
“The best things sometimes require creative methods,” she declares solemnly.
Finn and I walk back to the cottage beneath a clear night sky.
The moon hangs nearly full overhead.
Stars scatter across the Highlands.
Ragnar and Courage follow behind us side by side.
“You think she’s going to do it again?” Finn asks.
“Obviously.”
“With the twins?”
“Without a doubt.”
“Poor Cameron and Connor. They have no idea what’s coming.”
“Honestly,” I add thoughtfully, “I wouldn’t rule out other McGregor cousins becoming future targets too.”
Finn glances sideways at me.
“Exactly how many cousins do you have?”
I laugh.
“A lot. Enough to keep Maggie busy for years.”
Finn takes my hand, and we walk quietly for a while.
“I never thought Glenfield would become home,” he admits softly.
“And now?” I ask.
“Now I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
We stop outside the cottage.
He turns toward me.
“I love you, Mary McGregor.”
“I love you, Finn McLeod.”
We kiss beneath the stars.
Ragnar lets out a soft bleat while Courage makes something vaguely resembling a bark.
Inside the cottage, Ragnar immediately heads for his favorite rug near the fireplace with Courage beside him.
I watch Finn hang up our coats and place our shoes neatly side by side.
Simple everyday gestures.
Proof that we’re building a real life together now.
For real this time.
I turn toward the window and look out at the dark Highlands.
I’ve never felt more at home than I do right now.
Finn walks up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist.
“Any regrets?” he murmurs against my hair.
“Not a single one.”
Far off in the distance, the massive silhouette of Castle McGregor rises against the star-filled sky.
Somewhere inside, Maggie is probably already plotting her next matchmaking scheme.
The twins don’t stand a chance.
But maybe that’s what love looks like in the McGregor family:
Chaotic.
Manipulated.
Carefully orchestrated.
And absolutely perfect.
I turn in Finn’s arms and kiss him again.
Our fake relationship became real.
Our temporary arrangement became permanent.
And the story we once pretended to tell became the truth of our lives.
Nothing could possibly feel more perfect than this.