Resisting the Highlander: A Scottish Romance (16 page)

She smiled her thanks, and said, “All right, Besse, you are a dear. I don’t know what I would do without you now.” Smiling warmly, she continued, “My memory has practically all come back and after what happened last night, I feel the need to have some time alone. I’m going down to the cove. Tell Robert where I have gone if he asks about me.”

Besse nodded. “Aye lass, I will, but dress warmly. The morning air is cold, and we don’t want you coming down with anything. The men will be needin’ lots of pampering after this.” She gave Bridget a sly smile. Bridget blushed profusely. Then, they both laughed.

Bridget was still laughing as she left the house. She wore a warm, plaid shawl around her shoulders, feeling warm despite the brisk air.

Once at the cove, she walked to the water’s edge and stood staring out at the sea. The fury of the night before had greatly dissipated, although large swells were still evident farther out away from shore. She could hear voices coming from the direction of the grounded ship. The tug boats were already at work in an effort to pull her off the rocks. If successful, the tug boats would tow the ship into port where she would be dry docked for repairs.

Bridget stood alone in the comparative quiet of the cove and breathed a silent prayer of thanks for the rescue of Aidan the night before. She whispered softly to herself, “God forgive me for any unhappiness I may have caused him. Please let him still want me, so I can make it up to him now.” His face appeared in her mind. “Oh, Aidan, I love you so much.”

As the sun rose higher in the sky, a deep peace settled over her. She felt her feet sink into the sand as her body relaxed. She thought of Aidan and Robert, and longed to see them both. As she turned to go back to the castle, she spied a male figure coming towards her.  Heart pounding, face flushed with excitement, she started running towards him, crying, “Aidan, Aidan.”

But as she came closer, she hesitated, unsure of how he would react. He smiled, giving her his most devastating smile. He reached out his arms to her and she ran the last few steps toward him. She buried her face against his chest, letting out a soft sob as he held her close.

Neither of them spoke for a long moment, but then, he whispered, “My ain wee, lass.”

All recriminations and misunderstandings gone at last, the wonder of their love engulfed them. Loathe to let her go, he said quietly, “We better go back, my love, Robert might be wondering about you, but tell me first, did I dream it or did you actually come to my bed last night?”

She blushed a deep red as she raised her gaze to him. “Yes, Aidan, I actually came to your bed last night. I couldn’t stand to see you in that condition, and when I realized what you needed most at that moment was love and comforting, I got into bed with you. Robert was shocked, but I had to do it.  Your well-being was all that mattered.”

He chuckled. “And was it your concern for me that partly brought your memory back?”

Ignoring his amusement, she cried, “Aidan, it was the torturing thought that you might be drowned and I would lose you forever that must have done it.

She pulled him closer as she said, “I love you, Aidan. You are the only thing I want in this whole world.”

Eyes shining with emotion, he gazed on her fondly for a long moment and wondered how he had gotten so luckily as to finally win her heart. He kissed her gently and said, “Let’s go home, love.”

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The End

T
hank you for reading my novel. I hope it brought you some joy as it did for me.
Resisting the Highlander
was a long-time work in progress that went through several revisions. I'm happy with the results and like to think it improved a lot since it's conception.

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Thanks again for your time. And if you ever meet a handsome highlander who seems to good to be true maybe you'll give him a second look.