Chapter 23

23

R oselyn was astonished, and quite overwhelmed. Not only had Braden appeared to rescue her, he had revealed her previous assumptions to be untrue.

He and Calder had not spoken their whole lives long, and whilst she had overheard them doing so, it had not been the result of a deception. She felt ashamed – jumping to conclusions and making up her mind without being in possession of the facts. As Calder walked away, Braden looked at her shyly.

"I'm so sorry for what's happened here tonight, Roselyn. Ye shouldnae have been caught up in it. I know ye wanted to leave, but please, will ye let me explain?" he said.

Roselyn nodded. He had saved her. Had he not come after her – and she still did not know why he had done so – Donald would have killed her to silence her. She owed Braden her life, and an apology, too.

"I will, yes. But I need to say I'm sorry. I misjudged you. I thought, well, it sounds so foolish now. I overheard the two of you talking, and it seemed to me as though you'd always talked. I thought you had lied to me," Roselyn said, feeling her cheeks flush red, realizing how foolish she sounded, as Braden looked at her and smiled, his face illuminated in the flicker of the lamplight.

He shook his head, and Roselyn felt tears rising in her eyes, knowing she had entirely misjudged him. It was not the first time she had jumped to conclusions, or failed to see the other side, and she could only feel embarrassed at having so nearly lost everything on a whim.

"I spoke to Calder, aye, but it was only the first time I'd done so. He was as surprised as ye. But Calder and I have shared a great deal over all these years. We grew up together. We daenae need words all the time. I'm sorry if ye misunderstood: but what ye said about feelin' homesick and being in danger, was that true, too?" he asked.

Roselyn shook her head. She had feared returning home, knowing her father would have some dreadful suitor in mind, and life would once more be dull and predictable.

She had dreaded the thought, even as her stubbornness had prevailed. As for being in danger, Roselyn had never felt as safe as she did in Braden's company, and with him having rescued her again, she knew there was no one else whom she could rely on to protect her as he did.

"I wasn't homesick, and the danger, well, it's passed, hasn't it? None of it matters any more – not to me. But I can't imagine you'd want me to stay. Not now," she said.

Roselyn felt certain he could not forgive her. And why should he? She had failed to see the truth in his feelings for her, and when he had asked her to stay, she had rejected him. Roselyn did not deserve a second chance, even as he took hold of her hands, and smiled.

"Do ye really think I'd tell ye to leave, lass?"

"Roselyn, thanks to you I can speak, I can tell ye the truth about how I feel. Nay more signs and symbols. I can say it to ye out loud, Roselyn. I've fallen in love with ye – I love ye, and I want to be with ye. I want ye to stay," Braden said, and Roselyn's heart skipped a beat.

She felt the same way about him, even as she had buried her feelings beneath the anger she felt towards him, trying not to admit how painful it had been to tear herself away from him. Sighing, she raised his hands to her lips, their foreheads touching, and she smiled at him, their lips meeting in a kiss.

"Are you sure ye want to say those words? They're powerful – it's a moment in time to say I love you," she said, and he kissed her again.

"But I cannae stop myself from sayin' it, Roselyn. I love ye, and I'll say so a thousand times. But, do ye love me?" he asked, and now she slipped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest.

She had never uttered those words before, never told anyone she loved them, not in this sort of way. Love was, as she had told him, a powerful thing, and not to be entered into lightly.

But it was not something to be prevented, either. Love came, and love went. It came unexpectedly, and without warning. But Roselyn knew she was in love with Braden. When it happened, how it had happened or why it happened, she did not know. But love was hers, it was theirs, and now she looked up at him and smiled.

"I do, yes. I love you more than words can say, and I didn't need your words to know you loved me, either. I saw it in your actions, in what you did for me tonight, in your forgiveness. I've seen it in everything you've done, the moments we've shared, the person you are. I know you love me, and I love you, too, more than I can possibly tell you," she whispered.

"Then show me," he whispered, as their lips met in another kiss.