Chapter 20

The Strathcairn River

“Ye willnae tell me where we are goin’?” Ragnall asked.

“It’s a surprise,” Holly replied. “It wouldnae be a surprise if I told ye where we are goin’, would it?”

“Aye, ye are right about that,” Ragnall acknowledged. “I just dinnae ken why we need to come all the way out here when we could spend the day in bed together.”

Holly stopped walking and took her husband by the hand. “I want that, too, but I wanted to do somethin’ nice for ye, and afore ye comment on that, I ken what ye are thinkin’, and maybe we could also do that after our picnic.”

“Aye, maybe,” the Laird said with a grin.

Holly held his hand and looked at his face. She loved the way his features lit up when he smiled. It was different between them now. She could still remember the first time they met right before their wedding. She had been scared of him, and she could not help but look at his scars. He had not liked that one bit.

As she stood on the banks of the Strathcairn River, she looked at his scars again, but he welcomed it this time. What had happened to him was terrible, and while the scars were a reminder of his painful past, they were also a part of him. To love the Laird was to love his scars, and Holly was starting to fall in love with him.

She went up on her tiptoes and kissed him gently on the lips. “Come one, we are almost there,” she said.

The Laird was holding a picnic basket loaded with food in one hand. Holly turned away from him and led the way again, walking up the river bank against the current.

She had always loved her home and found beauty in most places in Scotland, but there was something special about the Strathcairn River. When Mirren recommended the place, it sounded beautiful, but it was more gorgeous than she had imagined.

Holly breathed in the fresh air and felt like she was in one of the fairytales that her mother used to read to her as a child. The oak and willow trees were taller nearer the river, and they were both decorated with bright green leaves and embellished with chirping birds.

She took her husband’s hand as they walked. When he squeezed her hand, she felt safe. Nothing bad would happen to her, with the Laird by her side. She held onto him as tightly as she could.

“Look!” Ragnall stopped and crouched down.

Holly thought for a moment they were under attack, and she crouched down beside him, ready to draw the dirk he had made her bring. She felt safer having it, and her hand went to her ankle, where the sheath was tied.

She almost burst out laughing when she saw what he was pointing at. There was no danger or oncoming attack. He pointed up the river, to where a deer stood alert.

The deer’s ears were perked up, listening for any threat—it could sense they were there somewhere. Holly and Ragnall watched the animal. It turned its head slightly, listening for their movements, and when it felt safe, it plucked some of the berries from the bush before it and chewed on them. The deer took another couple of berries and ate them.

Holly felt Ragnall’s shoulder brush hers. It was one of the most magical moments they had shared since they had gotten married, and she did not want it to end.

Yet, all good things had to come to an end. The deer perked up again, maybe sensing something else, and hopped off through the bushes, moving away from them. When it was gone, Ragnall stood up, and Holly followed suit.

“It’s so peaceful out here,” she noted.

“Aye, it is. I come out here sometimes when I need to think, but not for a long time,” Ragnall admitted. “I should come out here more.”

“We should come out here more,” Holly corrected.

“Aye, that would be nice,” Ragnall admitted. “I must admit that I’ve been consumed with other things as of late. Maybe I have kept meself cooped up in the castle too much. It took the guidance of a good woman to get me out here again.”

Holly felt some pride in herself. She had not set out to do anything, but she had done it all the same. She wanted to continue helping him in any way she could.

With the deer gone, she took the lead again. She made sure she was far enough ahead of Ragnall before she pulled the crumpled piece of paper from her sleeve. Mirren had drawn her a rough map, and she tried to follow it as best she could.

Holly flipped the paper upside down, trying to figure out if she had been going the right way, then flipped it back to its original position.

“What do ye have there?” Ragnall asked, closing the distance between them.

“Nohin’,” Holly squawked as he got so close that their bodies almost touched.

“It doesnae look like nothin’.” Ragnall tutted, grabbing her waist to slow her down.

Holly gasped delightedly and quickly stuffed the crumpled map back into her sleeve.

“Ye’ll just have to wait and see!” she exclaimed.

“Aye, will I?” Ragnall purred, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her into him.

Holly felt his breath on her neck, and she stopped walking so she could feel his touch. His arm was strong around her waist, and his hard body felt amazing against her back and rear. She was in a wonderland with a muscular man, and it was an even more perfect moment than the previous one.

“Well, go on then,” the Laird urged, pushing her forward.

Holly let out a small laugh and looked over her shoulder at him. He smiled briefly and held her gaze, and she felt delight run through her body. She looked ahead again and resumed her walk.

It did not take long until they came to a bridge. Holly did not need to consult her map to know they were supposed to cross it. She led the Laird over the bridge and continued upstream. A moment later, he wrapped his arm around her waist again.

“I dinnae ken where we are goin’, but maybe ye read yer map upside down,” he whispered in her ear. “Are ye sure we arenae supposed to be goin’ in the opposite direction?”

Holly was so distracted by the warmth of his breath that his words didn’t register for a moment. She finally gathered her wits and senses. She turned around and playfully slapped him on the arm.

“Ye arenae supposed to ken where we are goin’.”

“I dinnae,” the Laird claimed. “However, if ye are headin’ toward a certain clearin’ by the river, then ye might want to go in the opposite direction. I’m only makin’ a suggestion.”

“Och, turn around,” Holly instructed.

The Laird did as he was told, and she pulled out the hand-drawn map and tried to orientate herself again. She flipped the map upside down and then flipped it back again. She stood and stared upstream, trying to figure out whether she should hold the map. Finally, she thought she had it.

She shook her head and smiled. “All right, this way,” she announced, heading off downstream. She looked over her shoulder. “I was goin’ to take ye on a walk upstream for a while, but we might as well head to our destination now. I’m gettin’ hungry.”

“Aye, me too,” the Laird said with a smile.

Holly tried not to laugh, and she looked ahead again. She had a bounce in her step as she led the way, eager to get to the spot and enjoy some food with her husband.

She did not know exactly what she was looking for, but as soon as she stepped into the clearing, she knew she had found it. The small patch of grass was circular, measuring five or six meters wide, and as soon as she stepped into it, all sounds disappeared except for the slow whooshing of the river.

The clearing was surrounded mostly by oak trees, but the inner circle of trees consisted exclusively of silver birch trees, making it seem like they had entered a magical world. The bank was slightly higher on their side, looking down on the treed bank on the other side, and Mirren had not lied about the grass being the greenest in the forest.

Holly breathed in again, spinning around in a slow circle as she took in the patch of paradise.

“We are here,” she announced.

“And a braw spot ye have found, lass,” Ragnall said.

He bent down and plucked a sprig of heather from one of the patches near the tree line, then he approached her. He tucked her hair behind her ear, before sliding the sprig of heather into her strands.

“Aye, that looks bonnie.”

Holly smiled, one corner of her lips curling upward—she had not felt this happy in a long time. There had been moments of happiness and joy since marrying Ragnall, but this topped them all. They were out in the middle of nowhere, just the two of them.

“Shall we eat?” the Laird asked.

“Aye!”

Holly sat on the soft grass, and she had to pat it with her hands when she sat down. It felt impossibly soft and cushioned, as if it had been specially grown to sit on. She placed her hands behind her and leaned back a little, first taking in the view on the other side of the river and then looking up at the blue sky above—a circle of blue within a ring of silver.

When she looked back down, she found a set of eyes staring at her from the other bank.

“Look,” she said.

“I see him,” the Laird replied.

“Do ye think it’s the same one?”

“Aye, I do,” Ragnall replied. “He saw us on that side and now on this side, and he’s curious.”

Holly watched the deer on the other bank. There was something special in its eyes, as if it was telling her she was on the right path. It did not have large antlers—it was a young buck—but she still saw wisdom there. She tried to convey her response with her eyes.

I didnae choose to be here, but it is exactly where I should be.

She hadn’t chosen to be there. Her father’s debts thrust the marriage upon her, and Fraser was still out there, but none of that mattered. She was with the man she was developing feelings for and wanted to stay with. She knew she was falling in love. She hadn’t expected it when she had first met him, but it felt so obvious now.

Holly knew he liked her and enjoyed her company, but the thing that worried her was that he would not be able to reciprocate her love.

She took another deep breath, one of many that day, and watched him unpack the basket. He was a strong man, and she had no doubt he could slam his shoulder into a tree and knock it down, but there was a deftness to his touch, too.

Holly thought of her dirk. The tactic she had learned was to stab and run, use the element of surprise, and get out of there. When their coach was attacked on the way to MacPherson Castle, she had not seen the Laird fight, but she could imagine he had attacked with both power and dexterity. She did not need to see him fight to know he was a formidable foe.

Being a formidable foe to others made him her protector.

The Laird smiled as he caught her eye and continued unloading the picnic basket. Mirren had packed boiled eggs, slices of meat, cheese, pickles, oatcakes, preserves, fruit, and a few tarts. There was also a sealed jug of ale for the Laird.

He laid all the food out on a small woolen blanket and then took up the ale. He offered some to Holly, but she declined. She was already intoxicated by his presence. Ragnall uncorked the jug, took a swig, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He nodded and smiled, looking across the river.

They sat in silence for a while, and Holly observed him. He looked content and at ease. It was the most composed she had seen him since they got married, and she knew it was because of her. He protected her, and she protected him in very different ways.

The Laird took another swig of ale.

Holly felt some confidence build within her as he drank, as if she could feel the alcohol in his belly. She had not planned to bring him out to the clearing for any reason other than to spend some time with him and have a picnic.

She knew he might not feel the same, and she had no expectations that he would, but she had to tell him. There was no better time or place to do it. She would tell him she was falling in love with him, or maybe she already was in love, and he did not have to say a word. He only had to know.

Holly turned to him. “Ragnall?—”

“It is a braw—sorry, I interrupted ye.”

“Nay, it’s fine, ye can go,” she said, losing her nerve.

“Nay, ye go first,” the Laird insisted.

“All right.” Holly took another deep breath, looking at the river quickly before looking back at him. “I just wanted to?—”

She did not get to finish. They heard a rustling in the trees, and suddenly someone charged toward them.

Ragnall was on his feet in an instant with his sword drawn. He grabbed Holly with one hand and pulled her behind him.

It was an ambush!