Chapter 21

Oh Dear! Oh My!

Holly could not see what was happening. She cowered behind her husband, ready to reach for her dirk if needed, but she dearly hoped she would not have to. It was one thing to stab some hay and quite another to stab a man.

“Oh, what are ye doin’ here?” Ragnall asked.

Holly felt him relax, and he let her go. When he said nothing more, she peered out from behind him. She had never been more surprised.

It was not Fraser, as she had expected, nor was it any other man. It was the same deer that had been on the other side of the river. It must have gone up the bank and crossed the bridge.

Holly did not believe that deer were smart enough to know how to get to the other side of the river and purposely follow two people, but she was sure the deer had come to them.

Ragnall sheathed his sword, now that the danger had passed. Holly’s heart was still beating quickly but was starting to slow. She went to the blanket and picked up a handful of berries, which she then took to the deer and held out to it.

The deer did not move for a moment, hesitating at the edge of the clearing. It sniffed the air and looked at Holly, before trotting toward her. It bent its head slightly and licked up the berries from her hand. As soon as it was done, it turned around and slowly trotted back to the edge of the clearing.

Holly felt her husband’s arm wrap around her shoulders—they were both caught up in the profound moment, even if she did not understand what it meant. She only knew it was a good omen.

The deer stopped at the edge of the clearing and stared back at them for a moment, and then it turned and walked back into the trees. Holly and Ragnall watched it retreat until it disappeared from view.

“Ye have outdone yerself,” Ragnall said. “I will admit to ye now that I did ken ye were headed to this clearin’, but I never kenned ye had organized for a deer to visit us.”

“Do ye think it means somethin’?” Holly asked. “It’s nae usual for a deer to do that, is it?”

“Nay, it isnae,” the Laird said, his arm still around her shoulders. “I dinnae ken what it means other than ye have some magical touch with people and nature. I’ve never seen a deer that tame in these woods. Especially nae one that will come and eat right out of yer hand. I dinnae ken what it means, but…”

“What?” Holly prompted.

The Laird let her go, turning to face her. “I dinnae believe in omens and all that stuff, but when that deer stepped into the clearin’, I felt a peace wash over me. It was like me troubles were still there, but they didnae bother me. I ken there will still be problems to face, but they dinnae feel as much like problems now. That is what ye have done for me.”

“I didnae do anything’,” Holly admitted. “Nae purposely, anyway. I only wanted to bring ye out here to thank ye.”

“Thank me?” Ragnall echoed. He took her hand and led her back to the picnic now that the deer was gone. They sat down together. “Ye dinnae have to thank me for anythin’.”

“Ye’ve been so nice to me,” Holly pointed out. “Ye saved me life on the way back to yer castle, and ye’ve bought me presents, and ye agreed to have breakfast with me and go into the village, and when I think back on all those things, it feels like I have made a lot of demands, and ye have accepted them all.”

“Nay, they arenae demands,” the Laird replied. “They have become necessities. Ye are me wife, and we should have meals together, and I would protect ye with me life, whether ye’re me wife or nae. As for the presents, they were to thank ye. I ken ye made me go out into the village, and it was a good thing, but ye’ve been more than that. Just by bein’ around, ye have made me a better man and a better laird.”

“Och, I’ve done naythin’,” Holly claimed.

Ragnall shook his head. “Nay, that’s nae true. I took ye as a wife because I wanted an heir, but the last thing I expected was to get a wife. I thought I would find a woman willing to give me a son, and that was it. I never expected someone who would want to stand beside me. Especially with…”

Holly knew he was talking about his scars. She moved closer to him and touched his face, running her fingers over his scars. He flinched at first but didn’t move away. He sat and let her touch his face. Holly followed his scars from his temple down to his neck. She leaned in and kissed his cheek.

“Ye are a handsome man,” she murmured. “I ken how people look at ye—I saw that in the village. But that is only because they dinnae ken ye. We’ll keep goin’ out into the village and get to ken the people better. They arenae afraid of ye because of how ye look. They are afraid of ye because of the barriers ye have built. I understand why ye did. How could ye trust anyone after what happened to ye?”

“I trust ye,” Ragnall admitted.

“And ye will trust others, too. Ye will trust them, and they will trust ye, and ye will be the Laird ye are destined to be. Ye are already a good laird, but I see greatness in yer future.”

Ragnall looked away, and Holly worried she had overstepped the mark. She gave it a second before she put her hand on his thigh. “I apologize, I didnae meant to?—”

“Nay,” he said. “Ye didnae do anythin’ other than make me happy and think about me family, and that made me unhappy. Nae unhappy that they are gone—I made me peace with that a long time ago—but unhappy that they arenae around to meet ye, and to see the bairns we will create together.”

“Aye, that makes me unhappy, too.” Holly knew it was unfair that she had a lot of family around while her husband had none. She was his family now, and they would create a new family together. “Tell me about them,” she said.

“Me family?”

“Aye, I want to ken about them. What were they like?”

The Laird turned but not to face her. He looked across the river again.

“Ye dinnae have to if ye dinnae want to,” Holly murmured softly.

“Nay, I would like to talk about them,” Ragnall said. He took another sip of his ale before he spoke again.

Holly picked at the food and listened to her husband speak.

“They were a lovin’ family,” he began. “Me faither was a good man and an ever better laird, and I should be proud to follow in his footsteps. There arenae many around still who were led by him, but some remember, and if they ever talk to me in the same vein, then I ken I have done well. He was a stern man, fierce in battle, quick to forgive, and he had a wicked sense of humor. The blacksmith in the castle—we dinnae talk about what happened to me faither and his, but he did mention me faither one time.

“They fought in battle together once, and the blacksmith’s faither was also a formidable fighter. They were in the heat of battle, pinned back, but forcin’ their way through. Me faither made some joke about somethin’, a few words lost in time, but the men around him burst into laughter and fought while laughin’ until they broke through the lines and managed to escape. The blacksmith was never told what the joke was, but he remembers his faither laughin’ every so often at the memory of it.”

Holly smiled as she listened.

The Laird took another sip of ale.

“Me maither was a very lovin’ woman. She doted on me and me sister when we were younger, and we had a really braw upbringin’. She made sure we were tutored in readin’ and writin’, along with history and geography. She wanted us to be well-learned. She made sure of that, while me faither made sure we could fight—both me and me sister. One thing I remember about me maither is how beautiful she was, inside and out. She was a gorgeous woman, but it was her smile that did it for everyone. It didnae matter what was goin’ on in the world—when me maither smiled, everyone was happy.”

He smiled and shook his head. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and took another long sip of his ale.

“And me sister.” He let out a long sigh. “I couldnae protect her. I couldnae save her.”

“It wasnae yer fault she died,” Holly soothed.

“I ken, I ken,” the Laird groaned. “I did all I could to save her, but it wasnae enough.”

“Tell me about her,” Holly requested gently. “Tell me about how she was afore all of that.”

Ragnall chuckled through his nose. Holly bit into a piece of cheese, the sharpness making her mouth water. The heat from the sun beat down on them even though it was not visible behind the trees.

“She was a free spirit,” the Laird said. “She had a mind of her own and would do whatever she wanted, but never if it hurt anyone. Ye remind me a little of her.”

Holly smiled at the comparison.

“We were best friends growin’ up,” he continued. “I kenned I had to be serious and pay attention, as I would be the Laird someday, and she reminded me that life is often fun. I forget that sometimes, but it is hard after what happened. I ken that life can be fun, but it doesnae always feel like it.”

“Aye, I understand that. Well, I shall take it upon meself to remind ye that life can be fun.”

“Ye already do that,” he murmured.

“Aye, but maybe not enough,” Holly said.

She looked out at the river again. It was obvious why Mirren had recommended the place to her. It was beautiful, but not only for sitting and having a picnic. The river widened beyond the clearing, and the bank jutted out just past it. It slowed the river and swirled it gently.

“Looks like it is deep enough to swim in there,” she observed.

“Aye, it is,” the Laird confirmed. “I swam in there often as a young man.”

“All right,” Holly said.

She stood up and dusted off her skirt. The Laird did not look up at her until she dropped her dress to the ground, remaining only in her shift.

“What are ye doin’?” he asked.

Holly didn’t respond other than to kick off her boots. Once she had, she ran toward the river without looking back. She leaped—a leap of faith, perhaps—and plunged into the water.

For a second, the excitement coursed through her. Then, the coldness of the water hit her, and the energy pumped, bringing her more joy at doing something she would not normally do. She remained below the surface for a moment, enjoying the weightlessness and freedom, and then she surfaced, sucking in a welcome lungful of air.

When she looked up, the Laird was standing on the bank with a concerned look in his eyes and a smile on his lips.

“Well?” she prompted.

“What?”

“Are ye goin’ to let me swim alone? Who kens what dangers lurk in the water?” Holly kicked with her feet a little to stop the very light current from taking her down the bank.

“Is it nae cold?” the Laird asked.

“Freezin’! That’s why I need someone in here to warm me up.”

Ragnall laughed. He looked down at her as he considered it, and then he started to undress. Holly bit her bottom lip as she watched him, enjoying the show. Her body was cold, but her core remained warm. When he was in his undergarments, he stepped toward the water.

“Hey, what are ye doin’?” she asked.

“I’m gettin’ in!”

“Och, ye cannae step in after I jumped in. Come on, fair is fair.”

Ragnall laughed again. He chuckled as he walked back toward the picnic, before he turned around and ran toward her. He leaped into the air, sailed over her head, and plunged into the water, also going under.

Holly watched the water, waiting for him to resurface, but she didn’t see him. She didn’t see any air bubbles come up either. She turned around, but she was so close to the bank that he couldn’t resurface there. She watched the water, ready to dive under and rescue him.

Then something grabbed her by at the waist, and she screamed as he resurfaced right in front of her. She fell into his arms, craving his warmth and needing his touch.

Ragnall wrapped her in his embrace and kicked his legs, keeping them afloat.

“It’s c-cold,” Holly stuttered, the chill in the water seeping into her bones.

“Aye, it is,” Ragnall agreed. “Maybe this will help.”

He leaned forward and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him. His tongue pushed into her mouth, pressing against hers, and they kissed slowly as they floated in the water. Warmth seeped into her, chasing out the coldness as he kissed her, and as she hugged him, she could feel him relax. The picnic, the deer, talking about his family, the cold water, the kiss… it all combined to bring some relief to the Laird.

Holly was happy, and knowing her husband was happy only increased her glee. She wanted to keep making him happy forever and ever and ever.

She wrapped one arm around his shoulders, and the other around the back of his head. Then she wrapped her legs around him as he kept them afloat, wanting to intertwine her body with his. She did not ever want to let him go.

“This is perfect,” Ragnall said when they broke apart for air.

“Aye, it is,” Holly agreed.

Ragnall still looked around them as if there might be danger—always on high alert. Still, it was the most relaxed she had seen him.

“We should get back to the bank,” he said.

“Ye dinnae like being away from yer sword,” Holly noted.

“I dinnae, but it isnae for that. Ye will never ken how ye have made me feel, Holly. I have been through death, and I never thought I would see the light again. Ye have made me feel it is possible. I cannae make ye feel as I feel, but I need to get back to the bank to make ye feel somethin’. I need to get back to solid land to have me way with ye.”