The Highlander's Bride(63)

He couldn’t get over how beautiful she was when she grew agitated. Her cheeks blossomed a bright red, her eyes glistened like the surface of a sparkling lake, and her rigid posture was one of resolve and courage. She was a remarkable woman who had somehow worked her way into his heart without him even realizing it.

The startling thought angered him and he barked at her, “You don’t know what Alaina would want.”

Sara stood her ground. “Every woman worth her salt wants to protect her man and her child, and I know Alaina was worth more than her salt.”

“She certainly was, and that’s why I’ll do what is right and avenge her death.” Cullen held his hand up. “Not another word. My mind is set and that’s all there is to that. We’ll speak no more of it.”

“Like hell we won’t,” she said, and with a tug of the reins, she urged her horse forward.

Cullen followed, though he kept a safe distance. He didn’t intend to argue with her. It wasn’t an issue they’d agree on, therefore it was senseless to discuss it. He would do what he must whether she liked it or not.

He did, however, appreciate her concern, and it made him realize that perhaps Sara thought more of him than she even realized. Or perhaps she did realize it and was wise for having made the choice not to consummate their vows. Intimacy would only draw them closer together, and they had already drawn quite close without it. He could only imagine how intimacy would cause more of a problem for them.

But damned if he didn’t want to give a try!

The remainder of the ride was silent, each of them lost in their own thoughts, opinions, and plans, so when they finally approached the cottage tucked in the hillside and surrounded by fields ready for planting, they both were surprised by the sight of the little boy wobbling around on uncertain feet as a woman stood nearby, ready to catch him if he should fall.

The woman snatched the child up when she spied them and shaded her eyes with her hand to see them better. Once she caught sight of Sara waving wildly at her, she returned the enthusiastic wave and even took hold of the boy’s little arm for him to welcome them with a wave.

Sara barely stopped her mare before she was sliding off it to run to her sister and hug her and the boy.

Cullen expected a crying fest between the two women, though he hadn’t thought he would get choked up himself when he laid eyes on his son. The boy was a miniature copy of him, eyes, nose, and the stubborn set to his small chin. That he was his son was undeniable, and he ached to have Alaina there at that moment to thank her for this beautiful child.

Alexander wiggled out of Teresa’s arms as soon as Cullen dismounted, and to his surprise wobbled over to him.

The child tilted his head back, stretched out his pudgy arms and said, “Da.”





Chapter 23





With tears damp on her cheeks, Sara’s eyes welled up again as she watched Cullen reach down and scoop his son up in his large arms. The little boy giggled and poked at Cullen’s nose and cheeks.

Cullen grinned from ear to ear, his excitement palpable, his relief something only Sara could detect. She had gotten to know his nuances in the time they’d spent together and could now read him easily. And, of course, he had been waiting for this moment since they first met. The little bundle of joy in his arms was the fulfillment of his promise to Alaina and the reason for him to live after her death.

“Give him a kiss, Alexander,” Teresa called out.

Alexander opened his mouth wide and planted a sloppy kiss against his father’s cheek.

Cullen smiled and returned the kiss, though with a closed mouth.

“He certainly can’t deny him,” Teresa said, turning to Sara. “But I think he’s got your stubbornness.”

Sara wiped the tears off her cheeks and laughed softly, wishing that were true, wishing she was Alexander’s mother and that the three of them truly were family.

Cullen joined the women, his son tucked safely in his arms, Alexander’s tiny fingers busy trying to pick the stripes off the plaid that crossed his father’s chest while repeatedly saying, “Da!”

“He calls everyone Da,” Teresa explained. “It’s his first word and he’s very proud of it, and it appears he’s learned it at the perfect time.”

Sara appreciated her sister’s acknowledgment of Cullen as Alexander’s father before he had even been introduced. It allowed for an easier rapport between them all, especially Cullen, since his smile brightened even more at her sister’s remark.

Sara saw to proper introductions. Upon meeting herself and Teresa, most people did not realize that they were sisters. Where she was tall, Teresa was no more than a couple of inches over five feet; slim and simply beautiful with long, honey-blond hair. Now, she introduced her sister with pride. “Teresa, my husband Cullen Longton. Cullen, my sister Teresa.”