Page 61 of Highlander’s Sweet Poison

“I think she will enjoy that.” He paused. “Annella, can ye live with the fact that I killed yer husband? With so much going on, I havenae had a chance to ask.”

“Oh, Graeme, I dinnae blame ye. In fact, I blame myself. I know how Alan felt about Jillian for a long time. He used to come home drunk and compare the two of us. When she left, I had hoped that things would change, but they didnae. His hatred for her only seemed to grow. For a long time, I also thought that he had killed Fulton. I am relieved to know that at least I wasnae wed to a murderer. I should have told ye, Graeme.”

“When it was necessary, ye came to me, Annella. Now ye have a chance to find happiness in yer life. I have faith in ye.”

There were some muffled noises, and Jillian hoped that Graeme was embracing his sister. After everything that she had been through recently, she most certainly needed it.

“I must save Mother from Davy and Christy,” Annella said finally. “Christy is gaining more and more energy. I will check back tonight.”

Tonight? What time was it? What day was it? Jillian didn’t dare open her eyes. The door opened and closed again, but she knew her husband was still there. She could feel him.

“Lass,” Graeme murmured as he sat on the edge of the bed and put a hand on her hip. For a moment, she thought he knew she was awake. “How I wish ye would open yer eyes. I have so much that I want to tell ye, and now I fear ‘tis too late.”

Her heart skipped a beat.

“I love ye, Jillian, and I need ye to wake up and be well so I can tell ye. So I can tell ye every day. I have loved ye even before I wed ye, and I was too stubborn a fool to see it. Now I see that all I have done is put ye in danger. Ye didnae want to return, and I forced ye because I couldnae imagine life without ye. I am so sorry, my love. Please open yer eyes so I can tell ye this, so ye will know that I give ye a choice now. If ye wish to leave, to go back to the loch, I wilnae stop ye. I only want ye to be happy and to feel safe.”

She could take no more. Turning, she opened her eyes and stared at him as tears fell down her cheeks. “Why would I leave when I love ye so?”

“Jillian!” With a moan, he pulled her up and embraced her. Safe in his arms, she clung to him and breathed in his scent. He had said everything that she had wanted to hear for so long, but she would never leave him.

“I dinnae blame ye for Art or Alan or the council. If anything, I have been worried that I am the reason for all yer troubles. Ye seemed to hate touching me these past few hours, and I feared ye were disgusted with me.”

“Never,” he told her fiercely. “None of this is yer fault, and I dinnae blame ye in the least. I would not take ye while ye were on that vile stuff Art had given ye. It took away yer will, Jillian. I wouldnae have ye in my arms like that.”

Joy spread through her, and she rested her head on his chest now. “So ‘tis over now?”

“Aye. Alan and Art are both dead. The council has denounced Baldie and Nora, and they will pay for their crimes. The village is horrified at the knowledge that they fell so easily for Art’s scheme. Ye have won them over, ye know. They turned over every stone searching for ye. To them, ye are a hero.”

“I dinnae mean to be a hero, Graeme. I just want to be yer wife and a good mistress to them. I hope they understand that.”

He kissed the top of her head before he raised her head and took her mouth for a slow and loving kiss. Contentment spread all the way down to her toes. “Ye will stay with me, Jillian? Truly?”

“Aye, Graeme. Ye are stuck with me.”

Satisfaction rumbled in his chest, and when he kissed her again, she knew that everything would be different now.

30

Five Months Later

“Creighton is here.”

Looking up from her seat at the table, Jillian smiled at her husband. “What excuse has he made this time?”

For the past three months, Creighton has been sashaying in and out of their territory for some reason or another. Last time, it was because they had an overabundance of some crops, and the Armstrong laird wanted to do the neighborly thing and share. It was a nice gesture, but they hardly needed it, and he knew that. Before that, there was a thief that Creighton thought might be hiding out on their lands. He’d been arrested on Armstrong lands while Creighton was there, although the message took much longer than usual. Two times before that, he was carrying questions from his healer for Jillian, questions that could have easily been sent via a messenger.

“He wants my support to hold the next alliance signing on his lands,” Graeme said with a loud sigh. Pulling out the chair next to Jillian, he sat down heavily and reached over to pull her into his lap. She flowed easily, loving the way he always wanted to hold her. “He is driving me mad.”

“It would be a big moment for him,” Jillian said with a mischievous smile. “After all, right now, he has the most to prove to the others, so by holding the meet, he can show the other lairds that he has full control over the Armstrongs and they werenae weakened by their misfortunes.”

“My love,” he growled. “Ye know vera well that he need not visit in person for that conversation. We are all anxious to see for ourselves that his clan is still strong.”

“He is building a friendship with ye, Graeme. ‘Tis different from an alliance and requires time.”

“He is trying to find a way to woo Kylie, and ye know it,” he snarled. “I shouldnae have told him that she was a difficult lass. Otherwise, he would have proposed by now. She would have turned him down, and I wouldnae still be suffering the headache of having to constantly deal with another laird on my land.”

Leaning against his chest, she put her hands on the flat of his belly and sighed in contentment as his hands covered hers. “I wonder if Theo had the same problems with ye.”