Page 105 of The Rogue’s Redemption

She assumed he wanted to tell her something, but instead he simply stared at her.

“What happened?”

He blinked. “I love you,” he said, and Allie’s stomach sank. It was bad.

“I love you too,” she said, resisting the urge to close her eyes against the sting of the words that were to come. “But?”

“Hmmm.” He kissed her nose and stepped back, running his hands through his hair. “You assume I bring a bad report?”

The ever-so-slight upturn at the corners of his mouth was Allie’s first indication that Reid was actually pleased. She had been so concerned about the outcome.

“Douglas.” She shuddered. “He is . . .”

“Intimidating. Aye, lass, he can be quite so.”

And then she noticed it. He was not simply pleased, he was overjoyed. Reid’s step was lighter. His shoulders, relaxed. “Tell me!”

“I am Toren’s second.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “But—”

“Douglas reached an accord with King Alexander. He is to meet with your king to discuss the recent turmoil including Lord Caxton.”

Although this was good news indeed, Allie still did not—

“He praised the clan for holding strong, for attending the Day of Truce in the face of ‘Caxton’s treachery.’”

“Did Toren tell him what happened?”

“He did. Which is when Douglas asked when I had become the reasonable one.”

“Did someone correct him?” she teased.

“Aye, my brother was glad to do so. But he welcomed the elders into the meeting at the same time and demanded, in front of Douglas, for them to reconsider their decision. And they did.”

The lump that formed in Allie’s throat had nothing to do with the new promise for peace at the border. Mayhap she was a terrible person, but she could think only of Reid. The pride in his expression . . . in his very stance. How could she have missed it when he first entered the room?

Allie’s eyes welled with tears as she went to him. Throwing her arms around his neck, she let those tears flow and was not even a bit surprised when she pulled back and saw a tear track down her husband’s cheek. She wiped it away and kissed the spot where it had been. She kissed his lips next, a joy she’d never before known burgeoning in her belly.

“I am so proud of you.” And she was. Of the man he had become, the one she knew had been there all along. The one who would serve his brother, and his clan, who would be lucky to have him. “You deserve it.”

She expected his denial.

Instead, Reid simply smiled.

Epilogue

It had been a long day.

They would normally have found lodgings for the night, the ride from Bristol Manor long enough to warrant it, but Reid pushed for the men to keep going. And as they rode up the final incline to Brockburg Castle, he marveled at the fact that he was returning home to his wife.

With his sister’s babe due in the winter, Catrina had been unable to attend the wedding. He’d wanted to take Allie with him, but his visit to Bristol Manor had not been a social one. He’d apprised his brother-in-law of the ever-changing situation.

Though the latest news was good, Bryce privately agreed that war was as likely as peace.

“A meal and a bed,” one of the men yelled as they approached.

“Or a woman to replace both,” another said, the others laughing as they dismounted.