Page 31 of A Highlander’s Heart

To her surprise, Morgan went down on one knee, wincing in pain, and reached for her hand. “Will ye return to Clyth Castle with me?”

Emma couldn’t help but frown and think about his injury. His stitches! “As yer healer, I suggest ye get up. I doona think ye need to be on yer knee to ask me that.”

Morgan ran his hand over his face. “I’m no’ good at this, Emma.”

“Healing? Nay. We already ken ye’re a stubborn mon, Morgan Gunn. Ye’ll be lucky to make it back to yer clan in one piece with all yer moving about.” She couldn’t help but scold him, even at this moment. No matter how much she knew she cared for the man—she was not going to make this easy for him.

Truthfully, she was a bit insulted that the men had apparently discussed this without her. If Morgan was about to say what she thought he was about to say, he had better have a good reason to want her with him besides her healing skills. Especially after all his kisses.

And waking up next to her.

Morgan took a deep breath. “Aye, lass. Ye’re right about it all. Ye saved my life and I know I can’t live without you because I’m a right daft sod and I’ll probably die without a healer about. So…will ye marry me, Emma?”

Chapter Seventeen

Emma walked with her arm around Morgan’s waist as they made their way from the great hall to the healing hut. Daniel had asked Morgan to return to the hut while he and Gregory worked on their part of the alliance before they presented it to him.

They hadn’t spoken one word to each other as they walked along.

She had wanted more than anything to not have to say goodbye to Morgan, but had she been right in accepting his marriage proposal?

She was overwhelmed, still not having processed the fact that Morgan was now the laird of the Gunn clan. Besides that, his marriage proposal had been painful—in more ways than one—but then, she was certain the man had ne’er done one before.

Did he do it because Daniel had made it necessary in order to allow her to accompany Morgan to his home? Did he want her healing skills so much that he was willing to marry her?

Did Morgan care for her at all? And in turn, what were her feelings toward the man?

They had started out as enemies, but their relationship had certainly changed over the time he was at the keep. She had already admitted to herself that the thought of him leaving had brought on feelings she did not want to examine just yet.

It had sounded to her that his departure was eminent.

Her healer side pushed away those thoughts in order to pull herself together and make plans for what supplies she would need to pack for the trip. Since Morgan had mentioned that as far as he knew there was no healer in the clan, she would need to pack a great deal of supplies. Plus, she had to spend time with Janet and Enoch, who would probably faint when they heard they were to take over the healing for their clan.

Deciding the best thing was to push her problems aside and consider Morgan’s, she said, “I assume ye are overwhelmed.”

He nodded. “Aye, I am overwhelmed,” Morgan mumbled, and said nothing else.

Once they arrived at the hut, he began growling orders to her about what she needed to do for him in order to travel.

She huffed. “I am fully aware of what we will need. I suggest ye get some rest since this trip will be difficult on yer body.”

He waved her away. “Nay, no resting. I have things to do to prepare to leave.” He stopped and turned to her, and like a small lad, he said with a grin. “I am Laird of Clan Gunn.”

The words were barely out of his mouth when he reached out and pulled her to him. He wrapped his arms around her and his lips covered hers with a sense of possession she hadn’t experienced before.

He leaned back and smoothed back the hair that had fallen on her forehead. “I promise I will be a good husband to ye, Emma.”

She looked into those deep brown eyes and afraid of the emotions gathering inside her, she pushed back and said, “Get on with ye, now. I’ll let ye do what ye need to do.”

She left the healing hut letting him do what it was he thought he needed to do in order to leave.

Then she made her way to her bedchamber in the keep, which she hadn’t spent much time in, since she had been spending her nights in the hut.

With Morgan.

Who shortly would be her husband, whose bed she would share from then on. She shivered.

God’s toes, was that water dripping from her eyes? It was not possible that she was crying. She took in a deep breath and made her way to her bed, where she sat and continued to wipe her cheeks and take deep breaths.