Page 35 of A Highlander’s Heart

Emma shrugged and ran her fingertip round the top of her mug. “Nervous, of course. Janet has had, obviously, more training than Enoch, but he is eager to learn and is quite intelligent.”

He nodded. He would not have to feel guilty at removing the Mackenzie healer. He studied her for a minute, then nodded at the serving lass who poured ale into his mug.

“Ye want to ken why I asked for ye to come with us?”

Emma huffed and raised her brows. “Ye mean demanded? Making it part of the alliance? Because ye think ye cannot make it to Clyth Castle without my healing skills?”

He grinned. “Aye. Because ye are by far the best healer I’ve kenned. Do ye think I would want to return to Clyth Castle and find the mess I’m expecting with no support?”

He hesitated and then took a deep breath needing to say something he didn’t truly want to. “I doona want just a healer, lass.” He reached out and took her hand. “I need ye, Emma.”

She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Nay, Morgan. Ye doona need me aside from my duties as a healer.”

He pressed his lips together. “When we finish our meal, we must talk.”

True, he was terrified of getting his heart stomped on again, especially by a woman named Emma, but he was through pushing away. He wanted her, and from the way she’d reacted when he’d kissed her, she wanted him as well.

With a healing leg, and a clan who might very well think him dead or physically unfit to be leader, he needed someone who he could hold at night, her soft warm body wrapped in his arms.

Right now he had no idea what that meant, why he felt this need for her, but he knew pushing her away had not been working.

They needed to talk so she could understand he wanted her, the woman he’d grown to know, not just the healer. He’d wanted her for a long time, but had refused to admit it, even to himself. Now that the decision had been made, he was more than happy to be Emma’s husband, take care of her, and give her all the bairns she wanted.

*

Emma rose from her bed, most likely the last time she would do it in this room. As soon as she washed and dressed, she would leave her bed chamber, where she’d lived her whole life, until she’d become a healer.

It looked bare since everything she owned had been packed into a trunk that had already been taken downstairs. Despite this being her wedding day, she had chosen to wear a deep-blue wool outfit, fit for travel, with her Mackenzie arisaid wrapped around her.

One she would soon trade for a Gunn arisaid.

Amazingly, she had no strong thoughts one way or the other about wedding Morgan Gunn. She was fair enough to admit that she was looking forward to discovering what came after the wonderful kisses she’d shared with the man.

She knew a little of what to expect, which came from her work as a healer. Seeing a small, screaming bairn, the result of a man joining with a woman, was wonderful, but she was anxious to have more of the feelings that Morgan had aroused in her when he held her and kissed her.

Emma shivered, but before she could dwell on it any longer, she patted her hair, picked up the flowers Morgan had somehow found for her, and left the room. She smiled as she remembered how he’d stumbled over his words as he’d given them to her. “Every woman should have flowers at her wedding.”

As she closed the door to the bedchamber, and her life thus far, she thought of Janet and Enoch, hoping they were trained enough to take over the healing. But with Daniel letting her go with Morgan, he must have been certain that all would be well. She needed to stop fretting and move on with her own life in her new role.

Wife.

She went down the stairs to the great hall where Morgan, Daniel, Beth, Gregory, Megan, and a priest stood in a group.

Emma took a deep breath and joined them.

Since Morgan had no Gunn dress clothes with him, he wore clean clothing, obviously borrowed. The smile on his face immediately relaxed the tightened muscles in her stomach.

Maybe they really could have a good life together. There was certainly a very strong attraction between them.

Chapter Twenty

“Ye look beautiful, lass,” Morgan said.

She took a deep breath as he reached for her hand, and they turned to face the priest. Years from now she was certain she would never remember the vows they took. Especially with thoughts churning through her mind on what awaited them when they entered Clyth Castle.

It took no time at all for her life to be changed forever. After the priest declared them man and wife, Morgan cupped her face in his large, warm hand and gently kissed her. Since they had an audience, she was glad it was not like the kisses they’d shared before.

Beth was the first to hug her and wish them well. The others did the same, with Megan saying a tearful goodbye to Gregory. Emma felt sorry for the lass, since she and her husband had so little time together, and now he was off again. ’Twas obvious that they had a love match, even though theirs was not exactly an arranged marriage, but certainly a somewhat arranged marriage. She shook her head. She was getting her brain all muddled.