Page 25 of Her Accidental Highlander Husband

When Cameron smiled at her, it wasn’t fear that made her stomach twist. It was something else. Something she hadn’t felt for a very long time. Not since she’d flirted with the groom’s son in her father’s stables.

With distance between her and Cameron, and people all about, it was easier to feel safe with him. Easier to smile and tease him with coy looks. Especially when he offered her his own smiles and smoldering glances.

“What do you think?” Kenna asked, holding up the gown.

Mari smiled indulgently. “It’s beautiful.”

“You lie.” Kenna sniffed. “Embroidery is still a skill I have yet to master.”

“You have mastered many others. This one is of no matter.”

“Do you say that to challenge me? You ken I hate being bad at anything.”

Mari shook her head. She found it ridiculous that Kenna worried over such things. Though she remembered how relentless their stepmother had been in pointing out Kenna’s faults.

“You are an amazing woman, sister,” Mari said with a grin. “And I daresay your husband doesn’t give a fig about the lack of embroidery on his linens. It’s clear he only cares that you’re lying on them.”

They giggled together as they had when they were girls.

Kenna shook her head. “It’s strange that I still worry over it. I know how Lach feels about me. But I still try hard to make sure he has no regrets over our marriage.”

“It’s a waste of your energy. The man is beyond any thought of regret. It’s quite obvious how much he loves you, and I’ve only been here a short time.”

“We both know it’s one thing to tell ourselves something, and another to know it in our hearts as truth.”

Mari nodded sadly. She hadn’t told Kenna about what happened earlier, when she’d lost herself in fear, but it seemed her sister understood.

“Try it on and see how it fits,” Kenna demanded, changing the subject.

“Might I do it in the morning? I fear if I go to my room and take off my gown, I may collapse in my bed and not return for the entertainment.”

“Very well.” Kenna smiled. “Let’s go join our husbands so they don’t forget about us,” she joked. Mari knew Kenna was anxious to get back to Lachlan.

When they returned to the hall, the music had started. Turning to join the crowd, she heard a giggle and looked around to see Roddy and Douglas laughing as they crawled over an imposing figure.

Cameron looked a sight with little boys climbing and hanging from his large limbs. In one hand he clasped a rag where a small dog growled in an effort to pull it from his grip.

“They love him. He is so patient with them. Even better, he tires them out so they sleep through the night.” Kenna laughed.

Watching her husband playing with small children and a little dog brought shame to heat Mari’s cheeks. Her earlier breakdown seemed so silly now. She’d seen the hurt on his face when she confirmed her fear of him. It wasn’t right that he be blamed for the crimes of another man.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have much say in the matter when her mind took over. Fear was fear, and she’d not yet found a way to conquer it.

She went with Kenna but spent the evening watching her husband with the boys. The way he laughed with them brought a smile to her lips. Even when he had to scold Douglas for tugging at the dog’s ears, Cameron was gentle and offered the lad a hug afterward.

He was a good man. A tender, compassionate man. A safe man.

She would tell herself this over and over, until her mind and her heart accepted it as truth.

When the music was over, she headed for the stairs, glad the day was done. Cameron and the boys were gone, but she found them upstairs where he was tucking them into their bed. Brutus the dog made a circle and folded himself onto the rug at the foot of the bed.

“Are you going to bed?” he asked when he saw her watching.

“Yes. Unless you needed something.”

“Nay. Go on. I’ll see you soon.”

Soon. She swallowed and wrestled with her feelings of anticipation, excitement, and dread. Inside their room, she closed her eyes and let out a breath.