He caressed her back with his rough hand. “He might mention in passing that he sustained a sword wound if it was very deep.”

She chuckled, caressing his waist with the same tender touch.

Then he grew serious, his voice filled with regret. “I should never have left you alone, fool that I was.”

“You did what any sane man would have thought was right. Who would ever have suspected Archibald would do something so crazy?” Colleen asked. “Or even know that he could gain entrance in that manner?”

“I can’t believe he intended to kill you. He had to know he wouldn’t have lived once we found him.”

“He had a raft. He said he intended to use it for his escape. That he had no intention of dying this day or any other.”

“His raft was not fit to use, from what Enrick said. He wouldn’t have made it.”

She nodded. “I didn’t smell his scent. I assumed he used something to disguise it. If he had gotten away with murdering me…”

“He wouldn’t have,” Grant said, his voice a deep growl.

“If he had, would you have known it was him?”

“Aye, I would have. Our men saw him at one point, but then he disappeared. So we knew he had been in the area, but none of us could track his scent. Now I know why. But his attempt to kill you didn’t make any sense. What good would it have done him?” Grant asked, kissing the top of her head reverently, tenderly.

“His actions all had to do with taking me away from you. You might have the run of the castle, but he would have taken away something from you that—”

“I want more than life, lass.” Grant held her tighter, not wanting to let her go. He’d nearly died when he saw what Archibald intended to do with her, fearing he would not reach her to rescue her in time.

“Why were the pipes still there?” Colleen asked, sounding puzzled.

“Neda wanted to keep them for nostalgic reasons. Part of the history of the place. Something to show her grandchildren and their grandchildren. I told her we should have sealed them off for good years ago for safety’s sake.”

“I understand her thinking, but if we have any more enemies lurking out there, seems to me the pipes should be sealed off at once. I agree with you. First thing, when we have a chance. But for now, all I want to do is rest up for the wedding.”

Grant smiled at that. As crazy as things had been and as excited as his people were, he assumed this was the only bit of rest they could indulge in. Which meant he didn’t intend to let Colleen out of his sight for a good eight hours or longer. To sleep…or whatever else they had in mind to do.

Chapter 26

The wedding preparations were tiring, and her cousins would be arriving soon. Needing a respite before the celebration, Colleen finally slipped away to Neda’s room and sat on her grandmother’s bed. Tears formed in her eyes as she ran her hand over the blue bedspread embroidered with gold threads in the pattern of the tree of life. “Thank you for raising Grant and his brothers to be the men they are today. I love you, Grandma, even if I never was able to meet you. I wish I had. I wish I hadn’t listened to my father.”

She took a deep breath and sighed. “I’m marrying that Highlander you raised like a son and made your manager. He’s all I ever needed in a mate. He and his kin won’t ever lose their place at Farraige Castle. I just wanted you to know that, because I know you loved them as much as I do.”

She glanced at all the journals sitting in stacks and remembered they hadn’t finished looking for the journal for the time period when Grant’s mother had perished.

Knowing this wasn’t the time to search for it, she couldn’t help it. She wanted to know what her grandmother had thought about Grant’s mother’s death.

She sorted through the remaining journals and finally found the one. As she suspected, Neda had been beside herself with grief. Water, probably from her tears, had made much of the ink run on several pages as Colleen envisioned her grandmother writing down the events of what had occurred. Neda had loved Eleanor, whom she’d considered her daughter. And she’d loved Robert like a son. Much more so than her own son, Theodore, whom she suspected had murdered Grant’s mother. And then Neda had taken solace in raising Grant and his brothers as her own grandchildren, caring for them, teaching them to read and write, and keeping them in line.

Colleen smiled through her tears, loving her grandmother all the more.

Then she heard someone enter the room and turned to see Grant studying her. “Calla and Julia were worried about you, lass. Search parties have gone out. Some thought you escaped the keep to avoid wedding me, though you have no chance at that.”

She smiled and sniffled.

“But I thought that you might be here.” He glanced down at the journal in her hands. “About my mother?” he asked gently, probably afraid Colleen would burst into tears. How would that look when she was about to get married?

She nodded.

He closed the distance between them and pulled her from the bed. She quickly set the journal down and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“She adored you and your brothers,” Colleen said softly.

“Aye, what’s not to adore, eh, lass?”

She laughed. “I have to agree.”

“Are you ready for this?” he asked.

“Yes. Yes, I am.”

“Good. Your cousins will be here any minute, and Calla and Julia want to get you into your wedding gown, or I’d take you back up to our chambers and have my way with you.”