She loved him. “I’m ready. For the wedding, that is. I’d never straighten my hair out in time if we returned to our chambers first.”

“All right.” He called Calla on his cell and let her know where they were, and then with one lingering kiss, he waited for the ladies to arrive before he left Colleen alone.

She knew he did so to ensure she didn’t get all sentimental and burst into tears before the ladies could deal with her emotions.

“Ohmigod, here you are,” Julia said.

Calla nearly ran into her, attempting to enter Neda’s room at the same time as Julia, wedding gown and veil in their hands.

“We thought for sure you’d run off or something.” But Julia said it with a twinkle in her eye. She knew Colleen better than that.

An hour later, Colleen paced the inner bailey, dressed in her white organza and lace-trimmed wedding gown and veil, looking like a fairy-tale princess, with her hair piled high on her head, tendrils curling down about her ears and neck, and pearls placed in several coils of curls. She was anxious to see her cousins, Edward and William Playfair, who were going to arrive at any moment. She would not let the ceremony begin until they arrived.

Edward was darker haired like Colleen, his brother blonder, and both looked uneasy as Lachlan and Enrick escorted them from their rental car to meet her. The MacQuarrie and MacNeill clans had all dressed in kilts and the men carried swords to the wedding, traditional for them as in centuries past.

She smiled at her cousins and hurried to greet them, the wolfhounds also racing to meet them.

Thankfully, both her cousins loved dogs as much as she did and knew how to make them mind. William pulled out a pen and clicked it. Just like he’d taught her. All three dogs sat before him, and then he hugged Colleen. Edward did the honors next, looking much relieved to see her.

“Lachlan MacQuarrie said we were just in time for a wedding,” William said, eyeing her in her white gown. “He said nothing about our cousin marrying anyone. He wouldn’t say who was marrying whom. We thought it was one of his clanswomen. Not our own cousin.”

“Who are you marrying?” Edward asked.

Both sounded shocked to learn she was getting married. Well, she hadn’t called them about it and hadn’t thought to. She never asked their opinion when she embarked on a mating. She didn’t feel she had needed to this time, either. Of course, part of their surprise was probably because she never actually had a wedding before.

Grant stalked out of the keep to join them, looking like a warrior on the battlefield. Her cousins looked like they wanted to take a few steps back, but they stood their ground, even though Grant appeared to be a threat.

Colleen tilted her head at her mate, giving him a look to play nice. The men were only her cousins. She suspected his alpha male posturing had to do with greeting new males to a pack and showing them that no one—not even her family—had any say in what she or he did.

She made introductions and Grant shook both their hands, then said, “Welcome to the pack.”

She was glad Grant had said so, except he wasn’t offering but telling them, and she loved him even more for it. Her beta cousins might have tucked tail and run if given the choice after seeing all the kilted men armed with swords and sgian dubhs tucked in their socks and just as fierce-looking as Grant was while they checked her cousins out.

Grant offered his arm to Colleen. “We have our wedding to attend and you’re just in time.”

“You’re marrying Grant MacQuarrie?” Edward asked, hurrying to catch up to them.

“You didn’t ask us what we thought,” William said. “I mean, ask for our permission.”

She almost laughed at the idea. She loved them. “Well…what do you think?”

Grant gave them each a look that said they’d better agree with this, or else.

“Oh, sure. We agree, if you’re happy,” William said, glancing at Grant’s sword.

“You can live here if you’d like,” Colleen said. She wasn’t sure if her cousins could manage on their own without her to watch their backs. Here, they’d have a whole pack watching out for them. And she’d really prefer it that way.

William and Edward shared looks, then smiled. “We thought we were just making a visit here. But…yeah, sure,” Edward said.

“Sword practice in the morning,” Grant warned. “The two of you will have a lot of catching up to do.”

They nodded, looking a little as though they weren’t sure what they were getting into.

“And you’ll wear kilts,” he added, his voice gruff, brooking no argument.

They glanced down at Grant’s kilt. He gave them an evil smile. All men of the clan wore kilts on special occasions, Grant more often than the rest—and for that Colleen was grateful. She wondered what her cousins would think of the practice when they weren’t supposed to wear anything under the kilts and it was a bit breezy around the place.

Grant squeezed Colleen against him. “You are the most beautiful bride.”

“You are the handsomest kilted Highland wolf a woman could want for a groom.”

He smiled down at her.

Guthrie opened the door to the keep for them and said, “You couldn’t delay the wedding for another month or so, could you?”

“Guthrie,” Colleen said, “When you and Calla are back at Argent Castle, you won’t even notice she’s there.”

Guthrie didn’t look like he believed her.