“Where are you two leading us?”

Laurel’s voice was excited, and she gripped my hand tightly as I guided her through the doors of the garden.

With the rest of the men already waiting inside the garden to see their reactions, Raudrich and I apprehended Laurel and Nicol the moment their horses reached the gate leading up to the castle. We couldn’t risk them seeing the new structure as they rode up the hill, so we forced them to walk up blindfolded, with only us to guide them.

“I wish ye would release me, Raudrich. I doona care for surprises.”

“Only a few more steps. Doona worry, ye have my word that ye will enjoy this surprise.”

Once they were both inside, we steadied them on their feet and made our way to stand in front of them before removing the blindfolds. We both wanted to see their faces when they saw the garden for the first time.

“Okay, guys, you ready?”

I looked over at Raudrich for approval, and together we uncovered their eyes and stepped quickly away.

It took them a moment to take everything in. As tightly as we’d bound their eyes, I’m certain they’d been blinded when first exposed to the light. But then, as everything began to register, their reactions couldn’t have been better.

Nicol nearly fell, but Paton was there in an instant to see him seated on one of the garden’s many stone benches. Silent tears ran down his cheeks as he took everything in.

Laurel’s mouth fell open as she looked at me for confirmation. “Is this…how did you guys?”

“Yes, it’s the garden. The guys did everything. They pooled their magic and worked on it every day since you two left. We wanted to surprise both of you. We thought this would be the perfect spot for your wedding tomorrow, and we thought this would be a gift that Nicol and Freya could enjoy each and every night.”

For the first time since seeing the space, Nicol spoke, his voice choked with tears. “Has Freya…has she seen it?”

“Aye, we made certain all designs were approved by her. It will, after all, be her home.”

Nicol broke down into a full-on sob, cradling his face in his hands as Paton wrapped his arm over his shoulder.

“Do ye like it, Nicol?”

He lifted his head, and the sight of him crying made me start to blubber, as well.

“Like it? I doona know if I’ve ever been so happy. The thoughtfulness of all of ye…” He paused as another sob overtook him. “I doona…I doona ever think I’ve been so overwhelmed.”

The men gathered around Nicol, each of them embracing in a big group hug that made me wish more than anything that I had a camera.

As I looked on, Laurel came up behind me and wrapped her arms around me. “This is the perfect wedding gift, Kate.”

I faced her and took her hand. “I’m glad you like it. Now, let’s go and finish up all of the last minute stuff so we can get you married.”

---

Laurel wasn’t the only one that got a surprise before the wedding. Minutes before the ceremony was meant to start, as residents of the Isle found their seats in the garden, I left Laurel in her bedchamber with our mother so that I could run downstairs to make certain everything was ready for her entrance. As I neared the castle doors, some unexpected guests arrived—Sydney and her husband, Gillian and Orick, and Callum’s brother, Griffith, walked in looking nothing like they’d just spent days on the road.

I quickly ran over to hug Sydney. “How did you get here? Oh my gosh, Raudrich is going to be thrilled to see you, Sydney.”

She smiled. “Is he…” She pointed outside.

“Yes, he’s already at the front, waiting for his bride.”

Sydney nodded as if that was what she’d expected. “Okay, we will slip in and sit in the back. I’ll talk to him after.”

“You guys didn’t ride here, did you? I thought you didn’t want to travel on account of the baby.”

“We decided to make the trip to Morna’s house via car and have her send us back here from there. She assured me the baby would be in no danger.”

The sun had long since dipped, and the stars were out in full show. It was time for the wedding to begin.

“Okay, well, David is ushering everyone to their seats, so go on in. I’m so pleased that you all are here.”

With none of his immediate family remaining, it would mean the world to Raudrich that Sydney had come. Ever since he’d kidnapped her to save her life (long story) several years ago, they’d been the best of friends.

After making certain the garden looked perfect, I went to retrieve Mom and Laurel. Laurel had never looked more radiant, and I started to cry the moment I saw her.

“Oh my God, Laurel. You’re stunning.”

She looked down at her gown a little self-consciously. “Do you think so?”

“I know so. Are you ready to do this?”

“I’ve never been so ready for anything in my life.”

Together, with my mom on one side of Laurel and me on the other, we made our way down to the garden.

Raudrich’s expression when he saw Laurel was one I knew I would remember for the rest of my life.

---

Following the ceremony, we quickly cleared out the chairs and had the reception out there as well. It was the perfect setting, and something about the beauty of the place seemed to make people a little less rowdy than I suspected they would have been had we moved everyone inside the castle.

There was ale, music, dancing, and laughter, and Laurel and Raudrich seemed to love every minute of it.

As the sister of the bride, I felt some responsibility to make certain everything was going smoothly, so rather than enjoy the festivities myself, I continually made my way around the garden checking on things and making small talk.

An hour or so into the reception, Marcus came up and gave my wrist a gentle tug. “Come and dance with me, Kate. Everything is fine. There’s no need for you to wear yourself out running around.”

I smiled and allowed him to pull me into the area surrounding the fountain where people were dancing.

“Do you know how to dance these Scottish dances, Marcus?”

He shook his head and laughed. “Not at all. I’ll just hold you and we can sway back and forth a bit.”

“Sounds perfect.”

We danced with one another in silence for a moment, and I lost myself in thought until Marcus bent down to whisper in my ear, “Penny for your thoughts?”

“I was just thinking about Raudrich. Did you see the way he looked at Laurel? Do you think I’ll ever find someone to look at me that same way?”

He pulled back a little so he could look down at my face. “You’re kidding, right?” When I said nothing, he continued. “Kate, you do have someone who looks at you like that. I was standing directly across from Maddock on Laurel’s side of the aisle, and the look on Maddock’s face...” He hesitated and gave me a grin. “It would have been easy to mistake him for the groom, but he wasn’t looking at Laurel.”

“No.” I shook my head, quickly dismissing it. “You’re mistaken, Marcus. He might have been attracted to me, but I did a really good job of ruining that a few days ago.”

“Kate.” He stopped dancing and pulled me over to one of the many walkways scattered throughout the garden. “You haven’t ruined anything yet, but as your friend, I’m going to be totally honest with you. For a very long time, none of the men here believed that romantic relationships were something available to them. Raudrich finding love with Laurel changed that. They now see love as a possibility, and there’s not a one of them that’s not eager for it.”

“Even you?” I interrupted him in a veiled attempt to redirect the conversation. It didn’t work.

“Yes, Kate. Even me. Listen, Maddock wants you. He’s crazy about you. But he’s not going to waste his time on someone who is too scared to take a chance on him. Look at him.” He moved behind me and crouched down to direct my attention where he pointed.

Maddock stood next to the fountain with a mug of ale in his hand as he laughed and visited with a group of men from the village.

“I see him. So?”

He changed the direction of his finger and pointed to three different women standing in different locations throughout the garden.

“Now take a good long look at each of those women, Kate. Look at the way they’re looking at him. I’ve no doubt that women have always looked at him that way, but when he didn’t think love was an option, he never took notice. Now that he does, how long do you think it will be before he sees their interest in him?” He paused and turned me toward him. “He doesn’t want those women, Kate. He wants you. But for a man who’s been alone as long as he has, it might seem more tempting to settle than to end up all alone.”

The thought of Maddock with any of those women caused jealousy to run through me hot and fast.

“So, what are you saying?”

He dropped his hands from my shoulders and stepped back as he shook his head. “Do you want him, Kate? And don’t you dare give me the same bullshit non-answer I’m sure you would give everyone else.”

“Marcus, I am trying. I do…” Marcus’ tone was making me emotional. He’d never spoken to me so harshly before. “I do want him. I just…”

“Stop, Kate.” He interrupted me and his tone softened just a bit. “Trying isn’t good enough. You either decide that you want him, or you don’t. Be all in or be all out. There is no trying. Now.” He bobbed his head in the direction behind me. “I’ll lead by example and push through some of my own fear, okay? There’s a woman over there that I’ve been wanting to speak to all night. I think she’s from Raudrich’s old clan. I’m so nervous I could vomit, but guess what, Kate, I’m going to do it anyway. It’s time for you to do the same.”