“Tales are naught but falsehoods!” Lachlan cried, shaking his head. “Tis Cameron’s deceitful hand at play. Why would ye lend an ear to his venom over me truth?”

Ailis shook her head, filled with confusion. “I told him I would not choose him. Why would he continue to lie?”

“Let me be clear,” Lachlan declared. “Me heart beats for none but ye, Ailis. If ye cannot trust me word, then what hope have we?”

Ailis met his gaze, her green eyes pools of resolve. “I sought counsel from Granny, and she bade me follow me heart. Yet, she warned that charm alone cannot sustain us.”

“Yer heart knows the measure of a man, not the honeyed whispers of a rival,” Lachlan insisted.

“Perhaps,” Ailis conceded, hope igniting within her. “But the path I choose must withstand not just warmth, but chill winds.”

“Then let us face those seasons together,” Lachlan replied steadily. “I care for ye, Ailis. Ye are not a fleeting whim. I will care for ye until the day I am taken from this earth.”

Ailis nodded. “I care for ye too. I just need time to sort this out in me mind.”