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“The damned rock,” he mumbled.

He’d been visiting here every day since he came to Inverlochy a moon ago. And every day, it remained still and refused to bring Amber back.

A nerve on Owen’s cheekbone kept twitching. Could he do something? What?

He’d asked that question hundreds of times every day since Amber left. And the answer was always the same. Nothing. He couldn’t do a damn thing to help her or to find out if she’d been successful in her mission.

And even if she had been successful, what if she’d changed her mind? What if she’d decided he wasn’t worth leaving her comfortable and safe life in the future for?

A hundred knives carved into his heart at the thought. Even though he’d told Amber he was happy to wait, he hated feeling like this. Helpless. At her mercy. At the mercy of destiny.

His whole happiness depended on this rock. This silent, cold stone. He never felt this helpless and distraught.

He stopped himself from kicking the damn thing and walked out of the storeroom. He climbed the stairs and came out into the courtyard.

It was winter now, and the ground was covered with a thick layer of snow. The atmosphere had changed in Inverlochy since the Bruce had won the Pass of Brander. There were no more enemies in Scotland.

The MacDougalls had run to England, so had the MacDowells of Galloway, and the Comyns. There was still no peace with England, but that was a distant threat now. The Bruce had relaxed his forces in Inverlochy, and there were less soldiers here now, though the castle was still fortified and prepared for whatever was to come.

The Bruce had delivered on his promise and bestowed all MacDougall lands to the Cambel clan, which had suddenly made his family one of the most powerful clans in Scotland. Like the Bruce had promised, Owen had received an estate in Lorne, which he still hadn’t visited. As soon as he’d gotten better, he’d ridden to Inverlochy. There was no treasure or estate in the world that would make him miss the arrival of his bride.

After Kenneth’s death, Alexander MacKinnon became the constable of the castle, and allied clan members could come here for a rest during their travels.

Owen marched through the courtyard to the opposite wall. He suggested that while he was living here and waiting for Amber, he’d serve as the part of the garrison. The air was crisp, and the sky was blue and cloudless. The sun shone brightly, and the snow was such a brilliant white that Owen squinted as it hurt his eyes.

He entered the tower to climb the stairs and walk onto the wall to keep watch. Despite the more relaxed situation, they still needed to keep an eye out for any threats. Who knew if the English would decide to attack. There was no signed peace treaty yet.

Angus and Raghnall Mackenzie came to stand next to him. They watched the white vastness of the Highlands spreading before them and exchanged a few words. Then Raghnall glanced behind Owen, and a look of surprise and admiration appeared on his face. With a tightening in his heart, Owen turned.

His heart stopped. She stood there before him, alive and well and more beautiful than he remembered. She was dressed in a long, woolen cloak trimmed with fur. Under it, she had on men’s clothes: leather breeches that hugged her legs and tall boots. She wore a white woolen hat, and a single braid came out from under it.

Her big, slanted eyes were misted with tears. “Owen…” she whispered, and he felt like his body was filled with air instead of blood, and he was about to soar.

With the brightest smile, she crossed the space between them. But before she could hug him, she slipped right before him. She was about to fall, but he caught her and held her close to him.

“Thanks,” she muttered. “Damn ice.”

Without another word, and without paying attention to the Mackenzies and others staring from the courtyard, he brought her closer and hugged her.

His bride…

“Lass,” he whispered, inhaling her delicious scent, that exotic, mysterious sweetness of spices and fruit he only knew from her.

She felt both strong and fragile in his arms. She wrapped hers around his neck, and he felt something warm and wet against his cheek.

He looked at her without letting her go. She was crying. “Amber?”

“I’m okay,” she said. “I’m just so happy to see you… There were moments I thought I’d never— And I thought maybe you’d change your—”

He swallowed her words with his kiss, plunging into the delicious feast of her lips. The world stopped existing, everything disappeared except for him and his bonnie bride. She softened against him, setting his blood ablaze. He deepened the kiss, hungry for her, his heart beating painfully hard.

When he broke away, and she sagged against him, breathing harder, he said, “I was going mad waiting for ye. What took ye so long?”

She shook her head once and chuckled. “You know, trying not to get caught…or killed. Jackson almost choked me to death.”

Owen felt blood leave his face. “What?”

She grinned. “It’s okay. I won. You saved my life, again. I heard your voice in my head, and it gave me the strength to fight. I kicked him in the balls. He’s in prison now. So whatever you did telepathically, thanks.”