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  Knock followed knock until Honora, Zia, Alyce, and Kate’s daughters filled the room. They laughed and teased, and when they were done dressing Carissa, there was not a dry eye among them, except for Carissa.

  The gown her mother had stitched for her own wedding appeared made for Carissa as well, for it fit her to perfection. The thought made her realize that she was truly her mother’s daughter. The white wool fell over her body, accenting every curve and mound down to her hips. And then it fell in a swirl of wool to her feet. The square neckline was embroidered with the same gold thread as the sleeves, Kate explaining that her sister had traded a traveling merchant several of her fine wool pieces for the gold thread. She had wanted something extra special for her dress, and she had gotten it, for it was the talk of the village for months following the wedding.

  Carissa wore it proudly, as she did the lovely crown of winter greenery Honora had fashioned for her head.

  She couldn’t have been more joyful and, when the time came for her to descend the steps and join in marriage with Ronan, she did so with a wide smile and a happy heart.

  The ceremony was performed by a family friend, Bishop Edmond Aleatus. People had come from far and wide, just as Ronan had said they would, to join in the celebration.

  Bethane had arrived a week before the wedding so that she could spend time with Zia and her great-granddaughter, Blythe. Septimus and Dykar and several more of her men were also in attendance.

  It was wonderful having so many true friends there to share in their joy.

  “Have I told you how beautiful you look?” Ronan asked when they had a moment alone.

  “Five or six times,” she said with a smile. “But that’s all right, for I do not grow tired of hearing it.”

  “Good,” he said, “for I do not grow tired of telling you.” And he lowered his lips to steal a kiss.

  “Aunt Carissa, Aunt Carissa,” Aggie shouted, running up to the couple and grabbing Carissa’s hand. “You must come and see the trick Father is about to do. You must.”

  Carissa shrugged as if to say there’s nothing I can do to prevent this and sent Ronan a smile as Aggie carted her away.

  “I am glad to see that you finally opened your heart,” Bethane said, joining him.

  Ronan gave the woman a kiss on the cheek. “I didn’t open it, Carissa did.”

  Bethane laughed. “You opened it, and she stole it.”

  “That I agree with,” Ronan said.

  The celebration went long into the night, though the happy couple slipped away well before it ended. They went to the small cottage where they could be alone and where they planned to start their married life together, though plans for building a larger cottage were set for the spring.

  Ronan kissed Carissa, his arms wrapped around her waist. “You feel well.”

  “I keep telling you that I am fine. There is no need to worry,” Carissa said. “Besides, I have Zia when the time comes for the babe to be born, late summer or early fall from what she tells me.”

  Ronan rested his hand to her stomach. “I wonder what it will be.”

  “Bethane says a girl,” Carissa said. “And from what I hear, she is never wrong.”

  “A daughter?”

  “It disappoints you?”

  “No,” he was quick to say. “It’s just that I’ll forever worry about her.”

  “Have no fear, I will teach her to protect herself.” Carissa laughed. “Though she will have enough male cousins to do that, as Bethane predicts another boy for Honora and Cavan.”

  “My brother must be bursting with joy. Three sons he’ll have.”

  “I’ll give you as many sons as you want,” Carissa said, slipping her arms around his neck.

  “Sons or daughters it matters not, for I will love them all as I love you.”

  They kissed, and he eased away from her.

  “I have a wedding gift for you,” he said, going to retrieve a basket partially covered with a cloth near the hearth.

  “A gift for me?” Carissa said joyfully.

  “A very special gift for you and you alone,” Ronan said, and holding the basket in front of her, he slipped off the cloth.

  Carissa peered in and gasped. She stared for several moments, then her eyes filled with tears, and she looked to Ronan.

  “Joyful tears, my love?” he asked, and scooped the tiny sleeping puppy out of the basket and handed him to his wife.

  Carissa hesitantly reached for him, then drew her hands away.

  “No one will ever hurt him or you, I promise you that,” Ronan said. “Now take him, he’s yours to love.”

  Tears fell freely from her eyes as she reached out and took the tiny pup into her hands. He barely filled them and, when the little fellow opened his eyes, Carissa brought him to her chest, and he yawned, licked her chin, nestled against her, and went back to sleep.

  “I never thought that I could love you more than I did,” she said through tears, “but I was wrong. I love you, Highlander, so much more than I ever thought possible.”

  She kissed him then, the first of many kisses throughout the night and the many years to follow.

  About the Author

  Part of the fun in writing, DONNA FLETCHER admits, is doing the research. Getting lost in the 1500s proved exciting, and learning about pirates and the high seas thrilled and surprised her. But it is with her characters that she has the most fun. She loves giving life to fresh characters and feels their excitement as they face the pleasures and pitfalls of falling in love.

  Donna’s own adventures have taken her to England, Ireland, and Scotland. She has walked the fields where battles were fought centuries ago, toured haunted castles, stood where beheadings were commonplace, explored the mystic mounds of long ago, and collected a plethora of memories and research that will live long in her heart and mind. She also loves exploring and photographing old abandoned homes, and she often takes long walks in the woods with camera in hand. She feels her life is rich and full, having three terrific sons, two fantastic daughters-in-law, an endless supply of friends, a loving dog, and a crazy, black, one-eyed cat named Bear.

  Donna loves hearing from her readers. Please visit her at www.donnafletcher.com.

  Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

  By Donna Fletcher

  THE HIGHLANDER’S FORBIDDEN BRIDE

  THE ANGEL AND THE HIGHLANDER

  UNDER THE HIGHLANDER’S SPELL

  RETURN OF THE ROGUE

  THE HIGHLANDER’S BRIDE

  TAKEN BY STORM

  THE BEWITCHING TWIN

  THE DARING TWIN

  DARK WARRIOR

  LEGENDARY WARRIOR

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  THE HIGHLANDER’S FORBIDDEN BRIDE. Copyright © 2010 by Donna Fletcher. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  EPub Edition © November 2009 ISBN: 978-0-06-196207-3

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