She stared down at him, their gazes connected, and the rest of the world around them meant nothing. The thunder overhead, threatening rain, hundreds of warriors seated and watching, the scowls of his brothers as they sat their mounts directly behind Cain. All of it disappeared. Only the piercing blue of Cain’s eyes remained. She inhaled. “I choose you, Cain Sinclair.”

His lips closed, and he took two steps closer. “Ye have all the choices in the world.”

“So I have been told,” she said, a hopeful grin spreading across her face. “And I choose…you.”

In three powerful strides he stood directly below her, his face tense with a mix of disbelief and joy. She lowered into a squat on Gilla’s back. “Will you catch me?” she asked, putting her arms out toward him.

He stepped up to her, a smile finally sweeping across his face, his strong arms reaching. “Always and forever.”

Her feet touched the trampled grass of the moor, and Cain’s hands cupped her face as he gazed down into her eyes. “I love ye, Ella. I give ye all of me.”

Ella blinked as tears of joy broke from her eyes. “I love you, too, Cain.” She caught the back of his neck as he bent over her, his lips covering hers to seal their declarations. A warmth spread through Ella as he held her, kissing her with gentle thoroughness.

Caught in the joy that bubbled up inside her, Ella did not hear the roar around them at first. But as Cain raised his face to look again into her eyes, the full force of Clan Sinclair cheered around them.

Ella’s heart overflowed with such happiness.

Cain wrapped her up again, enveloping her in his strength and love, right where she belonged.

Epilogue

Epilogue

“If Gideon rules against ye, do I get to cut off your head?” Bàs asked, his grin wide as he met Cain’s gaze. Cain snorted softly as he attached his polished Sinclair sword to his side.

Gideon huffed. “I am not ruling against Cain. We are brothers, and I swore an oath to follow ye,” he said, raising a finger to touch the stitches above his eye. He shook his head. “Although I still do not understand why ye gave up everything. It was in the palm of your bloody hand. All ye had to do was close your fist around the Sutherlands, and we would have their clan right now.”

His brother was correct, but then Cain would not be standing in the forest by Loch Hempriggs waiting for his beautiful bride to walk to him. “Nay,” Cain said. “I suppose ye don’t understand, Gideon.” He looked to his brother. “I hope someday ye do.”

Gideon opened his mouth, but whatever he wanted to say was cut off by the billowing swell of the bagpipes that Thomas played across the glassy water.

Bàs leaned in to Cain. “Where is Joshua?”