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Abby gazed out the new library window across the gray, choppy waters that separated her new home from mainland Scotland. Although it was summer and the sun had fought its way through the clouds, she still hadn’t become acclimatized to the cold.
She pulled her cloak around her body. It was the same cloak she had arrived in eighteenth-century Scotland in, and she loved its warmth and viewed it as her connection to her past life and family.
Absentmindedly, she readjusted her kertch, the linen headpiece that signaled to all that she was a married woman. The kertch grounded her, reminded her of her new life, and what a great life it had turned out to be. She loved Iain, and he was a thoughtful husband and partner.
So much had changed during the last year. The men had stopped wearing kilts, but Abby couldn’t wait until they made a comeback. She liked Iain wearing his. The biggest thing was that Iain remained ruler of his clan, and his property wasn’t sold as many others were. The fact that he did not commit his army to the rebellion was looked upon well, and although he himself fought, only Thomas was aware of that, and he was killed in France that same year.
She sighed. More changes were still to come.
A pair of arms wrapped around Abby’s waist. She gasped. She knew who it was but strained her head back to look anyway.
He turned her around in his arms, his intent gaze piercing her soul. He still took her breath away with his very touch. “Ye looked sad.”
“Sad? No. I was just thinking how much has happened since we met, and I can’t for the life of me imagine my life any different.”
“Ye dinnae want ta go back to ye family?”
“I miss them, sure, but we were all going our separate ways, living thousands of miles apart before we found the orb, so this is no different, and anyway, my family is here.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, breathing in his spicy scent.
He moved back and stroked her cheek, sending ripples of electricity through her core.
“I know ye, and ye have something on yer mind.”
She bent her head, gazed at him through her lashes and smiled coyly.
“Ye do have something to tell me.”
“I do.”
“And when will ye be ready to do that?”
“Now.”
His lips twitched. She knew he was trying to remain cool and not say anything too soon. Stretching out the moment, she flicked an imaginary piece of fluff from his shoulder.
“Tell me.”
“Things are going to change a lot around here soon.”
“Aye? How?”
She took his hand and placed it on her stomach, and he chuckled. “Ye are having a babe.”
“We are having a baby.”
He clasped her waist, picked her up, and spun her around, laughing and shaking his head. “We are having a babe.”
Abby laughed. “Put me down.”
He did. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt ye?”
“Not in the least. I was getting dizzy is all.”
He moved his hands up her back and drew her in close to his chest. “Are ye happy?”
“I am happier than I have ever been.” He smiled, and she frowned. “Although . . .”
His smile vanished. “What is troubling ye?”
“Nothing much. I’ve been thinking, though. There’s not a lot for me to do here, and once word gets out about the baby, no one will let me do anything harder than sewing a pair of trousers. There are some things I miss from my time.” His face became strained, and she hurried on so as not to cause him any more discomfort. “I mean, what would you say to me teaching anyone who wants to learn some futuristic pampering?”
He tilted his head and speared her with a look. “Like what?”
“Massages, hot baths, facials, stuff like that.”
“I dinnae know what facials are, but I dinnae want ye massaging anyone else.”
She laughed. He did like that particular skill. “Not me. We’ll have men learn to massage men and women for women. Would that be acceptable?”
Small wrinkles formed at the corners of his brown eyes as he smiled. “Aye, that would be most acceptable, but how will ye teach such things without raising suspicions? I dinnae want anyone thinking ye are a witch.”
“I’ll handle any questions, don’t worry.”
“If I could give you the world, my angel, I would in a heartbeat. Ye can do anything ye want.”
She hugged him. “Thank ye.”
Chuckling, he put his fingers under her chin and lifted her head so he could gaze into her eyes. Her heart fluttered, and before she could take a breath, his mouth was on hers, and he kissed her like his very life depended on it.
He began to withdraw, and she held his head in place. She wasn’t finished yet.
When they finally came apart, they made eye contact. “I love ye,” he said.
Abby’s chest exploded in tremors of excitement. “I love ye.”
They wrapped their arms around one another and kissed again.