Three years later

Ava folded her arms across her chest as she leaned against the back of the wagon. The sky was clear with white fluffy clouds as she smiled at the way Boyd played with their daughters. He picked them up and threw them into the air before catching them again as they squealed with delight.

Skye was a beautiful little girl of two. She had long dark curls, a button nose, cherubic cheeks, and deep grey eyes. She was a fierce little girl with an iron will of stubbornness to match her father’s. Boyd liked to joke that she would one day be the death of him, whenever she refused to listen; or at least the death of her husband, if she ever got married someday.

Caitir was the complete opposite of her boisterous older sister. A year younger, she was a frail little girl with light blond hair and pale skin. She had deep blue eyes like her father and a sweet nature. Everyone said she was the spitting image of her grandmother. Ava sometimes wished she’d met Caitir Cameron., but she was more than content to know her legacy lived on in one of her granddaughters.

“Who would have ever thought we would end up here?” Skye suddenly spoke as she came up behind her friend, making her jump. “It’s a fine picture ye have there, I must say.”

Ava turned and embraced her friend. “I didnae ken we would be seeing ye here today. Why didnae ye send word that ye were coming? I would have prepared a picnic or a feast. Ye ken ye are always welcome tae stay over.”

“As if I need a reason or yer permission tae come and see me favorite girls,” she rolled her eyes and laughed. “I fancied a walk and thought I’d see how things are going over here. Ye look a little peaky there, Ava. Are ye well?”

The girls caught sight of Skye and immediately came running with their arms outstretched to embrace her, cutting their mother’s conversation short.

Skye knelt down and drew them both in for a tight hug. “I missed ye so much me wee ones, come here.”

“Well now, I thought we might be seeing ye today…” Boyd smirked as he walked up to the group with long strides. He stopped next to Ava and planted a gentle kiss on her head, drawing her closer to his side with his arm around her waist.

“What dae ye mean?” Ava asked him with a frown. “I didnae ken she was coming, how did ye ken she would? And why did ye nae tell me?”

“Just a hunch,” he said softly and laughed as he hugged her to his side. “Dinnae ye worry about it.”

The girls squealed with even more delight when three figures descended the steep hill that led down into the moor. They walked slowly toward the group but picked up their pace when they spotted the girls.

“Is that Rory with Sophie and Neil?” Ava asked as the figures came into focus. “Is he back from his mission already? Oh,” Ava suddenly clicked as she looked from the figures to Boyd and Skye.

Boyd let out a hearty laugh. “He sent word last week that he would be arriving today. Callum and all the other lairds agreed tae all the terms we proposed for fair land distribution. I sent Skye word as soon as he said he’d be coming home. I thought she might like tae welcome him.”

Skye blushed a deep shade of pink and straightened her dress to avoid making eye contact with either of them. “I dinnae ken what the two of ye are implying. But it has naething tae do with me being here. I just wanted tae see the girls, anything beyond that is pure coincidence.” She stopped talking when Rory came walking up with one of the girls on each arm.

“Daddy look! Uncle Rory is back!’ Skye giggled as she perched on his arm. Her chubby little arms were wrapped tightly around his neck.

Caitir shyly rested her head on his shoulder and smiled at her mother, ever the picture of poise and grace.

Rory’s chin was dark with stubble from his long journey. It looked as though he’d come straight from the stables to greet his friends.

“And look who is here, if it is nae the witch in the woods,” Rory teased Skye before greeting the others.

“Which poor man are ye hexing today?” he smirked at her after planting a friendly kiss on her cheek.

“I dinnae think she’d been hexing any other men,” Boyd whispered in Ava’s ear so only she could hear. He smirked and pursed his lips when Ava gently nudged him in the ribs with her elbow.

Skye had stayed on in the cabin with Neil when Ava moved. She had taken to healing as a craft and was now working closely with Sophie’s mother as an apprentice, making honest money for herself as a healer in the village.

“I’ll hex ye if ye dinnae put down my girls!” she warned in a friendly tone as she gently tickled their sides, eliciting tiny giggles from her victims.

“Yer girls!” Rory retorted as he lowered them both to the ground. “I’m pretty sure these are my girls! Did ye hear that, lasses?” he said as he hunkered down beside them. “The wicked witch is after ye both! We better run and hide!” he set off at a run.

They screamed with delight and followed Rory as he ran ahead.

“Ye better stop calling me a witch, Rory!” Skye laughed as she picked up her skirts and ran after them.

“Or what?!”

“Or I’ll hex the lot of ye!” she laughed and joined the chase.

Rory had been sent as an envoy for the Cameron clan. They needed to sort out the matter of the lands that had been taken captive while the war was still on with Callum Steward. Boyd had stayed behind to see to the Jacobite meetings. The council had since accepted his role and ceased arguing about the cause.

The Jacobites were planning another battle in which Boyd would play a key role.

Neil shook his head as he and Sophie watched the game of chase. They’d quietly been observing the others from beside the cart.

Boyd had insisted he move into the castle where Angus could look after him on a permanent basis. Neil had gained a healthy weight and had even built some muscles in the time he’d been living in the keep. His dark hair was thicker and bounced on his head as the gentle summer breeze whipped it about.

The maids at the castle were constantly gossiping about the laird’s strapping young brother-in-law. He’d resisted all their advances, seemingly uninterested in any of them.

However, Ava couldn’t help but notice how Sophie blushed whenever she looked at him. She’d invited her to stay at the castle while Angus mentored her and passed on her knowledge of healing. She was a great addition to the family and Boyd had considered asking her to stay on as a healer in the future. Angus was getting on in years and wouldn’t be around forever.

“Out for yer afternoon walk?” Boyd asked them cheerfully.

“Aye, we were on our way tae the barracks when we bumped intae Rory,” Neil responded. “He was looking for the two of ye so we thought we would accompany him an’ breath in the fresh air.”

“What were ye looking for at the barracks?” Ava asked him suspiciously, narrowing her eyes.

Boyd pursed his lips and shook his head, avoiding looking at his wife.

“Neil… We’ve been through this. I dinnae approve of ye learning tae fight…” Ava said sternly. “Ye talked me intae leaving ye be with the horses but I will nae allow ye tae tire yersel’ out with a sword.”

Neil rolled his eyes and huffed. “I’m afraid ye dinnae get a say in the matter, sister. I’m a grown man now an’ Angus is perfectly fine with me learning tae use a sword, as long as I keep up with me medicines an’ dinnae over dae it.”

Ava glared at him with her hands on her hips before turning to Boyd for help. “Will ye say something?”

Boyd shrugged with wide eyes. “I dinnae ken what tae say, Ava. He’s a man now. If he wants tae learn how tae fight, I dinnae see the harm. It’s nae like anyone is forcing him intae battle.”

Ava shook her head and turned back to the others.

Sophie laughed and placed her hand on Neil’s arm. “We better get back tae the castle an’ see Angus for yer afternoon treatment ‘afore yer sister pulls ye over her knee an’ spanks ye.”

“I agree,” Neil said quickly and laughed as they hurried away together.

“Slow down for pity’s sake!” Ava yelled after them. “Ye will lose yer breath if ye run tae fast!”

Boyd laughed and grabbed her around the waist, hugging her from behind. “Calm down, mama bear. Yer bairns are all fine. There’s naething tae worry about.”

She smiled when he planted a lingering kiss on the side of her neck. “Easy for ye tae say, when yer the fun one, an’ I have tae be the strict one.”

“I like it when yer strict,” Boyd hugged her tighter when she placed her arms over his. “In fact, ye can be as strict as ye like with me tonight when we’re in the bed.”

The laughter bubbled from Ava’s throat as Boyd tickled her sides. “Stop it, Boyd! What if the girls hear,” she scolded in a gentle voice.

“They are tae far away an’ will nae even ken what I meant even if they did hear,” he nibbled her ear as she settled back into his arms.

They looked at their daughters playing in the distance with their best friends as they savored the moment together.

“Are ye happy, Boyd?” Ava asked quietly.

“Happier than I ever thought I had the right tae be,” he kissed her cheek. “I recall ye saying that tae me on our wedding night. An’ that’s exactly how I feel right now. There’s nae other place in the world I would rather be than right here beside ye.”

“So, there’s naething ye would change? If ye could?”

“Nae, why would I change anything about our perfect life?”

“I worry that yer life isnae complete because we have nae sired an heir yet.”

Boyd gently turned Ava around and placed both his hands on either side of her face. “Ava Cameron. Me life is perfect just as it is with ye in it. Ye’ve given me two of the most beautiful daughters in all of Scotland. Believe me when I say I would nae change a thing. I would be a very selfish man if I wanted anything else.”

“I dinnae think the council will agree with yer beautiful sentiments.”

“Damn the council an’ anyone else that dares wager an opinion. If I dinnae have a son I will break the rules an’ mak’ Skye Cameron the next laird! The first female laird in Scotland!”

Ava laughed heartily at his words. “She’s fierce enough tae pull it off tae! I’ll give ye that.”

“Exactly!” Boyd said as he kissed her before lifting her onto the back of the cart that they used to show their daughters the countryside.

She smiled down at him as she caressed his face with her fingertips. “So, ye dinnae want tae try for a boy?”

“Now I dinnae recall saying that,” he winked at her. “We can start trying as soon as we get back tae the castle if ye like. I’ll tell Skye an’ Rory tae watch the girls an’ we can go right now.”

“Slow down there, milaird!” she teased him. “I’m glad ye would like another bairn, whether it’s a boy or a girl.”

“Of course, I dinnae care what it is. I’d sire an entire army of girls with ye if ye like.”

“Let’s just focus on one at a time an’ not an entire army, Boyd Cameron,” Ava winked at him. “But I guess we will find out in seven months whether ye’ve sired an heir or another little lady laird.”

Boyd drew back as he examined her face. “Ava, are ye telling me that yer…?”

“That ye Boyd Cameron, have successfully placed another bairn in yer wife’s womb. If we carry on at this pace, we might just get that army ye were talking about.”

“I cannae believe it!” Boyd exclaimed as he lifted her from the back of the cart and tossed her in the air as he’d done with his daughters. “I’m going tae be a father again! I’m the luckiest man in the world!”

“What?!” Skye screamed in the distance and threw her arms around Rory’s neck, knocking him over in the process. “Another one! Did ye hear that, girls? Ye are getting another brother or sister!”

They cried out with happiness as they set out at a run toward their mother and father. Ava watched her daughters running towards her against the backdrop of the clear blue sky. There was not a storm cloud in sight. And there probably wouldn’t be one for a very long time.

Ava and Boyd went on to sire a healthy heir by the name of Malcolm Boyd Steward. He grew up to be a strapping young lad that took over from his father and fought for Scotland, siring several heirs of his own with a beautiful young wife.

Tavish Cameron became nothing more than a legend as time went on. All his deeds were soon forgotten as Boyd healed with the help of Ava’s love.

The End.

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