Page 77 of The Highlander's Runaway Nun
“Ye look well, lass.” His gaze flicked over her modest gown, her braided hair, and the small cross at her throat. “The Abbey agrees with ye.”
Laura swallowed hard, her voice quiet but firm. “Aye, it does,” she said. “Peaceful and kind, unlike the day ye sent me away.” Her words trembled, though she fought to keep her tone steady.
He winced, the pain clear in his eyes. “I ken ye’re angry, Laura. Ye’ve every right to be. But I couldnae let ye stay; it was for yer own safety.” He took a step closer, his expression pleading.
She lifted her chin, refusing to yield. “Safety?” she echoed bitterly. “Ye call castin’ me out into heartbreak and shame ‘safety’? I gave ye everythin’, me trust, me heart—and ye threw it aside as if it were nothin’.”
Bradley’s shoulders stiffened. “I did it to protect ye,” he insisted, his voice rough with emotion. “There’s darkness in me, lass, darkness ye shouldnae have to live with.” He clenched his fists at his sides. “I thought I was nae a fit man for a woman like ye.”
Laura’s eyes flashed with pain and fury. “Ye daenae get to decide that for me,” she said sharply. “Ye speak of darkness as if I’ve nae seen me own share of it. I kent the man I chose, Bradley McCormack, and I cared for him, flaws and all.” Her voice cracked, tears welling despite her efforts. “But ye wouldnae let me stand by ye.”
He stared at her, speechless, his throat working as if to find the right words but failing. The sight of her tears undid him more than any sword could have. Finally, he whispered, “Laura… I’m sorry.”
The words hung between them like a fragile truce.
Laura took a trembling breath. “If that were true,” she said softly, “ye would’ve come for me sooner.” She turned away, her tears slipping down her cheeks as she looked toward the Abbey walls. “Ye should go. There’s nothin’ left for ye here.”
Bradley reached out, his hand hovering near her arm but not daring to touch. “There’s everythin’ left for me here,” he said quietly. “Ye’re here. Me bairn is here.” His voice broke on the last word.
Laura froze, her breath catching in her throat. Slowly, she turned to face him again, her eyes wide and wet. For the first time, she saw the raw truth in his face: regret and desperation.
They stood there in the quiet of the Abbey courtyard, hearts aching, eyes locked. Neither spoke again, for words had lost their power. The air between them carried everything, the pain, the love, the longing still unbroken.
And as the wind stirred the folds of her cloak and his cloak brushed the dust of the road, Laura realized that, no matter the distance, their souls had never truly parted.
Without a word, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Laura, pulling her tightly against him. The warmth of him, the strength in his hold, it was everything she had missed, everything she had dreamed of, and yet, she pushed back against it.
Her palms pressed against his chest, shoving him away as tears welled in her eyes.
“Daenae do that, Bradley,” she said, her voice trembling as she took a step back. “Ye cannae just come here and throw yer arms around me as if naught happened. Ye sent me away. Ye made it clear ye didnae want me, nor the bairn.” Her chest heaved as she spoke, every word cutting her like glass.
Bradley’s jaw tightened, his expression pained. “Aye, I ken I did, lass,” he said hoarsely. “And I’ve cursed meself every day for it. I was a fool, scared, stubborn, and blind. I thought I was protectin’ ye when all I did was wound ye.”
Laura’s voice cracked as she replied, “Aye, ye wounded me, Bradley. Ye near broke me.” She shook her head, a tear slipping down her cheek. “And now ye come ridin’ here as though ye’ve changed, as though all the pain and sleepless nights meant naught.”
He took a step closer, but she backed away again, clutching her shawl tight around her shoulders.
“I came to bring ye home, Laura,” he said softly, his voice raw. “I cannae live without ye, and I’ll nae pretend otherwise. I was wrong, dead wrong, to let ye go.”
Laura’s lips trembled as she stared at him. “Home?” she repeated bitterly. “Ye mean the place where I’m dismissed whenever ye lose yer temper? Where I’m made to feel like a burden ye cannae stand? Nay, Bradley. I’ll nae go where I’m nae wanted.”
He moved closer again, his eyes shining with grief.
“Yearewanted,” he said, his voice low and fierce. “More than anythin’ in this world. I was a damned coward, Laura. I thought pushin’ ye away would spare ye from the darkness in me. But all it did was tear us both apart.”
Laura’s breath hitched as she looked at him, torn between longing and anger.
“Ye daenae ken what it was like,” she whispered. “Walkin’ away from the castle, carryin’ yer bairn, wonderin’ if ye’d even care when I was gone.” She turned her face away, trying to steady herself. “I cannae bear to live through that again. I cannae have ye send me away a second time.”
Bradley reached for her hands, and though she resisted, he gently caught them in his own.
“I’ll never send ye away again,” he said earnestly. “Nae for all the storms in the Highlands. I love ye, Laura. God help me, I love ye more than I’ve words to say.” His voice cracked as he spoke, his thumb brushing over her knuckles.
Laura’s heart ached at the sound of those words. She had dreamed of hearing them, but now they frightened her more than anything.
“Ye say that now,” she said quietly. “But love isnae just words, Bradley. Ye’ve got to prove it. Ye’ve got to show me ye can love me through yer pride and yer anger, nae just when it suits ye.”
“I will, lass,” he said, his tone fierce with conviction. “I’ll prove it every day for the rest of me life if ye’ll only give me the chance. I ken I’ve wronged ye, but I cannae let ye go. Nae again. Nae when I’ve just found the courage to tell ye the truth of me heart.”
