by Norma Gail
Opening the door, he guided her inside. She shivered at his touch, his whisper warm on her neck. “Open ...”
The sweet scent of roses greeted her, and opening her eyes, she stood, speechless at the sight before her. They were in a room more romantic than anything she could imagine. A large fire burned in the ornate, cream-colored, plaster fireplace of a small sitting room. The table in front of a small couch boasted a bouquet of red and white roses in a crystal vase, and candles burned everywhere, providing the only light other than the fireplace. More roses graced the mantle and another smaller table.
Up three steps stood a set of double doors, intricately carved with Celtic knots. Bonny gasped as Kieran opened them, revealing a room containing an elegant four poster bed, curtained in deep red velvet and festooned with crocheted lace. Large windows in a curved wall revealed that they were in the ground floor of the tower visible from the back of the house.
Closing the doors, he said, “This is the bridal suite. Since it’s too cold to be out in our mountains, I want to create a special memory here.”
“It’s lovely. There must not be any red and white roses left in Beauly.”
He led her to the couch and seated himself close beside her. He turned to face her, taking both her hands in his. “There aren’t words to describe the change in my life since the day I helped you in the car park, mo gràdh. I have love and hope again, and I believe my faith will grow as a result.”
She was aware of nothing except the intense blue glow of his eyes and the light of the fire playing over his rugged, handsome features, and glinting off the red-gold of his hair.
“This suite has served as the traditional place for MacKenzie couples to spend their wedding night since the house was built in 1800. I want us to continue the tradition.”
She caught her breath. His tight grip on her hands was as steady as the deep musical timbre of his voice, and his unwavering gaze held her spellbound. “I planned to bring you here last night, but thanks to my blundering, the timing was wrong.”
The pounding of her heart increased as he slid to his knees. “My beautiful Bonny, will you be my wife? Will you marry me and spend the rest of your life letting me love you?”
She never gave her answer a thought. It seemed so right. “Yes, yes, Kieran, I will.”
The sweet scent of the roses was overpowering. The light in his eyes, the warmth of his hands, and the woodsy scent of his aftershave overwhelmed her. “It’s what I’ve longed for since our first evening together.”
His expression of utter love and joy was beyond anything she ever imagined. He retrieved a small red velvet box from a drawer in the table, opening it to reveal a large, blood red, oval ruby surrounded by diamonds.
“Oh Kieran …”
“It belonged to my mother’s mother. I asked for it when I discovered how you loved rubies.” He slid it onto her finger, kissing it softly. “Bonny Faith Bryant MacDonell.”
“It’s the loveliest name I’ve ever heard.” She gazed into the cerulean depths of his eyes. “I love you and want nothing more than to be your wife. After we argued, I prayed for God to do something special in your life, even if we never married. I prayed through the night when sleep was impossible.”
“You prayed when marriage seemed impossible?”
She laughed. “I’ve prayed since Dan was hurt.”
His expression attested to a joy and love as passionate as she felt for him. “We have so much to discuss, but we should tell my parents before it gets any later. We can come back here by the fire for as long as you want.”
“Of course, we have to include them in our happiness.” Her voice came out no louder than a whisper.
He stood up, pulling her with him, which led to another embrace. His kiss, gentle but confident, sealed their commitment more than words could ever do. Pausing at the open door, he brought the hand with the sparkling ruby to his lips. “Now, the whole world will know you’re mine.”
As they started through the kitchen door, he picked her up, carrying her into the kitchen, beaming. “Mother, Da, welcome your future daughter-in-law. She said yes.”
“Co-ghàirdeachas, mo chridhe, put her down and let us welcome her to the family. You have the rest of your life to hold her.” Hamish strode forward with arms outstretched. “Congratulations son, you’ve found a jewel.”
Maggie followed, and Bonny found herself squeezed between the two of them.
“When and where?” Maggie asked as Kieran enfolded Bonny in his arms again.
“There’s a lot to discuss. We came for tea and sweets.” The ardor in his face filled her stomach with butterflies.
“Bonny, dear, you haven’t said a word.” Maggie touched her cheek with such tenderness it brought tears to her eyes again.
“I’m overwhelmed,” she said, turning to her future mother-in-law. “I have a family, an amazing man who loves me, and parents who will be there for me. I promise I will love your son the rest of my life and make Scotland my home.”
Carrying a tray with tea, sandwiches, and cookies, Kieran escorted her back to their haven. When Maggie passed the open door in the morning, she discovered them, still sitting on the couch with Kieran’s head back. Bonny sat curled up with her feet under her, her head on his chest. His arm held her, and her small hand with the ruby and diamonds sparkled on his chest. The fire had burned down to glowing embers as they fell asleep, dreaming of their life together.
“We want to be married in Beauly in early July with a reception at the inn, outside if the weather permits. I’d like to take a weekend trip over to Skye before the long flight to Albuquerque, where we’ll spend a month.” Kieran spooned generous helpings of haggis and eggs onto his plate.
“Bonny, are you certain you want the wedding here? What about your friends?” Maggie asked.
“No one really matters other than my best friends, Kari and Dan. We’ll have a reception in Albuquerque. The miracle happened here. There’s no place more perfect for our wedding.”
“Will you live in Scotland all year?” Maggie asked.
“Of course. Where do you expect us to live?” Kieran moved Bonny’s finger around, watching the light play on her ring.
Maggie reached across the table and took her other hand. “Can the Mother-of-the-Groom offer to help the bride prepare for the wedding?”
“Yes, please. I wondered how to manage alone.” She stood and rounded the table to hug Maggie.
Kieran watched them, grinning. “Mother, you have a new daughter.”
“Your mother gets excited enough when we have a wedding here for someone she doesn’t know.” Hamish shook his head, but his eyes were smiling. “What will you do with your home, Bonny?”
“Kieran wants to see it before we decide. The house is paid for, so my inheritance will pay for the upkeep. We’ll take a vacation there each year—but of course not during lambing season.”
“Every year?” Maggie’s eyes grew wide.
Hamish interrupted, laying his hand on Maggie’s arm. “Bonny, isn’t this the day you’re treating us to your New Mexican Christmas celebration?”
“Yes.” She reached over and tousled Kieran’s hair. “And you, Laird MacDonell, can be my assistant. Maggie and Hamish, prepare for a treat.”
“My mother handled our news with grace.” Kieran peeked over Bonny’s shoulder as she rolled the sopapilla dough.
She offered him a bite before he stole one. “She wasn’t pleased when we mentioned keeping my house.”
“She’ll get used to it.” After swallowing the dough, he stuck his finger in the salsa and licked it. “She offered to help with the wedding.”
Bonny slapped his hand in play as he licked the spicy sauce from his finger. “Yes, and I’m very pleased.”
She had prepared much of the meal ahead of time, and her future husband proved a willing pupil with the rest. Sending him out to shovel the front walk, she assembled the luminarias, consisting of brown paper lunch sacks, filled with sand and a 12-hour votive
candle. When lit, they gave a soft glow, reminiscent of every Christmas of her life.
At dinnertime, Bonny led them into the parlor, closing the door while she lit the luminarias, visible through the tall dining room windows when she opened the draperies. Then she changed into her denim, broomstick skirt and a vest in a Native American pattern, with red western boots. Her silver and turquoise jewelry completed her outfit. It felt strange to think she would no longer wear them on a regular basis.
She led them out a side door and up the luminaria-lined walkway to the door. They gave a collective “Oooh” when they saw the table set with bright linens and heard the pulsating staccato of mariachi Christmas music.
“This is really good.” Hamish put honey on his fourth sopapilla. “Maggie and I should visit you over there.”
Maggie reached across the table for her hand. “Bonny, your dinner was lovely. I see now why Kieran insisted on you cooking for us. Your traditions are unique, and I can see why they are meaningful to you. I apologize for being less than gracious.”
Bonny sighed. A victory had been won.
“You pronounce Hogmanay the way it’s spelled, with the accent on the first and last syllables,” Kieran explained. “New Year’s resolutions, fireworks, bonfires, and shooting guns into the air originated in Scotland. My favorite part is threacht mean oiche, midnight. After singing ‘Auld Lang Syne,’ it’s traditional to kiss.” He proceeded to demonstrate in detail.
“Hmm,” Bonny wrapped her arms around his neck. “I think I need extra instruction to accomplish it in the proper Scottish way.”
“Why don’t you two go out for a walk?” Maggie’s timing was impeccable. “It’s a lovely sunny day.”
As they snow-shoed through the sparkling snow, Kieran asked, “What if we quit teaching and concentrated on the farm? We would start our new life with fewer responsibilities.”
She felt at peace for the first time in a long time. “Concentrating on you sounds lovely. I will become the best sheep farmer’s wife possible.”
At teatime, Bridget entered carrying a two-tiered cake. Bonny turned to Kieran for an explanation, but Hamish spoke up. “It’s an old Scottish tradition. The wedding cake is baked at the engagement. You eat one tier for the wedding, and save the other for the birth of the first child.”
Bonny swallowed hard as Kieran squeezed her hand, remembering the secret he refused to share with his parents. “Thank you both. I can’t wait to taste it.”
“There’s a wee one to have with tea,” Maggie said. “It’s a delicious fruitcake. It didn’t have long to soak up the brandy, but by the wedding it will be perfect.”
Kieran held up his teacup in a toast, “To my bonnie bride.”
Her heart beat faster as she held her cup to his. It felt like a dream.
Chapter Twenty-four: Challenges and Surprises
Finishing his paperwork during a weekend at the farm, Kieran determined the time had come to change the room he and Bronwyn shared. He had kept the room as a shrine, and a tight feeling began in his stomach, moving to his chest. Gulping for air, his heart raced and sobs tore at his gut. Boxing up Bronwyn’s possessions and hiding them away in the attic felt as if he was burying her again.
His stomach knotted with sobs as he slid to the floor beside the bed. “God, why did they have to die? I love Bonny, but I can’t stop questioning why Bronnie—Liam—my son …”
Bonny appeared, as if sensing his need, crawling close to him, and pulling his head into her lap. “Bronnie, how can God take a baby before he lives?”
She rubbed his back, whispering. “Shhh, Kieran, it’s me—Bonny. Bronwyn is dead, love, but I promise you won’t be alone again.”
“Bonny? Did I say Bronnie?”
She brushed her lips across his forehead. “Yes, it’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. I am so very sorry. For a moment, in this room, I mistook you for her. I should have packed it all away a long time ago. I’m angry, when I should be thankful for you, and for the life we’ll have together. What’s wrong with me?”
She smoothed the tangled curls at the base of his neck. “You faced the hardest test and weren’t ready yet. Everyone falls backwards sometimes. God will never leave you or forsake you. Ask for His help.”
He wiped his eyes with his sleeve. How could he explain the fear filling his mind? “Nothing’s changed.”
She leaned her soft cheek against his. “Love, God understands your pain.”
“If He’s so all-powerful, why didn’t He stop it?” He didn’t realize how hard he was gripping her hand until she loosened it and held his between her own. “Please, don’t give up on me? I can’t lose you too.”
“I won’t desert you. I promise.” She smoothed his forehead with her other hand, so cool and soft. “If you’re not ready to change this room, you can wait.”
The violent trembling refused to stop. “No, I’ll not bring you here as my bride while this shrine to Bronwyn remains. It’s not fair.”
“You’ve had a struggle. It doesn’t bother me to leave it for a while. Aren’t there antiques in the attic?” Bonny asked. “Let’s find different furniture, and I’ll have Kari send my grandmother’s Double Wedding Ring quilt for the bed. Then it will hold a piece of each of us.”
He leaned his head against her shoulder. “I don’t deserve you.”
“I don’t deserve you either, but what a grand life we have ahead of us.” She brushed a stray curl back from his forehead.
He had thought the depression would be over with the certainty that Bonny would be his wife, but he continued to have dark episodes of brooding. Some days he skipped class, wandering around the farm with no real aim, even missing dates with Bonny. In spite of her devoted love, the fearful despair was growing worse instead of better.
Laughing and teasing, Bonny and Janet packed snacks while Kieran and Graeme loaded their gear into the Land Rover. Graeme had suggested the weekend ski trip to the picturesque town of Aviemore and Cairn Gorm Mountain.
Bonny had visited An Cairn Gorm, the Blue Mountain, in the summertime, and looked forward to her first glimpse of it in winter. Janet said the name referred to a smoky quartz common in the area.
They had ridden the funicular railway which whooshed up and down the mountain, carrying visitors to the top in the summer while protecting the fragile mountain tundra. In the winter, it transported skiers at a more rapid speed. The views from the top were spectacular.
When Janet carried a box out to the Land Rover, Kieran tried to distract Bonny by kissing her while stealing a bunch of grapes. She returned his kiss and reclaimed the fruit. “I can’t wait to enjoy the view from the top with the love of my life.”
He popped a plump, juicy grape in her mouth. “Everything is lovely with you.”
Bonny thought the drive to Aviemore might be the perfect time to draw Graeme out and get him to talk. “I haven’t had the opportunity to get acquainted with you until now. Tell me something about yourself.”
He blushed. “I’m thirty-eight, and I grew up in Edinburgh with one sister.”
“Does your family still live there?” Kieran asked.
“No, my parents are dead, and my sister married the pastor of a large church in Glasgow, so other than an aunt, I have no real ties to Edinburgh anymore.”
“Is Faith Chapel your first church?” Bonny asked.
“No, I served five years in a large church in Edinburgh, before I answered the call for an assistant pastor to the Community Church of Fort William. The pastor was aging and needed help. He retired two years ago, and the elders asked me to replace him. I know I’m where God wants me. We changed the name to Faith Chapel when we moved into the storefront location. The church has grown so much that I will soon be announcing the need for new facilities.”
“Will you stay in Fort William?” Janet asked, and Bonny caught the undertone of fear in her voice.
She had already noticed that he aimed his replies toward Janet. “Yes, I enjoy the slower pace of a small
er town. I have more time for people and outreach projects to the community. Word is circulating about the strong Bible teaching at Faith Chapel.”
Janet turned toward Graeme. “We always discuss church, not our lives outside of church.”
“I prefer to talk about other people.” He turned a brighter shade of red.
No matter how fast Kieran went, Bonny held her own, beating him about half the time. She skied without fear. They forgot the others until a problem with his bindings caused him to send her on, promising to catch up.
She met Janet at the bottom, waiting to board the train to the top, her eyes flashing. “The four of us were going to ski together, Bonny. Is there a plot to make me spend time with Graeme? You know I can’t get involved with him.”
“The guys planned the trip. I’m sorry. Kieran and I are so absorbed in each other I didn’t realize we were making it difficult for you,” Bonny said. “Aren’t you having fun?”
“Of course it’s fun. He’s a lovely person and a terrific skier, but I’d hate for him to get the wrong idea.”
“I’ll ski with you for a while. Kieran needed to fix his bindings. In the meantime, maybe he and Graeme will find each other. Let’s go.”
“Thanks, Bonny.” Janet stepped on the train. “I should have talked to him a long time ago.”
When the two men met halfway down the mountain, Graeme was in high spirits. “She’s lovely, and so easy to talk to. Would you ask Bonny to dinner so Janet and I can have dinner alone?”
Kieran clapped him on the back. “Aye, you pick the restaurant and Bonny and I will eat somewhere else.”
When they met at noon, Kieran offered to bring lunch to Bonny while she guarded their table and relaxed. Graeme followed his lead, and Janet let him.
Halfway through the meal, Bonny noticed that the conversation seemed to be growing more comfortable. Janet had even lost the terrified look in her eyes.
