remember? How about we go outside and … talk?”
Doing his best to recover from his disappointment, Duncan nodded and offered me his arm. “Verra well. ’Tis a beautiful night. Almost as beautiful as you.”
Before we could slip between the open doors, Fergus blocked our path. He cast me an apologetic glance, and then spoke in a low, urgent voice. “M’ laird, I’m verra sorry to bother ye, but I need ta speak ta you on a matter of great importance.”
With Fergus close behind, Duncan guided me outside and into a remote corner of the patio. He looked about to gauge our privacy then nodded for Fergus to continue. The large man’s pale face grew mottled with agitation as he explained, “It’s Gideon, m’ laird. He’s gone. His guards are gone as well. I’ve had yer men scour the village but there’s no sign of him. It’s as if he’s vanished.”
Duncan cursed under his breath. His lips pressed into a thin slash as his square jaw set determinedly. “Then we canna’ wait much longer to tell Jamie about the deaths at Muir Lea.”
Fergus’s pale brows puckered as he surveyed the multitudes enjoying the party. “In the middle of the coronation ball, m’ laird?”
“Nay. As soon as the celebration has finished. But we need to speak to him before Gideon does. Please go tell the king his brother wishes a word with him in private after the ball.”
“Aye m’ laird.”
As the gentle giant hurried away, Duncan offered me his arm once again. “Dinna worry, Mackenna. Everything will turn out right in the end.”
“Really?” Because from where I was standing, he was covering for me by imprisoning his fellow countryman and lying about it to his own brother, who also happens to be the supreme ruler of the kingdom. “I don’t see how.”
He offered me a lopsided smile that radiated assurance. “There are lots of ways of lookin’ at things.”
“Okay. So how do you see this turning out?”
“It’s not about only this, Mackenna. It’s about how I see everything. My world. Your world. And everything beyond. I believe you and your friend were both brought here for a specific purpose. And if it’s your destiny to be here, who am I to be doubtin’ that?”
“You make it sound so simple.”
Duncan raked his hand through his hair creating those dark, spiky peaks that I loved so. “Faith is hard. Especially when your mind and maybe even your heart might be sayin’ otherwise. But when things seem difficult and we’re tempted to doubt, we need to trust in what we can’t see.”
His faith did little to fill the hollow place created by Fergus’s news. Doing my best to shake off the feeling of doom, I slipped my hand into the crook of his arm and let him lead me into the perfect summer night. After a few minutes of quiet rambling along the hedgerow, we approached a huge stone archway. Duncan turned to look back the way we’d come. His face shone with quiet pride as he instructed me to turn around.
At the far end of the lawn, the most beautiful castle I could ever imagine glowed against the indigo sky. Although the sounds of celebration had become hushed, I could still see much of the action through the open doors. It was like watching an elaborate pantomime.
I spotted Vee—a vision in burgundy, near the buffet. As she watched the Doonians celebrating, her angst- ridden face declared all the yearning she refused to vocalize. If her feelings had only been about Jamie, I would’ve insisted we skip the stupid ball and camp on the bridge until it opened. But Vee loved this place. She’d longed for this paradoxical kingdom her entire life. And she belonged here.
If there was even the slightest chance Vee could have her dream, I would not aid and abet her fugitive intentions. Although I didn’t want to go to Chicago without her, I was perfectly capable of carrying Aunt Gracie’s journal out of Doon by myself. And dealing with the witch—honestly, I’d yet to figure that part out, but having Vee by my side didn’t change my odds. I mean, what could she do—cheer Addie to death?
Deep in my heart, I knew she was supposed to stay, the same way I knew I had to go. Unfortunately, I suspected it was already too late. I had little hope that fate would allow Jamie to get unengaged to Sofia and confess his undying love for Vee all in the span of one royal ball.
“We’ve time yet.” Duncan’s voice brought me back to the garden with a start. For a moment, I thought he’d answered my unspoken thoughts. But that was impossible. Only Vee and I shared a brain. As I frowned up at him, he smoothed a tendril of hair from my cheek and clarified, “The Brig o’ Doon doesn’t open for hours.”
His freakishly gorgeous face held such hope that the rational part of my brain urged me to bail—on him, the ball, my promise to Vee, all of it. But my fanciful heart, overcome by the possibilities of the night, compelled me to ask, “What do you want from me?”
“Just be here. Tonight. Dinna leave me yet.”
Had Duncan and Vee conspired ahead of time? If he started singing
When I shivered, his other hand skimmed across my collarbone. The pad of his thumb blazed a trail down my shoulder to my elbow. “It’s just one evening. What are ye afraid of Mackenna?”
I wasn’t afraid. I just didn’t see the sense in indulging in something that wouldn’t—that couldn’t—last. His dark gaze crackled with heat and the edges of my argument began to blister, melting my resistance to reveal the devastating truth. I couldn’t walk away—not without knowing what I was giving up.
On pure instinct, I grabbed Duncan’s lapel and pulled him toward me. My lips crushed his in a hard, closed-mouth kiss. He felt firm, yet gentle—and so warm. His eyes went wide and then fluttered closed, his lips parting. I opened mine in response.
Duncan froze, his hands digging into my upper arms as he tried to be a gentleman. He trembled and I could sense the war waging inside of him. Unwilling to let him go, I wound my fingers around his neck and into his soft hair.
The remainder of his willpower broke apart. Sharp angles of rock pressed into my back as he pinned me against the stone arch. But I barely felt it. I closed my eyes and gave myself over to the sensations of being kissed by Duncan MacCrae.
Sometime later, Duncan lifted his head to gaze at me like a man enchanted. His husky voice was thick with relief. “Finally, ye’ve accepted your destiny. I wasn’t sure tha’ you would.”
Geez—didn’t he know when to keep his mouth shut?
I gave him a light shove. His rock-solid chest was immoveable, but I pushed anyway. I needed to get some space between us. And air—boy, did I need some air.
Duncan straightened, but his hands remained anchored to my hips. “Are ye mad at me for kissin’ you?”
“No.” Actually I had kissed first, but now wasn’t the time to point that out. I inhaled deeply in an attempt to clear my head. His clean warrior scent, leather saddles and sunshine, filled my senses and attempted to undermine my resolve. “But we need to talk.”
“Talking’s for later.”
His crooked grin upended rational thought. Hypnotized by the motion of his tantalizing lips, I leaned toward them for another taste. “Later …”
Instantly, his mouth was on mine. After another searing kiss, he pulled back just enough to speak. Against my lips, he breathed, “Tell me you’ll stay.”
What? In a delayed reaction, my head shook back and forth mid-kiss. “No.”
Duncan’s mouth hesitated over mine. His full lips parted in anticipation as they paused. His body went still. Finally, he straightened so that we could properly see one another. “Won’t ye have me?”
“You’re asking me to choose. To give up one dream for another.” It didn’t help that a part of me—and I wasn’t willing to examine how large a part—wanted Duncan MacCrae as much, if not more, than the stage.
I stared into his compelling brown eyes and willed him to understand. “It’s always been my dream to become a professional actress. I have this fabulous theater internship in Chicago, with a phenomenal director—” Weston Ballard flitted across my mind, but compared with the amazing boy in front of me, the young director held zero appeal.
Duncan took my hands in his and tipped his forehead down until it rested against mine. “I’ll build ye a theatre here. Anything your heart desires.”
Anything? The temptation to stay—for him—suddenly overwhelmed me. “What if I stay and it doesn’t work
