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“I have a lot of anecdotal evidence that suggests otherwise,” I laugh, slipping into one of the kitchen chairs.

Lachlan scoffs as he takes the one next to me. “Nothing but rotten slander.”

“Mhm.” I keep the journal stowed in my lap as Rhona pours herself a cup of tea, arching an eyebrow at me. “You want a cuppa?”

“No thanks.” I shake my head. “I had coffee already.”

“Aye, aye.”

There’s a quiet that settles as Lachlan and I let her finish her cup, waiting until she’s seated on the other side of the table, blowing at her tea, before either of us speaks again.

“Where’s Finlay?” Lachlan asks.

Rhona grunts softly. “Stubborn arse is still looking for the calf Harriet dropped yesterday.”

“He should have told me,” Lachlan humphs. “I’d have gone with him.”

“I think he wants the quiet time,” she tells him. Her eyes gain a weary look. “He’s still a wee bit out of sorts with…everything that’s happened.”

A feeling of sympathy squeezes my chest, knowing that as difficult as Brodie being carted away must be for her, finding out the truth about…well,everything…might be all the more so. Still, I know that Lachlan is right. She can get through this.

“I’d really hoped to give you this together,” I start carefully, pulling the book from my lap and letting it rest on the table. “But maybe it’s better if you have some time with it first.” I think of the worn letter resting just inside the cover. “Considering.”

Rhona eyes the aged leather curiously, cocking her head. “And what’s this?”

“This is…” My mouth closes, and I stare down at the journal, my thoughts buzzing as I try to find the words that captureeverythingthat this book is. What it means. “It’s something I think you should see.”

I let out a shuddered breath as nerves once again wash over me, and Lachlan, noticing my struggle, lifts his hand to place it over mine, giving me a reassuring squeeze. I turn my head to meet his gaze, seeing a faith in me waiting there, shining out clear as day, which gives me courage.

“You’re not afraid of anything, love,” he tells me.

And I’m not, I realize. Not really. Not anymore. Even with everything I’ve lost…I’ve somehow found so much more.

“I wanted to tell you that I’ve decided to stay,” I tell Rhona, meeting her gaze. “If that’s all right with you.”

Her mouth parts in surprise, but there’s no hiding the sudden shine of her eyes, the wrinkled corners gathering as she drags in an unsteady breath. “Is that what you want, hen? What about everything you left behind?”

I consider that—thinking of my dad’s place that is now sold off, his things that are stored away, the friends that fell to the wayside…and yes. There are memories there. But…

“When my dad died,” I tell her, my voice soft as I watch my fingers twisting, “I thought that was the end of everything as I knew it. I felt…so alone. Like I had absolutely nothing left, that I had no one. I left everything behind and came here, hoping to find something that I wasn’t sure I could ever have again.” I turn up my face to find her eyes again, a smile touching my lips. “But I did find it. With you, and with Grandpa, and with…” I bite my lip, glancing at Lachlan, who winks at me smugly. “I never thought I would have a family again. Not without my dad…but that’s what it feels like I have here with all of you. I don’t want to leave that behind. I want to stay and know you better, to put down roots here that I can pass to my own children. I want to make sure that they’ll never have to wonder where they came from like I did, because I—and hopefully you—will be there to tell them.”

Rhona’s eyes are full-on shimmering now, her lip trembling as one single tear escapes her eye, tracking down her cheek. She makes no move to wipe it away, instead reaching across the table to take my hands in hers.

“Sweet lass,” she says thickly. “I will forever regret the way I acted when you first came to us. I can’t ever take that back. But having you here…seeing my Duncan in you, but also seeing the wonderful person thatyouare all on your own…I wouldn’t trade it foranything.” She sniffles softly, nodding as another tear slips from her eye. “I only wish your father were here so I could tell him how sorry I was for failing him. I wish I could tell him that I’ll do better with you. That I’ll never make those mistakes ever again. I wish…” She swallows thickly. “I wish he hadn’t left this world with any darkness that we gave him.”

My face splits in a grin, my own eyes glossing over as I try to blink away the tears that seem to be just part of my life now. I can’t ever remember crying so much as I have since I came here. I nod back at her, giving her hands a squeeze before pulling them away to pat the cover of the journal.

“About that…”

I take a deep breath, looking at Lachlan again and finding strength in his encouraging nod, returning it before pulling the crinkled letter from the cover of the journal. I slide it gingerly across the table, letting it rest just in front of Rhona before slowly pulling my hand back.

She looks at it with a downturned mouth and a knitted brow. “What’s this?”

“It’s for you,” I tell her. “You should read it.”

She picks it up with care, pulling it closer and squinting a bit as her mouth moves ever so slightly with each word she reads. There’s no missing when it dawns on her, her eyes going wide and her hand coming to cover her mouth as the tears fall more freely. I watch her consume each word voraciously, reaching out to press her fingers to the page delicately, almost with reverence.

She looks up at me, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I don’t—I don’t understand. What does this mean?”