Page 83 of Edinburgh Escape

“I hadn’t gone very far—” Maggie coughed before she could continue. “I asked Alastair to take me back to the manor.” She reached for his hand.

He took it and held it gently.

“I wasn’t going to give up on you. I couldn’t,” she said, her voice gravelly and weak. “You’re worth fighting for.”

“I was following you to the airport to stop you before you got on the plane. I couldn’t let you go. I love you, Maggie.”

Maggie lay back and closed her eyes, a smile curving her lips. “That’s all I need to hear. The rest, we can work on.” Her eyes popped open again. “Alastair?”

One of the rescue team leaned close to Callum. “Is Alastair the guy we found nearby, crashed into the tree?”

Callum nodded.

The man’s lips pressed together. “I’m sorry. He must have died on impact.”

Maggie sighed. “The world is a better place without him.” Her gaze locked with Callum’s. “He deliberately drove the car into the river to kill me—and he was poisoning Bryce.”

Callum swore.

“Montana ate the apple meant for Bryce. It almost killed the horse. Bryce would be dead had he eaten more than a tiny bite.”

“Why would he do that?” Callum asked.

Maggie closed her eyes. “The inheritance. He was another one of Lord Drummond’s bastard children. He was our brother. The difference was that he wasn’t willing to share.”

The emergency medical technician carried Maggie up to the road and loaded her into an ambulance. Callum climbed in with her and held her hand all the way to the hospital in Edinburgh.

“You know, we have some decisions to make,” Callum said.

“We do?” she asked. “As in, you and me? Or do you have a mouse in your pocket?”

Callum chuckled. “We, as in me and you.”

“What decisions?”

“Montana or Scotland, for one.”

Her brow furrowed. “My head is full of water. I don’t understand.”

“Are we going to live together in Montana or Scotland. I’m game for either location. I’ve always wanted to ride western and wear a cowboy hat.”

“If I have a choice, I’d like to stay in Scotland near my brothers.”

“I think Ewan and Bryce would be amenable to that. We could get a place close to the manor.”

“The manor has a lot of rooms,” Maggie mentioned. “And I think Ewan would make another great addition to the Brotherhood Protectors International team.”

Callum grinned. “I was thinking the same. I’d almost bet Ace has started that discussion while we’ve been busy swimming.”

“You know,” Maggie said, “if what’s happening here goes to the next step, will you wear a kilt to our wedding?”

Callum laughed. “I’d wear a pink polka-dotted tutu if it made you happy.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

“You two are nauseatingly cute.” The medical technician adjusted Maggie’s IV line. “If you don’t end up together, it would be a bloody shame.”

Maggie grinned at Callum.

The medical technician added, “And definitely, wear the kilt.”