Hero of a Highland Wolf
Page 83
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They entered the chapel and Shelley’s Uncle Ethan offered his arm to Colleen to walk her down the aisle while Grant made Edward and William join him to serve as a couple more groomsmen, even if they were dressed in only jeans, sneakers, and sweatshirts.
She swore Ian’s mother was ready to burst into tears, as if Colleen was her daughter, too. Colleen fought her own tears at knowing that her best friend’s clan was taking her in just as much as Grant MacQuarrie’s.
Frederick took all three wolfhounds in hand, though they wanted to follow her down the aisle, and made them stay with him at the back of the chapel. When the minister asked for objections, Hercules barked, letting her know he wanted to join her up front. Everyone laughed.
“Sorry, Hercules,” Grant said. “She’s all mine.”
Which meant absolutely no way was Grant sharing his bed with anyone but her.
Before long, the ceremony was over and Colleen tossed her bouquet to the eager women, not knowing her own strength. The roses flew up and way over their heads.
Uncle Ethan caught the roses as they headed straight for him, and he blushed crimson. She was trying to send it to either Heather or Calla. Guthrie looked much relieved.
Everyone roared to see the older man holding on to the bouquet, his face the same color as the red roses.
“You’re supposed to let a lass catch the flowers,” Ian’s mother said, scolding him and taking the flowers away from him.
More laughter ensued.
And to a shocked audience, Uncle Ethan said, “All right, ma’am. I accept.” He took Lady Mae’s arm and tucked it under his own.
“Accept what?” she asked crossly.
“A mating. Marriage. Whatever you’d like,” he said, looking down at her with an adoring expression.
Cheers went up and Colleen swore Ian’s mother looked like she would expire on the spot.
Ian and his brothers were clapping hard and whistling and cheering, showing their approval for their mother’s mating with Shelley’s uncle. Now, whether their mother would agree was another story. She probably wanted to sock him for saying so at Colleen’s wedding, but Colleen loved it.
Grant had the privilege of removing the garter from Colleen’s leg, running his hand over her bare thigh a little too intimately, and several of the men teased him about the show. Then he tossed the garter to a groom-to-be. It hit Guthrie in the chest, and he caught it, turned red-faced, and tried to hand it off to one of Colleen’s cousins, who both shook their heads vehemently and wouldn’t touch it.
Laughter resounded and then the music started and Grant and Colleen had their first dance, followed by everyone else, mated wolves and singles. Ian’s mother and Uncle Ethan even danced at his coaxing and he held her so tenderly that Colleen assumed they were in for a mating.
The reception was buffet style, and though they knew they should stay longer, Grant and Colleen had another mission in mind. They went up to their bedchamber, and he removed her gown, then ditched his kilt and shirt. Both of them shifted into wolves, then ran through the castle while everyone hailed them with toasts of champagne.
Three of the men had to grab the wolfhounds to ensure they didn’t chase after Grant and Colleen. Guthrie opened the front door for them. The mated couple ran out and through the inner bailey and then beyond. They ran and ran until they reached the glen where the sheep grazed on the green hills and the white, foaming burn rushed under the wooden footbridge.
The weather had turned colder, perfect for their fur coats, a wet mist draping over them as they reached the place they had shared their first kiss. On top of the hill as the sky turned yellow, orange, and pink and the sun began to set, Grant nuzzled Colleen’s face in a wolf’s way of courtship and she licked his face. And for a brief moment, they shifted, embraced each other tight, and kissed again.
Only this time they were husband and wife and mated wolves.
“God, I love you, Grant.”
“Hmm, lass. You are my one and only love. Are you ready to return to the keep and our chamber?” he asked, rubbing her chilled arms.
She smiled. “I thought you’d never ask.”
And then they shifted and raced off across the glen, in love with each other, with their home and their pack. Not in a million years would Colleen have ever thought she’d inherit a castle and a mate and his family all in one fell swoop.
Grant had run as a wolf through this glen so many times that he couldn’t count the number, but seeing Colleen ahead of him, her tail wagging in delight, and knowing just what they were in for when they returned home, he couldn’t have been happier.
He still wondered: if he’d been chivalrous and welcoming when Colleen had first arrived, would they be where they were today? All he knew was he was damn glad that the she-wolf had captured his heart and made him see the error of his ways.
She swore Ian’s mother was ready to burst into tears, as if Colleen was her daughter, too. Colleen fought her own tears at knowing that her best friend’s clan was taking her in just as much as Grant MacQuarrie’s.
Frederick took all three wolfhounds in hand, though they wanted to follow her down the aisle, and made them stay with him at the back of the chapel. When the minister asked for objections, Hercules barked, letting her know he wanted to join her up front. Everyone laughed.
“Sorry, Hercules,” Grant said. “She’s all mine.”
Which meant absolutely no way was Grant sharing his bed with anyone but her.
Before long, the ceremony was over and Colleen tossed her bouquet to the eager women, not knowing her own strength. The roses flew up and way over their heads.
Uncle Ethan caught the roses as they headed straight for him, and he blushed crimson. She was trying to send it to either Heather or Calla. Guthrie looked much relieved.
Everyone roared to see the older man holding on to the bouquet, his face the same color as the red roses.
“You’re supposed to let a lass catch the flowers,” Ian’s mother said, scolding him and taking the flowers away from him.
More laughter ensued.
And to a shocked audience, Uncle Ethan said, “All right, ma’am. I accept.” He took Lady Mae’s arm and tucked it under his own.
“Accept what?” she asked crossly.
“A mating. Marriage. Whatever you’d like,” he said, looking down at her with an adoring expression.
Cheers went up and Colleen swore Ian’s mother looked like she would expire on the spot.
Ian and his brothers were clapping hard and whistling and cheering, showing their approval for their mother’s mating with Shelley’s uncle. Now, whether their mother would agree was another story. She probably wanted to sock him for saying so at Colleen’s wedding, but Colleen loved it.
Grant had the privilege of removing the garter from Colleen’s leg, running his hand over her bare thigh a little too intimately, and several of the men teased him about the show. Then he tossed the garter to a groom-to-be. It hit Guthrie in the chest, and he caught it, turned red-faced, and tried to hand it off to one of Colleen’s cousins, who both shook their heads vehemently and wouldn’t touch it.
Laughter resounded and then the music started and Grant and Colleen had their first dance, followed by everyone else, mated wolves and singles. Ian’s mother and Uncle Ethan even danced at his coaxing and he held her so tenderly that Colleen assumed they were in for a mating.
The reception was buffet style, and though they knew they should stay longer, Grant and Colleen had another mission in mind. They went up to their bedchamber, and he removed her gown, then ditched his kilt and shirt. Both of them shifted into wolves, then ran through the castle while everyone hailed them with toasts of champagne.
Three of the men had to grab the wolfhounds to ensure they didn’t chase after Grant and Colleen. Guthrie opened the front door for them. The mated couple ran out and through the inner bailey and then beyond. They ran and ran until they reached the glen where the sheep grazed on the green hills and the white, foaming burn rushed under the wooden footbridge.
The weather had turned colder, perfect for their fur coats, a wet mist draping over them as they reached the place they had shared their first kiss. On top of the hill as the sky turned yellow, orange, and pink and the sun began to set, Grant nuzzled Colleen’s face in a wolf’s way of courtship and she licked his face. And for a brief moment, they shifted, embraced each other tight, and kissed again.
Only this time they were husband and wife and mated wolves.
“God, I love you, Grant.”
“Hmm, lass. You are my one and only love. Are you ready to return to the keep and our chamber?” he asked, rubbing her chilled arms.
She smiled. “I thought you’d never ask.”
And then they shifted and raced off across the glen, in love with each other, with their home and their pack. Not in a million years would Colleen have ever thought she’d inherit a castle and a mate and his family all in one fell swoop.
Grant had run as a wolf through this glen so many times that he couldn’t count the number, but seeing Colleen ahead of him, her tail wagging in delight, and knowing just what they were in for when they returned home, he couldn’t have been happier.
He still wondered: if he’d been chivalrous and welcoming when Colleen had first arrived, would they be where they were today? All he knew was he was damn glad that the she-wolf had captured his heart and made him see the error of his ways.
