Sins of the Heart by Sarah Hoss

with his shirt to see his skin and the wound that she feared might be there.
    “Nay, it’s Aiden’s. We fought.”
    She patted his chest, glad to hear the news.
    Graham and Christina entered the kitchen. “Can I get you both something to drink?” She went to the fridge when they nodded and poured four glasses of lemonade and passed them out.
    After an hour of talk about the day’s events and making sure that indeed everyone was truly unharmed, everyone but Grant stood to leave.
    As the door closed, Grant turned and eased Abigail into his arms. “I owe you an apology. I should never have involved you as I did.” He slipped away and gently grasped her face in his hands. “When I found out that you had been taken and then when I saw you with a gun to your side”—he sighed—“I knew what fear was.”
    She hugged him and laid her head on his chest. He ran a hand up and down her spine.
    “It wasn’t as if you could have known it would turn out like that.” She peered up at him, meeting him eye to eye. “But you’re right. No more secrets.”
    “Aye, no more secrets.” He kissed her. Gently at first, then with more urgency. He needed her to know how he felt. As if that one kiss could tell her everything in his heart.
    Reluctantly, he stepped away. “I have to go back.”
    “Really?”
    “Aye. I’m chief, and therefore I have duties. Besides, there is a lot to explain to a few people.”
    She left his arms, and he felt empty. He wanted her in his life. During the months they had been chatting online, he had grown to care for her more than he realized. Now, with all they had been through, he wanted her near.
    “I don’t want you to go, but I understand. You will be wanting to take the shield with you.” She turned to look at him. “Is this goodbye then?”
    He watched as a tear slipped down her cheek. Seeing it made him feel two things—sadness, for he never wanted to see her cry, and happiness, for it meant that she felt something for him too. She had every right to turn away from him and he would understand it if she did.
    “Nay, in a week, I want you to come to Scotland. I will have an airline ticket waiting for you at the airport. You can ship the shield and sign over the paperwork to me then.”
    She reached out and grabbed his hand. “Yes. It’s a date.”

Chapter 22
    Grant stood staring at the shield where it sat perched on the wall in his office where it belonged. The room felt whole again, and he smiled. Life was as it should be. Malcolm and Keltie went straight to the hospital as soon as they got back to Scotland. She was under treatment and looking better. She wasn’t out of the woods, but on her way, and Grant was happy for his cousin.
    He spoke with the other members of the board and decided that even though he had done wrong, the circumstances around it were justifiable. Especially considering the plan against Malcolm.
    The door at his back opened, and Abigail entered the room. His life was full for the most part. Something had been missing before, and he now knew what it was. Her.
    “How are you today, dear sir?” She set the breakfast tray on the table near the window and walked over to him. Placing his arm around her, he kissed her forehead.
    “Well, thank you.”
    He watched as she glanced at the shield.
    “It looks good up there, right as it should be.”
    “Aye, it does.”
    There was something he had to do, and he needed to do it before he chickened out.
    Turning to her, he held her hands in his. “Abigail, your plane leaves tomorrow.”
    She lowered her gaze. “I know. When will we see each other again?”
    Looking back up at him, she smiled. He’d give anything to see that smile every day after today.
    “Well, that depends.” The expression on her face turned to sadness.
    “On what?”
    “Whether or not you want to go back.” He led her over to the couch by the window and sat down, pulling her down next to him.
    “Abigail, I don’t want you to go back. As Chief, I