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"Oh, God," he breathed out "I love you"

The crowd on the screen erupted in applause, but the laughter died on her face, overtaken by sheer panic Brigid’s ht and held a second before she bolted from the silent room The front door slammed a moment later

Carwyn turned to see the shocked faces that were ignoring the final round on the screen

"I said that out loud, didn’t I?"

Max nodded

Tavish said, "That was far "

Cathy only shook her head "Bit rusty on the wooing skills, aren’t we, Father?"

Max finally rose to his feet "You idiot!" he hissed "Go after her before she’s halfway to Glasgow"

His heart was pounding when he sped from the room

Smooth, Carwyn ‘A bit rusty’ was an understatement

He slipped off his shoes when he reached the door and stretched out with his senses He felt a trail of her energy speeding away from the house and toward the dark trees where the deer often took shelter He grinned and followed her

"Brigid!"

He tracked her past the tree line Along a narrow streaive her that But then, perhaps the shock of his confession had terrified her evenpredator For a htened her? Then he reht before The hunger The glorious, long-awaited joy he’d only ever iain He loved her

It was so glaringly obvious, he laughed His possessive behavior around the little shit Murphy The overwhel desire for her, when so feomen in a thousand years had even teth and deter in a clearing, as if readying for battle Her head was down, her shoulders stiff, and her hands clenched

"Brigid?"

She looked at hiid, I’m sorry That wasn’t the way--"

"Is that what youto h?"

He stopped dead in his tracks "No!"

"Because that ridiculous joke--"

"Was not a joke!" he roared

She stopped pacing and glared at him "Of course it was You can’t love id held up a treer "The pope, for one And… the church And I’ with the pope" Her hand fell, but the glare had turned back to panic as he approached her cautiously