Fifty-nine.

Colt watched her mate intensely as he drove them out, and up an old stalking track, they were heading to higher ground. But right now she had stopped caring where. All that mattered was Calum, in a kilt, sat beside her; at this particular moment, life was pretty perfect. She wasn't exactly sure why she was feeling the way she was, but she couldn't take her eyes off him, scared she might miss something important. The impulse was so all consuming, it took her longer than normal to discover, she actually knew exactly where they were.

"I know this track!" Colt exclaimed when she had finally dragged her eyes from Calum's face, "This is where I ride Solaris, it leads beautifully down onto a sandy beach," but she paused as a tent came into view. "Wait, is that a tent? Is someone already here?" She asked as they approached the green fabric, pinned into the dormant heather.

Calum nodded knowingly, with a sly smile "I know you do love, I also know you wanted to come up here for sunset." He paused for dramatic effect, while he parked up the argo. "And the tent is for us by the way, I set it up while you were at the spa. But, first look inside the basket, Colt," he spoke excited for her and rather obviously pleased with himself.

Colt was at a loss for words, excitement bubbling in her stomach as she turned around and lifted the wicker basket lid. It swung open on the leather strap hinge that was awkwardly facing the front of the vehicle; the result being that her view of the interior was now completely blocked and she smirked lightly when Calum cursed at his over sight. She dropped the lid back down, biting her lip as she took in Calum's frustrated appearance.

"Oh, chill out. It's fine." Colt laughed, climbing out of the argocat, and walking around to the back.

Calum followed her lead, meeting her at the back while muttering about his own incompetence, before he took over lifting the lid, revealing a box. It was wrapped in deep blue paper, with swirling gold patterns, it even had a rustic golden ribbon tied around it. Colt smiled at the effort went to wrap her gift, then she reached in, lifting it out with a smile as she turned to him her head cocked in mild confusion.

"You didn't think I'd let your day go by without a gift did you?" Calum asked playfully, dropping the lid to pull Colt close and give her a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"I didn't really think about it," Colt smiled, while testing the weight of the box in her hands, "I guess, having you in my life is enough of a gift, I don't need anything else," she shrugged, trying to play off her sentimentality.

Calum reached for the box, "In that case, I'll return this shall I?" He teased, "Since, you don't need it."

Colt swatted his hands away with a scowl making him laugh out loudly, "Don't you dare, Macgregor," she scolded him, while using her cousin's nickname for her mate. "I said, I didn't expect it, not that I didn't want it."

"Well I suggest you open it then, Love." Calum smirked, hauling up the wicker basket to carry over to the front of the tent.

As Colt slowly followed, her attention fully on the box in her hands, Calum quickly unzipped the door and switched on the fairy lights he had set up earlier that morning. Before turning to his love struck, gift obsessed mate.

"Well open it then, before it's too late, Woman," he chided playfully, loving how adorable she looked.

"Okay, okay," Colt called out with a small laugh, before sliding her finger underneath the tape to release the paper.

When she had removed the rest of the paper, her face completely lit up in disbelief.

"You remembered?" She asked, with a slight tremble to her voice. They had only discussed it once and it was back when they first met, while she was trying and failing not to fall completely for him.

"Of course I did, and now you know why I was in a rush. So, get that bloody thing out of its box and start taking your pictures before the sunset has passed. There is a blank memory card loaded, a fully charged battery and a rather expensive wide angled lens. Which should work for your next surprise as well," Calum laughed, while placing out a large blanket. "Oh, and we are staying the night, so you should manage to get some of the sunrise as well," he added, before turning to straighten the picnic blanket.

Before Colt even thought about opening the box, she put the camera down carefully beside the tent. Then she threw herself at her mate with all the grace and elegance of a rhinoceros falling from a tree, knocking them both to the ground in the process with a loud thump.

"Thank you," she whispered as she clung to him in a tangle of mildly bruise limbs, while his arms encircled around her and he let out a winded chuckle.

"You are more than welcome, Love." Calum laughed, squeezing her tight, "But, you will miss the sunset if you don't get set up soon," he pointed out.

"Ahh, you're right," Colt squealed with excitement, as she tried and failed to wriggle free. "Let me go, you lunatic," she cried out laughing.

"Oh right, because when you make us nearly miss everything, it's okay. But, when I do it? You have the nerve to complain..." He laughed out fighting the urge to tickle her, before Colt squealed in fright as he flipped them over.

Calum gripped Colt's wrists beside her head, on top of the now very crumpled blanket, and stared deeply into her eyes. He waited until the very edge of the moment where she was about to speak and her lips began to part. Then he crashed his mouth onto hers, taking full advantage of his timing to use his tongue in all the ways he knew she liked. When he was finished turning her insides to mush and her legs to jelly with just his kiss, he pulled back to help her up, and the smile beamed from his face when she wobbled slightly on her feet.

Despite her growing arousal, and jelly like legs, Colt returned his smile with her own mischievous smirk, "That would have been way more satisfying without the sporran," she teased him, looking to where the hard case sat in front of his manhood.

"Whose mind is in the gutter now, Love?" He asked with a wink. "Now, go take your pictures, before I ravish you on the ground, and you miss the sunset altogether."

"I will," she said biting her lip, "And, thank you."

Colt's smile could have lit up a dark night's sky for Calum on most days. But right now he believed she could rival Vegas with her brightness, while she walked to the west side of the tent with her new camera. How it was possible.to be so perfect, he had no idea.

Calum watched her go with his own lopsided smile, she was so excited about her camera she hadn't even noticed how he had set up the tent. It was full of soft blankets and pillows, the blow up mattress was disguised with more faux fur blankets, and he had hung the twisting mesh of twinkling lights to the roof and walls. It would be a nightmare should it rain, but there wasn't rain due for another ten days or so, and he couldn't wait to see her face when she spotted it.

He tied up the door properly, and straightened out the picnic blanket he had brought with him. Laying out the food as he went. He had prepped all the salads and sides himself, but the actual burgers, his Mum kindly cooked off. That way while he was dragging his obviously oblivious, yet surprisingly obstinate mate around to get her here, they would still retain some heat for their meal.

Then while he waited, he made sure Colt was distracted before he opened his sporran. Inside there was a small box. One he had made himself, it was a polished oak instead of the traditional velvet. He had gathered the wood weeks go and dried it out in his friend Paul's kiln. It made the project trickier, because the wood was now on the brittle side, but after harvesting the branch from the tree he found Colt in, he didn't really have a choice if he wanted it ready in time. He had sanded and polished it, like a man possessed, before he carved out his chosen image on top. It was two half faces, one wolf and one wildcat, each joined in the centre, giving the right side a feline appearance and the left a lupine one.

For something so small it sure felt pretty heavy. With another quick glance in Colt's direction, he deemed it safe and opened the box, staring at the blue tear shaped stone staring back at him. It was resting, nestled snugly upon a piece of tartan he had robbed from his own kilt, and haphazardly sewn into a cushion. His mother would kill him if she knew. But, he wanted it to be perfect, a piece of himself, with a piece of Colt.

Sitting on the hill now while he awaited the right moment, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. The more he stared at the ring, the more his apprehension grew. How it was possible that he felt judged by a bloody gemstone, he would never know. But, damn it he did, and it made him feel sick to his stomach, magnifying his nerves ten fold.

He loved her, but, most wildcat men married out of necessity and arrangement; love came afterwards, for the lucky ones at least. He trusted that Colt loved him back, and that she wanted to spend the remainder of their lives together. But, right now, with the thought of proposing churning through him, and doing it within the next few approaching hours, Calum couldn't help but worry.

Because, what if she said no to being his wife.

*Author's Note: Mr River took me to Crete to propose, he had arranged it with the hotel we stayed at, who had their own private pier. He told me he wanted to go see it because he was told it would be all lit up. I distinctly remembered no lights in the stone walls, and awkwardly stated as much. I also didnt catch on to the hotel reps code to him, saying there would be rain that night... it was Crete, in May: there was no rain 🤣. It was all very covert. When we made it down the cliff side, I wearing an ivory grecian floor length satin gown (that I most recently wore again when.our 2 year old daughter insisted I also dress up... she was Elsa. No idea who I was, but it was a long dress and she was happy, plus I got to keep.my thermal leggings on underneath....yeah I looked good...😅🤣🤣🤣) Anyway, we got there and there was a path of multicolored candles leading up to a table set for two. I refused to go any further, utterly convinced this must be something set up for someone else...🙈 I was super helpful. I was dragged reluctantly along and seen it was set with a champagne bottle in an ice bucket and two unused glasses. I turned to say we should really go, only Mr River wasn't standing anymore he was down on one knee. Obviously I said yes. Who says no to the man you love when he proposes under a star filled sky in the Mediterranean, with the sea lapping around you on a candle lit pier. Anyway, I drew inspiration from this in a lot of different parts for Calum's eventual proposal, including his nerves. I hope you are enjoying it so far. Oh and Mr River maee up for his lack of proposal kilt, by wearing one while we got married 😉. Do you have a proposal story? I would love to hear it? B x*