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shot her a wry look.
"She adores you," Catriona agreed, and shoved helpfully at the cow's massive shoulder. The animal turned and swatted her tail at Catriona as she moved away, only to bump into one of the horses. Sidestepping, the cow knocked over a stool.
"She'll step in the hearth fire! Here, move!" Catriona said. "You'll burn yourself—
ach
, silly cow, go that way!"
"What's her name?" Kenneth asked as he reached out and guided the cow's hindquarters away from the hearth.
"I do not know," she said. "A neighbor stabled her here so that I could have milk over the winter. What shall we call her?'
"Well, the cat is called Dog"—he frowned in a pretense of concentration—"how about Pig?"
Catriona laughed again, a bell-like sound that Kenneth had grown to love over the last few hours. Ever since the roof caved in, their shared laughter over the mishap had made the work of cleaning and repairing the damage seem easier. Now she bounced off the bed and danced quickly around the hearth, intent on keeping a horse from knocking over the remains of the ruined table, which Kenneth had set up as a crude fire screen.
"You are giddy as a lark in spring," Kenneth said, watching her. She moved lightly, with a kind of joy he had not seen in her before. "Your little house is in shambles, and yet you are happy as a child."
She chuckled sweetly as she patted one of the garrons. Kenneth smiled, and glanced past her toward the dark corner of the house where the roof had fallen. He stretched his shoulders, weary from a day spent clearing the wreckage and repairing the roof. He and Catriona had worked together to drag out chunks of ice, shovel dirty snow and straw, and haul timber and fresh straw from the collapsed byre to shore up the ceiling of the hut. The repairs had sealed out the sleet and the wind for now, but he was not sure how long the roof would hold, particularly if the ice storm continued.
Another onslaught of wind and sleet battered the outer walls, but soup steamed, fragrant and savory, in the hanging kettle, and the crackling flames in the hearth warmed the snug, overcrowded hut. Kenneth felt oddly content; Catriona's smile, directed toward him, told him she felt the same.
"What makes you so happy now, Catriona MacDonald?" he asked softly. "Surely a fallen roof is a poor omen, and yet you smile."
She sat beside him on the bed. "I do not know," she said. "I feel good, safe, somehow, in here, with the storm outside." She grinned, quick and charming. "And you made me laugh all through the day, just watching you try to repair the damage, with the cow licking your face and the horses bumping into you." Kenneth chuckled. "But a fallen roof must be a very unfavorable sign, as you say," she added somberly.
"It would be favorable enough, if it forced you to find a better place to live," he said. "You cannot stay here now. Come to Glenran with me."
She shook her head. "You know I will not do that."
"I am concerned for your welfare," he said. "Come with me. Please. Will you make me get down on my knees and beg?"
"I might," she said saucily. "Would you do it?"
"
Tcha. "
He smothered a grin. "I will more likely toss you in my plaid and carry you off. No Fraser will beg for a favor."
"Abducting the Maid of Kilernan is probably grounds for a feud," she said. "My uncle would be after you, then."
Kenneth watched her sparkling blue eyes, and his heart swelled within him. He realized, with a sudden, powerful clarity, that he had begun to love her. He drew a long breath, relishing the feeling, and an idea burst into his mind, stunning him with its strength, and its undeniable truth.
"Catriona," he said, "what if the Maid of Kilernan wed a Fraser?" He spoke slowly, wondering, his heart pounding.
She stared at him, her cheeks flushing high pink. "That—that would surely start a feud between Kilernan and Glenran."
The bold step he was about to take felt wholly right. "A marriage can sometimes end a feud," he said.
She lowered her
"She adores you," Catriona agreed, and shoved helpfully at the cow's massive shoulder. The animal turned and swatted her tail at Catriona as she moved away, only to bump into one of the horses. Sidestepping, the cow knocked over a stool.
"She'll step in the hearth fire! Here, move!" Catriona said. "You'll burn yourself—
ach
, silly cow, go that way!"
"What's her name?" Kenneth asked as he reached out and guided the cow's hindquarters away from the hearth.
"I do not know," she said. "A neighbor stabled her here so that I could have milk over the winter. What shall we call her?'
"Well, the cat is called Dog"—he frowned in a pretense of concentration—"how about Pig?"
Catriona laughed again, a bell-like sound that Kenneth had grown to love over the last few hours. Ever since the roof caved in, their shared laughter over the mishap had made the work of cleaning and repairing the damage seem easier. Now she bounced off the bed and danced quickly around the hearth, intent on keeping a horse from knocking over the remains of the ruined table, which Kenneth had set up as a crude fire screen.
"You are giddy as a lark in spring," Kenneth said, watching her. She moved lightly, with a kind of joy he had not seen in her before. "Your little house is in shambles, and yet you are happy as a child."
She chuckled sweetly as she patted one of the garrons. Kenneth smiled, and glanced past her toward the dark corner of the house where the roof had fallen. He stretched his shoulders, weary from a day spent clearing the wreckage and repairing the roof. He and Catriona had worked together to drag out chunks of ice, shovel dirty snow and straw, and haul timber and fresh straw from the collapsed byre to shore up the ceiling of the hut. The repairs had sealed out the sleet and the wind for now, but he was not sure how long the roof would hold, particularly if the ice storm continued.
Another onslaught of wind and sleet battered the outer walls, but soup steamed, fragrant and savory, in the hanging kettle, and the crackling flames in the hearth warmed the snug, overcrowded hut. Kenneth felt oddly content; Catriona's smile, directed toward him, told him she felt the same.
"What makes you so happy now, Catriona MacDonald?" he asked softly. "Surely a fallen roof is a poor omen, and yet you smile."
She sat beside him on the bed. "I do not know," she said. "I feel good, safe, somehow, in here, with the storm outside." She grinned, quick and charming. "And you made me laugh all through the day, just watching you try to repair the damage, with the cow licking your face and the horses bumping into you." Kenneth chuckled. "But a fallen roof must be a very unfavorable sign, as you say," she added somberly.
"It would be favorable enough, if it forced you to find a better place to live," he said. "You cannot stay here now. Come to Glenran with me."
She shook her head. "You know I will not do that."
"I am concerned for your welfare," he said. "Come with me. Please. Will you make me get down on my knees and beg?"
"I might," she said saucily. "Would you do it?"
"
Tcha. "
He smothered a grin. "I will more likely toss you in my plaid and carry you off. No Fraser will beg for a favor."
"Abducting the Maid of Kilernan is probably grounds for a feud," she said. "My uncle would be after you, then."
Kenneth watched her sparkling blue eyes, and his heart swelled within him. He realized, with a sudden, powerful clarity, that he had begun to love her. He drew a long breath, relishing the feeling, and an idea burst into his mind, stunning him with its strength, and its undeniable truth.
"Catriona," he said, "what if the Maid of Kilernan wed a Fraser?" He spoke slowly, wondering, his heart pounding.
She stared at him, her cheeks flushing high pink. "That—that would surely start a feud between Kilernan and Glenran."
The bold step he was about to take felt wholly right. "A marriage can sometimes end a feud," he said.
She lowered her
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