treated so poorly. “Why don’t you come up to the house? We’re about to sit down to eat.”
She didn’t take even a moment to consider his offer. “I won’t take food off your brother’s table. I owe him yet for driving me into town.”
“We don’t keep tallies of such things in this family, Katie.”
“I do,” she answered. “I don’t care to be beholden to anyone.”
That determined chin of hers rose once more. The feisty colleen was back again.
“Why do I suspect I ought to have named you Stubborn Katie rather than Sweet Katie?”
“You needn’t mock me.” There was the slow-burning dislike he’d heard in the wagon. Katie was returning to herself in spades now.
Did she have any idea how intrigued he was by her?
“I wasn’t mocking in the least. Some of my favorite people are terribly stubborn. Ian’s wife, for example. If she hears you hid out here in the barn rather than accept her hospitality, she’ll skin you and me both alive for it.”
“ She didn’t offer hospitality. You did.”
Stubborn woman. “It amounts to the same thing.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Her words shook a bit, but so did her very frame.
“You’re fair freezing.” He moved to take off his coat.
“You needn’t do that, Tavish.”
He nodded even as he pulled it off the rest of the way. “But I intend to just the same.” Tavish eyed her doubtfully. “The question remaining is whether or not you’re going to refuse it and sit there cold and wet and miserable or accept the offer graciously.”
“Stubborn I may be,” Katie said, “but I’d like to think I’m not stupid.”
He took that as encouragement and put his coat about her shoulders. He fully expected her to glare at him or act as though she despised him. What he hadn’t anticipated was the rush of tenderness he felt. He hardly knew her. Why would he feel anything beyond curiosity and, perhaps, a tug of compassion?
“Thank you for the coat.” She pulled it more firmly about her. “I haven’t a proper one of my own, and this is something of a merciless rain you’re having tonight.”
“Aye, that’s Wyoming for you. Weeks of dry nothingness followed by a downpour you can hardly abide.”
“That’s Wyoming ?” Katie shook her head. “You’ve just described life itself, is what you’ve done.”
He knew that for a fact. “Ah, but that’s far too often true.”
Katie looked away from him. Uncomfortable with being in agreement with him, was she? Tavish wasn’t sure how to get around that, nor why he wanted to so much. Perhaps it was the challenge of a woman who’d decided so quickly to hate him.
“What do you say we make our way up to the house, Katie? I’ve a feeling you’re as hungry as I.”
“I don’t like being an imposition.”
What she didn’t like, he felt certain, was being noticed. “Then I suggest you come directly. The entire family’ll march out here to talk you into coming in if you insist on staying behind.”
She looked up at last. He made certain his face showed that he was fully serious about the family running her to ground. He’d rally them himself if need be.
“You don’t have to tell them I’m here,” she said with an uncertain hopefulness.
“Ah, but I do. I most certainly do.”
Surely she would see there was nothing for it but to give over. There was no way on God’s green earth he would leave her to spend the night in a barn. He’d not do that to any woman.
Some of her stubbornness slipped from her expression but not all. “Do you think they could find a few chores for me to do, in exchange for their kindness?”
She wished to work for her keep? An admirable trait, that. “If you’d like. There’s always plenty of work to go around.”
Katie nodded, apparently satisfied. “Then I suppose we’d best be on our way up to the house.”
He’d fully expected a long, drawn-out battle of wills. “That was easier than I thought it would be.”
“Maybe I’m not as stubborn as
She didn’t take even a moment to consider his offer. “I won’t take food off your brother’s table. I owe him yet for driving me into town.”
“We don’t keep tallies of such things in this family, Katie.”
“I do,” she answered. “I don’t care to be beholden to anyone.”
That determined chin of hers rose once more. The feisty colleen was back again.
“Why do I suspect I ought to have named you Stubborn Katie rather than Sweet Katie?”
“You needn’t mock me.” There was the slow-burning dislike he’d heard in the wagon. Katie was returning to herself in spades now.
Did she have any idea how intrigued he was by her?
“I wasn’t mocking in the least. Some of my favorite people are terribly stubborn. Ian’s wife, for example. If she hears you hid out here in the barn rather than accept her hospitality, she’ll skin you and me both alive for it.”
“ She didn’t offer hospitality. You did.”
Stubborn woman. “It amounts to the same thing.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Her words shook a bit, but so did her very frame.
“You’re fair freezing.” He moved to take off his coat.
“You needn’t do that, Tavish.”
He nodded even as he pulled it off the rest of the way. “But I intend to just the same.” Tavish eyed her doubtfully. “The question remaining is whether or not you’re going to refuse it and sit there cold and wet and miserable or accept the offer graciously.”
“Stubborn I may be,” Katie said, “but I’d like to think I’m not stupid.”
He took that as encouragement and put his coat about her shoulders. He fully expected her to glare at him or act as though she despised him. What he hadn’t anticipated was the rush of tenderness he felt. He hardly knew her. Why would he feel anything beyond curiosity and, perhaps, a tug of compassion?
“Thank you for the coat.” She pulled it more firmly about her. “I haven’t a proper one of my own, and this is something of a merciless rain you’re having tonight.”
“Aye, that’s Wyoming for you. Weeks of dry nothingness followed by a downpour you can hardly abide.”
“That’s Wyoming ?” Katie shook her head. “You’ve just described life itself, is what you’ve done.”
He knew that for a fact. “Ah, but that’s far too often true.”
Katie looked away from him. Uncomfortable with being in agreement with him, was she? Tavish wasn’t sure how to get around that, nor why he wanted to so much. Perhaps it was the challenge of a woman who’d decided so quickly to hate him.
“What do you say we make our way up to the house, Katie? I’ve a feeling you’re as hungry as I.”
“I don’t like being an imposition.”
What she didn’t like, he felt certain, was being noticed. “Then I suggest you come directly. The entire family’ll march out here to talk you into coming in if you insist on staying behind.”
She looked up at last. He made certain his face showed that he was fully serious about the family running her to ground. He’d rally them himself if need be.
“You don’t have to tell them I’m here,” she said with an uncertain hopefulness.
“Ah, but I do. I most certainly do.”
Surely she would see there was nothing for it but to give over. There was no way on God’s green earth he would leave her to spend the night in a barn. He’d not do that to any woman.
Some of her stubbornness slipped from her expression but not all. “Do you think they could find a few chores for me to do, in exchange for their kindness?”
She wished to work for her keep? An admirable trait, that. “If you’d like. There’s always plenty of work to go around.”
Katie nodded, apparently satisfied. “Then I suppose we’d best be on our way up to the house.”
He’d fully expected a long, drawn-out battle of wills. “That was easier than I thought it would be.”
“Maybe I’m not as stubborn as
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