Read Online The Blessed Blend by Allison Shaw - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Allison Shaw
Ads: Link
m’ wee lassie tha’ I am but ye’ve nae need t’ be afeart o’ me!”
Euan gave John an irritated look and said, “I’ll thank ye t’ nae be tellin’ m’ daughter such nonsense, MacQueen.”
“And I’ll thank ye t’ nae be such an auld mon aboot havin’ a wee bit o’ fun,” John retorted. “Christ, Euan, hae ye ne’er used a bit o’ imagination?”
Euan uttered a Gaelic profanity imparting his opinion as to the contents of John’s cranium and John shook his head and took a sip of his tea. “Before ye insult my brains perhaps ye should remember who’s in this mess for lack o’ usin’ his ain,” he retorted.
Jim cleared his throat to bring the two men back to the matter at hand. Euan looked at him before returning his gaze to his children. He took in every detail of their features and noticed that they were studying him just as raptly.
Mountain Rose asked, “So you’re really our daddy?”
Euan nodded. “That I am, lass.”
“So are you gonna marry Mama?” she asked. Completely oblivious to the startled reaction of the adults, she looked intently into Euan’s eyes and waited for his response.
“Mountain Rose!” Darlene scolded. “You don’t ask grown people questions like that!”
The child looked at her grandmother and asked, “Why not? Daddies and mamas oughta be together. Maw-Maw said so.”
“Maw-Maw?” Euan repeated with a slightly confused expression.
“My mother,” Darlene said. “Folks around here are a bit old-fashioned in that regard.”
Euan looked at his daughter, thinking of what to say. Finally he replied, “I canna tell ye tha’, lass. I made a lot o’ mistakes wi’ your mathair an’ I hurt her badly.”
Mountain Rose shrugged. “So kiss and make up. That’s what Grandma and Grandpa do.”
Jim and John coughed to hide their laughter as Darlene blushed and Euan sat back in complete surprise.
“Well, Uncle Caleb and Lacie like to kiss,” Mountain Rose continued. “They lick in each other’s mouths.”
A gasp went up around the table followed by more laughter. “You better not let Uncle Caleb know you’ve been spying on them, little girl,” Jim chuckled. “He might get mad at you.”
“But why?” she asked.
“’Cause that’s grown-up stuff,” Red Wolf stated quietly.
Mountain Rose rested her cheek on her wee fist. “You’uns is all bein’ silly,” she huffed. “And I think Mama and Daddy should kiss and make up so we can be a family.”
Darlene said, “It’s just not that simple, baby. Your mama and daddy have a lot of problems between them. It might take a while before they can work things out, and sometimes people just can’t get it together and they have to live apart. They can still be your mama and daddy and love you even if they don’t love each other.”
Red Wolf looked at Euan. “Do you love Mama?” he asked.
Euan choked on his tea. His mind jumped around like a sack of frogs as he sputtered and tried to get his throat clear. His son’s eyes never left his and Euan felt the boy reading him like a book. When he could talk he nodded, “Aye, I love yer mathair, lad. But she doesna love me. Na’ anymore. It’s a cross I’ll hae t’ bear.”
Mountain Rose piped up. “Mama loves you, Daddy. But she’s awful mad at you.”
Euan was floored. These two looked like wee bairns but spoke as if they were nearly grown. He had heard stories of changelings all his life and was beginning to think that there might have been some truth to the old tales of immortal beings switched with mortal bairns. Good lord, what old souls these two were to have so much more sense than their parents!
Callie woke up after having slept for what seemed like hours. Her head hurt and she felt shaky. She had to think of where she was and realized that she was in her parents’ quarters at the lodge, on the sofa. She had cried
Euan gave John an irritated look and said, “I’ll thank ye t’ nae be tellin’ m’ daughter such nonsense, MacQueen.”
“And I’ll thank ye t’ nae be such an auld mon aboot havin’ a wee bit o’ fun,” John retorted. “Christ, Euan, hae ye ne’er used a bit o’ imagination?”
Euan uttered a Gaelic profanity imparting his opinion as to the contents of John’s cranium and John shook his head and took a sip of his tea. “Before ye insult my brains perhaps ye should remember who’s in this mess for lack o’ usin’ his ain,” he retorted.
Jim cleared his throat to bring the two men back to the matter at hand. Euan looked at him before returning his gaze to his children. He took in every detail of their features and noticed that they were studying him just as raptly.
Mountain Rose asked, “So you’re really our daddy?”
Euan nodded. “That I am, lass.”
“So are you gonna marry Mama?” she asked. Completely oblivious to the startled reaction of the adults, she looked intently into Euan’s eyes and waited for his response.
“Mountain Rose!” Darlene scolded. “You don’t ask grown people questions like that!”
The child looked at her grandmother and asked, “Why not? Daddies and mamas oughta be together. Maw-Maw said so.”
“Maw-Maw?” Euan repeated with a slightly confused expression.
“My mother,” Darlene said. “Folks around here are a bit old-fashioned in that regard.”
Euan looked at his daughter, thinking of what to say. Finally he replied, “I canna tell ye tha’, lass. I made a lot o’ mistakes wi’ your mathair an’ I hurt her badly.”
Mountain Rose shrugged. “So kiss and make up. That’s what Grandma and Grandpa do.”
Jim and John coughed to hide their laughter as Darlene blushed and Euan sat back in complete surprise.
“Well, Uncle Caleb and Lacie like to kiss,” Mountain Rose continued. “They lick in each other’s mouths.”
A gasp went up around the table followed by more laughter. “You better not let Uncle Caleb know you’ve been spying on them, little girl,” Jim chuckled. “He might get mad at you.”
“But why?” she asked.
“’Cause that’s grown-up stuff,” Red Wolf stated quietly.
Mountain Rose rested her cheek on her wee fist. “You’uns is all bein’ silly,” she huffed. “And I think Mama and Daddy should kiss and make up so we can be a family.”
Darlene said, “It’s just not that simple, baby. Your mama and daddy have a lot of problems between them. It might take a while before they can work things out, and sometimes people just can’t get it together and they have to live apart. They can still be your mama and daddy and love you even if they don’t love each other.”
Red Wolf looked at Euan. “Do you love Mama?” he asked.
Euan choked on his tea. His mind jumped around like a sack of frogs as he sputtered and tried to get his throat clear. His son’s eyes never left his and Euan felt the boy reading him like a book. When he could talk he nodded, “Aye, I love yer mathair, lad. But she doesna love me. Na’ anymore. It’s a cross I’ll hae t’ bear.”
Mountain Rose piped up. “Mama loves you, Daddy. But she’s awful mad at you.”
Euan was floored. These two looked like wee bairns but spoke as if they were nearly grown. He had heard stories of changelings all his life and was beginning to think that there might have been some truth to the old tales of immortal beings switched with mortal bairns. Good lord, what old souls these two were to have so much more sense than their parents!
Callie woke up after having slept for what seemed like hours. Her head hurt and she felt shaky. She had to think of where she was and realized that she was in her parents’ quarters at the lodge, on the sofa. She had cried
Similar Books
