“Boys!” Katie shouted. Instead of quieting, they managed to wiggle from Evan’s hands and dropped to the ground. They rolled around for a while giggling, then took off after the kitten, who had jumped on David’s chest, obviously ready for more fun.
“Mistress Stirling.” Evan leaned close to her ear, which was necessary, since more of the Stirling brood had started to enter the castle and the noise had become overwhelming. “I will give you one half hour to settle whatever it is you need to settle, then I will toss ye over my shoulder and deposit ye on the back of yer horse for us to continue our visits.”
Just the thought of him doing that made her heart pound and sweat break out on her forehead. Is that what the men in the Highlands did when they wanted a woman to do something? Merely sling them over their shoulder and walk away?
Oh my.
She raised her chin, hoping the flush on her face was not noticeable. “I shall do my best to be ready in one half hour, my laird. There will be no need for you to resort to violence.”
His grin was as evil as the look in his eyes as he bent once more, his warm breath brushing over her ear, bringing gooseflesh to her skin. “’Twas not violence I was thinking about, lass.” With those words, he touched her lightly on her cheek, turned on his heel, and, shaking his head at the twins who were rolling around on the floor punching each other, walked to the library and slammed the door.
Alasdair studied his brother as he made his exit. “Dinnae think I ever heard my brother promise to toss a lass over his shoulder.” He shook his head and glanced at Katie. “Ye do something to the man, ye ken?”
Aye, whatever it was she did to the man, he did to her as well. His whispered words kept repeating in her ears as she tried to make some semblance of order out of the chaos that had erupted in the hall with the rest of Archie’s little ones stumbling through the door—hungry and weary from their travels.
She quickly made arrangements for them to share two of the bedchambers and sent the bairns to the kitchen to be fed. Glenda kept hugging her, telling her how grateful she was for the chance to have a better life for her little ones. Katie was just grateful to shoo them upstairs before Evan made good on his threat to drag her of
f in a most undignified manner to do his bidding.
’Twas exactly one half hour after his announcement that Evan emerged from the library, the look in his eye leaving no doubt in her mind that if she wasn’t prepared to leave, he certainly was.
“I am ready, my laird.” The words burst forth from her lips. She didn’t want to race him from the castle to avoid being slung over his shoulder.
“Good. Let’s be on our way, then.” He took her elbow and hustled her out of the house. She couldn’t help the wee bit of disappointment she felt as they made their way to the stables. Would he truly have tossed her over his shoulder, her bottom in the air? She shivered as he wrapped his large, warm hands around her waist and hoisted her onto the horse.
Within minutes, he was also mounted, and they were again on their way toward the village.
…
Evan was almost sorry Katie had been ready to leave. His hands had itched to lift her up and feel the softness of her stomach on his shoulder, her fine breasts pressed up against his back. But ’twas not a dignified way to treat his employee, especially in front of her clansmen.
“If ye have other families on their way that are the size of the one just arrived, we better find some empty cottages for them. Although the castle has many bedchambers—forty, I believe—’tis better if each family has a place of their own.”
Katie couldn’t help the laugh that escaped. “Better for who? Ye or them?”
“Aye.” His grin made a reappearance. The lass certainly had a way of making his world lopsided. One minute he wanted to throttle the woman, and the next minute he was thinking of getting to know her in other, more pleasant, ways.
He reached into his sporran and pulled out the paper with the list of tenants. “Our next visit is with a Mr. Bernard MacDuff. He and his daughter, Maureen, live there.”
“No Mrs. MacDuff?”
“Nay. None listed.”
They rode past the MacDuff house where they’d rescued the poor sick woman. “I asked Cook to see about getting someone to clean the cottage.” Katie pointed to the humble house. “We cannot send the woman back there until we see to it.”
Evan nodded his approval and directed his horse into a right turn, then up a small hill to the next cottage. “Let us hope we dinnae leave this place with an animal or an ill tenant.”
Bernard MacDuff was a tall, well-rounded man with whiskers on his face and large mitts for hands. He looked as though he could pick a man up by his neck and with one swift move, send him to his creator.
Maureen was tall, like her da, but slender with a bit of the fairy in her demeanor. She reminded him of the stories about ethereal creatures. Mystical, ready to pull a prank on an unsuspecting lad—or something more devious, if angered.
After Evan introduced himself, Bernard slapped him on the back, almost sending him to the ground. “’Tis about time ye came around to see to the castle and what’s left of the clan.”
“Aye. It took me some time to finish up what I needed to do at home before I could make the journey.”
“Come inside, and we’ll have a bit of ale.” Bernard glanced at his daughter. “Set out some of those scones ye made this morning, lass.”
They all trooped inside. Evan was pleased to see a well-tended house, with no illness or stray animals wandering about. Perhaps they could escape this visit empty-handed.