“But Belle fixed it,” the boy said.
“Well, we are not sure of that yet, Abel.”
“What did you do?” asked Abbie.
“Just put the bones together as they should have been put together the first time. We have discovered that massaging his leg and hand appears to help with the muscles and nerves.”
Abbie frowned and slowly nodded. “I can see how it might. What do you use?”
“A lotion my father made up. Nothing special, except it does help ease any cramp or pain the patient may suffer from. Robbie is the one who noticed that when it was massaged into his leg or hand, it also aided in the mobility of both.”
“So, how often do you put on the lotion?”
“Twice a day on his leg and whenever he wants some on his hand. The hand appears to be more of a problem because the muscles and nerves were damaged. From what I could feel beneath the skin, the bones in his hand have healed correctly, no thanks to the men who hurt him. But the bruised muscles and nerves need more help.”
“So massage. Well, there are three of us who can work on that regularly.”
Belle wondered which three the woman meant, but decided not to ask.
Conversation was constant and often there were several going on at the same time. Belle found it interesting yet oddly tiring. When Geordie quietly took her by the hand and tried to slip out of the kitchen, she thought he was insane to think he could sneak away from this crowd. Noah stood in the hall and grinned as if he thought the same. It surprised her when Geordie bolted for the stairs.
“Get a good night’s rest, lad. We’ll get to the ceremony tomorrow,” said Mrs. O’Neal.
“Running willnae save ye, brother. Didnae help me or Matthew at all. Ow! Dinnae pinch, Emily.”
“Bastards,” Geordie muttered as he ducked into their room and dropped onto the bed.
Belle watched him for a moment, then asked, “What was that all about?”
“Mrs. O’Neal.” He sat up and took his boots off. “Ye ken I said we sort of accepted Iain as our da?” Belle nodded. “Weel, Mrs. O’Neal has become the other parent. I ken it is an odd thing.”
“No, not when you think on how young you all were. But that really doesn’t tell me what was meant by all of that.”
“I’ll show ye where the washroom is.” He took her by the hand and led her down the hall. “We can talk when we get back to the room.”
They each took their turn washing up and using the facilities. Then he led her back to their room. She opened her bag and put away the clothes she had brought with her, then went to sit on the bed. When he sprawled next to her, she turned to look at him.
“Ready to explain?”
“Ye said ye love me, aye?”
She leaned over and gave him a kiss. “Aye,” she said and smiled.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down, giving her a kiss that left her breathless. “Then ye wouldnae have any objection to marrying me?” He kissed her throat.
“Now? We have not really decided where we will live.”
“I have been leaning toward us returning to the ocean after a nice visit.”
“It is pretty here.”
“Oh, aye. But I cannae sit on the hillside and listen to the waves kiss the shore. I cannae take a deep breath and smell that ocean air. I cannae go rowing. I was just getting good.” He turned his head to hide his grin over the questionable look she gave him.
“But your family . . .”
“Love them, every single one, the ones who are blood family and all the rest. But it is nay such a chore to come for a visit, is it, and I can contribute to them so they can come to us now and again. And, if we change our mind, we can always come back and set up house.”
She settled down in his arms and laid her head on his chest. “All right then. I could not really decide. As I said, it is pretty here. But I did worry about where you go when you need a lot of supplies, and the forest we drove through was so thick and dark. I don’t know about the wildlife here, so didn’t know how dangerous it might be.”
