Brandon laughed. If Cody were not already leaving, she would probably want his company, too. “I never thought you would leave without her, though I hardly think it good form to take one’s child on one’s wedding trip.”
“As if you care about good form.”
One of Brandon’s brows arched lazily. “On occasion I care very much.”
“I don’t think we are speaking of precisely the same thing,” she pointed out.
“You are nothing if not astute.”
Shannon murmured her agreement, sliding the sheet past Brandon’s hipbone. “I would be willing to pursue the topic on your mind.”
“Oh? And what, pray, do you think is on my mind?”
Shannon leaned over him and whispered in his ear.
“Mrs. Fleming!” Brandon’s shock was only partially feigned. “Where did you learn—”
“From you,” she said, blushing but meeting his eyes boldly. “You say that sometimes when we’re…er…” Her voice faltered.
“I see,” he said, chuckling. “I rather think I should be more circumspect. I shouldn’t want you saying such things to any man.”
“As if I would,” Shannon said huffily.
Brandon gave her a playful swat on the behind. “That’s all right then.”
Shannon swatted his thigh. “That’s all right then,” she mimicked.
Brandon’s eyes widened. “Oh, madam, you have no idea what you have begun.”
She didn’t, but declared herself willing to be taught. Later, much later, she declared herself well learned and well loved.
Cody’s departurethe following day would have cast a pall over the folly if it were not for the approach of Christmas. Though his company was sorely missed, there were few occasions to dwell on his absence, and Shannon believed he had planned his leaving in just such a way. She knew, of course, that Cody had made arrangements with the Marchands prior to Aurora’s death, but he could have altered his plans in light of all that had happened. Instead he used his departure as an excuse to see his brother and Shannon wed. When he chose, he could be as persuasive and single-minded as Brandon. Shannon had confronted him with that fact and Cody had denied it, insisting that Brandon was opinionated and pigheaded.
“What are you smiling about?” Brandon asked, sliding up beside Shannon as she arranged a centerpiece of pinecones and holly on the dining room table.
“Something Cody said about you.” She lightly slapped his hands away when they started to slip around her waist. The fine pink silk of her gown was no barrier to the pressure of his fingers. They felt warm, inviting her to think about the early morning loving they had indulged in before Clara bounded into their chamber with the strident reminder that it was Christmas Day.
Brandon stared at his hands and tried to look suitably chastened while Shannon continued working. “And what did he say? Or is it a secret?” Before she could answer, he shook his head, thinking better of his question. “Never mind. I don’t want to know. I came to tell you that Clara is waiting—need I add impatiently?—in the drawing room. She would like to open her gifts. You did say that we might do so when we returned from church.”
“We?” she asked solemnly. “Do I detect some anxiousness on your part as well?”
His mouth quirked to one side. “I did notice something in there for me,” he admitted.
Shannon quickly finished her arrangement. “Very well. I admit to some curiosity myself.” She let him escort her into the drawing room, where they surprised Clara gazing raptly at the gifts piled near the hearth. Even the flames from the traditional Yule log could not compete with the glow in Clara’s face. The room held the fragrance from the garlands of pine boughs that decorated the mantel. Beyond the large bay window the sky was gray, threatening rain, snow if it turned colder, but within the folly fires blazed and candlelit sconces burned brightly.
Brandon plucked Clara off the floor, tickling her until her laughter trickled over him. “Shall we see what Father Christmas has left for my own sweet girl?”
Shannon smiled at Clara’s eager nod. She sat on an ottoman while Brandon stretched out on the floor beside his daughter and handed Clara a gift from Cody. Her excitement quickly spilled over to Shannon and Brandon.
Clara tore at the strings and pushed back the fabric wrap. “Oh, Papa! Mishannon! Dresses for my dolls!”
Brandon dutifully admired the miniature gowns that Clara held up for his inspection and mouthed the words “How did you ever find the time?” to Shannon.
Shannon cautioned him by placing a finger to her lips. Cody had purchased the material on his last trip to visit Annie, and Shannon was not proof against his pleas that she fashion gowns for Clara’s dolls. “Cody hemmed the dresses himself,” Shannon said.
“He did?”
“Unca Cody?”
