Brandon removed his hands from her waist. He returned her eager-to-please smile, though the gesture was not as effortless as it appeared. His fingers ached to undo the braided knot at the back of her head and lower his mouth to the fullness of hers. If she did not want to be kissed, then she should not have a mouth like that. That his argument made not one whit of sense didn’t disturb Brandon in the least.
“You and Clara wait for me here,” he said, tearing his gaze away from Shannon’s mouth. “We’ll continue the lessons after I look through the mail. I’m expecting some notifications from customs.”
That suited Shannon well enough. It would give her some time to have a heart-to-heart discussion with the mount Brandon had chosen for her. She picked up Clara and rested the child on one hip as Brandon hurried back to the house. “Maybe if you say a few words to Anthem, she’ll be more cooperative,” Shannon told Clara.
Clara fearlessly leaned forward and patted the white star on Anthem’s nose. “Papa says you’re just afraid, Mishannon. See, Anthem’s nice.”
“Not as nice as Rainbow.” She eyed Clara’s pony enviously, wishing she could take her lessons on it. After a week of being led in circles, she was convinced she was not meant to ride. Worse, Anthem seemed to sense it and made the learning that much more difficult.
Shannon and Clara carried on a serious discussion with the horse until she rudely walked away. “I suppose that puts me in my place,” Shannon said, laughing.
“I want to ride.” Clara pouted, stretching her arms toward the pony.
“Not until your father comes back.” She turned toward the house. “Look! There he is now.” Shannon was as surprised as Clara when Brandon ignored the training ring and headed straight for the stables. A moment later he reappeared and urged his horse to a gallop, going in the direction of the far field where Cody had gone earlier. Clara called after him, but he was already well out of earshot. Shannon frowned, knowing something of import had happened for Brandon to break his promise. “Come on, Clara. We’ll go back to the house.” Shannon called for a groom to take their horses. For once Clara’s soulful pleas made little impact on Shannon’s senses. She hefted the child in her arms and began walking, worry creasing her forehead.
Brandon pulled up the reins hard as he came abreast of Cody. He steadied his horse to keep it from trampling the precious plants on either side, then thrust a piece of paper in front of Cody’s nose. “Did you have anything to do with this?” he demanded. “So help me, I’ll blacken both your eyes if you did!”
Cody’s winged eyebrows rose a good half inch. “Take a damper, Bran. I’m hardly likely to admit anything with a threat like that in the offing.” He touched the eye Brandon had bruised previously. “Damn thing’s still tender.” His eyes crossed as he tried to decipher the spidery scrawl on the paper dancing in front of him. “It’s no use, Bran. I can’t make it out. What is it that I’m supposed to have done?”
Brandon impatiently snatched back the letter just as Cody got his fingers on it. He stuffed it into his pocket. “Did you invite Aurora’s parents to visit the folly?”
“No!” Cody blanched, envisioning serious injury. “Good God! They didn’t say I did, did they? Hell, Brandon, why would I want to do a fool thing like that?”
“I don’t know. Why did you come up with that ridiculous story about Shannon wanting to go elsewhere?”
Cody had the grace to look sheepish. “I already explained that. Under duress, I might add. I thought it was time you started to appreciate Shannon instead of wallowing in your stupid pride over Aurora. Where was the harm? You’re a darn sight happier than you were two weeks ago.”
“I would appreciate it if you would stop makingmyhappinessyourgoal,” he said meaningfully. “And what of this letter? Are you saying you had nothing to do with Michaeline’s sudden desire to visit us?”
“Admittedly, there is a thin line between foolishness and stupidity, but I like to think I have not crossed it yet. More plainly, I did not invite Paul and Michaeline to the folly.”
“Damn! Damn!Damn!”
Cody thought Brandon not particularly eloquent, but making his point nonetheless. “What are you going to do?”
“I haven’t the slightest idea.”
“I take it you cannot write and gently tell them this is not a good time.”
“I could, but I won’t. They haven’t seen Clara in an age. They have a right to know their granddaughter. More to the point, I doubt my letter would reach them in time. They plan to be here in just under two weeks.” He took out the letter and skimmed it again. “They leave on the twenty-fourth.”
“That’s tomorrow,” Cody said helpfully. “They’ll arrive in a sennight.”
Brandon shook his head, crumpling the letter. “They’re staying with friends in Baltimore for a few days. Michaeline doesn’t travel well. It will break up the journey.”
“Any idea what prompted this visit?”
“Since you are denying all involvement, I can only surmise they miss Aurora and want to see Clara.”
Cody nearly sputtered his amazement. “Missing Aurora? If that state of affairs prompted them to travel, then they’re sadly out of luck.” He looked at Brandon oddly, seeing a faint flush develop beneath his tan. “Bran? They do know that Aurora’s been gone these last nine months, don’t they?”
“Michaeline’s missive gave no indication of it.”
“And you never wrote them otherwise.”
“That was Aurora’s place.”
“Well, she obviously never did it. Are you certain you never encouraged them to believe she was still in residence?”
