He cleared his throat and gazed at her. “Listen, Rose. I—”
The door swung open, and a stable lad came in leading Catriona’s bay mare. The lad startled when he spotted Cailean and Rose standing there.
“Oh! My apologies, I didnae realize ye were in here, my laird.”
Cailean bit back a snarl of annoyance and smoothed his face to calmness. “Dinna fash, lad. How is Parsnip’s colic?”
“Much better,” the stable lad answered. “She’ll be right as rain soon I reckon.”
“I’ll… um… see you later,” Rose mumbled.
Before he could say another word, she took the opportunity to slip away, leaving Cailean staring after her.
*
Rose let thestable door swing shut behind her and stood staring out over the bustling courtyard, trying to let the cold air cool her heated skin. It didn’t work.
Damn it. Why did this always happen when she was near Cailean MacNeil? Why did her thoughts turn to mush? She could still feel hisgaze on her, like an electric current across her skin.
What do ye need from me?
Oh, that was a dangerous question for him to ask.I need you to touch me, she had wanted to say.I need you to kiss me like you did yesterday. I need…
God help her, what did she need?
To get a grip!she told herself fiercely.That’s what you bloody need!
Taking a deep breath, she set off towards the keep, her boots squelching in the mud. She needed time to think, to figure out what was going on, to—
“Rose!”
The small voice pulled her from her thoughts. She turned to see Catriona pelting towards her, holding her skirts out of the mud with one hand while Patch barrelled after her, ears flapping wildly.
Rose laughed as Patch pounced on her hem. “Well, hello to you too!”
“We’ve been looking for ye!” Catriona said breathlessly, skidding to a stop. “Patch was missing ye.”
Rose crouched to scratch behind the little dog’s ears and take her hem out of his mouth. “Aww, did he? Well, I missed him too.” She smiled up at the girl. “And you. Did the storm keep you awake?”
Catriona shrugged. “Patch didnae like it much but it didnae bother me. I’ve seen worse.” She pursed her lips in thought. “Although, there were more stormlights than usual.”
Rose shot to her feet. “Stormlights? You saw them too?”
“Aye. I think it means the sea was angry.”
Rose said nothing. Putting an arm around Catriona’s shoulder, she turned the girl and they walked off together, Patch darting between their feet and growling at a particularly bold chicken that dared cross his path. Catriona kept up an endless stream of chatter, telling Rose about the new pastries cook was making, the scolding she and her friend Maisie got for stealing eggs from Maisie’s mother’s chickencoop, how a lad called Arnulf had fallen out of a tree and injured his wrist.
Rose nodded and smiled, letting it wash over her, but she wasn’t really listening, until quite casually Catriona said, “Are ye going to marry my da?”
Rose tripped over a stone and nearly went sprawling. “What?”
Catriona giggled. “That’s what it means when grown-ups kiss, isnae it? That ye are going to get married? And ye and my da kissed last night! I saw ye. In the rain.”
Rose stared at the girl, mortification stealing through her. Her cheeks blazed hotter than the hearth in the great hall. Oh God! Catrionahadseen them! She worked her jaw a few times, but no words came out. She tried again. “Oh, Catriona, I—That wasn’t—We didn’t mean for anyone to see—”
“Can I be a bridesmaid?” Catriona interrupted, clapping her hands together. “And can Patch carry the ring? He would love that! Oh, oh, and ye can ride to the chapel on Parsnip! Her colic has almost cleared up now and I could deck her out in flowers, and I could make daisy chains for yer hair, and, and—”
“Whoa!” Rose said, holding up her hands. “Slow down! Things aren’t that simple!”
