“An’ throwing a bannock across the table into someone’s face is reasonable?” he asked as he lifted the full jar of jam and threatened to tip it over her head.
“It is.” She winced and held up her hand in self-defense.
“How so?” He stopped for a second with the jar in mid-air and gave her a puzzled look.
“Well, you deserved to get a glass of ale in the face for calling me adorable,” she argued, her chin tilted defiantly.
“What?” He felt even more confused at the way a woman’s mind worked.
“The point is.” She laughed again. “You should not be pouring a perfectly fine jar of jam on our wife, it’s bad form.” She returned to her old, witty self once again.
“I thought ye’ve had better,” he said with a triumphant smirk.
“I have, that wasn’t a lie, I just don’t think your cook would be very happy with you if you wasted her sub-par jam,” she said with a giggle.
“Sub-par jam?” He felt mildly insulted as he laughed at her quip. “I’ll show ye sub-par jam!” He advanced on her and dipped his finger in the jar before holding it out to her face.
“Daniel…” She eyed his finger cautiously as she tried to get away.
“Aye?” He couldn’t help but fall in love with her when he noticed the way her eyes sparkled in the morning light as they teased one another.
“Don’t!” she squealed and tried to run away from him.
“Dinnae what?” he asked as he placed the jar on the table and gave chase. “Dinnae get revenge?” He caught up to her on the other side of the table and held her arm as he smeared the jam across her cheek.
Laughing hysterically, she fell into his arms and leaned against his chest as she tried to catch her breath.
“That will teach ye to throw good food at me,” he said as he held her upright by her arms.
“I guess that will.” Her laughter ebbed away as she looked into his eyes and said in a kinder voice, “I’m sorry if I got any in your eyes or ruined your shirt.” She licked over her lips and straightened her spine but made no move to leave his arms.
“The shirt can be replaced,” he said as his own mirth died down. Now, a warm and easy atmosphere lingered between them.
“Hopefully, so can your bannock,” she teased, yet her eyes took on a different look as she drew slightly closer to his lips.
“What in the name of everything that is good and holy is going on in here?” Darragh asked as he stepped into the room and gave them both a quizzical look. His eyes fell to the bannock and mug on the floor and then back up to Daniel’s sodden shirt and Melissa’s jam-stained cheek.
“We were just…” Melissa began as she jumped away from Daniel and tried to defend herself.
“We were just minding our own business, as ye should be doing,” Daniel said as he fixed his shirt and greeted his friend. “The question is, why are ye here so early in the morning an’ nae at yer own castle?”
Shaking his head as if he had decided that it was better not to get involved, Darragh stepped forward and handed Daniel a note. “I take it that ye havenae received yer letter, then. This was waiting for me when I woke up this morning.”
Accepting the note, Daniel scanned the note with a frown. “It says here that I am to receive a note of me own.” He turned the page over in his hand as if the suggested letter could have been attached to the back of Darragh’s.
“I ken what it says, Daniel. What I need to ken is if yer interested in the deal?” Darragh said in his gruff manner that made Daniel wonder how he had ever convinced someone as kind as Avery to love him.
“What is it?” Melissa asked curiously as she retrieved a cloth from the table to wipe her cheek.
“Darragh an’ I have both been invited by one of our neighboring lairds to talk over a business matter,” Daniel explained. “This could be very lucrative for both our castles.”
“Aye,” Darragh agreed with a nod. “It’s why I decided to come straight here when I received me letter. I think we should go.”
“I wonder what’s happened to mine if ye have already received yers,” Daniel murmured as he turned the note over once again.
“I beg yer pardon, Me Laird,” Ewan said as he stood in the doorway to the dining hall.
Daniel instantly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as the man came into the room. Knowing what he knew about his man at arms at present, he felt like knocking him clean across the room but knew that he had to keep his cool and wait for the right time.
