And yet, ye still desire her,Dominic thought grimly.Fool that ye are.
And now there was that strange gentleman, looking for Paisley. Something wasn't right there, but Dominic had no intention of prying.
Thomas popped up in front of him, smelling of beer and grinning like a fool.
"There ye are, Dom."
"Evenin'. Ye want another beer?"
"Nay, thank ye. Emma is likely to be workin' tonight, so I'll have charge of the wee lad. Can't be sleepin' when he needs changin', eh?"
Thomas chuckled, and Dominic smiled, feeling some of his ill-humor fade away.
"Fatherhood suits you," he remarked.
Thomas beamed. "It does, doesnae it? I never thought so. I love me wee bairn, though. I'm a happy man, and a lucky one. Now, Dom, what's this I hear about ye throwin' a Ceilidh?"
Dominic shrugged. "I'm nae. Ma is, and it's in me name. She says I need to be a better clan laird to me people. I reckon she's right."
Thomas considered this, chewing on his lower lip. "Well, attending a Ceilidh like this is a start," he said eventually. "It's nae about the party, or the dancin', or the food. It's about being seen by the people who matter. These events are nerve-wracking, I can tell ye that. Everyone is lookin' at ye. Everyone isjudgin'ye. But as a clan laird, it's yer business to go and dae that sort of thing."
"I suppose so." Dominic sighing, raking his hands through his hair. He hadn't slept well, and after Paisley's interruption, he hadn't slept at all. "But that lass is still botherin' me, ye know."
"The new hirelin'?"
"Aye. Paisley. I had me misgivin's when I heard that accent of hers."
"Why, because she's English?"
"Nay, because she'sEnglishEnglish. The posh kind, aye? A fine gentleman just came swaggerin' in here with shined-up Hessians and an expensive coat, asking for her. Now, if he was somebody she cared about, she'd have left him her address, daenae ye think?"
Thomas pursed his lips. "I couldnae say."
"Hm. Well, I sent him packin'. She's causin' trouble, though."
"I daenae think that's fair," Thomas said. "She's a hard worker, seems to me, and she hasnae done anythin' wrong. We've all got nosy relatives."
Dominic winced. "Fair's fair."
"How about this," Thomas said, leaning forward, elbows resting on the sticky counter. "Ye bring her as yer guest to the Ceilidh. Then we can all meet her, our wives too. Ye know women are usually much better judges of character than us."
Dominic blinked, reeling at this idea. He hadn't considered inviting Paisley with him to the Ceilidh, because he hadn't imagined invitinganyone. He never had in the past, even when he was sharing his bed and hearth with some woman or another.He didn't even think that Catriona expected him to, even though she said so.
"Ye want me to bring an English lass to a Scottish laird's Ceilidh?" he managed.
Thomas chuckled. "What are they goin' to do? Throw ye out? It's yer party, Dom."
"Well... aye, but ye daenae need to meet her. Ye've already met her."
Thomas shrugged lightly. "Colby and Veronica havenae. Besides, can ye reallymeetsomeone in the middle ofTheSinner? It's chaos. Ye can hardly hear a thing."
Dominic mimicked Thomas' pose, resting his elbows on the counter, chin on his hands, thinking.
Could he really invite Paisley along? Thomas was right. Hewasthe laird. Hecoulddo what he wanted.
Daenae think that I didn't miss that subtle nudge to me ego,he thought wryly.
It was a good idea, though. It would get Catriona off his back about marriage – although of course he wasn't going to marry Paisley. He was fairly sure that even the idea of it would fill her with horror.
