Save for the Brodie traveling cases stacked against one wall, the chamber was the same as if the last few months had never happened. She and her sisters sat in their usual places in the room Mary had grown up in, where they always went to share problems, heartbreaks, and happiness. Mary hoped the latter was on tonight’s agenda. She waited, not sure who would start.
Annie, of course.
“So, how is married life?” Her middle sister asked with a smile.
“Wonderful,” Mary said. “Exciting. Exhausting. Or maybe that has more to do with being laird.”
“Likely,” Cat interjected. “Though ye have done the job for Da for several years. And now ye have Cameron to help ye. So what about yer life now is exhausting ye?”
Her smirk told Mary what she was thinking. She and Cam were still newlyweds, after all.
“Leave Mary alone,” Annie warned. “Ye and Kenneth are much the same.”
“It was so romantic. A double wedding! I never dreamed mine could be shared with my sisters in that way,” Cat rhapsodized. “I’m glad we live as close together as we do. If Da had his way, we’d be scattered across Scotland.”
“Or gone nowhere at all,” Annie reminded her with a nod to Mary. “It has been a momentous year.”
“And now with Yuletide upon us, we can be together again,” Cat said, then yawned. “But I think rest is first on the list.”
Cat wasn’t going to share her news with them? Mary hid her disappointment, still determined to let Cat tell them in her own way. “For ye two, aye,” Mary said. “I’ve a keep to run and hungry family to feed on the morrow.” She yawned and stood. “I will bid ye good night. I’m so glad ye are here. I hope ye ken that.”
Cat and Annie stood, too. “Of course we do. We will get busy with the preparations tomorrow,” Annie told her, then she, too, yawned. “I guess that makes it unanimous. Get some sleep.” With that she winked and Cat burst out laughing.
Mary laughed, too, all the way to the laird’s chamber she now shared with Cameron. “Ye are here! I thought ye would still be drinking and telling tales with Iain and Kenneth.”
“They hid it well, but they were worn out from the journey. Riding alone, they would have been here much faster, but wagons for the things the lasses and a bairn need made for a longer trek. They went to check on their horses, but they’ll be intheir chambers soon.” He took Mary in his arms. “And ye ken what that means, Mary my love. Ye have reached the end of yer list for the day. All except for the most important thing.”
“Truly? Whatever could that be?”
Cameron dipped his head and brushed her lips with his. “Does this remind ye?”
The scent of ale filled her nose. “Ach, aye. We need more mint.”
“How about this?” He trailed his tongue down the side of Mary’s throat and gently bit where it joined her shoulder.
“Ye lads need to hunt tomorrow?”
“And this?” He lifted her skirt and traced his hand up the outside of her leg to her hip.
“Hmmm…’tis beginning to come to me.”
“I’ll see that it does,” Cam promised.
Someone knocked on the door.
“Whoever that is, I’m going to kill them,” Cam said, dropping Mary’s skirt and releasing her. He went to the door and flung it open.
“I’m so sorry to bother ye,” Annie said, “but Iain just returned from the stable and sent me to tell ye one of yer mares has a swollen knee.”
“Why did he send ye and nay come himself?”
Annie grinned. “He feared he might ah…interrupt ye…”
Cam bit his lip on what he wanted to say about Iain’s equine observational skills—and his timing.
“The mare twisted her knee yesterday. The stable master is aware and caring for her.” The Rose stable master also had plenty of well-trained lads to help him and didn’t need Cameron—or Iain Brodie—second-guessing his decisions. “But thank Iain for us, Annie. Good night.”
“Ye are nay going?—”
