Mary’s heart lifted. She did see how much happier everyone seemed. “I’d like to accept that, but I canna take all the credit. Cam has much to do with the changes. Perhaps even more than I. They are used to me. He has made the difference. And they’re happy to see ye and Cat, too, ye ken.”
Annie hugged her and they went back to work.
Once he returnedfrom the hunt, Cameron cornered Mary outside the kitchen where an alcove hid them from view, wrapped her in his arms and kissed her, then did it again. “I missed ye,” he admitted. “And I’m here to make certain ye have me on yer list for today. And some time to rest.”
“Always, my love,” she answered and captured his lips. “Thank ye for making this a wonderful Yuletide,” she told him after they came up for air.
Clearly she misunderstood what he meant by rest, but he wouldn’t push the point when she seemed so happy. “As ye have, too, Mary my love,” he said, wondering what had brought such gratitude to the fore, but grateful his kisses were met with even more enthusiasm than usual. He could happily kiss Mary all the rest of the day and into the night. But at the moment, he’d rather take her upstairs. Without mentioning his concern for her, he could help her rest by making love to her and make certain she melted in his arms.
Until they heard Annie scream.
“Ewan, come back here! Close the door. Dinna let him get outside!”
Mary put her hands on either side of Cam’s face. “Ye ken I must go…”
He sighed and stepped back, allowing her to slip by him and run to the great hall to help her sister.
The rest of the sennight went much the same. Just as he got a few minutes with Mary, someone would come to say they’d run out of ribbons for the extra garlands they were making, or Cook needed a few minutes of her time, or Kenneth wanted to challenge him to a test of skill of one sort or another, orIain thought they needed to go hunting again. Keeping their guests, nay, their family, entertained became more and more a burden as the week went by. Not that he’d ever admit that to Mary. Paton had warned him again to keep his frustration to himself. Apparently he had not hidden it as well as he thought if his friend noticed. Mary, thankfully, was too distracted, and probably too tired, to do so. That concerned him, but he contented himself with watching out for her and making certain she rested once each day was done.
On the tenth day of Yule, Cam hadn’t seen Mary since the morning before, but not because of their family. He and his men been called out to help fight a fire in a nearby croft. Putting out the fire, and then getting that family temporarily resettled with another crofter kept him away from the keep until after sunrise. By the time he got back, cleaned up, and fell into bed, Mary was up and gone, dealing with whatever she needed to deal with for the day. He slept for several hours, then woke, missing her.
Very well, he knew how to solve this problem. He marched down to the laird’s solar, intending to corner Mary there, convince her to interrupt her work, and let her have her way with him.
When he got to the closed door, he heard voices and realized Mary wasn’t alone. He recognized the other voice coming through the door. Cat was there, and the two were giggling like wee lasses playing with their dollies. Did he hear Annie, too? He rested his head against the thick oak barrier for as long as it took to take a deep breath and let it out. He hadn’t had this much trouble getting Mary alone when her da was alive and determined to keep them apart. Time with her sisters was precious, but if he could find her damned lists, he’d cross a few other things off and write his name in the spaces he made. At least his early fears about Mary being disappointed with hersisters’ visit had been unfounded. He took comfort in that and headed for the practice ground to work off his frustration.
The last dayof Yuletide arrived with a light snowfall that freshened the frosting on the evergreen trees and gave the world outside a peaceful silence. Mary enjoyed it from the window in their chamber after she stirred their fire, then returned to bed where Cam waited for her.
He pulled her to him and wrapped her in his arms, warming her from the cold breeze that had blown snowflakes into her hair through the window. “All’s quiet?”
“Aye, for now. Before long, wee Ewan will be up in the nursery and his parents will be in the great hall, breaking their fast. Which is where we should go?—”
“No’ yet, Mary my love. I’m nay finished warming ye.”
She rolled within his arms and gave him a kiss. “Nay, ye havena. But I ken ye have much to do?—”
“Naught that canna wait while I take care of the woman I love,” he answered and shifted her more fully on top of him, pulled the covers up to her shoulders, then laughed when she sat up, straddling him, and they fell to his thighs. They took their time, loving each other as they had learned to do after months of waiting to be wed, slowly and with complete attention. When they finished, Mary stretched out on Cameron’s chest and tucked her head between his shoulder and neck, content to enjoy their closeness. They hadn’t been as successful at keeping each other at the top of the list as she’d promised when the news came about her sisters’ visit. But they’d managed as well as could be expected. As long as Cam was happy, she was, too.
“Are ye pleased with how the visit has gone?” He asked, seeming to read her mind.
“Save for not entirely keeping my promise to ye, aye. I’ll be sad to see them go tomorrow.”
“Next year, we will visit them,” Cam vowed. “’Twill be easier on everyone.”
“On them, certainly. Ewan will be walking by then, and there may be more Brodie bairns in the family. Still, ’twill nay be so easy on us as ye think, husband.”
“Nay? Why no’? If they must deal with all the other arrangements, we can keep busy, or we can rest, as we wish.”
She sat up and put his hand on her belly. “We’ll have plenty to keep us busy, never fear.”
“A bairn?” Cam’s eyes widened, and when she nodded, his bright smile nearly blinded her.
“Ach, Mary my love, a bairn. Our bairn.”
Her heart swelled when she found tears glinting in his eyes.
“’Twill be an heir for Rose, and another cousin for Sutherland and for Brodie. Else I’d suggest making the trip to Sutherland to visit yer family next year, but it may prove more difficult with a wee bairn.”
“How long have ye kenned?”
