He vowed to reward Lady Sunshine properly for tattling on him, but it had been the last straw in what had led him unwillingly to Scotland, so he would likely limit his repayment to a brief scowl.
He made certain Mairead was covered properly with a throw he found on the back of the couch, wrapped her securely inhis arms, then launched into a faithful recounting of that poor fuchsia hedge and its encounter with the front of the non-descript Ford he drove for work. It hardly took getting past the pain of being reprimanded by a sturdy copy of the Sun on Sunday before Mairead was asleep.
He realized that he’d dozed off as well when he felt himself being covered by another blanket. He opened his eyes and smiled at Sunshine Cameron.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “And not just for this time.”
“Faker.”
He smiled. “But a warm one.”
“You know, you could go find a bed,” she said dryly. “And two of them unless you wanted the entire clan MacLeod to chase you across Scotland with vengeance on their minds.”
“I wouldn’t think to do anything else,” Oliver said honestly. “I’m finding, though, given our history, that I don’t want to let her get too far away.”
“Understandable.”
“But I also don’t want to move too quickly.”
“Perplexing.”
He hardly had to manufacture a frown. “Are you helping?”
She smiled. “Teasing you a little, actually.” She studied Mairead thoughtfully for a moment or two, then looked at him. “I think she is very fond of you.”
“Do you think so?” he asked.
“Didn’t she say as much?”
He nodded carefully.
“Did you tell her the same thing?”
He nodded again.
“And that’s it?”
“I gave her a flower four hundred years ago.”
“Well,” she said dryly, “I’m sure that removed all doubt.”
He smiled—or tried to. “I don’t want to doubt my appeal, but she does have an entirely new world of blokes to look over.”
“I understand,” Sunny said, “more thoroughly than I want to admit to. But some things are just meant to be and time doesn’t really want to get in the way.”
He took as deep a breath as he dared. “I think I can make her happy.”
“Oliver, you’re not watching her watch you when you’re looking at something else,” Sunny said seriously. “I actually think she’s crazy about you. If you’re crazy about her, then do something about it. Where did you and the boys go today?”
He frowned, not quite following the non sequitur. “We went to a ruined McKinnon church,” he said slowly.
“And what’s their motto?”
“’Tear me down before I fall there myself from neglect’—oh, you mean the McKinnon motto.”
She pursed her lips. “You’re only marginally funny at this time of night, you know. What’s their motto?”
He closed his eyes briefly. “Audentes Fortuna Juvat.”
