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“Quite. We’ve got a few hours before it hits, but I figured there was no point getting caught in the middle of it. I’ll go back out again once it’s passed.”
“Well,” she said, “I suppose I should start cleaning all this up then.”
Grant rose and helped her to stand. “We could take shelter in the gazebo.”
She stripped off her work gloves. “Since the gazebo has no walls, I will treat that comment with the consideration it deserves.”
He tilted his head, his forest-green gaze studying her with an intensity that made her pulse flutter. “I found it quite cozy last night. Didn’t you?”
“That is entirely beside the point.”
“What point are you referring to?”
“That there will be no repeats of last night’s incident.”
“I hope you’re talking about the fire.” He crouched a bit, resting his hands on his knees so they were at eye level. “And not about our kiss, because I was truly hoping for another one of those.”
With his mouth only inches away from hers—and knowing what pleasures his mouth could provide—Kathleen had to muster an unfortunate degree of willpower to stand her ground.
“In case you’ve failed to notice, sir, it’s broad daylight and we’re in the middle of the kitchen garden. In full view of the house.”
“Ah. We simply have to wait for nightfall.” He straightened up and took out his pocket watch. “Which is in approximately—”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
He raised his russet eyebrows. “We don’t have to wait for darkness? Even better.”
When he leaned down as if to kiss her, she whacked him on the arm with her dirty garden glove.
“Och, lass. The laundry maid will nae be happy about that, ye ken. Ye’ve left muck on my sleeve.”
“And I’ll be thankin’ you not to be such a booby, Grant Kendrick,” she sarcastically echoed him with her own brogue.
He grinned, unrepentant. “I simply wish to be clear about the rules of conduct when it comes to kissing. And, might I note, that for someone with a reputation for scandalous behavior, you’re being quite missish.”
“I’ve given over scandalous behavior, remember?”
“That is a terrible shame, Miss Calvert.”
Since the seductive gleam in his gaze was temptation itself, and since she very much wished to engage in a spot of scandalous behavior, Kathleen forced herself to act stern.
“You wouldn’t be the first man to experience an unfortunate accident with my watering can, sir.”
Grant snorted. “So that’s what yon vicar was referring to the other day. You gave him a soaking.”
“Not just that. His frock coat had a distressing encounter with my garden clippers, as well. Therefore, since you seem to value your clothing so much—”
“I could take them off,” he suggested. “But you’d have to promise to put your clippers down first.”
Kathleen felt her eyes all but roll from their sockets. “Grant Kendrick, if you do not behave yourself—”
He laughed. “All right, I’ll stop teasing. Still, at some point we need to talk about what happened between us last night.”
He was right. But at the moment, she didn’t feel equipped for that particular conversation.
When she bent to retrieve her garden tools, he wrapped a hand around her wrist and brought her back up.
“Sweetheart, what’s amiss?”
