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Since she was not ready to havethatconversation, she made a show of batting dirt and bits of grass from her skirts.
“You should use a pillow or a blanket to kneel on while you’re working,” he suggested.
“So I wouldn’t get so dirty?”
“Because it would be easier on your knees, daft girl.”
She sighed. “We’re doing it again, aren’t we?”
“Talking at cross-purposes?” Grant casually shrugged. “Seems to be the way we go about things.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?”
“It’s bound to get better if we keep working at it. Practice makes perfect, after all.”
She huffed out a laugh. “In our case, I think it would take a great deal of practice.”
“Probably even a lifetime.”
Kathleen decided she was still not ready for that conversation. “Is it safe to assume that David has departed the premises?”
Fortunately, Grant went along with the change in topic. “Sweetheart, you cannot permanently hide in the garden like a deranged hermit. One of these days you’ll have to tell yon vicar the truth.”
“I know. I just couldn’t face him after that dreadfully awkward encounter outside his house last night. And Jeannie was so eager to see him, too. It’s a gruesome tangle, I’m afraid.”
“Aye, it’s a ridiculous situation.”
“And Captain Brown—I’m still tempted to stab him with my clippers.”
Grant laughed. “I love a fierce, bloodthirsty lass.”
“You absolutely do not. You and your twin act like Sabrina and I are frail princesses who must be locked away in a tower for our own good.”
“Och, no tower could hold you lassies. You’d just break out.”
She started to clean up her tools, dumping them into her workbasket. “Well, this princess is going to clean up—if the coast is clear, that is.”
“After exactly one cup of tea, Sabrina promptly sent the brothers Brown on their way. She made the required apologies on your behalf and kept Jeannie well in hand.”
“How do you know?”
“I was there, and what fun it was. David glared daggers at me while the captain smirked like a simpering dandy.”
“How awful. Why did you go in the first place?”
“I wanted to make sure Captain Brown kept his blasted innuendoes to himself. He quickly figured out that I would knock his block off if he didn’t.”
She exhaled a sigh of relief. “That wassokind of you, Grant. Thank you. I do worry about the captain’s behavior with Jeannie, though.”
“His conduct was more akin to that of an older brother. He brought her a collection of Celtic fairy tales to entertain her while she recovers from her injury. Sabrina deemed it appropriate for a girl her age.”
Kathleen couldn’t help feeling dubious. “Jeannie didn’t seem inclined to flirt with him?”
“She very prettily thanked the captain, but it’s clear she still fancies herself in love with David.”
“I can’t imagine the vicar found it very comfortable spending time with Jeannie—or with you, apparently.”
Grant shrugged. “When he wasn’t sending me death threats with his eyes, he was exceedingly kind to Jeannie. The fellow does have good manners, I’ll give him that.”
