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Gray clouds hovered overhead promising rain sometime today and though rain was needed to nourish the seeded fields, he much preferred the sun. He stopped to speak with Boyd, letting him know that once the shelter the men were working on was finished, they were to do no more.
Boyd smiled and slapped his thigh. “Damn, we’re headed home soon, aren’t we?”
“Just do as I say,” Lachlan said and headed to the common shelter. He had no designated departure time set, but he knew that soon, very soon he would need to discuss it with Terese, at least the possibilities. And the thought scared the hell out of him.
What if she refused to go with him? He couldn’t believe that a possibility. He sensed that she loved him and after last night he believed it even more. In two or three weeks at the most, he should be able to set everything right so that she would be looking forward to returning home with him, especially when he asked her to marry him.
The thought still set his heart to thumping madly and his stomach churning like he had drunk too much ale. He hadn’t thought love would claim him just yet. Truthfully, he hadn’t thought love would claim him at all. He had planned on eventually picking a woman who would suit his needs and wedding her. Now, however, he could see the benefits of loving the woman you wed, and he felt lucky to have found the perfect woman for him.
He even understood his brothers’ attachment to their wives, though he’d never admit that to them. They would tease him unmercifully and that he could do without.
“Lost in your thoughts?’
Lachlan swung around and grabbed Terese around the waist, drawing her near for a quick kiss. “I don’t like when you leave my bed before I wake.”
“I have chores and duties to attend to,” she said, hooking her arm in his to walk alongside him.
“Aren’t I chore enough for you?”
She leaned in to whisper in his ear, “You are no chore; you are a pleasure.”
His passion lit and flamed like a dry log whose heat spread rapidly throughout, though he attempted to contain it.
“Keep that up and I will drag you back to my cottage and keep you there the remainder of the day.”
“Promises. Promises,” she teased.
Thunder rumbled overhead and Lachlan glanced up at the gray sky that would undoubtedly shed rain soon. “The weather accommodates my need. Everyone will seek shelter from the storm. What else will there be to do then?…” He allowed her to imagine the rest.
“You tempt,” she said.
“I invite,” he corrected, thunder rumbling along with his words.
She let his arm go. “We shall see.”
He tried to reach out and grab her, but she laughed and took off insisting she had chores to do. He watched her disappear into the common shelter and once again glanced up at the darkening sky.
“Don’t fail me,” he warned and stumped off to find Evan.
Lachlan entered his cottage, shaking the rain off. He had been lucky to be nearby when the downpour started so he wasn’t soaked only damp along the shoulders and hair. A few minutes spent by the fire would take care of that.
He turned and stopped, staring at the small table spread with food, and was that a jug of ale he spied? He then looked to see that the bed was made with fresh linens and a fine green wool blanket folded down.
He sniffed the air. That was mutton stew, he was sure of it and then noticed the cauldron that hung over the flames. And there was a loaf of black bread on the table, not to mention tarts and sweet bread.
Lachlan looked around, not that Terese could hide anywhere; the room was too small. Was this a gift, a feast for him alone? He certainly hoped not.
The door suddenly opened and Terese popped in, rain dripping off her and holding a bunch of wild onions in her hand.
“I forgot these for the stew,” she said with a shiver.
Lachlan smiled and went to her. “You did this for us?”
“It’s raining,” she grinned. “What else is there to do?” She sneezed.
Lachlan reached out to her. “We need to get you out of those wet clothes.”
She skirted around him. “First I need to get the onions into the stew or the flavor will suffer.”
She went to the table and in seconds had the onions chopped and dumped in the stew. Then without thought she stripped off her clothes and hung them over a chair in front of the fire to dry.
Lachlan savored her every movement. Her body was exquisite, narrow waist, rounded hips that would surely serve her well when birthing. The thought startled him and grabbed at his heart. Was he really thinking of children with Terese? He grinned. Yes, he could easily see her rounded with his child, and he would love her even more.
