Page 21 of Falling for Her Highland Steward
“Thank you, M’Laird.” Caillen smiled. “Is she a married woman?”
“Why?” Erin asked, mystified. “Does it make a difference?”
“Only to his modesty,” the laird replied in a stage whisper, winking at Erin. He nodded at Caillen. “Do not worry, my friend. She is a married woman, but even if she was not, you have nothing she has not seen thousands of times before!”
They sat by the fire and made pleasant small talk for a while, catching up with each other’s news, before a maidservant came to tell them that their baths were ready. Caillen got up at once, still rubbing his back.
As they went out, the laird took Erin’s arm to hold her back a little and looked into her eyes. “He is too fond of you, Erin,” he warned. “Be careful.”
Erin was taken aback. “There is nothing between us, Kenny.” Her voice was firm. “I have just buried my husband, and I am still in mourning. How could I even think of being with another man?”
The laird nodded slowly, then smiled at her. “I know that I am probably being too protective of you, but Nairn was one of my best friends, and I think he would like me to keep an eye on you. Forgive an old man, Erin. Sometimes I look at you and see the daughter I never had.”
Erin thought of the laird’s four sons and smiled. “I consider that an honor, Kenny. Thank you.”
Erin had not enjoyed a meal so much in ages, not only because of the sumptuous food that Laird Nugent always provided but because she was seeing a new side to Caillen. He told some quite outrageous stories of his university days which had both the laird and her in stitches.
“You mean you really climbed the bell tower?” Laird Nugent asked Caillen incredulously.
“Yes, I did,” Caillen assured him, nodding emphatically. “I have about fifty witnesses to prove it. And a few scars from the stone.”
“What would you have done if you had fallen off?” Erin asked, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.
He shrugged. “Died, I suppose,” he said casually. He glanced at her, his eyes twinkling, and she giggled.
“Were you not afraid?” the laird asked. “Even a wee bit?”
“Not after half a bottle of whisky,” Caillen answered, shaking his head and laughing.
“But why did you do it?” Erin was puzzled. “You knew the risks; what made you do something so dangerous?”
Caillen looked at the laird, who erupted into laughter. “You know, do you not, M’Laird?” he asked, raising his eyebrows comically.
“I do indeed,” the laird answered, still laughing. “I am willing to wager that many of those watching were young women, Erin, and there is not much a young, virile man will NOT do to impress a lady. Mind you, risking your life seems just a trifle extreme!”
Erin shook her head ruefully. “I will never understand men,” she sighed. “You are all completely insane!”
“No doubt,” Caillen said, smiling in a very silly fashion. He stretched and yawned hugely. “I must get some sleep, M’Laird. Thank you for the wonderful food.”
“I am so glad we managed to fill your cavernous stomach,” Laird Nugent replied, laughing. “I have never seen anyone eat so much.”
“It is a gift,” Caillen admitted.
They left, laughing.
Erin had not drunk quite as much wine as Caillen, so she did not wake up with a monster of a headache, as he did the next morning. Breakfast was a cursory affair, with both of the men strangely quiet apart from the occasional moan of pain because of their throbbing heads, and Caillen left half his food untouched, which was a rare occurrence indeed!
Laird Nugent had had a massive barley crop that year, and he prided himself on its quality. As he led Caillen and Erin around his granaries, the enormous bundles of grain, piled sheaf upon sheaf, dwarfed them. Erin had seen many harvests before, but none like this.
“I am asking—hmmm…” Laird Nugent thought for a moment, then named a figure, and Caillen threw his head back and laughed heartily, then looked at the laird in disbelief.
“You are jesting!” he said, still chuckling.
“Name the price you would like to pay, then,” the laird answered pleasantly. He was smiling, but there was a flinty gleam in his eyes.
Caillen named his preferred price, and this time it was Laird Nugent’s turn to laugh. He named a slightly lower price than his first offer, but it was still too high for Caillen. Caillen offered a slightly higher one, and so it went on. Eventually, they reached a place where they were close to the price that Caillen wanted to pay but still a little too high for his liking. At this point, Erin had expected him to end the discussion, as he had said he would, but instead, he broke his own rule and lost his temper.
“I have made you a perfectly fair offer!” he yelled at the laird. “Why will you not accept it?”
