Page 30 of The Icy Highlander's Bride
Lana crossed over to sit down next to her. "It is. I'm very happy to be stayin' here."
"How long are ye stayin'?"
The question rendered her speechless.
"For yer visit," Skye explained, thinking Lana hadn't heard her. "How long will ye be here?"
Lana swallowed hard and repositioned herself on the chair. She leaned closer to Skye, wondering if she should take the girl's hand.
"Little one, hasnae yer faither told ye why I'm here?"
Skye seemed to understand the seriousness of this question because she sat still as she stared back at Lana. She bit her bottom lip as she pondered the question, and then she slowly shook her head.
Lana sighed. Of course, Daniel hadn't told her.
"Sweetheart, I'm here because yer faither and I… well, we're gettin' married."
Skye blinked those large blue eyes, and Lana saw how long her eyelashes were.
"Will ye be me new maither?"
This question was even more surprising, but all Lana could think about was the hurt the little girl must be feeling. She reached out and took Skye's hands in her own, squeezing them comfortingly. Tears formed in the child's eyes.
"Daenae fret," Lana soothed, smiling at her. "We will have some time to get to ken one another. I would like to learn more about ye—if that's alright with ye, that is."
"Aye." Skye sniffled. "And then ye will be me maither?"
Lana didn't know which answer would upset Skye more. All at once, she was starting to understand why Daniel had cautioned her about getting too close too quickly. What had seemed like a ridiculous command was suddenly more reasonable. Maybe Daniel had the little girl's best interests at heart, after all.
"I would like to be yer friend first," Lana said, choosing to avoid the question entirely. "Then ye can decide what to call me when we ken each other better. How does that sound?"
This solution seemed to please Skye, and she nodded with enthusiasm. Lana gave her hand a final squeeze before releasing it, glad they had avoided tears.
"I daenae have any friends," Skye announced. "Ye will be me first friend!"
"Well, that's nae true," Lana said, keeping her voice light, though the girl's statement tugged at her heartstrings. "What about yer new kitten? She's yer friend, is she nae?"
"Aye!" Skye suddenly remembered the little ball of fur probably wreaking havoc in her bedchambers as they spoke. "Now I have two friends."
"Well, me new friend, can ye do me a favor?"
The prospect of helping Lana was exciting to the girl. She relished the idea that they could help each other out so quickly after their newly formed friendship.
"Me maither is stayin' here for a few days, until the weddin'. She would love it if ye would call her Grandmaither. Could ye do that?"
Skye's eyes grew round at the request. "Aye." She nodded. "I've never had a grandmaither either!"
All of these statements made Lana want to gather the child to her chest and hug her. Luckily, Skye didn't seem very upset by them.Since she didn't know any different, she didn't dwell on these hardships.
"Alright, me new friend, what do ye say we go downstairs for dinner?"
13
"What happened?" Cameron laughed as they enjoyed a pre-dinner drink. "The lass has only been here for a few hours."
Daniel only grunted, not wanting to speak about his time with Lana in his study. He couldn't stop thinking about the softness of her lips and her small gasps as he dipped his fingers beneath the neckline of her dress.
"She doesnae listen," he growled. He downed his drink and poured himself another. "She must learn more about me household before runnin' around, makin' decisions for me and me family."
