Highland Grace by K. E. Saxon Page A

the feast.” She gave a wistful
sigh. Her eyes filled with tears. “I’ll bet no one even considered
bringing some up to me!” she wailed.
    Bao rushed over to the bed and sat down next
to her, pulling her into his arms. “Shhshh. Of course we wanted to
bring some of the fare up to you, but we worried we’d wake you.
You’ve been sleeping so much these past two days, Daniel and I
thought it best to let you rest.”
    She sniffled. Then sniffled again. Her voice
thick, she said, “I’m lon”— hic! —“nely...y...y!” Pushing out
of Bao’s embrace, she railed, “ And ‘tis all your fault! ”
    Bao’s eyes grew stormy and a tick started in
his cheek. “ My fault? Why, pray, is it my fault?”
    “Because you forced me to stay up here the
past two days, even after you knew I hadn’t caught a fever!”
    * * *
    Bao took a deep breath. And then another. And
then one more. His grandmother had explained to him that Jesslyn’s
moodiness was due to her condition and that the best thing to do
was to appease her. “Forgive me, sweet. I see now that I am fully
to blame, as you said.”
    She stopped crying for a moment and gazed at
him through the tears that still puddled in her eyes, a look of
shock on her face. “Nay, ‘tis me! I’m to blame, ‘tis my fault!”
    Bao watched in alarm as her face scrunched up
and the tears poured forth once more. But, if he’d learned naught
else about women in all his years on this earth, he knew this:
Never agree with any negative statement a woman makes about
herself. Never. Ever. “Nay, ‘twas my fault. I was wrong to leave
you up here all by yourself for so many hours.”
    Bao rose and dampened a cloth to cool
Jesslyn’s fiery cheeks and rinse off her tears. He settled back on
the edge of the bed and leaned forward, softly stroking the cool
material over her face and eyes.
    “My thanks,” she murmured.
    She’d stopped crying, thank the heavens.
    “Will you hold me, Bao? Just for a
while?”
    “Aye.” Bao looked around, trying to figure
out how he could hold her without lying down. Definitely not a good
idea. There wasn’t a suitable chair in the chamber, and the stools
weren’t large enough. Aye, a chair would be a much better option,
if only there was one. He determined in that moment to have one
brought up on the morrow. His gaze lighted once again on Jesslyn.
He bit back a sigh. The bed it would have to be, then. “I’ll need
you to move forward a minute, so I can climb in behind you.”
    “All right,” Jesslyn replied, and did as he
instructed.
    Bao took off his boots and settled in behind
Jesslyn, placing his legs on either side of her hips. He put his
arms around her and pulled her back to lean against his chest,
resting his arms under her bosom, just above her swollen belly.
“Would you like me to brush your hair later—or bathe your feet
again, mayhap?” Bao said after a time.
    “Aye, both would be nice. Do you mind?”
    “Nay, I don’t mind. I enjoy the effort. Quite
a lot, actually,” he replied. Unable to resist the temptation any
longer, he brought his hand down over her tummy and softly caressed
it. “How fares our babe?”
    Jesslyn smiled and looked down. “Well. In
fact, the babe’s been quite active this day.” She put her hand on
top of his and shifted it. “There! Do you feel it? Tap...tap.”
    Bao grinned and nodded. “Aye, she’s a
restless wee thing, is she not?”
    “Aye,” Jesslyn replied. “You think the babe’s
a lass?” she asked, surprise tingeing her voice.
    Bao shrugged. “I know not, it just seems my
likely fate. But a son would be welcome as well.” He kissed the top
of her head and said, “I ordered a meal be sent up here in about an
hour; I’m sure ‘twill include quite a bit of what was offered at
table earlier.”
    Her smile broadened. “Good, I’m famished.”
She tilted her head back and to the side, looking up at him, “I am
so sorry for how I behaved earlier. I honestly don’t understand
what’s