one for you.”
“I’ll go down.” Duncan unfolded himself lazily. “But don’t buy the orange blossoms.” He held out the cigar, then grinning, wiggled his fingers, twisted his wrist and made it vanish before Daniel could take it.
“Smart aleck,” Daniel muttered, then grinned fiercely as Duncan walked out. “You’re just what we need to get your cousin moving.”
Humming the wedding march, he went down to greet his guests.
* * *
It couldn’t have been more perfect, Daniel decided a few hours later. Duncan fell easily into pattern and flirted charmingly with Layna, made her laugh. It was a fine thing, too, that they were easy together, as they’d be cousins before much more time had passed.
He expected his family to be a loving and happy one.
“Duncan, take the girl out in the gardens. You like flowers, don’t you, lass? We’ve fine ones.” Daniel continued beaming at Layna. “They show off particularly well at sunset.”
“He’s right about that.” Duncan rose, sparing one withering look for Daniel before turning to smile at Layna. “Want to walk?”
“I’d love to. Thanks.”
Anna waited until they’d gone out the side door, then leaned forward in her chair. “You can get that smug look off your face, Daniel. Those children aren’t the least bit interested in each other in the way you’d like. And they couldn’t be less suited.”
He barely resisted winking at Myra when his old friend muffled a chuckle. “They look fine together.”
“Of course they do.” Exasperated, Anna threw up her hands. “They’re both attractive young people, but your meddling’s doomed to failure this time. And if you try to push those two together, Daniel, I’ll stop you.” She lifted a finger before he could bluster. “They’re not right for each other. Any fool can see that poor girl isn’t happy.”
“Well, she’d be happy enough if she wasn’t so stubborn.” Daniel sniffed. “Needs to think with her heart for a change—like someone else I knew more than sixty years ago. And we’ll see if she isn’t smiling when she leaves here in a few days.”
After those sixty-plus years, Anna knew when to stop beating her head against the stone wall of Daniel’s determination. She turned to her friend. “Myra, surely you can see that this is a mistake for Layna.”
“I just want her happy, Anna. The child is just waiting to open her heart.”
“Not to Duncan,” Anna said firmly. “You saw for yourself the way she and D.C. looked at each other. If she’s not in love with him, she’s well on the way—and the two of you shoved them together hardly more than a month ago. Putting Duncan, who can charm the stars from the sky, in her way just now is a disaster waiting to happen.”
At Myra’s burst of laughter, Anna’s eyes narrowed. She took a deep breath and shifted her gaze from her husband to her friend. “Oh, what have the two of you done?”
“Just set a stage, so to speak,” Daniel told her. “And D.C. will be walking onto it tomorrow.”
“D.C’s coming?” Anna shut her mouth, sat back, considered. Then she nodded. “Good.”
“Good?” Having braced for a lecture, Daniel goggled at her. “Good, you say?”
“Yes, I do. For once I agree with you. Though I don’t approve of your tactics, Daniel, and we’ll discuss that later.” A smile tugged at her lips. “It’s going to be a very interesting couple of days.”
Chapter 10
The last thing D.C. expected to see when he stepped out of his car in front of the fortress The MacGregor had built on the cliffs over the restless sea was his cousin with his arm slung companionably around Layna’s shoulders.
The misery that had dogged him all along the trip north turned abruptly and viciously to bright green fury.
Layna’s hair was windblown, her cheeks flushed. He imagined they’d just come from a walk on the cliffs, and the image infuriated him. Even as he watched them, Layna stopped, stared, and that pretty
“I’ll go down.” Duncan unfolded himself lazily. “But don’t buy the orange blossoms.” He held out the cigar, then grinning, wiggled his fingers, twisted his wrist and made it vanish before Daniel could take it.
“Smart aleck,” Daniel muttered, then grinned fiercely as Duncan walked out. “You’re just what we need to get your cousin moving.”
Humming the wedding march, he went down to greet his guests.
* * *
It couldn’t have been more perfect, Daniel decided a few hours later. Duncan fell easily into pattern and flirted charmingly with Layna, made her laugh. It was a fine thing, too, that they were easy together, as they’d be cousins before much more time had passed.
He expected his family to be a loving and happy one.
“Duncan, take the girl out in the gardens. You like flowers, don’t you, lass? We’ve fine ones.” Daniel continued beaming at Layna. “They show off particularly well at sunset.”
“He’s right about that.” Duncan rose, sparing one withering look for Daniel before turning to smile at Layna. “Want to walk?”
“I’d love to. Thanks.”
Anna waited until they’d gone out the side door, then leaned forward in her chair. “You can get that smug look off your face, Daniel. Those children aren’t the least bit interested in each other in the way you’d like. And they couldn’t be less suited.”
He barely resisted winking at Myra when his old friend muffled a chuckle. “They look fine together.”
“Of course they do.” Exasperated, Anna threw up her hands. “They’re both attractive young people, but your meddling’s doomed to failure this time. And if you try to push those two together, Daniel, I’ll stop you.” She lifted a finger before he could bluster. “They’re not right for each other. Any fool can see that poor girl isn’t happy.”
“Well, she’d be happy enough if she wasn’t so stubborn.” Daniel sniffed. “Needs to think with her heart for a change—like someone else I knew more than sixty years ago. And we’ll see if she isn’t smiling when she leaves here in a few days.”
After those sixty-plus years, Anna knew when to stop beating her head against the stone wall of Daniel’s determination. She turned to her friend. “Myra, surely you can see that this is a mistake for Layna.”
“I just want her happy, Anna. The child is just waiting to open her heart.”
“Not to Duncan,” Anna said firmly. “You saw for yourself the way she and D.C. looked at each other. If she’s not in love with him, she’s well on the way—and the two of you shoved them together hardly more than a month ago. Putting Duncan, who can charm the stars from the sky, in her way just now is a disaster waiting to happen.”
At Myra’s burst of laughter, Anna’s eyes narrowed. She took a deep breath and shifted her gaze from her husband to her friend. “Oh, what have the two of you done?”
“Just set a stage, so to speak,” Daniel told her. “And D.C. will be walking onto it tomorrow.”
“D.C’s coming?” Anna shut her mouth, sat back, considered. Then she nodded. “Good.”
“Good?” Having braced for a lecture, Daniel goggled at her. “Good, you say?”
“Yes, I do. For once I agree with you. Though I don’t approve of your tactics, Daniel, and we’ll discuss that later.” A smile tugged at her lips. “It’s going to be a very interesting couple of days.”
Chapter 10
The last thing D.C. expected to see when he stepped out of his car in front of the fortress The MacGregor had built on the cliffs over the restless sea was his cousin with his arm slung companionably around Layna’s shoulders.
The misery that had dogged him all along the trip north turned abruptly and viciously to bright green fury.
Layna’s hair was windblown, her cheeks flushed. He imagined they’d just come from a walk on the cliffs, and the image infuriated him. Even as he watched them, Layna stopped, stared, and that pretty
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