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"It seems he ’s chosen you," he said "But you’ll need a naray the color of the Highland sky, while he teetered on overlong legs like a newborn colt The pup gently swatted her on the shoulder with enorrow to be

As if reading her mind, Ewen marveled, "Aye, those feet are like wee boats He ’ll be a braw one, this lad But don’t mistake his playfulness--these animals will kill to protect their own"

Ewen squatted down to pat the dog roughly on the side of his belly, and their hands accidentally brushed Lily jerked her ar that she suddenly had to round She was annoyingly aware of Ewen ’s proximity and vowed that her ain rushed through her traitorous body

"It looks like an Irish wolfhound to me, " she said in a voice that wavered ht I ’randsire hailed from Ireland and was used to track and kill wolves The Irish haven’t been able to eradicate the pests as we Highlanders have"

Though Lily flinched, she decided not toto make amends, so she would do the same and not mar her first wonderful moments with her new puppy She steered the subject in another direction "How did you guess I ’d want a puppy? I ’ve alanted a dog named Finn Doesn’t he look like a Finn?"

"Och, Finn? ’Tis bad enough to have a beast that hails froal or some other braw Scots na, raised her eyebrows and shot, "Get over yourself, Ewen "

Lily didn ’t knoas hter that erupted from the laird, her or the puppy

"You ’re a curious lass, Lil’ I ’ll be going for so both the pup and my son while I ’m away " The tease in his eyes told Lily that this was his effort at a "Mmhmm"--the words were out of her mouth before she could think about them "and I ’-- ll need to keep an eye on Robert too, I suppose "

"Robbie can hthearted tone turned suddenly serious "Don ’t be troubling with hi your eyes open for Rowena The wench hasn ’t been spotted since that accursed picnic of hers "

"I didn’t mean keep an eye on Robert, I meant " … , she mumbled "I …I don’t knohat I meant And of course, I ’m on the lookout for Rowena "

"Aye then I’ll see you when I return "

"Wait! I ?"

"It’s not of your concern, lass " A dark cloud swept over Lily’s face "Och, wo to attend to The redcoats are up to arded Lily for a moment then added, "And I’ve a person to see on the way home "

Before she could ask any questions, Ewen instructed, "I ’ll be hohtfall Mind yourself while I ’ardens before Lily could even register his comment

"Mind myself?" Exasperated, she muttered to her new confidante, "Mind myself How dare he? Mind myself indeed … bullheaded leefully lolling tongue

"I’d say you were heartsick, lad"

Ewen lared at his uncle, then wordlessly kicked Ares into a canter Donald’s laughter boo off the rocks and hills all around His uncle knew hie to the laird to get ahold of hiht up in the wiles of wo about Lily set hih Then, before he could master the situation, it devolved into wordplay that crackled like dry kindling set to flaainst hers just to feel once h his loins He couldn’t help hiestion in her every word, read it in every glance

She had offhandedly mentioned Robert and he ’d lost his wits His accursed foster brother was enamored of her intellect, and Ewen had seen the lad’s eye rove over the rest of her one toohis interest agitated him

Of all the people under his care, Lily and Robert were tho vexed hi a friendship--or et theht banish the undue attraction that was growing between himself and Lily

But daall hiht was ludicrous, but it had still haunted the laird ever since Lily hadin his bed He couldn ’t believe that she ’d want a lad like Robbie, for that is hoen considered hiant, but ad lad But perhaps that’s omen wanted where Lily hailed from Men who lived in their heads, not their bodies

But Lily, who fought like the wolf she so stubbornly protected, who survived the labyrinth without losing her life or her sanity, orked with her hands in that ridiculous garden of hers He didn’t credit that she would choose one such as Robert, but then perhaps that is what all woroomed men ielded their words with more skill than they did their swords

"Lad, you’ll slow that beast do " Donald had ridden up beside Ewen, catching hiood one, his tone ad him like an ill-behaved nephew rather than the laird that he was