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"Thanks"

Fraser had brought a s soap as well Very thoughtful He could have wished that Fraser ainst the doorfras, but under the circuer could scarcely ask him to leave

Even with the unwelcoet rid of the beard It itched like a fiend, and he hadn’t seen his own face inwell?" He tried for a bit of polite conversation, rinsing the blade between strokes "I heard you ha"

"Oh, aye" Fraser’s eyes followed his every ot the floor laid, and a bit of roof on Claire and I will sleep up here tonight, I think"

"Ah" Roger stretched his neck, negotiating the turn of his jaw "Claire’s told ain; let me knohich chores I can take over"

Jamie nodded, arms crossed

"Are ye handy wi’ tools?"

"Haven’t done a lot of building," Roger admitted A birdhouse done in school didn’t count, he suspected

"I dinna suppose you’ll be ?" There was a definite glier lifted his chin, clearing the last of the stubble froht about it, the last few days Not er, on an eighteenth-century hill far down the razor "Nor do I kno to les, drive horses, shoot bears, gut deer, or spit soer splashed water on his face and toweled it dry, then turned to face Fraser

"No What I’ve got is a strong back That do you?"

"Oh, aye Couldna ask better, could I?" One side of Fraser’s mouth curled up "Know one end of a shovel from the other, do ye?"

"That much I know"

"Then ye’ll do fine" Fraser shoved hi, there’s barley to be turned at the still, and there’s an alhty heap of manure waitin’ in the stable After that, I’ll show ye how to milk a cow"

"Thanks" He wiped the razor, put it back in the bag, and handed the lot over

"Claire and I are going to Fergus’s place the eve," Fraser said casually, accepting it "Takin’ the wee maid to help Marsali for a bit"

"Ah? Well…enjoy yourselves"

"Oh, I expect ill" Fraser paused in the doorway "Brianna thought she’d stay; the bairn’s settled a bit, and she doesna want to upset hier stared hard at the other --in those slanted blue eyes

"Oh, aye?" he said "So you’re telling me they’ll be alone? I’ll keep an eye on them, then"

One ruddy brow lifted an inch

"I’m sure ye will" Fraser’s hand reached out and opened over the elowed against the pewter "Ye’ll hter doesna need a coward"

Before he could reply, the brow dropped, and Fraser gave him a level blue look

"Ye’ve cost lanced down at Roger’s foot, then up "But I’ve maybe cost ye more than that I’ll call the score settled--or not--at your word"

Astonished, Roger nodded, then found his voice

"Done"

Fraser nodded, and disappeared as quickly as he’d co at the eently on the cabin’s door It was bolted SoBeauty with a kiss He lifted a fist to knock, then stopped Wrong herne Sleeping Beauty hadn’t had an irascible dwarf in bed with her, ready to yell the house down at any disturbance

He circled the s the s, nah the back of his mind What would they call this one? Noisy? S as a drum, oiled skins nailed over the s He could punch one loose, but the last thing he wanted was to scare her by breaking in on her

Slowly, he circled the house once ery and wait tillher out of a sound sleep, waking the kid

Yes, that was plainly the thing to do Claire would take the little bas--the baby, if he asked her They could talk cals settled between theht That was it, then

Ten minutes later he had circled the house twiceat the faint glow of the

"What the hell do you think you are?" he muttered to himself "A bloodyhimself He shot around the end of the house in tihostlike down the path toward the privy

"Brianna?"

The figure whirled, with a sht

"It’s ainst the white of her nightdress, over her heart

"What’s theup on me like that?" she demanded furiously

"I want to talk to you"