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He moved out of the trees, just a little, and her head turned at once as she caught sight of hihting He smiled back, then jerked his head in invitation, and turned away down the path, not waiting

Was he sufficiently petty to want to deawpers that his wo and come at his beck? Wellyes, he was Embarrassment at that realization was tempered by a pleasantly fierce sense of possession at the sound of her step on the path above; yes, she would come to hi in her hand; a small packet, wrapped in paper and tied with thread He put out a hand and led her off the path, doard a small copse where a scrim of tattered red and yellow maple leaves offered a decent semblance of privacy

"Sorry to take you frolad to get away I’uts" She ht," he assured her "It’s not one of the things I was looking for in a wife"

"Maybe you should have been," she said, shooting hiht need a ho can pull your teeth when they go bad, and sew your fingers back on when you cut therayness of the day seemed to have affected her spirits--or perhaps it was the job she had been doing A brief glance at the run of Claire’s patients was enough to depress anyone--anyone but Claire--with their parade of deforhastly illnesses

At least what he ruesohteenth-century life for a bit He cupped her cheek, and smoothed one thick red broith a chilly thumb Her face was cold, too, but the flesh behind her ear, beneath her hair, arot what I wanted," he said firh? You’re sure ye don’t want a man who can scalp Indians and put dinner on the table with his gun? Blood’s not , either, aye?"

A spark of huhtened

"No, I don’t think I want a bloody man," she said "That’s what Mahed

"And ill you call me, when you’re mad at me?" he teased She looked at hihter

"Oh, don’t worry; Da won’t teach ht s to say in French Do you knohat un soulard is? Un grande gueule?"

"Oui, e with quite such a red nose" He flicked a finger at her nose, and she ducked, laughing

"Maudit chien!"

"Save soht need it" He took her hand, to draw her toward a convenient boulder, then noticed again the s present," she said, and held it out to hih it had been a dead erly, but felt no sinister shapes through the paper He bounced it on his palhtless

"E look "From Mrs Buchanan" The froas back between her brows, and that look ofworry? No, so else, but da with e It’s what it’s for" She took the package from him, and tucked it into the pocket she wore tied under her petticoat She was looking down, rearranging her skirts, but he could see the tightness of her lips "She said it’s for our winding claes"

Spoken in Brianna’s odd version of a Bostonian Scots accent, it took acl--oh, you mean shrouds?"

"Yes Evidently, it’sand start spinning cloth for h clenched teeth "That way, I’ll have it woven and embroidered by the time I die in childbirth And if I’m a fast worker, I’ll have time to make one for you, too--otherwise, your next ill have to finish it!"

He would have laughed, had it not been clear that she was really upset

"Mrs Buchanan is a great fool," he said, taking her hands "You should not be letting her worry you with her nonsense" Brianna glanced at him under lowered brows

"Mrs Buchanan," she said precisely, "is ignorant, stupid, and tactless The one thing she isn’t is wrong"

"Of course she is," he said, with assu nonetheless a stab of apprehension

"How many wives has Farquard Campbell buried?" she de the three of thehteen-year-old girl fronored it

"And Jenny ban Caht children and deviled two husbands into the ground," he countered firmly "For that matter, Mrs Buchanan herself has five bairns, and she’s certainly still kicking I’ve seen theot hied