Page 31 of Gift-Wrapped in a Kilt

He stood there, stiff and cold. For a long, long time.

Chapter Twelve

The dining-room door slammed shut after Jamie as she rocketed down the hall of the guest wing. Tears streamed down her face. Her eyes burned, and the tears blurred her vision. She clutched at her belly but couldn't stave off the ache there, the one that matched the pain in her chest. Gavin blamed her brothers for everything. How could he say that to her?

She stopped halfway down the hall. Sniffling, she swiped at the tears with the back of her hand. All right, she had to admit Gavin had a reason for laying part of the blame on Rory — but only for last night, not for what happened before that. She couldn't understand why Rory had invited Trevor to the party. What if Gavin was right? What if Rory wanted to chase him away?

If Rory wanted her to reconcile with Trevor, he should prepare for a verbal skelping. For the first time in her life, Jamie suffered an impulse to throttle him. She looked up to Rory, idolized him even. How could he have done such a devious thing to her?

"Jamie, honey, what's wrong?"

She sniffled again, mopping her eyes with her shirt sleeve to clear her vision.

Emery was hurrying toward her. When she reached Jamie, Emery clasped her upper arms and fixed her concerned gaze on Jamie's. "What happened? Mrs. D told me Gavin showed up."

"He says —" Jamie straightened and raised her head. "He told me my brothers are the problem. He thinks they want him gone, and that Rory tried to use Trevor to get between us."

"Rory does have explaining to do." Emery rubbed Jamie's arm. "Don't worry, I'll get the truth out of Rory before the day is out."

"It doesn't matter." Jamie swallowed, though her throat stayed tight. She would not cry anymore, would not act like a silly girl who couldn't control her own life. Not anymore. "Gavin hates my brothers. What does he want from me? Does he expect me to move to America with him and forget my family?"

Emery studied her for a moment, calculation in her gaze. "If you want to know what Gavin thinks, better ask him."

Jamie made an irritated noise that came out as almost a snarl. "I don't think he knows what he wants. When I met him, he was different. Strong and confident and sexy. He took my breath away. And he stood up to Aidan when my rascally brother teased him. Gavin pursued me, despite Aidan moaning about his little sister being defiled, and they even became friends." She screwed up her mouth. "Well, it was more like they agreed to a Cold War truce. The point is, Gavin has become… I don't know what. Not the man I fell in love with. I will not give up my brothers to please him."

She'd almost done that once before to please a man. Never again.

"You don't know that's what he wants," Emery said.

"Can't ask him." Jamie scrunched up her face. "Last night, I told him I want only sex from him, and that I'd call him when I want it."

"Oh Jamie, you and Gavin are such adorable idiots."

Jamie bristled, her spine snapping straighter and stiffer. "Idiot? Thought you were my friend, but you're calling me names."

"No, sweetie, I'm not insulting you." Emery hooked an arm around Jamie's shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "I love you, but like I said earlier, you need to figure this out on your own. In the meantime, maybe I should have a little chat with Gavin. Set him straight about a few things."

Jamie shot her a sidelong look. "How is that me handling this on my own?"

"Think of it as a jump-start." Emery withdrew her arm from around Jamie. "Once I get the engine running, it's up to you and Gavin to set the timing right."

"Please, no automotive metaphors."

"Sorry." Emery thought for a moment, her cogitation visible in the squint of her eyes and the way her fingers drummed in the air. "Here's a better one. Gavin is Steve Rogers, about to step into the scary machine that will turn him into Captain America. You are Peggy Carter, telling him everything will be okay if he takes the leap."

Captain America? Jamie shook her head, though she was more amused than annoyed by Emery's superhero reference. Her sister-in-law loved movies about muscle-bound men in skintight costumes.

"Trust me," Emery said. "Gavin isn't a lost cause."

"If you say so."

"Where did you see him last?"

"The kitchen."

Jamie watched Emery march off in search of Gavin. If he hadn't left already, he was in for an Emery Talk. The woman knew how to meddle without seeming like a busybody, but Jamie had her doubts about Emery's power to persuade Gavin to do… whatever it was Emery thought he should do.

Three weeks alone in this house. Three weeks to sort out this mess.

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