Page 12 of Christmas Secrets

“Ask yer sister,” Dal growled right back. “Here, take the kids, she’s scared them enough fer one day. I have work to do, as Angus has already reminded me.”

He handed the children off to a suddenly surprised Darro. Then with his back stiff with indignation, Dal stomped to his snowmobile, mounted it, and sped off. He didn’t even look back; he was too angry.

When he reached the north pasture, he parked the snowmobile by the gate and just sat there, letting the adrenaline rush wear down. Then he sighed and shook his head. Mayhap he shouldn’t have spoken to Ainsley like that, but miss high and mighty was due for a fall. If she’d been his girl, she’d fall right over his knee for the stunt she just pulled.

He got off the snowmobile and picked up his bag. If she wanted to continue playing queen of the manor and him the lowly worker, then so be it. A lass who would take that kind of risk with children wasn’t worth the time of day anyway. He wouldn’t spend any more time at Neamh than he had to until she had gone back to Boston.

Miss Ainsley MacCandish was nothing but a hoity toity brat.

Some of the cattle mixed in with the sheep were standing at the metal fence staring at him. They were Highland Coos, an early breed of Scottish cattle known for their hairy coats. Curiosity gleamed in their unblinking stare of their big brown eyes. It was if they knew what he was thinking and was disputing the error of his ways.

“What?” he snapped, raising his arms to shoo them from the gate. “She’s a bratty little lass who hasn’t gotten her fair share of spankings. What would ye have me do? Although that’s hard fer me to believe with Darro as her brother,” he muttered as he opened the fence and slipped inside with his bag. “And with Whipcord as her father. Mayhap it just didn’t do any good. In which case I’ve had a near miss. No doubt falling in love with an obstinate lass like that would just make my life miserable.”

The cattle didn’t reply and Dal rolled his eyes. “Now she has me talking to cows and we haven’t even had a decent conversation ourselves.”

As he set about his work, he wondered if it was too late to return the snow globe he’d ordered? When he found out that Ainsley loved snow globes, he ordered one especially made for her to keep in her room while she was in college. It was a small replica of Neamh inside the snowy glass. A reminder of home.

“I guess I can’t return it,” he said aloud with a huge sigh. “They don’t take back custom jobs.” He’d just keep it for himself and it would remain his secret.

***

Ainsley stared at herbrother over the huge desk in his study, memories of their father calling her in for a discussion, or whatever else Whipcord had in mind flowing through her thoughts. She’d been over her dad’s lap too many times to count, and over Darro’s a few times while growing up.

“What were ye thinking?” Darro snapped, his glower truly reminding her of their dad in that moment.

She raised her hand to smooth her honey blonde hair behind her ear, her fingers trembling. Still shaken up from the near miss with Dal, she tried to get herself together. “I didn’t know Dal would be sitting there,” she explained. “I-I thought he would already be gone.”

Darro leaned back in his chair and studied her like a bug under a microscope. “I can’t help but notice ye have been pretty rude to Dal. If I thought ye did this on purpose I’d bend ye over this desk and take my cheeseboard to yer backside.”

Ainsley felt the red creep up her throat and into her face. His analysis wasn’t far off. While she hadn’t intended to put the kids in any danger, she had hoped to maybe startle Dal a little bit. She just hadn’t expected to nearly run him over.

“Of course I didn’t do it on purpose,” she fumed at him. “I would never put the kids in danger like that. I just wasn’t expecting him to be there.”

“So why are ye being rude to Dal?”

“I don’t want him getting any ideas that I’m interested, that’s all.”

“And ye think he’s interested?”

Ainsley allowed herself an eyeroll. “Since everyone has been teasing me about him falling in love with me just from sitting on my horse, what am I supposed to think?”

Darro grunted and steepled his fingers. “I can see how that might be awkward.”

“Ye think?”

Darro’s eyes narrowed. “Attitude, sis.”

Ainsley folded her arms and glared at him. “Aye, I have an attitude and I don’t like us being pushed together.”

Darro chuckled. “No one is pushing ye two. It’s more like taking bets on whether Dal has a chance or not.”

Ainsley stiffened with indignation. “He doesn’t. I’m not interested.”

“Why not? Ye could do a lot worse than Dal.”

“I still have two more years of college after the winter semester,” she finally replied. “It’s a moot point. Even if I was remotely interested in getting to know him, I don’t want to be in a long-distance relationship. He seems like a nice enough guy, but I don’t want to encourage him.”

Darro stood up. “I doubt ye’ll have to worry about that now. One thing about Dal is that he loves kids. Your value may have gone down after the stunt ye pulled.” His eyes gleamed at her in question, as if trying to gauge her response.

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