Page 37 of Christmas Secrets

Darro turned and took his wife into his arms. “I noticed that as well,” he admitted, a slight frown between his brows. “Do ye think she and Dal had words? I know they were both outside for a while.”

“Probably in the barn,” Lucerne guessed. “She always goes to talk to Stardust when something is troubling her. Should I go talk to her? Or do ye want to?”

Darro shook his head. “There’s nothing I can do fer her with regards to Dal. Ye can talk to her if ye want to, but it’s her life and she’s not interested in the lad. If they are fighting, its between them and I don’t think they will appreciate any interference.”

Lucerne nodded but she wasn’t so sure Darro was right. There was an undercurrent between Ainsley and Dal that she had picked up on. “I’m not so sure she isn’t interested,” she replied thoughtfully, staring up at her husband.

Darro’s eyebrow shot up. “What makes ye say that?”

“Call it womanly instinct,” she teased, running her finger down the dark shadow on his jaw.

“And why would that be a problem then, oh fair one?” Darro intoned like a wise, pot-bellied monk. “He already likes her.”

“It would be a problem if she didn’twantto be interested.”

Darro stared. “Ye just lost me. Cripes, ye women are complicated.”

Lucerne laughed. “It’s time fer little Darro to eat. I’ll just peek in on Ainsley before I get the baby.”

Darro frowned. “We need to figure out something besides little Darro to call the bairn. I don’t want him stuck with that the rest of his life.”

“We could use yer middle name,” she suggested.

“Lachlan? That means warlike in the Viking origins,” he replied. “Not sure why my great grandparents decided on that name, but perhaps it’s because there are several bodies of water on Heaven’s Gate lands.”

“What does that have to do with warlike?”

“It’s the Gaelic meaning of Lachlan,” he explained.

Lucerne giggled. “I like it. Lachlan. A hard, warlike, lover of water. It has a ring to it. The hard being the meaning of Darro, naturally.”

“Mayhap my great grandmother had a hand in the naming, since ye like it so much,” he replied dryly. “But okay, Lachlan he is.”

“Now maybe everyone will stop hesitating when they ask a question about the baby. It’s like no one else knows quite what to call him either.”

Darro turned her around and patted her bum. “Go check on Lachlan, wee mama, and yer Ainsley chick. I’ll go see if Angus has polished off all the left-overs yet and round up Corey and Delilah fer baths.”

“Aye, sir,” she saluted, and was rewarded with a sharp spank instead of a pat.

“I can see it’s almost time to settle up from the last few months,” Darro purred.

She shot him an innocent look sideways as they walked. “Settle up fer what? I haven’t done anything.”

“Fer all the things I never caught ye at,” he replied with a smug grin. He went on to the kitchen and left Lucerne staring after him, a curl of anticipation building in her stomach. Then she shook her head and headed down the hallway to Ainsley’s room and knocked lightly on the door.

She didn’t hear anything so she gently opened the door and peeked her head inside. Ainsley was lying on her side facing away from the door. “Ainsley?”

When Ainsley swiftly turned over, then winced and popped up, she knew the source of her bright eyes earlier.

“What do ye need?” Ainsley asked, walking to the door to meet her.

Lucerne eased inside and closed the door behind her. “Is everything all right? I couldn’t help but notice that ye and Dal both disappeared around the same time. Ye haven’t been arguing again, have ye?”

Ainsley hesitated and then sighed. “I was angry with him over that dumb pool,” she confessed. “So, aye, we argued about that. He says he didn’t know about the betting pool until Ben told him a few days ago, and I didn’t believe him.”

“And that’s been the source of yer attitude toward him since ye got home,” Lucerne guessed. “If it’s any consolation, I don’t think he did know, and he really does admire ye.”

She shrugged. “That’s his problem. I’m headed back to Boston and I don’t want a long-distance relationship with a playboy like Dal. Even if I was remotely interested and thought I could trust him,” she added hastily. “Besides, I have a boyfriend.”

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