Page 54 of The Winter Laird

“You said yourself that it’s a game,” Reilly said languidly, slanting her a look. “Don’t tell me you’re falling for him.”

“No!” Brianagh exclaimed. “Definitely not! It’s just that when I agreed to this, I didn’t think it would require kissing.”

Reilly placed the blade on the table and gave it a loving pat. “Oh, Bri, come on. Use your brain a bit here. You ran amatchmaking business. How many of the couples you successfully matched didn’t so much as kiss in public?” At her consternation, he said, “You can tell when people are in love and when they’re not. It’s one of a woman’s best intuitions.”

She let out a gusty sigh. “Yeah…I know. I just didn’t think it’d be this hard.”

Hhe took the pillow from her. “Oh my God, this is awful.”

“Oh, shut it,” she snapped, grabbing it back. “See? I’m not meant to stay here.”

“Why? Because you can’t sew a stitch?” Reilly guffawed. “Please. I know you better than that. You’ve been here almost two weeks. So tell me, who are you thinking of matching up?”

She shook her head loftily. “No one.”

“Really?” Reilly gave her an assessing look. “No one here is giving off the lonely vibe? That seems highly unlikely.”

“Well, the new cook, Keela…”

“Aha! What’s her story?”

“She’s been living in the village, caring for her elderly mother. She’s quite young and very pretty and can do great things with the food.”

Reilly nodded. “Trust me when I say, a person with her skills in the kitchen is almost unheard of in these times. She’s a keeper, so don’t let another clan try to steal her away.”

“Noted. And she is wonderful. But she has never thought of herself as anything other than her mother’s caretaker. But now that she’s at the castle, and with my realignment of resources available to help with her mom—”

Reilly’s laugh made her stop short. “Oh, Bri, I knew you wouldn’t be content to sit around and ruin poor, unsuspecting warriors’ shirts all day!”

“They told you I messed up their tunics?” she asked glumly, looking at the mess that was her pillow.

“Let’s just say I was warned by about a hundred or so men. But look. You’ve already come up with a plan for this place, haven’t you?”

She remained mute.

“Brianagh MacWilliam. I knew you had it in you,” Reilly said, applauding her.

She started at the use of her married name, then sniffed and stabbed the pillow again. “BrianaghO’Rourke. And I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes you do. In the time you’ve been here, you’ve created a business plan for the castle to run more efficiently and are thinking of potential matches for your new cook.”

“I hate you,” she muttered.

Reilly burst into laughter. “I know you better than you know yourself,” he crowed. “Go on. Admit it.”

“Never.”

“Never say never,” Reilly said gleefully. “I love this. I truly do. At some point, you will thank me for bringing you here.”

“Because it’ll sharpen my business focus when I return,” Brianagh replied firmly. “Make me appreciate what I have more than ever.”

“Sure.” He chuckled. “If that’s going to help you sleep at night, you tell yourself that. But I’m betting if you let your guard down a little, MacWilliam will ensure you sleep evenbetterat night.”

She threw the pillow at him.

* * *

Brianagh promisedherself she was going to draw Reilly’s sword from his side and run him through with it. And she’d kick him in the shin for good measure.

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