Page 118 of Only a Breath Away

“For me twas Uncle Baldie. He only had tae speak and the men listened tae him. He had everyone’s respect.” I gave Haggis a treat. “Lochinvar is young, he is impetuous, and he has the potential for chaos. He has the ability tae wreak havoc, but that described ye at one time and me as well. We ought tae be the kind of men for him tae look up tae.”

“Why are ye mentionin’ it now?”

“I want ye tae consider that he is verra useful within the fold, and he is dangerous outside of it. He is a son of Donnan. I daena wan tae kill him. I daena want him tae challenge my throne, Archie’s throne. He was born a bastard, orphaned, raised by Ormr, it has been a terrible life. Give him a chance tae find a place in the family, daena fight him at every turn.”

“He can hae a place as long as tis nae in front of the window at breakfast, or in front of the whipped cream. He needs tae keep tae his own place as well.”

“I ken, twas a difficult situation — ye had tae reach for the whipped cream. I daena ken how ye managed tae eat without mishap.”

He chuckled. “I see what ye mean. But he is an arse and deserves tae hae it kicked, but I will try tae help mold his character instead of kickin his arse.”

“Good, ‘mold his character not kick his arse’ are wise words tae live by.”

CHAPTER 76 - KAITLYN

Beaty, Hayley, Emma, Sophie, and I were frowning around Lochinvar. He was bright red, horribly sunburned on his face and his forearms. His hands and lower legs were covered in vicious looking welts.

He was every shade of pink and red and looked absolutely miserable.

Quentin and James were stifling their laughter.

Emma was Googling. “I think it’s Stinging Nettles, a plant.” She turned the screen around. “What do you think, did you see a plant that looked like that?”

“Aye, tis likely, twas all green plants everywhere.”

“You need a dip in the lake, some scrubbing with soap, then we will put some special concoctions—” She wandered to the kitchen looking for some of her herbs.

Lochinvar grimaced.

“Where does it hurt?”

“It hurts everywhere.”

I called to the kitchen, “Emma, do you have aloe too?”

To Hayley I said, “How did we let the Scottish man, fresh off the boat, out in the sun all day?”

She poked my shoulder, also very pink, as we had been canoeing all day.

Zach stuck his head out of the kitchen. “Lochinvar, do you want a cookie?”

He nodded, frowning. “I need all the cookies.”

I rolled my eyes. “Man, it runs in the family.”

Zach said, “Tracy, can you bake chocolate chip cookies while I finish dinner?”

“Yes, sir.”

From the kitchen came loud music and clanking of baking trays as they set to work. Lochinvar went out to jump in the water. The kids stood on the dock and watched. Archie said, “Uncle Lochie, you are very pink.”

“Aye, I hae battled the heat of the day and the bushes of the forest and Lochinvar the Fearsome has won.”

“Is that what pink means, you won?”

Lochinvar laughed. “Of course I won. Ye ought tae see the bush. He is a broken pile of sticks, vanquished in the grass, the clear loser.”

Dinner was delicious, and we played a board game after. Then we all went to bed earlier than usual. We were putting on a strong face for the kids and it was exhausting, so I lay on the bunk in the bunk room, thinking about the empty bunk beside me and how it was supposed to have Magnus in it.

---