Page 95 of Only a Breath Away

Tracy asked, “Lochinvar, where have you been that you haven’t eaten cereal before?”

We all looked at him with apprehension.What would he say?

He answered, “I lived on Isle of Skye, we dinna hae these — what are they called?”

Zach quickly said, “Honey Nut Cheerios and homemade whipped cream?”

“Aye, Cheery-nut-os with cream, we dinna hae them.”

“Oh, for a second there I thought you meant you never had cereal at all! That would have been so weird, I think everyone in the world has had a bowl of cereal, maybe not with whipped cream.” She asked, “Well, what’s next?”

Zach said, “We do some dishes and then you’re off for an hour until lunch and then you come back in the afternoon, when we make dinner. Tonight’s dinner will be light, because—”

The men all groaned.

Zach raised his fist and pretended to threaten them all to be quiet.

Emma smiled. “If you don’t want to drive too much you can swim, whatever, read a book, do what kids do these days.”

She said, “Seriously?I can come, do a bit of work at breakfast, and then at lunch, and then dinner and you’re paying me a full giant salary?”

Zach jokingly put his finger to his lips. “Shhhhh, Iknow, pretend like we’re busier than we are, it’s the only way I keep the guise up.”

CHAPTER 66 - KAITLYN

Later I found Magnus in the room we had given to James and Sophie. He said, “I was verra tired, Sophie said I could take a nap in here. Tae think I need a nap between breakfast and lunch like a bairn.”

“You’re still healing. Can I come join?”

“Aye.” He patted the bed beside him.

I kicked off my shoes and curled up there, in my sweats. “This is a nice vacation. I wasn’t expecting one, I didn’t plan — I have a million lists of ‘things to do on vacation’ but here we are on a surprise one and it’s nice. I like the birds singing and the kids laughing, and the water rocking the dock. It’s lovely.”

“I ken, I hope Master Cook and Colonel Quentin return with no incident and that all is well so I daena hae tae leave tae rescue them. There hae been too many rescues a’ready.”

“So true.”

He was quiet, then he said, “For many long months, whenever I slept, Haggis would sleep right beside my feet.”

“You miss him, huh?”

“Aye, we were in many a battle taegether, he was a fellow soldier.”

I chuckled, nestling my head into his shoulder. “And you didn’t want a dog.”

“Aye, I hae learned a lesson, I dinna ken what a good friend he would be. He was an excellent listener.”

“What did you talk about?”

“We talked a great deal about steaks, because I was hungry. He had never tasted one afore. I told him about soft beds and warm houses.”

“Those are all things you love.”

He chuckled. “Aye, Haggis would love them too, he and I hae a great deal in common. We spoke of it on those long nights in the rain, looking out over a battlefield — he dinna want much, I wish I could give him a steak and a warm house, he risked a great deal for me.”

“He sounds like he was great.”

“Aye, he was a cù math, a good dog.”

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