Page 55 of The Texan Duke
When he didn’t speak, she said, “What about your father? What was he like?”
“You’ve just described him,” he said. “Except for the history of the clan. I should have considered that they would be alike in temperament.”
“They were twins, after all.”
He nodded.
She decided to change the subject.
“The next crofter we’re going to visit is Daniel McCraight. He, too, is a widower.”
“Is everyone named McCraight?”
“They’re members of your clan,” she said. “Around here, it’s not unusual to bear the name.”
At least he didn’t argue with her about it being his clan.
She had a surprise for him at Daniel’s cottage. Fiona, Daniel’s Scottish collie, had had a litter of puppies a few weeks earlier.
The cottage was one of the larger structures at Bealadair, Gavin having given Daniel permission to build onto the house. Altogether there were five rooms, four for humans and one for the dogs and their puppies when they came.
She always enjoyed her visits with Daniel and purposely made this the last stop of her circuit so she could spend more time with him and with Fiona.
A few times, she’d joined them on the slopes of the glen, watching as he demonstrated the dogs’ talent at interpreting his whistles and unspoken commands. With each new litter, Daniel kept a few puppies for up to a year, training them as well.
Connor dismounted first, came to her side, and reached up to help her. She didn’t tell him she was more than capable of dismounting herself. When he gripped her waist, it seemed as if his hands lingered.
She’d never before wondered what a man’s hands would feel like on her bare skin. Oh, she’d imagined a wedding night, but the husband she’d envisioned hadn’t been real, just a filmy, indistinguishable, hazy figure. Not once had she paired her imagination with reality. Especially someone asrealas Connor McCraight.
She thanked him just as the dogs began to bark. Not a welcome greeting as much as a warning one.
“Daniel has Scottish collies,” she said. “They don’t bark when they work,” she told Connor as they took the path to the door. “They don’t make a sound around sheep or cattle. Only an occasional yip when Daniel gives them the command. At home it’s different, however.”
“Scottish collies?” he asked.
She nodded. “McCraight collies,” she said. “Prized for their bloodline, intelligence, and their herding abilities. Daniel’s dogs are renowned throughout the Highlands and are very much in demand.”
The door opened suddenly and Daniel stood there, a tall, overpowering figure of a man. She’d always thought that he was the tallest person she knew, but to her surprise Connor topped him by an inch or two.
Connor was clean shaven; Daniel had a bushy beard hanging nearly to his chest, but in all other ways the two men were alike: tall, broad shouldered, with an air of command about them.
“I’m guessing you’ll be wanting to come in,” Daniel said, stepping back. “I’ll not be heating the outdoors for you.”
Connor grinned at him and she understood immediately why he was so pleased. Daniel wasn’t going to be obsequious. Nor did he seem overly impressed when she introduced Connor as the 14th Duke of Lothian. Daniel didn’t care. Daniel hadn’t even cared when Gavin came to visit him. He was a man who knew his own worth and wasn’t about to bow and scrape before anyone. Nor was he about toYour GraceConnor a hundred times.
The two men shook hands, seeming to take the measure of each other before they separately nodded.
She occupied herself by bending and picking up one of the puppies that had come rushing to the door. He was a fluffy ball of gray, brown, and white fur, all paws and nose, little triangle-shaped ears peeking up from his round furry face.
She held him against her cheek, smiling when the puppy licked her cheek.
“I’ll be keeping him, Miss Carew,” Daniel said. “He’s a smart one, he is.”
“Have you named him yet?” she asked.
Connor bent and scooped up another puppy. For such a large man he was incredibly gentle.
For the first time since she’d known him, Daniel looked decidedly uncomfortable.
