Page 91 of The Highlander's Irish Bride

“Poor Mr. Brown,” she said. “I did feel like I needed to help in some small way.”

“Not small. You’ve done a splendid job repairing the damage to the garden.” He cast an appraising eye over her work. “You’ve a true talent, lass. Brown will be thrilled.”

His praise made her feel foolishly girlish—and happy.

Don’t be such a ninny.

“Even if you did have to sacrifice your boots,” he wryly added.

She smiled. “They’ll be my contribution to the cause.”

“Hannah will sort them out. She wages constant battle against the effects of country life.” He chuckled. “And my brother. Hannah’s determined to get him sorted, too—much to Sabrina’s amusement.”

“I’ve never seen a lady’s maid scold the master of the house before. It’s refreshing.”

“Hannah believes a proper scold now and again will prevent Graeme from reverting to his former ways.”

“You mean Highland hellion ways? From what Sabrina tells me, that’s a family trait. Except for Lord Arnprior, who is very dignified. And Kade is terribly sweet.”

“Nick has his moments. Just ask Vicky.”

“I shall certainly do so.”

She hesitated.Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

“And what about you, Mr. Kendrick? Do you ever revert to your hellion ways?”

Again, heat flared in his gaze as it tracked over her. Kathleen’s mouth suddenly went dry as that heat somehow transferred to her body, sending a flush dancing over her skin.

A moment later, however, she had an uncanny sense that Grant had just taken a mental step back.

“Miss Calvert, what is of concern is not my past behavior, but your present behavior. As in, wandering about on your own.”

Men.They weresobloody confusing.

“I believe we finished that discussion,” she replied.

“I’m not sure where you got that idea.”

“Well,I’mfinished with it, anyway.” She retrieved a pair of clippers from the gardening basket she’d unearthed from the vicar’s shed.

While she carefully trimmed a few bedraggled bits off the rhododendron, she could all but feel Grant fuming behind her.

After a minute or so of fraught silence, he finally blew out an exasperated breath. “Lass, are you just going to ignore me?”

She threw some trimmings onto a pile of debris. “It would appear so.”

“Miss Calvert, you simply cannot—”

She rounded on him. “If you don’t stop calling meMiss Calvertin that annoying tone of voice, I swear I will stab you with these clippers.”

Grant simply tilted his head. “What should I call you, then?”

“You might try Kathleen. We’ve been practically living on top of each other for weeks. It seems silly to be so formal, especially since I refer to Graeme by his Christian name.”

His expression went blank. Then a slow smile curled up the corners of his mouth.

Kathleen decidedly liked his firm-lipped, masculine mouth. It was hardly the first time she’d noted such and suspected it wouldn’t be the last.

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