It’s a bit early for strong
spirits, but I think we are all near frozen after that long ride from the
city.”
“At least we made it before the worst of it hit,” Gavin
added. “It’s really starting to come down out there.”
“It’s a good thing you weren’t delayed any further,” Conner
said jokingly as he headed for the door. “Scarlett was just getting ready
to send out a search party.”
“Our little mother-hen was worried about us eh?” Rory
laughed, grinning mischievously at Scarlett.
Scarlett merely rolled her eyes, well-accustomed to her
brother’s good-natured teasing.
“So Alec, what brings you to Grey Oaks?” Conner asked when he
returned with the brandy a few minutes later.
“Your brothers kidnapped me,” he responded, with a sardonic
grin.
“Had to get the poor man out of that god-awful city for a
while,” Colin said affably. “Alec tends to forget that clean country air is
good for a man’s soul.”
Once Conner had distributed the drinks, they all seated
themselves upon varying pieces of furniture. Colin and Alec took the
large wingback chairs placed on either side of the fireplace, Conner took the
upholstered seat near the window; while Rory and Gavin dropped onto the cream
and gold stripped settee, pulling Scarlett down to sit between them.
Rory placed his arm around Scarlett’s shoulder and pulled her
to his side in an affectionate squeeze. “What have you been up to,
Minx? Besides trouncing Conner at chess, that is?”
Scarlett swallowed the sudden lump in her throat as all eyes
were suddenly directed her way, including Alec Weston’s. Feeling the heat of his direct gaze, Scarlett
gave silent thanks for the countless hours she’d spent under her friend
Bethany’s proficient tutelage. Though Georgie was an apt tutor in most
areas, when it came to dealings with the opposite sex, Bethany was the hands
down expert. With unmitigated
enthusiasm, she had done her best to help prepare Scarlett for her upcoming
reunion with the man of her dreams. Drat ,
if she’d known of Alec’s impending arrival she never would have let Bethany
accompany her mother to Ireland to attend her cousin’s wedding. But much
to her chagrin, Bethany was away, and in turn she was on her own.
Despite her nervousness, she managed to answer her brother without stammering
like a simpleton. “Nothing terribly exciting,” she admitted.
“She enjoyed the peace and quiet more than anything I’d
wager,” Gavin said with a playful wink.
“She wasn’t the only one,” Conner added with mock sincerity,
looking pointedly at the twins.
During the course of the next hour, Scarlett did her best to
converse with Alec and her brothers without showing any outward signs of her
romantic interest in their guest, despite the fact that her heart skipped a
beat every time her gaze inadvertently connected with his. The last thing
she wanted was for her brothers to suspect that she had anything more than a
polite interest in Alec Weston. She would never hear the end of it if
they did.
As Alec sipped his second snifter of brandy, he was still
having trouble believing that the vision before him was actually real.
Scarlett’s natural beauty was almost too incredible to be believed, and her
hair, the long auburn curls held away from her face by a simple blue ribbon,
was the perfect complement to her stunning features. He had seen a lot of
attractive women in his lifetime, but none that could hold a candle to
her. He tried to remember her as she had been the last time he’d seen
her. She had still been a child then. Pretty enough as he recalled,
but even so, he’d never imagined that she would blossom into quite possibly the
most beautiful woman he had ever seen. When she excused herself a short
while later, it was all he could do to keep his eyes from following her from
the room.
That night, as Scarlett dressed for dinner, she spent extra
time on
spirits, but I think we are all near frozen after that long ride from the
city.”
“At least we made it before the worst of it hit,” Gavin
added. “It’s really starting to come down out there.”
“It’s a good thing you weren’t delayed any further,” Conner
said jokingly as he headed for the door. “Scarlett was just getting ready
to send out a search party.”
“Our little mother-hen was worried about us eh?” Rory
laughed, grinning mischievously at Scarlett.
Scarlett merely rolled her eyes, well-accustomed to her
brother’s good-natured teasing.
“So Alec, what brings you to Grey Oaks?” Conner asked when he
returned with the brandy a few minutes later.
“Your brothers kidnapped me,” he responded, with a sardonic
grin.
“Had to get the poor man out of that god-awful city for a
while,” Colin said affably. “Alec tends to forget that clean country air is
good for a man’s soul.”
Once Conner had distributed the drinks, they all seated
themselves upon varying pieces of furniture. Colin and Alec took the
large wingback chairs placed on either side of the fireplace, Conner took the
upholstered seat near the window; while Rory and Gavin dropped onto the cream
and gold stripped settee, pulling Scarlett down to sit between them.
Rory placed his arm around Scarlett’s shoulder and pulled her
to his side in an affectionate squeeze. “What have you been up to,
Minx? Besides trouncing Conner at chess, that is?”
Scarlett swallowed the sudden lump in her throat as all eyes
were suddenly directed her way, including Alec Weston’s. Feeling the heat of his direct gaze, Scarlett
gave silent thanks for the countless hours she’d spent under her friend
Bethany’s proficient tutelage. Though Georgie was an apt tutor in most
areas, when it came to dealings with the opposite sex, Bethany was the hands
down expert. With unmitigated
enthusiasm, she had done her best to help prepare Scarlett for her upcoming
reunion with the man of her dreams. Drat ,
if she’d known of Alec’s impending arrival she never would have let Bethany
accompany her mother to Ireland to attend her cousin’s wedding. But much
to her chagrin, Bethany was away, and in turn she was on her own.
Despite her nervousness, she managed to answer her brother without stammering
like a simpleton. “Nothing terribly exciting,” she admitted.
“She enjoyed the peace and quiet more than anything I’d
wager,” Gavin said with a playful wink.
“She wasn’t the only one,” Conner added with mock sincerity,
looking pointedly at the twins.
During the course of the next hour, Scarlett did her best to
converse with Alec and her brothers without showing any outward signs of her
romantic interest in their guest, despite the fact that her heart skipped a
beat every time her gaze inadvertently connected with his. The last thing
she wanted was for her brothers to suspect that she had anything more than a
polite interest in Alec Weston. She would never hear the end of it if
they did.
As Alec sipped his second snifter of brandy, he was still
having trouble believing that the vision before him was actually real.
Scarlett’s natural beauty was almost too incredible to be believed, and her
hair, the long auburn curls held away from her face by a simple blue ribbon,
was the perfect complement to her stunning features. He had seen a lot of
attractive women in his lifetime, but none that could hold a candle to
her. He tried to remember her as she had been the last time he’d seen
her. She had still been a child then. Pretty enough as he recalled,
but even so, he’d never imagined that she would blossom into quite possibly the
most beautiful woman he had ever seen. When she excused herself a short
while later, it was all he could do to keep his eyes from following her from
the room.
That night, as Scarlett dressed for dinner, she spent extra
time on
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