Leave a Candle Burning (45 page)

“Are you going to get dressed today?” Iris asked of Scottie. She had been at the kitchen table with a pot of tea since the older woman arrived.

“I should have before I came downstairs. Climbing back up to my room doesn’t appeal to me at all.”

“Have more tea,” Iris offered, refilling the pot with boiling water and adding more leaves. She was in the midst of this when she heard the front door. “I’ll get it,” she offered, and Scottie was more than happy to sit still. She sipped her tea until Iris and Corina came in. Corina marched directly over to Scottie, who bent to hug her.

“Dannan asked after you,” Iris mentioned. “I think he wanted to see you. I told him to come for dinner.”

Scottie only nodded, watching Corina head to her little table to play. Scottie was learning what Dannan had already figured out: She had taken the worst of the fall.

“That was delicious, Iris, thank you,” Finn complimented after dinner, a sentiment echoed by Scottie and Dannan.

“Scottie made that crumble,” Iris added, more than willing to give praise where deserved.

Scottie rose to get the coffeepot and fill everyone’s cup. The men had more dessert, Dannan’s latest book selection was discussed, and Corina wanted more potatoes. The meal had come to a quiet close when Dannan said he had to leave. He asked Scottie to walk him to the door.

Scottie stood and waited until Dannan said goodbye to Corina.

“Have a good time this afternoon,” he said gently, kneeling down to speak directly into her face. “And help Iris.”

“I help.”

“Yes, you do,” Dannan smiled at her, loving her sincere little expression. “Give me a kiss.”

As soon as the two had said their goodbyes, Scottie walked to the front door with Dannan. She didn’t open it, sure that he had something to say.

“I don’t have a lot of time,” Dannan began, “but I needed to check one thing with you.”

“Okay.”

“Are you feeling as though we should continue as we are, or is there some reason you would wish us to not pursue a relationship?”

Scottie had not been expecting this. She studied Dannan’s intense gaze and asked, “Did something happen, Dannan?”

“Yesterday,” Dannan answered, “I thought you and Corina might be hurt, and that did things to my heart. I thought it only fair to tell you how serious I am about us. I also thought it only fair to my own heart to find out whether you’re still in this with me.”

“Yes, I am. I wish I could figure out what I’m feeling, but just because I can’t define it doesn’t mean I want us to stop.”

Dannan nodded. That was all he needed to know.

“Can you explain a little more of what happened yesterday?” Scottie asked.

Dannan pulled out his pocket watch, touched the latch that opened the case, and consulted the time.

“Not at the moment,” he said with regret, “but we’ll plan on that.”

Scottie had no choice but to nod. It seemed that they never got to finish their discussions, and she still felt a little off balance most of the time.

It was at that moment that Scottie realized Dannan hadn’t left. Scottie met his gaze, her brows rising in question.

“Do you know how much I want to stay and talk to you?” Dannan asked.

“I guess I didn’t.” Scottie admitted. “I wish you could stay too.”

Dannan sighed a little and stared at her face. He breathed, almost inaudibly, “You’re so beautiful,” before slipping out the door.

Scottie did not know what made her turn. The sermon had just started, but something caught her eye. She hadn’t heard the door open, but it must have, since Finn was quietly slipping into the meetinghouse. He didn’t look around or draw attention to himself but sat in a rear pew and looked to the front.

Scottie’s heart clenched with so much emotion that all she could do was pray. She knew the song they stood to sing but didn’t join in. In fact, Douglas was starting his sermon before Scottie stopped thanking God for sending Finn and began to listen.

Before Scottie could invite the Muldoon family for Sunday dinner, Reese stopped by the house and invited her to join them, also telling her that Dannan and Corina would be there. Scottie was happy to be included and even took dessert.

The meal was a delightful time of conversation and good food until the topic of horseshoes came up. Troy had challenged both Conner and Dannan to a game. The men begged to put off dessert and trooped outside, looking for all to see like children at play.

“Well, Corina,” Reese said as she turned to that little person when the women were alone in the dining room. “I think we need to have our own fun.”

“Hair, Reese!” Corina said with delight.

“What does she want to play?” Scottie asked, rising to follow the two, who were now headed to the small parlor at the back of the house. She noticed that Reese was in the process of taking her hair down.

“She likes to brush and play with my hair,” Reese answered, fingers still at work. “Doesn’t she do that with you?”

“No.”

“Sottie…” Corina had come to take her hand and was pulling her to the sofa to join Reese.

“Take your hair down,” Reese directed as hers fell in thick waves around her shoulders and back.

Corina had gone to a small side table, opened the drawer, and taken out a hairbrush. From there she climbed onto the sofa to stand behind Reese, hairbrush ready. By the time Scottie had the pins out of her own hair, she had made a fine mess of Reese’s dark red locks and was ready for Scottie.

Scottie’s hair, also red, but with more blonde to it, had curls aplenty, and the three-year-old was swiftly fascinated. She discarded the brush in order to wrap the fat curls around her fist, her face rapt.

“What is she doing back there?” Scottie wished to know.

“She’s quite taken with your curls,” Reese laughed, picking up the hairbrush to fix her own hair and then brushing Scottie’s where Corina had made snarls.

“Sottie has spurles,” the women heard Corina say, and they laughed together. Corina’s vocabulary was always a surprise.

The opening of the back door sounded during the midst of this, and the women waited for the men to find them.

“Well, now,” Conner smiled at the sight. “Two victims today, Corina?”

“Sottie has spurles,” Corina told the big man.

“She has what?” Conner looked to his wife, who was laughing once again.

“It’s her word for curls,” Scottie explained. Some hair had fallen into her face, but she could still see.

“What’s the word for dessert?” Troy asked.

Reese laughed again before asking, “Who won?”

“I did,” Troy announced, his smile only slightly proud.

“In that case, I’ll get the coffee boiling.”

Troy and Conner trailed after Reese, but Dannan had taken a seat across from Scottie and his daughter.

“This looks fun,” Dannan observed, hoping he was masking his true feelings. Scottie looked even more appealing with her hair down.

“Corina certainly thinks so,” Scottie said, pushing hair from her face.

“Corina,” Reese called from the other room. “Can you come here?”

“You’d better go,” her dad encouraged her, but he sat still. The moment Corina was gone, Scottie began to gather her hair. Dannan spotted the hair pins in her lap, quickly sat on the sofa with her, and plucked them into his hand.

“I need those,” Scottie stated matter-of-factly, still gathering and twisting.

“Leave it down.”

The look she shot him was withering, but Dannan only smiled.

“Is Scottie a nickname?”

“No. Give me the pins.”

“Where did you get it?”

Scottie had her hair in place now and needed only to secure it, but Dannan had not relinquished the pins.

With one hand holding her hair in place and the other held out for the pins, Scottie negotiated, “I’ll tell you as soon I get the pins.”

Dannan gave her one.

“I need the rest,” she said, stabbing the one into place.

Dannan gave her one more and then sat back. “Story first.”

“And I’ll get the pins?”

“Yes.”

“All of them?”

“Yes.”

“All right. I was born in a home for girls and was named by the matron. She’d been told I was a boy, so she named me Scott after her brother. By the time she learned I was a girl, she’d already documented my name in her book. She simply decided to add an
ie
to make it feminine.”

The story told, Scottie’s hand went out and Dannan gave up the pins. Scottie made short work of the task and then looked at the man on the other end of the sofa.

“You’re a tease, Dannan MacKay.”

“I think I’m just a man who knows what he likes.”

“And what’s that exactly?”

Reese called to say dessert was ready before Dannan could answer. They both stood and started toward the door, but Dannan took Scottie’s hand and stopped her.

“This next week, I want the two of us to find some time to talk.”

“Uninterrupted time?” Scottie asked.

“Yes!”

Nothing more was said on their plans to talk or Dannan’s reaction to Scottie’s hair, but Scottie was more aware of him that afternoon than she’d ever been.

“What did you think of the sermon, Finn?” Scottie asked Monday morning by the garden fence. After the service he had slipped away before she could catch him.