Sizzle All Day (34 page)

Jake sauntered downstairs half an hour later to find his wife, sister, and mother rearranging chairs and baskets of flowers in Rowanclere's Great Hah. This, after Chrissy had him and Cole doing the same damned thing for two hours yesterday. He crossed the room and kissed and greeted his mother, then turned to his sister. "Change your mind again, Bug? Thought we finally got the room arrangement right."

"It's fine for tonight's event, but not for this morning's."

This morning's event? Jake arched a curious brow at the women. His mother approached him, took both his hands in hers. "Receiving your letter about your marriage convinced me to change my own plans."

"You've left Harrington?"

"No. But I decided against a London wedding. I realized how much I regretted not being with you to witness your nuptials. I decided to avoid a similar disappointment in relation to my own."

Jake put it together right away. "You're marrying Harrington here?"

"Today. Will you give the bride away, my son?"

It was his chance to show what a good sport he was about his mother's decision. He could almost feel the air being sucked from the room as the women held their breaths. Well hell, what kind of man did they think he was, anyway? He'd given Harrington his blessing. Did his sister and his wife think he'd go back on his word?

He tossed them both a scowl, then lifted his mother's hand, gazed tenderly into her eyes, and pressed a gentle, courtly kiss to the back of her hand. But in spite of his best intentions, when it came time to speak, he failed to keep the sullen note from his tone. "I guess so. If I have to. If you're sure this is what you want to do. But he'd better treat you right, Mother. I'll have his head for breakfast if he doesn't."

Elizabeth chuckled. "From you, my dear, that is a grand capitulation. I know how hard this is for you. Thank you."

Jake preened a bit. He couldn't help it. No man ever outgrew the boy who wanted to please his mama.

And an hour later, he clasped Gillian's hand and squeezed it tightly as he listened to the earl say his vows to his mother. When her turn came, Jake's stomach took a roll and he felt a bit woozy, too. Just when he thought he might need to interrupt the ceremony and find a place to lose his breakfast, Gillian offered him a surprising distraction.

She gestured toward the floor. Jake looked down and spied a bare foot peeking from beneath the hem of her forest green gown. When she wriggled her toes at him, his mouth went dry and at the same time, he wanted to laugh.
Ah, princess, you're just so damned cute.

The woman was the perfect wife for him.

He handled the rest of the simple wedding ceremony like a champion and when the groom kissed the bride, Jake gave his own bride a delightfully thorough lass. So thorough, in fact, that by the time they came up for air, the others had left them alone in the Great Hall. "We could lock the door," he suggested hopefully. "I am the new lord of the castle, after all, and this is my hall so I should get to use it how I want to."

"It's a lovely thought, Texas, but I'm afraid we don't have time."

"It won't take me long. I promise."

She laughed and pulled him toward the door. "It's a beautiful day outside, and I thought we would benefit from some time away from the hustle and bustle of the castle. I've scheduled an hour and a half, and I told Robyn and Uncle Angus we'd take them for a row out on the loch."

Well, hell. "That's when you'll tell them?"

She made a brave show at smiling, but it was sickly at best. "I don't want Robyn running off in the middle of the telling."

"Smart thinking, princess. But tell me, just in case, does the girl know how to swim?"

* * *

Gillian need not have worried about Robyn diving into the cold waters of the loch when she told them she was leaving with Jake. Her sister didn't jump from the boat. She didn't move so much as a muscle. She certainly didn't speak.

Angus gazed out across the loch, his expression difficult for her to read. A long minute ticked by while the only sound to be heard was the creak of wood and the gentle splash of oar into water. Finally, Angus reached over and squeezed her hand. "It will be a fine adventure for you, lass. We will miss you here, of course, but if I've learned anything during this long life of mine, it is that youth should be lived to the fullest."

Then he turned a solemn stare toward Jake. "You protect her with your life, son. Keep her safe and healthy and happy. She has given you the gift of her love, which is as fine a treasure as any man on earth could desire. Honor it and her."

"I will, Angus."

Her grand-uncle shifted his gaze back to Gillian, and the melancholy tenderness in his eyes almost brought her to tears. He cleared his throat. "A bit of advice, Delaney. When the time comes for her to give ye bairns, give her a home. I dinna care if it is a castle or a nice little home in an island village. Give Gillian a place to build her nest. It will be important to her."

Bairns. Gillian found herself stunned at the thought. Not at the idea of giving him children, but at the idea of giving him children while visiting the South Seas. In all the thinking she'd done since agreeing to accompany him, she'd never made that particular connection in her mind. The question popped out, "Do they have doctors in Bora Bora?"

"Don't fret, Gilly. I've promised to keep you safe, and that includes having our babies in a civilized location."

"Good." With that worry disposed of—for now, anyway—she focused on her most immediate concern. "Robyn? Talk to me, please, lass? Let me know what you are thinking?"

The girl dipped a finger into the waters of the loch and twirled it around. When her silence continued, Gillian tried again. "You're so young to have had so much change in your life already, and I know you're certain to be at least a little wary. But posy, just think. Flora's bairns will grow fast and they'll be crawling and getting into trouble in no time. Think how much fun you'll have playing with them each day."

Angus sat up straighter. "You're not sending my Robbie to have at Laichmoray."

"Actually, Flora has invited you both to have with her family."

"Oh, I didn't realize... of course, Rowanclere is your castle now, Delaney. I should have expected you would want the previous owner to vacate the premises."

"Now hold on," Jake protested. "It's nothing like that. Gillian, tell him."

"Uncle Angus, be fair. Robbie needs supervision. She needs schooling. She needs children her own age with whom to play. She'll find all of that at Laichmoray. And you, you'll enjoy acting grandfather to those boys as they grow. You know you will."

"Aye," he said softly, sadly.

Keeping her gaze upon the water, Robyn slowly reached out and clasped Uncle Angus's hand. It was an offer of comfort and a plea to be comforted. Seeing it made Gillian feel like a traitor. She slumped on her seat and turned her gaze toward the opposite shore from the one her sister watched.

Jake muttered a curse and poured his strength into rowing. As the boat picked up speed, he punctuated his strokes with sentences. "I thought better of the two of you. Think of all this woman has done for you over the years. Ah the love she has given you. Is this how you reciprocate? Is this how you show your love for her? Did you stop and think that maybe leaving is hard for her, too, and that your grudging acceptance of her news will only make it more difficult for her?"

At that, Robyn found her voice. Shooting venom toward Jake, she said, "Then you're the one who's being mean. You're the one making her go away. I wish you'd never come to Rowanclere."

He jerked as if she'd hit him and one of the oars slipped from his grasp. Robyn scrambled around on her seat, giving Jake and Gillian her back. Uncle Angus looked like he'd aged five years in the past fifteen minutes.

Gillian was heartsick. She'd known this wouldn't be easy, and she had been right. She swallowed the lump in her throat, then said, "Robyn, leaving here is my choice, and my choice alone. It's not Jake's fault. It's not even my fault. It is the way of life. You were sad when Flora left Rowanclere but you adjusted. It'll be the same way with me leaving. You'll enjoy living at Laichmoray. If I doubted that at all, I wouldn't go."

Uncle Angus tugged a handkerchief from his pocket and blew his nose. Gruffly, he said, "They're right, lass. You and me, we'll be right as rain. Think of all those swords and suits of armor Alasdair has on display. We can have a fine old time playing war. That we can. So chin up. Delaney is right."

He pulled Robyn into his arms, but looked at Gillian as he said, "If we love our Gilly—and we do, very much—we will wish her happiness and Godspeed on her journey. Now, let's head home and prepare for the foy, shall we?"

Jake docked the boat, then helped Angus into the coach for the short ride back to Rowanclere. Needing time to clear her head, Gillian decided to walk back. She took two steps toward the castle when Robyn threw herself into her sister's arms and held on tight. "I'm sorry, Gilly. It's just that I don't want you to leave me. Everyone always leaves me. Someday I'll be all alone and I won't have a home anymore."

"Nae, love, that is not at all true. You have family who loves you—me and Jake and Flora and Alasdair and Uncle Angus and even Nick, wherever he is. You will always have a home with one of us, you have my word on it."

Jake placed a hand on Gillian's shoulder. "You can believe her, squirt. She's a Delaney and Delaneys always keep their word."

Chapter 15

The skirl of pipes drifted through the Great Hall at Rowanclere that evening as close to seventy guests attended the foy. Against one wall, cloth-draped banquet tables were laden with meats and cheeses, fish and fowl, along with more unfamiliar items like cornbread and enchiladas and the groom's sister's famous Texas Red chili. Whisky flowed like water, and laughter and merriment were the order of the day.

Jake, Gillian, and Uncle Angus greeted their guests in the entry hah as they arrived, then Robyn and Scooter, resplendent in her flower-adorned chariot, led them to the party. Outwardly, Gillian portrayed the blushing bride excited about the evening to come. Inwardly, she fought a battle with low spirits. The scene with Angus and Robyn had affected her worse than she'd expected.

They, at least, appeared to be taking the news in stride. With the arrival of the first few guests, the tension that had hovered between them and herself had evaporated. Soon they were laughing and joking as usual, exactly as Gillian had hoped when deciding the best time to tell her family about her plans.

A time or two she'd caught Jake staring at her, a worried look in his eyes. She gathered his concern for her around herself like a soft blanket on a cold winter's night and immediately felt better. She was doing the right thing by going with him. She knew that. She loved him. It was normal for her to feel a sorrow at the notion of leaving home and family, but once they were on their way, she felt certain she'd catch the excitement of the adventure. Wouldn't she?

Aye, I will.

Summoning determination, she dedicated herself to enjoying the foy.

Gillian was smiling at a story Robyn told about Scooter when she realized the Macleans had arrived. Immediately, her gaze flew to meet Jake's. His disgruntled expression told her he knew the game had now begun, and Gillian's smile widened. Her big, tough husband could be such a little boy at times.

As Angus greeted the Macleans, Gillian met Annabelle's nervous gaze and smiled her encouragement. Then she turned to David. "Welcome to Rowanclere."

"Good evening, Gillian. You look beautiful as always."

Jake stepped closer to his wife. "Hello, Maclean. Glad you could make it."

"You are?" David offered in a droll tone. "I admit to surprise. My recent visits led me to believe otherwise."

Jake's smile was not reflected in his eyes. "This is a party celebrating Gillian's and my thoroughly happy marriage. I figure that's something good for you to see."

With that he dismissed David, then greeted Annabelle with a genuine welcome. Gillian observed closely as Annabelle introduced her mother to Jake. The clever man found just the right tone in greeting a fellow American and the older woman, Mrs. Lehrman, was properly charmed.

And so the plan progressed nicely.

Once the arrivals slowed down to a trickle, Gillian and her family joined the merrymakers in the Great Hall. A short time later, Angus called for the crowd's attention and officially welcomed Jake to the family. Jake then led Gillian onto the floor for a dance and for a little while, she forgot about the evening's scheme.

"That fool Maclean was right about one thing," Jake murmured into her ear as he pulled her close. "You are beautiful, princess. The most beautiful woman here tonight."

His voice sent a sensual shiver down her spine.

"Although," he continued, "I can't say I like your dress."

Gillian knew exactly why he didn't care for the gown, but she pretended to be affronted. "What is wrong with my dress?"

"There's not enough of it." His gaze dropped to her dipping bodice. "This whole scheme to shore up the Macleans's marriage might come to naught. If he gets too bold with his gaze, I might have to kill him and then the rest won't matter." He paused, considered it for a moment, and grumbled, "Maybe that's the best plan anyhow."