“She’s an unwelcome visitor,” Enrick said, although Grant swore his brother was digging for the truth, watching his reaction, wondering what had gone on between Colleen and him.
“Aye,” Grant said, not about to ever tell his brothers he had kissed the lass.
Grant noted Lachlan was watching out the window, his arms folded across his chest, listening to the conversation but interested in something taking place near the gardens.
“What are you gawking at?” Grant asked, crossing the floor to join him.
“The lass who doesn’t belong here.”
Five of his men were supposed to be patching around loose rocks on the seawall. Instead, they were sitting on stone benches, arms folded across their chests, smiling as they observed Colleen. All three of his Irish wolfhounds sat in front of her. Their eyes were focused on hers, their expressions saying they were eager to please.
They never behaved. Even for him. But at least she hadn’t been on the phone for long. Unless she’d just made a hasty date with Archibald. Grant ground his teeth a bit.
“How in the world did she manage that?” Lachlan asked, peering out the window beside them.
“Bribery, it looks like,” Grant said. He couldn’t imagine getting the dogs to mind any other way. Even so, he couldn’t believe they’d behave for treats. After the way they had jumped all over her when she first arrived, he was surprised to see she had so much control over them now.
What if she had kissed him and rubbed that sweet body against his in an attempt to heel him as she had the wolfhounds, only she didn’t even have to give him a treat to make him mind? Bloody…hell.
“Did you know her cousins are arriving next week?” Enrick asked.
“What?” Grant turned to see Enrick’s serious expression. “I thought they were only coming if the lass felt she needed help in handling us,” Grant said, not liking this new scenario one bit, despite having said it was fine with him if they came to visit. Surely they didn’t mean to stay too long.
“Apparently they wanted to come anyway to check out their castle.”
“The properties are the lass’s. Not her cousins’.” Grant hadn’t meant to sound so protective of her. He tried to tell himself he only worried that her cousins would try to dictate to Grant and his pack, in addition to the lass having her say. He let out his breath in exasperation. “What next?”
“Look, they’re following her as if she were the Pied Piper. They’re not jumping on her, but walking beside her like perfectly behaved, well-trained hounds,” Lachlan said.
Grant stared out the window, not believing this. “When exactly are her cousins arriving?” he asked, wanting to take care of this issue right away. He still wondered if the lass hadn’t called them and told them she needed help with the Highlanders.
“Friday after next at 9:45 in the morning,” Enrick said. “Where did you want them to stay?”
“The blue and gold rooms.” Though Grant wanted to have them stay in the White Room while he stayed in one of the newly painted adjoining guest rooms.
Maybe after the kiss they’d shared, she’d changed her mind about him sleeping in the White Room instead of his own chamber.
He managed a small smile.
Chapter 9
Later that night after Colleen had readied herself for bed, she heard Grant opening drawers while he packed some stuff to vacate his chamber. She hated that he had to move, but she couldn’t see any other way to handle this unless he finally and miraculously came up with another bedroom she could sleep in that had a bathroom en suite.
After what seemed like forever, he shut the door to his chamber, not banging it as she suspected he might do. He hadn’t spoken a word to her at dinner, and she assumed he was seething about having to move from his chamber tonight. She also wondered if that’s why he had initiated the kiss earlier today—an attempt to change her mind about where he’d sleep.
Was he also upset with her about her cousins coming? She’d told them they didn’t have to. Even suggested they arrive later because she felt Grant and his people still needed to become accustomed to her being there first. But both of her cousins worried about the weather getting worse. They wanted to see the castle before that happened and then return home.
She could have said no and insisted they wait until next summer when the weather was better, but they were so eager to visit that she had agreed.
She hoped she and Grant hadn’t returned to business as usual—him being all growly, and her cheerfully attempting to show it didn’t bother her.
Hating to admit it, she much preferred him kissing her atop a hill in a serene glen.
***
Grant toted his bag into the White Room and shut the door none too gently. He could live with this as long as he needed to, he told himself. He’d had an awful time trying to be civil to anyone this afternoon, knowing that as soon as the day ended, he would be subjected to sleeping in the White Room.
Everyone was well aware of the reason for his discontent and, thankfully, gave him a wide berth.
He stripped out of his clothes, then pulled aside the white ruffled and eyelet-trimmed curtains and stared at the white comforter and blankets decorated with pink roses covering the bed. The tiny white bed.
Maid staff would be certain to give him grief about leaving fur on the bed if he shifted and slept there. When he’d kissed the lass on top of the hill, he had been the alpha male to the alpha female, on top of the world, right with the world. Now he felt like one of his Irish wolfhounds relegated to the doghouse.
He stretched his body, embracing the heat and change in his muscles until he stood on four paws, staring at that damnable child’s bed. He growled, not that it did him any good, and curled up on the pink-and-white braided rug next to the hearth.
He still wondered how it had come to this. Him, the pack leader and manager of the estates and a laird in his own right, sleeping on the floor of the room reserved for the now “owner” of the castle.
***
Colleen shouldn’t have felt guilty for sleeping in the lady’s chamber while relegating Grant to the White Room. She wondered if he slept there or had made someone else do so while he commandeered that pack member’s room.
She finally closed her eyes, wrapping the blanket and covers tight to her chin, and heard a strange sound coming from the direction of Grant’s chamber.
Her eyes popped open as every one of her senses went on alert. Had Grant sneaked back into his chamber to sleep, defying her order? She couldn’t imagine the Highland alpha warrior-wolf sneaking anywhere. Unless he was ready to do battle with his enemy.