“And if she doesn’t choose?”
He shook his head. “She has no choice but to choose, which I believe Titus explained to you just last night,” he said softly, grinning at Alec’s surprise. “Which is another one of my errands,” he continued just as quietly. “Titus asked me to come out here and explain that you no longer have to sneak around to see Carolina—or Jane, he said you kept calling her—because you’re welcome to come to Nova Mare and openly court her with the others.”
Titus had told Nicholas about their late-night conversation? “You can go back and tell him thanks but no thanks,” Alec said, which he followed with a swig of Scotch to wash away the foul taste Jane’s suitors left in his mouth.
Nicholas nodded. “I didn’t think so. I told him your rather unique courtship was more effective, anyway.” His eyes suddenly hardened. “Which is why despite the little chat you two had, I’ve given my men permission to use any means necessary to stop you from wandering in and out of Nova Mare seemingly at will.” And just that suddenly he grinned again. “It took the guard you tied up last night until nearly noon to get free. And though that normally would have meant immediate dismissal, I somehow allowed Dante to talk me into letting him stay. So don’t be surprised if he and the others are a little harder to sneak past.”
“You’re assuming I intend to.”
“Another of my errands,” he continued as if Alec hadn’t spoken, his voice back to normal, “is to warn you about what happened this morning. Rana’s afraid you might get…upset when you notice the handprint on Carolina’s face.”
Alec stilled with his drink halfway to his mouth. “Who in hell hit her? Titus?”
Nicholas’s eyes flared in surprise. “No,” he snarled. “The Bedouin.”
“And where is the bastard now?”
Nicholas dropped his gaze to his mug and shook his head. “Let’s just say he’s no longer here and won’t be leaving handprints on any more women.” He took another drink of Scotch, then looked at Alec again. “So, any suggestions as to what I should do with the rest of my life?” He waved the mug at the fiord. “I find myself liking this century with all its modern conveniences. And weapons,” he said, grinning again as he nudged his arm against the gun in his shoulder holster. “And since Titus promised me a satchel of money and the choice of which century I wish to live in, I’m trying to decide if I want to stay in this one.” He shook his head. “But I need to find something stimulating to get me out of bed every morning.”
“Why don’t you ask Mac?”
“Because Mac isn’t exactly approachable at the moment. And if Lina chooses Niall MacKeage the night of the ball…” He looked back down at his mug. “Well, let’s just say the little earthquake Spellbound Falls experienced two and a half years ago will seem like a minor tremor.”
“What does Mac have against Niall?”
Nicholas downed the Scotch in his mug. “It’s not just Niall he’s opposed to, but any MacKeage, apparently. Only none of us can figure out why he’s so adamant that Lina not marry anyone from your clan, especially considering he’s such good friends with Duncan.” He shrugged. “Personally, I think—”
“Nicholas? Are you through taking Alec’s measure yet, because I’m beginning to get a bit chilled.”
Alec stiffened even as Nicholas shot him a grin. “Another of my errands,” the big bastard drawled, standing up. “Sorry, I guess I forgot you were here.”
“You did not,” Rana Oceanus said, striding into the clearing with wolf number six walking beside her, its tail wagging like a love-struck puppy.
Alec scrambled to his feet with a silent curse.
“Hello again, Alec,” she said, sliding her purse onto her shoulder and extending her hand to him. “I’m so glad we were able to catch up with you this afternoon.”
He took her offered hand and gave a slight bow. “Mrs. Oceanus.”
She used their handshake to lead him back to the fire. “My, the sun sets early this time of year this far north, doesn’t it?” she said cheerily, finally letting him go to hold both of her hands over the fire. “And the temperature drops so quickly.” She walked to the jacket Nicholas had tossed on the ground and, giving the man an apologetic smile, sat down on it and settled her purse on her lap. She patted the ground next to her. “Sit here beside me, Alec. And please, I insist you call me Rana,” she said, darting Nicholas a speaking look before smiling at Alec again. “Being Mrs. Oceanus is really quite tiring, and sometimes I just want to be…an ordinary woman.”
Jane’s mother was about as ordinary as her daughter, Alec thought with a stifled snort as he sat down beside her. “How about your majesty or highness?” he asked.
She reared away, horrified. “No, that’s worse!” She leaned toward him and patted his arm—then left her hand there, he couldn’t help but notice. “To you I’m Rana,” she growled—though she was smiling. “I insist.”
Christ, he really didn’t see this ending well. “May I ask what brings you way out here on this chilly afternoon…Rana?” Other than to make me crazy missing your daughter, he silently added. Damn, Jane and her mother could be twins but for their ages. Not that they looked all that much alike, as Jane seemed to have inherited her father’s height and eyes and dark hair. But their mannerisms, like their slightly lopsided smiles, no-nonsense strides, and demonstrative have-to-touch-you nature, were identical. Hell, they even smelled alike.
Still keeping her hand on his arm, Rana looked past Alec just as errand boy started to sit down. “Nicholas, could you go get one of the cups we packed so I can try some of that lovely highland gold Niall thoughtfully brought Titus?” She leaned toward Alec again when Nicholas straightened with a loud sigh and headed to his horse. “If the subject should ever come up around my husband, you never saw that Scotch,” she whispered, giving him an intrinsically Jane smile.
Nope; definitely not going to end well.
“Now, Alec,” she said, opening her purse and reaching inside. “I don’t know if you’re aware of it or not, but Olivia and Maximilian are putting on a private ball the evening of the day-long celebration of the hotel opening.” Her hand reemerged holding a bunch of thick vellum envelopes. “And with your being way out here in the wilderness, I decided to deliver your invitation personally to make sure you received it. I know it’s here someplace,” she muttered, fingering through what had to be a dozen envelopes.
Was she serious?
She’d definitely caught Nicholas by surprise, if dropping the silver cup just as he was bending to pick up the Scotch was any indication. “What are you doing?” he asked, crouching to glare across the fire at her—or, more specifically, at her lap.
Rana arched a very Janelike, perfectly shaped eyebrow. “I’m delivering Alec’s invitation to the ball.” She waved the envelopes in the air. “And tomorrow you can help me go into town and deliver the rest of these.”
“All the invitations were sent out weeks ago.”
“Yes. Well,” Rana murmured, lowering the envelopes to her lap, “Olivia and I decided to invite a few more people. I could probably start feeling my toes again if I could get some of that Scotch down to them, preferably by way of my stomach,” she continued, dropping her gaze to the bottle in his hand. “So, Alec,” she said, turning her attention back to him when Nicholas picked up the silver cup and wiped it on his shirt before filling it to the rim. “I was also hoping you could give me some insights into some of the people Olivia suggested that I—that we might wish to invite.” She started flipping through the envelopes, reading off the handwritten names. “Frank Duffy, Charles Vail, Nicholas Patterson, Richard Nason, Michael Byram—”
“Rana,” Nicholas interrupted, handing her the cup full of Scotch, “does Titus know you’re doing this?”
Up went that perfect brow again. “And just when did my husband start caring about the details of any ball I’ve put on—or, in this case, helped put on?”
“Since this particular ball was his idea. You’ve invited a bunch o
f local—and I’m assuming unmarried—men.”
She lifted her cup in a semi-toast, her sudden musical laugh hitting Alec square in the chest. “Well, of course they’re unmarried; that’s the whole point of this stupid ball.” And next came that lopsided smile. “I’m just making sure Carolina has several men to…dance with.”
And as sure as a bolt of lightning might strike him dead, Alec realized where Jane had learned the art of acting clueless. He grabbed the Scotch and refilled his tin mug, then refilled Nicholas’s mug and held it out to the apparently speechless man.
The three of them drank—long and heavily.
“I am nine days away from a hard-earned retirement,” Nicholas growled into the silence broken only by Rana’s soft gasps for breath. “And you’re going to get me banished to some prehistoric hellhole.”
“No, Nicholas,” she rushed to assure him, not a drop of cluelessness in sight. “I’m not asking you to keep what I’m doing a secret from Titus, or Maximilian, or even Carolina.” She smiled—somewhat smugly, Alec thought. “In fact, I plan to tell Titus tonight, after which I intend to point out that the men he’s invited seem to be dropping like flies. Or haven’t you noticed that we’re down to only three?”
“Two and a half,” Nicholas said, a corner of his mouth twitching as he slid his gaze to Alec. “Lina counts Niall MacKeage as only a half, because your ancestor appears to be more enamored with this century than with her.”
“Yes. Well,” Rana murmured, looking at the envelopes. “So Alec, what can you tell me about Frank Duffy?” she said, holding up an envelope. “Olivia said you probably know more about him than she does, as he’s part of Duncan’s construction crew and lives in Pine Creek.”
Seriously? She wanted him to help her vet husbands for Jane? Alec looked down at his mug to hide his glower. “Well, Frank’s a fine enough fellow, if ye don’t mind that he’s been married three times and has six child—”
The envelope was tossed in the fire before he’d even finished. “And how do you feel about this gentleman, Charles Vail?”
“Charlie lives here in Spellbound, and I’ve spent more than a few hours in a boat fishing with him.” He shrugged. “Good fellow from a good family, and strong as an ox.”
That envelope got slipped in her purse. “Nicholas Patterson?”
Alec started to shake his head, but then nodded. “I would definitely invite Nick, especially if you’re wanting to liven up the party.”
She hesitated, then slipped Nick’s envelope in her purse. “Richard Nason?”
“Aye,” Alec said with another nod. “And Michael Byram, as well. Mike has a brother you might consider inviting, if ye don’t mind that Raymond is in his early forties.”
Rana reached in her purse, pulled out a pen and small notebook, and wrote down Raymond Byram. “I’ll make Raymond his own invitation this evening, as I feel each gentleman deserves special attention even if they are from the same household.” She looked over at Alec. “What do the Byram brothers do for work?”
“Mike’s a logger. So was Ray, but a tree he was cutting landed on him a couple of years ago and left him partially disabled. He used the insurance money to buy a pontoon boat and now gives guided tours of Bottomless to tourists.”
The poor woman looked down at her notepad, her shoulders slumping with her sigh. “Yes. Well. I suppose the important thing is that Carolina has a wide variety of men to…dance with.”
Nicholas suddenly stood up just as the wolves rose to their feet. “Sounds to me like you won’t have to wait to tell Titus all about your exciting plan,” he said rather cheerily just as Alec heard pounding hoofs heading toward them.
How goddamned wonderful, considering how well things had turned out the last time a group of mounted men had stopped by for a visit. Alec started to get to his feet, but Rana grabbed his arm and pulled him back down with one hand even as she reached for the bottle of Scotch with the other. She filled her cup and his mug to their brims, then corked the bottle and gave it an impressively accurate lob into the woods, where it landed on a bed of moss. The woman then picked up her cup and held it up for a toast, her sparkling brown eyes dancing with laughter as she gave him a wink.
Christ, he missed Jane.
Not being the idiot everyone accused him of being, Alec clinked his mug to her cup, then hid his grin by taking a drink as he decided the safest place right now was sitting beside the wife of the king of the drùidhs. His decision was reinforced ten seconds later when Titus came galloping into the clearing followed by three men, the wizard looking meaner than Jane’s imaginary bear.
Nope; not going to end well at all.
“Are you thinking to protect her,” Nicholas asked Alec from across the fire, his eyes also filled with amusement as he nodded down at Rana, “or hide behind her?”
“That would be up to him,” Alec said, using his mug to gesture at Titus just as the six wolves crowded up against the other side of Rana, making Alec wonder if they were protecting her or hiding.
“Wife!” Titus snapped as he dismounted and strode toward them, only to halt when brotherly Nick stepped in front of him, making Alec also wonder exactly who Nicholas was to the Oceanuses, as the man certainly didn’t act like an errand boy.
“We left you a note saying we’d be back shortly after dark,” Nicholas said calmly.
“Yet you failed to say where you were going,” Titus growled while glaring at his wife. He turned that glare on Nicholas. “It’s a damn good thing you told your guards.”
“Titus, you remember Alec MacKeage, don’t you?” Rana said brightly, slipping her arm through Alec’s and leaning into him—making him wonder if she didn’t remember that he and Titus had met quite recently, which he still had the loose teeth to prove. “Come try some of this Scotch he just poured for me,” she added, holding up the silver cup. “Apparently the Scots know a thing or two about distilling spirits. Come on,” she sweetly coaxed when Titus didn’t move, “and I’ll explain why I asked Nicholas to bring me out here today.”
Alec saw the old wizard fold like a house of cards, but not before giving Nicholas one last glare as he stepped around him and strode to the fire. He took the silver cup from his wife, downed its contents in one swallow, then wiped his mouth. “That’s really quite smooth,” he said thickly, holding the cup toward Alec for a goddamn refill.
“Come sit down,” Rana said, shooing the wolves away and patting the ground on the other side of her. “And I’ll tell you all about the wonderful idea that came to me just this afternoon,” she added, waving her handful of envelopes when Titus didn’t move.
That certainly deflected his attention from a refill. “What in hell are those?” he asked, sitting down and snatching them away from her.
He started to open one, but Rana covered his hand. “No, don’t ruin the seal. I don’t have enough left to rewrite it again. They’re invitations to the ball.”
“Who are these men?” he asked, thumbing through the envelopes, only to still in surprise and snap a confounded glare at Alec.
“They’re gentlemen who live in Spellbound Falls and Turtleback Station.” Rana took the envelopes from him and carefully arranged them into a neat pile again. “And some are from Duncan’s crew.”
“But we posted an open invitation to everyone in town,” Titus said gruffly, eyeing the pile on her lap, “as well as to all the employees. So why are you giving these particular men engraved invitations?”
“Because I want these particular men to come to the ball. That’s why I’m doing exactly as you did, and am delivering my invitations in person.” She patted Alec’s knee while still looking at her husband. “Starting with Alec here, because I think it’s important that Carolina have a wide variety of dance partners to choose from.”
Alec looked over his shoulder when he heard coughing and saw Nicholas’s shoulders shaking as the man fiddled with something on his saddle. The three guards who had arrived with Titus had dismounted and were also busy adjusting their sadd
les.
Alec downed the rest of his Scotch, then stood up. “Could I interest the two of you in staying for supper?” he asked, deciding that if he couldn’t have Jane, he could at least enjoy her mother’s crazy antics. Damn, he had a thing for smart and sassy women. “Nothing fancy, I’m afraid, but I promise it’ll be filling.” He slid his gaze to Titus. “And I believe I have some stout beer on ice in my cooler.”
“We would love to stay,” Rana said just as Titus started to shake his head, her eyes sparkling in the firelight. “Carolina assures me that besides being a very good hairstylist, you’re also quite a talented cook.”
Now she decides to bring up the ten days he’d spent with her daughter, just when they’d all been getting along so well?
The woman looked around the darkening forest, her eyes widening as she looked back up at Alec with a lopsided smile—that sparkle intensifying. “The smell of cooking food won’t bring a mean old bear nosing around, will it?”
His next nocturnal visit to Nova Mare, he was going to bind and gag Jane and lock her in a closet—naked. “No, ma’am,” he said, striding to the lean-to before she said something else outrageous.
Nicholas joined him at the food locker. “May I ask what you’re doing?”
Alec bent down and opened the locker, took out his tin of trail mix, dug two six-packs of beer out of the food sack, and straightened. “I’m making sure this visit doesn’t end in more bruised ribs and loose teeth.” He thrust the beer and trail mix toward him. “Here, these are for your men.”
The bastard chuckled as he took Alec’s offering. “Sorry, my friend, but plying them with food and liquor won’t make them any gentler when they catch you.” His amusement vanished. “Which, I assure you, they will.”
“They certainly have my permission to try,” Alec said cheerily, grabbing a frying pan off the back wall, then snatching up the sack of food as he headed back to his royal dinner guests—determined to make this visit end well.
“Mind telling me what that was all about?” Alec asked, using the vellum envelope Rana had just handed him to gesture at Titus and the guards disappearing into the darkness, Rana riding in front of her husband.
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