history.”

“Like you, ye mean?” Alec drawled past his grin. “Except

for the century part.”

“I don’t chase skirts.”

“No, they chase you.” His eyes lit with laughter. “Ye just

don’t work too hard outrunning them. Or don’t you

remember Jessie’s friend Merissa? And then there was

that woman from Greenvil e who slowly began moving in

with you one bra and panty and bottle of shampoo at a time

last winter.”

“She started getting her mail delivered to my house,”

Duncan growled, even as he felt heat climbing up the back

of his neck. Christ, he hadn’t even realized what she was

doing until he’d tripped over a litter box one morning

despite not owning a cat. “I’m stil finding stuff that belongs

to her. But what in hel does any of that have to do with any

of this?” he asked, waving up at his mountain.

“You said yourself that misery loves company. If Mac is

happily married, he’s going to make sure any skirt-chasing

bachelor he comes across is going to join him in wedded

bliss.”

Duncan set the pup down with a snort. “He doesn’t have

to beat the hel out of me to get his point across,” he said

as he tried to grab the gunwale to pul himself up, only to fal

back with a groan just as Alec rushed forward to catch him.

Alec pul ed Duncan’s arm over his shoulder, then

grabbed his belt and lifted him to his feet. But when he

couldn’t even stand on his good leg, his nephew gave a

sigh as he put his shoulder low on Duncan’s stomach and

slowly hefted him over his back.

“Dammit, my ribs,” Duncan hissed, grabbing Alec’s belt

to hold himself away.

“Then loosen up. Christ, ye weigh a ton,” Alec said on a

grunt as he strode toward the boat he’d driven here. “Since

ye look like you’re about to pass out, I’l tow your boat

back,” he said as he careful y lowered Duncan into the front

seat.

“At least get my sword out of it first. Come on, pup,”

Duncan said, patting the gunwale. The young dog just

stared at him, its tail wagging frantical y as it looked at the

woods then back at him in indecision. “Come on,” he

repeated, patting the gunwale again. “T-bone steaks, little

heathens, a soft bed; come on, pup.”

“Maybe al it wants is to be cal ed something other than

‘pup,’” Alec said, setting the sword on the seat next to

Duncan.

“I’m going to let Peg’s kids name him.”

“Now doesn’t that sound domestic?” Alec said with a

chuckle as he walked back to Duncan’s boat—only to

swerve at the last minute and scoop the dog up in his arms.

“Easy now,” he crooned, carrying it to the boat. “He’s a mite

scrawny, but by the look of those paws he’s going to be a

monster. Besides the obvious lab, what other breed does

he have, do ye think?”

“Hel , the way my luck’s been running, probably polar

bear,” Duncan said when Alec set the dog on the seat

beside him. He pul ed the struggling pup against his side

so it wouldn’t jump out, then cupped its head to his chest

and stroked his thumb over its worried brow. “You’re okay,”

he whispered. “My MacKeage word of honor; as long as

there’s breath in me, you’l always be safe.”

Alec chuckled. “I’m guessing you’l have an easier time

getting the dog to believe that vow than ye wil Peg.”

“Have we left yet?” Duncan snapped. “I’ve got eighteen

men waiting on me.”

Alec walked back to Duncan’s boat and grabbed the

bow to haul it down to the water. “They’re going to have to

wait a little longer, because our first stop is going to be the

closest hospital I can find.”

“I just need a bottle of aspirin, a soft bed, and twenty-four

hours of sleep.”

Alec hooked a rope onto the boat and tied it to the stern

of his, then walked to the front and pushed his boat back

into the water. “Not until after ye have your knee and ribs x-

rayed and get a prescription for something a bit more

powerful than aspirin, I’m afraid.” He jumped in and lowered

the motor and started it. “Dalton already has the crew

hauling gravel to build the pad for our camp.” He arched a

brow. “I do believe you hired the man because he knows

what he’s doing, so let him.” He turned the boat out into the

fiord and slowly increased their speed to bring the second

boat into line behind them, then grinned at Duncan. “And ye

might want to look at how this may be a blessing in

disguise.”

“Blowing out my knee is a blessing?”

“It is if you’re wanting the sympathy of a certain woman.”

Duncan stil ed. Wel hel , he was right. “Works for me,” he

said past his grin as he gave his pup a squeeze. He looked

up at his mountain. “I’l be back, you big bastard,” he

shouted. “So enjoy what’s left of your nap.”

Chapter Sixteen

If working her children and paying them with food was

against child labor laws, then she surely was headed for

jail, Peg thought with a smile as she noticed Jacob and

Peter eyeing their construction toys on the beach. “Okay,

here’s the deal,” she said as she dished generous helpings

of apple crisp into al five of their plates on the picnic table.

“You give me two more hours at the new house after lunch,

and we’l spend the rest of the afternoon playing on the

beach.”

Peter eyed her suspiciously. “Are you gonna play with

us?”

“Yup. I’m getting right down in the dirt and showing you

how to build a proper twig bridge for your road.”

“Two hours?” Isabel whined. “Mommm, that means I’m

gonna miss my show. And the only time I can watch it is

during school vacation.”

“The weather’s too nice to be watching television, so

even if we weren’t working on the house you’d stil have to

be outside.” Peg shrugged. “But if you don’t want your very

own new bedroom, then I guess you can sit in a chair

outside and read a book.”

“Me and Repeat don’t gotta have our own new

bedrooms, do we?” Peter asked for the tenth time in as

many months. “I don’t wanna move to that dumb house.”

“Until you start whining for separate rooms, which I figure

wil be in a couple more years, the two of you can bunk

together,” Peg told him for the tenth time. She sat down in

front of her plate of apple crisp—which she’d drizzled with

maple syrup to practice for the one she owed Duncan this

Friday. “In fact, I plan to give you each a set of bunk beds,

so you can have the new friends you’re going to make at

school come for sleepovers.”

“And Sophie can come have sleepovers with me,”

Charlotte said, “just as soon as we move into our new

house.”

“And I can have Henry come spend the night,” Isabel

quickly added.

“Girls don’t have boys sleep over,” Charlotte said before

Peg could respond.

Isabel turned her questioning baby blues on Peg. “Why

not, Mom?”

Yes, why not? Peg was saved from having to come up

with an answer when Duncan’s pickup pul ed into the

driveway, only she saw that Alec was driving and that

Duncan appeared to be leaning against the passenger

door, sleeping.

“Peg, could I speak with you a minute?” Alec asked when

he got out and softly closed his door.

Peg walked over to him as she eyed Duncan. “What’s

up?” She smiled. “Did we wear out your boss on our picnic

yesterday?”

Alec’s returning smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I wish.

No, he’s had a bit of an accident, which is why I have a

powerful favor to ask. Don’t feel ye have to say yes, though,