you what; why don’t you and Pete and your sisters start

making a list of names and then we’l al take a vote.”

“Oh, we can do that,” Jacob said. “Charlotte can write

and everything.” He beamed Duncan a bright smile. “I can

write my name, and Pete can, too. And I can count to twenty

and I know the whole alphelet. You wanna hear—”

“Jacob,” Peg said far too sweetly, causing the boy to

whip his head around. “Mr. Duncan is supposed to be

having a nap, and you’re supposed to be working.”

“It’s my fault,” Duncan said. “I was just asking Jacob to

help me find a name for my new pup.”

“Oh, we could name him Swiper,” Isabel interjected,

rushing through the studs from the kitchen area. “Like the

fox on Dora the Explorer.”

“He’s not a fox and he don’t steal,” Pete said, dropping

his piece of wood and also rushing over. “I think we should

cal him Fetch, ’cause he brings us wood.”

Duncan didn’t even try to hide his grin when Peg scowled

at the sight of her crew abandoning their jobs. “Jacob was

just tel ing me that Charlotte can write and everything,”

Duncan said, “so we were thinking about making a list of

names and voting on them in a day or two.”

“But it’s gotta be a noble name,” Jacob interjected.

“’Cause the puppy’s like a rescue hero.”

“Hey, we can make him a badge just like the one we

made you,” Pete suggested.

“But dogs don’t have wal ets to carry it in,” Isabel pointed

out.

“No, but once we come up with a name,” Duncan offered,

“I could have a metal badge made for him to wear on his

col ar.”

Peg walked over while reaching in her pocket and pul ed

out a smal prescription bottle. “I think it’s time for one of

your meds,” she said far too sweetly. “Charlie, could you

bring Duncan a glass of water, please?”

“You do know there are child labor laws in this country,

don’t you?” he asked while fighting back a laugh.

“You try to unionize them and I’m going to accidental y

misplace your meds,” she whispered, giving him

another sweet smile as she handed him a pil , making

Duncan wonder if the apple crisp had tasted so good

because she’d smiled at it.

“How soon before you’re ready to Sheetrock?” he asked.

His sudden change of subject made her frown. “Um, just

as soon as I finish insulating the exterior wal s.”

“I don’t know if you’re aware of it, but most of my men are

carpenters,” he said. “And when the groundwork side of my

business is slow, we keep busy by building houses. In fact,

we spent al this winter finishing off a mil ion-dol ar camp on

Pine Lake.”

He saw her cheeks flush. “This place might not be

perfect, but it’s completely up to state code and it’s solid.”

“What? No, I’m not implying … I didn’t mean …” He blew

out a sigh. “What I’m trying to say is that I have a couple of

real y good Sheetrockers who wouldn’t mind earning some

extra money working evenings, since they’re going to be

stuck here through the week. And I thought you might be

interested in hiring them to rock and mud the house so al

you’l have to do is paint.”

Her cheeks flushed even more. “Oh. Um, yeah,” she said

with a nod. “That might be a good idea, actual y.” She

smiled somewhat sheepishly. “Because I real y wasn’t

looking forward to handling those large sheets of Sheetrock

al … by myself,” she finished lamely as she shoved his

prescription bottle in her pocket and spun away. “Okay,

everyone back to work.”

“Peg,” he said when everyone scrambled back to their

assignments—after Charlotte handed him a paper cup of

water and also beat a hasty retreat. Peg stopped and

turned to face him. “I’m not the enemy,” he said quietly. He

gestured around him. “And I apologize for that comment the

day you shot … the day I came to negotiate for your gravel.

You’ve done a hel of a job on the house al by yourself. My

crew couldn’t have done any better.”

“Thank you.”

“And thank you for agreeing to let me stay here for the

next few nights.”

Her eyes widened and her face flushed again. “Nights?”

she squeaked.

Duncan frowned, feeling his own cheeks darken. “I

thought Alec … Didn’t he … ?” Wel , hel . “Never mind, I

love sleeping on the ground.”

Peg had her four tuckered-out babies al tucked into bed,

and now she was trying to put the fifth baby to bed without

hitting him over the head with a blunt object to do it. “Oh, for

crying out loud, wil you pul up your big-boy pants and get

over yourself?” she growled, even as she wondered when

her bedroom had gotten so smal . Oh, that’s right; it had

only seemed larger since the last big strong man had been

in it three years ago. “You’l barely fit in this bed as it is, and

it won’t be the first night I’ve slept on the couch. And there’s

an attached bathroom, so I don’t have to worry about your

shocking my daughters in the middle of the night because

you forgot your pajamas.”

Speaking of which, Peg went into the bathroom and

grabbed her gown and bathrobe off the back of the door

and headed toward the hal way. “Sleep tight,” she said, only

to gasp in surprise when a crutch shot up to block her path.

Duncan hobbled over to replace it with his body. “I

apologize, Peg. I hadn’t considered how difficult it might be

for you to have a man in your house again. I can cal Alec to

come get me.”

“Where’s al your crew staying?” she whispered, not quite

able to lift her gaze above his chest.

“Both Robbie’s and my men have fil ed Inglenook’s

dormitory, and the rest are camping at the new site up the

road to keep an eye on the equipment. Robbie and Alec

are up on your hil side. Look at me, lass.”

“I … I’d rather not.”

He lifted her chin with his finger, his smile softening his

ruggedly handsome features and making him so damned

desirable that if he kissed her right now, she’d probably

pass out before she remembered to punch him in his

already battered bel y.

“My MacKeage word of honor, I won’t ever hurt ye, Peg.”

“You already are, Duncan. I don’t want to want you. I

can’t.” She pul ed in a steadying breath. “I meant it the other

day when I said I need to stay focused on my children.

Maybe in another twenty years I’l be able to think about …

other stuff.”

He leaned his crutches against the wal and pul ed her

into his arms, sighing into her hair as he used his chin to

tuck her head against his chest. “You’re forgetting about the

magic, lass; the benevolent kind that makes anything

possible.”

Oh God, a hug was worse than a kiss, and Peg felt her

eyes start to sting at how big and strong and solid he felt,

and how tempted she was to just lean into him. “I real y

don’t have time to believe in magic right now.”

“Wil ye at least give me a chance to show you what it’s

capable of? And if ye decide that you stil can’t believe,

then I give you my word that I’l … walk away.”

Too late; sometime when she wasn’t looking, Duncan

MacKeage had snuck into her heart, and just the thought of

him walking away already hurt. “How about if I think about

it?” she whispered. She patted his chest and leaned back

to give him her best smile. “I’l let you know … soon.”

He eyed her suspiciously. “How soon?”

She wiggled free and stepped back, clutching her gown

and robe to her chest. “Wel , once I know I can survive

having you as a houseguest without wanting to kil you in