have four men to help you.” He glanced at Thorn and lifted his brows. “If this one’s willing to leave.”
Thorn nodded, then glanced at Claray. “Sorry, lass, but I must leave.” Then he asked Loki, “What cottage?”
“Magnus and Ashlyn’s cottage. The roof is old and needs replacing. We need you and Nari to bundle the thatch and climb up to attach it. You two are the most skilled roofers, and I promised Magnus since he’s complained that it’s leaking too much. Fortunately, the moon is out so there’s plenty of light to see. We’ll start a fire, too.
“I’d better go help.”
Worry, never far from the surface, flooded her. What if he was killed in an accident like Cordell? “Please be careful, Thorn.”
“I will.” Thorn left with Loki, and as the door opened further, she thought she caught a glimpse of his friends from Castle Curanta. Nari, of course, and Kenzie and Gillie. He looked back at her once and smiled.
How she hoped he wouldn’t get hurt.
***
As soon as they’d all found their horses and started out the gates on their way to Magnus’s cottage, Loki let out a low whistle. “Guess what I just learned?”
“I think I know,” Kenzie said with a grin, “and ’tis mighty good news in my eyes.”
“What?” Gillie asked.
Could they possibly know about Claray? None of them had been in the great hall for their conversation, but gossip traveled fast.
Loki’s next words confirmed it. “Thorn and Claray are nearly betrothed.”
They all turned to stare at Thorn, hooting and hollering as they rode. He felt his cheeks flush, but his primary concern was for Nari. He would have preferred to tell him before everyone else.
As if he guessed Thorn’s thoughts, Nari said, “’Tis about time. You’ve been interested in her for a long time.”
“Well done, Thorn,” Loki added. “You picked a nice woman. We love to taunt, but I’m happy for you.” Then he laughed and chided him. “Don’t think you can be outside and not have everyone at the stables know what you’re about. Someone overheard Connor’s conversation with you.”
They made their way to Magnus’s, not surprised to see a few more men had come to help, one of them being Jamie, the other laird of Clan Grant. They were carrying loads of grass and piling what they could in one area. The clan always kept some in storage.
“I’ll supervise my men,” Loki said. “Let the young lads do the hard work.”
“Wise man,” Jamie said. “Glad you brought a few more. We need them if we wish to finish soon.”
Thorn and Nari were more nimble than others, so they ended up on the roof, tying the fresh thatches down to the frame. They couldn’t be heard by the others, who were busy fortifying the foundation with rocks, something Magnus had requested.
Nari asked, “So you asked Connor? I didn’t think you’d ever have the courage.”
Magnus called up to them. “Make it thick and tight. I don’t want any rain or snow dripping on my lasses this winter.” He tossed up another couple of bundles of thatch.
“We’ll give you our best work, Magnus,” Nari said. Thorn and Nari already had a reputation as expert roofers, so Magnus trusted them or they wouldn’t be up there. They had made many thatched roofs at Castle Curanta because their clan had grown so. Once he left, Nari whispered, “Why do you look like you swallowed a frog?”
Thorn couldn’t help but smile. “Well, I kissed the lass outside, so I thought I needed to be formal about it. Fortunately, Connor took a stroll and nearly caught us. Made it easy for me to ask him.”
“You mean forced you, do you not?”
“I kissed her, and she didn’t push me away. I’d have asked for her hand regardless.”
“She’s hardly a lassie anymore, Thorn,” Nari said with a grin.
“She’ll always be a lassie to me. We met her when she was three.”
Nari sighed after contemplating his comment for a moment. “Aye, she was a bonny lass then and she still is. But my question is, why did you wait so long?”
“You know why,” Thorn whispered. Nari was his closest friend and confidante. Sometimes Nari knew his thoughts before he did. “First she was betrothed to Cordell. And then I was involved with Darby. You know how well that went.”
“Just because the lass left Castle Curanta without telling anyone doesn’t mean she did it because of you.”
“True. I didn’t expect to be accepted so readily by Laird Grant. Even though you didn’t believe it, I always