* *
"Mama!" The screech shattered the rafters, sending cascades of chaff from the loft. "Mama! There's thieves in the barn!" The last words drifted from a little less than the close range of the first, indicating the warning siren was running toward the house.
Having finally drifted into a light sleep, Georgina nearly jumped from her skin at the first screech. The second screech sent Daniel rolling on top of her, burying his face in the cascade of hair she hadn't taken time to braid. She caught her breath at this unexpected closeness.
"Tell me that was a nightmare and it's not dawn yet," he muttered into her shoulder.
"That was a nightmare and it's not dawn yet," she replied obligingly, only to be rewarded by a finger tickling her ribs. "Ouch, Daniel, stop that!"
"Obviously, the two lovebirds are awake." The sleepy male voice came from the other side of the stall. "Let's send them in to make explanations. We're too old for this."
"You're too old, you mean," his feminine counterpart replied. "I'm only a little older than Daniel."
"And if you keep it up, you'll be younger than he is any day now," Tyler replied grudgingly.
Daniel's chest heaved with laughter, and Georgina wound her arms around him and surrendered to the silliness. She had never known the luxury of this kind of closeness before. She had never had brothers or sisters or friends close enough to giggle and play with. She thought she might just get used to the experience.
But reality was an unpleasantness that kept intruding. From outside came running footsteps and a shout of more authority than the earlier childish screech, "I've got a rifle. Get yourselves out here with your hands up!"
"Oh, no, please don't!" Daniel moaned with helpless laughter as he rolled off Georgina and held his sides. "I can't put Pecos in a barn with a woman! He'd purely die of embarrassment and probably melt into shame. Tyler, get out there and hold off the posse!"
Evie's giggles were as helpless as Daniel's from the other side of the wall. A boot gave the stall partition a solid kick, but a moment later, a golden head appeared above the door. Georgina watched in utter astonishment as a golden-brown eye glanced down at them with amusement, winked, then disappeared behind a broad-brimmed hat that sat on his head like some kind of halo.
Georgina collapsed in laughter at Daniel's side. "He's not real, is he? I thought I just dreamed him. Nobody really looks like that, do they?"
Daniel held her against his side and patted her shoulder. "Of course not. I dreamed him up for you. Shall I make him disappear?"
"You do, and I'll rip your head off, Daniel Mulloney!" Evie sang from the other side.
That sent them both into paroxysms of laughter until Evie stormed around the corner and flung her satchel in their direction.
"You'd better find your wife some clothes real quick, little brother. We'll have a hard enough time explaining this without explaining why she's running around in her undergarments."
Georgina covered her mouth and choked on her laughter as the magnificent rose-and-feather hat marched past and out the door. From outside, the sound of Tyler's smooth Southern drawl placating the terrified farm woman carried through the open barn door, soon joined by Evie's cheerful feminine tones. The poor woman didn't have a chance.
Daniel was rummaging through Evie's things without concern, pulling out anything that looked mildly useful. Georgina looked down on her partially open wrapper and gasped at the amount of skin revealed. Hastily turning her back, she berated him, "Why didn't you tell me I was half undressed! Whatever must they think of me?"
"That you were kidnapped and carried off without any clothing," Daniel replied prosaically, throwing his findings over her shoulder. "We all know what women look like, so it's not as if we're seeing anything we haven't seen before."
"You haven't seen me before!"
"There's that I suppose, but it's not from lack of trying."
The devil of it was, she could almost hear the grin in his reply. They were getting to know each other much too well. Irritated, Georgina informed him, "You'll have to leave. I can't put these on while you're sitting there."
"You won't be able to put them on unless I sit here. Evie has Tyler and probably ten dozen other people to help her put those getups on. You'll tie yourself in knots trying to do it yourself."
He spoke the truth, Georgina realized as she examined the exquisite walking dress he'd thrown to