Wonders of the Winter Gift
Sample Chapters
Chapter One
His wife was singing again.
The faint sound brought a smile to Lachlan Kerr’s mouth as he finished buttoning his vest. He pushed aside the curtain that separated their bedroom from the main portion of their tiny cottage. A fireplace took up most of the dividing wall, and its cheerful flames cast the only light across the little room. He’d gotten up earlier to light it, and the warmth had quickly filled the home. The coals would soon be ready for the bread Elsbeth was kneading.
She stood at the narrow cupboard on the far corner, working the bread with a rhythm he never failed to admire. Her song rose and fell with the twisting of the dough and took his heart right along with it.
He paused in the doorway to watch her. After five years of marriage, he was still in awe of her beauty. Her long, black hair was perhaps a little duller than before, her face paler with lines he hadn’t expected to see so soon.
But those weren’t from aging, he reminded himself. It was just the sickness. Soon she’d be recovered, back to her normal self.
The firelight flickered off a red tin cup on the shelf above her head, and he had to blink moisture from his eyes.
No, neither of them would ever be normal again.
He cleared his throat and crossed the room to her side, forcing his eyes away from the tin cup. “Mornin’, love.” He dropped a kiss on her temple.
“Ah, ye startled me.” She batted him away, leaving a dusting of flour on his shirt.
He brushed it off before she could fret about ruining his one good shirt.
“Are ye well this morning, love?” he asked, reaching for his boots.
“Aye, but aren’t ye going to wait for your breakfast?” She cleaned her hands on her apron and reached for a bowl.
“Dinnea want to be late.” He pulled a battered watch from his pocket to check the time.
She glanced at the window where the sky was only just starting to turn gray. “You need to eat,” she countered, a line of worry forming on her brow.
He couldn’t resist kissing it away.
“I’ll eat at the inn.” There was no guarantee his boss would let him have any of the leftover food the wayfarers didn’t eat, but Elsbeth needed the food more than he did.
His boots thumped loudly on the wooden floor as he crossed to the mantel and opened a little clay jar. He fished one of their few remaining coins out of it and held it up. “I’ll bring back what I can for dinner.”
She met him by the door, lifting his great cloak from its hook. He took it from her before her hands had a chance to shake at its weight and slung it around his shoulders.
She reached up to help him adjust it to sit securely. As she moved, a sapphire pendant on her neck caught the light. He looped a finger under the ribbon holding it and tugged her closer to him. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned against his chest as she looked up at him.
“You wear this as though it could hold a candle to your eyes.”
“My eyes are gray, Lach.” A smile danced over her lips.
“Gray, blue, green — they’re as changing and beautiful as the sea.” The blush that spread across her cheeks made his insides tumble, and he couldn’t resist kissing her.
She laid her head against his chest, and he held her close for a moment before pulling back.
“MacGregor will be waiting for me,” he said regretfully, wishing nothing more than to stay by her side. “You’ll be all right then?”
“I’ll be fine, Lach,” she told him with a soft smile.
After ensuring she had plenty of water and firewood for the day, he stepped out into the sleet. He pushed aside a sense of dread as he pulled the door closed. She was fine. The fever was gone. And they couldn’t afford for him to stay home any longer. This close to the Hagmena festival, he was fortunate his employer hadn’t hired a replacement for him.
Lachlan ducked his head against the sleet and clutched his cloak shut with his fist as the wind threatened to rip it away.
The crashing of the waves along the rocks matched his thoughts as he made his way to the inn.
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