Sizzle All Day by Geralyn Dawson

torch cast a faint light.
    One thing was certain. He wasn't leaving Rowanclere. "Shortbread, hell," he muttered.
    Crumbled or not, that gal owed him a cookie. He wasn't leaving till his sweet tooth was satisfied.
    * * *
    "What do you mean you sent him away!" the old man roared, his fist pounding the bed beside him. "You sent him away before I had the chance to meet him? He's a Texan, lass. A Texan! Do you know how long it has been since I visited with one of my own?"
    Lamplight flickered against the painted plaster walls of the small bedroom built high on the castle wall. Gillian gazed at her grand-uncle with love and replied, "Aye, quite some time."
    "Then how could you do this to me? How could you...."
    Hands clasped behind her back, she listened silently as her granduncle continued his scolding. It took all her discipline not to betray a silly grin, so pleased was she to witness the improvement in his spirit. It appeared that this latest attack of the rheums was done. Gillian prayed it stayed that way.
    Then a breeze swirled around Gillian's ankles, reminding her of the drafty nature of this chamber. She shivered and wished for at least the thousandth time that her beloved Uncle Angus were not such a stubborn man.
    The Crow's Nest bedroom was Angus Brodie's way of keeping the vow he'd made upon leaving Rowanclere shortly after his father's death fifty years ago. During the falling out with his elder brother who had inherited tide, castle, and control over Angus's trust fund, Angus swore never to sleep another night beneath Rowanclere's roof He held to his promise even when John Brodie died childless and the castle came to him. One thing about Uncle Angus, he always kept his word, despite the potentially harmful consequences.
    When he paused for a breath, she seized her chance. "Uncle, I am sorry you did not have the opportunity to discuss Texas with that man, but if you will allow me to explain, you will see why I thought I had no other choice."
    "No choice?" Angus frowned. Narrowing his eyes, he gave the collar of his nightshirt a sharp tug, then folded his arms and studied her. "Explain."
    Gillian returned his look, noting the way the furrows on his brow had deepened with concern. She wanted to reach out and smooth them away with a gentle touch.
    She also wanted to throw herself into his arms seeking comfort like a bairn.
    She settled on exhaling a weary sigh. Such was the way of their relationship at this time of their lives. Sometimes Gillian was still the child; more and more often she played the role of parent. It was a difficult adjustment for them both.
    She and Flora had been seventeen when their parents were killed in a carriage accident. Nicholas was gone from Scotland and his whereabouts were unknown, so the sisters, along with two-year-old Robyn, were sent to live with less-than-loving Clan Ross relatives. After six months of misery, their grand-uncle Angus swooped into their lives and rescued them from their mean existence.
    From that moment on, the grandest of all uncles had served the girls in the role of adoring father. Now in his eighties, age had finally caught up with the brave, braw man. His body was failing him. Pain in his knees and hips made it impossible for him to walk more than a few steps at a time. His hearing had weakened, and his lungs proved susceptible to every ague that came along.
    But for all his body let him down, Uncle Angus's mind was still sharp as gorse. "What happened, lass? Did he insult you? Did he hurt you? Do I need to kill the limmer?"
    She couldn't help but smile. She needed only to nod and, crippled or not, the stubborn Scot would do his best to see Jake Delaney's life brought to an end.
    "No, Uncle. He did not harm me. However, he did lie to me."
    Angus waited expectantly, obviously not impressed by that bit of news.
    "I spied on him after Flora left him alone in the library. He searched it, Uncle. Thoroughly."
    "He was looking for hobgoblins."
    "No. He went through the