Rory grimaced, expecting a bad reaction to Iain’s joking.
Jennifer surprised him when she smiled. “Thank you.”
Iain whistled as he continued to the kitchen. His voice could be heard coming from the other room. “Och, Aunt Cait, what is this I hear about ya giving Rory’s girl a potion in a cheese ball?”
Jennifer walked around the table and came toward him. She gave him a serious look and lowered her voice, “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything,” he whispered.
“What in the world is kudzu?”
Rory chuckled. “It’s an invasive plant that people say is slowly eating up the Southern landscape. Ya can see the vines draping over the trees when ya drive along the roads.”
“Gotcha.” She nodded.
“I didn’t like waking without ya there next to me.” Rory wasn’t sure what prompted him to admit as much, but he didn’t regret the words.
“I was going to bring coffee back for both of us, but your mother caught me going through the kitchen cabinets.” Jennifer put her arms around his neck. “I wasn’t snooping, I promise. I was looking for big coffee mugs. All I found were those tiny European espresso mugs, and that’s not going to do it for my habit.”
“I didn’t assume ya were snooping,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist to keep her close to him. “Next time, wake me up, and I’ll get it for ya.”
“Next time?” She wrapped her arms a little tighter around him. “That’s awfully presumptuous of you to assume, Mr. MacGregor. Though I will admit, I was snooping through your bedroom before I came down, making sure there were no pictures of old girlfriends hiding anywhere.”
“Don’t think I have any of those lying around, Miss, um…” Rory frowned. “Well, this is embarrassing, love.”
“What?” She leaned back to study his face. Her arms slid from around his neck to rest on his chest. “You do have pictures of your exes? It’s not a big deal. I was only teasing.”
“No, not that. I’m afraid I don’t know your last name.” He heard footsteps coming down the stairs in the other room but didn’t release her. It felt too good to hold her in his arms.
“To be fair, I did seduce you rather quickly,” she said.
“Hey, I thought I seduced ya with my charms,” he countered.
“Charm?” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “No, don’t remember any charm. I do remember thinking your kilt was rather sexy. And we American girls are suckers for an accent.”
“Are ya going to tell me your surname?” he asked.
“Haven’t decided,” she said, acting coy.
“What if I ask nicely?” He had to kiss her. How could he resist with her mouth being so close?
Jennifer gave a light moan as his lips moved against hers.
“Och, Raibeart! What in the name of all that is holy are ya wearing?” Murdoch’s voice demanded from the kitchen. The elders typically stayed in the wing beyond the dining room and kitchen. It was evident the house was beginning to stir for the day.
“Ya like it? I ordered it online,” Raibeart answered. “My package finally arrived.”
“Oh, my stars!” Cait exclaimed.
“I like it, Uncle Raibeart,” Iain said. “It’s got…lots of holes.”
“Ya can’t wear that in public,” Cait continued.
“First, I can’t go naked. Now I can’t wear clothes?” Raibeart cried in frustration. “Make up your bloody mind, woman!”
Jennifer pulled back from the kiss and laughed. “I’m sorry, I can’t concentrate with all of them talking.”
“Say the word, and I’ll cast a spell to take away their voices,” Rory offered.
“I kinda need to see what he’s wearing.” Jennifer tried to pull away to look.
“I need ya to tell me your last name,” he said. “I can’t go around saying you’re my lady if I don’t know at least that much. What will people think?”
Rory wasn’t worried about what other people thought of their relationship. Jennifer’s opinion was all that mattered, but he did want to know everything about her.
“Maybe I’m a woman of mystery,” she said.
“That ya are, love,” Rory tried to pull her back into a kiss. He couldn’t get enough of her.
“Greene,” she whispered.
“Uh?” He arched a brow. “Yellow?”
“No, my last name is Greene,” she said. “Jennifer Anne Greene. My mother tried to get people to call me Jenny Anne, but I hated that.”
“Jennifer Greene.” He frowned as he tried to place how he knew that name.
“It’s not that bad.” She hit his arm lightly.
“No, it’s beautiful, like ya, but…” Rory loosened his hold. “Your name is Jennifer Greene?”
Why did he know that name?
“Are ya daft, laddie? I told ya she’s a bog wench.” Raibeart said. “Looks just like ole Jenny Greentooth, maybe a wee bit cleaner. No one ever listens to me.”
Rory was about to scold his uncle when his gaze landed on Raibeart’s crocheted overalls. The one-piece had straps on each shoulder and dipped low in the front to expose his naked chest with shorts that only came to mid-thigh. He didn’t wear anything underneath. However, the most disarming part was the granny-square afghan pattern in brightly colored yarn.
Raibeart grinned at the attention and put his hands on his hips to pose. “Nice, huh? Margareta and Cait are always nagging me about losing my kilt, so I thought I’d add some variety to the wardrobe. Get with the modern times.”
Raibeart turned to show the back, thrusting his hips back and forth as he moved his arms in stunted gestures that were probably meant to mimic a model.
“What do ya think? Fashionable, right?” Raibeart turned back around and lowered his voice in a whisper that wasn’t all that quiet. “The best part is it’s got these breeze holes, airy where a man needs to breathe.”
“Ah,” Jennifer made a weak noise.
“See, look at her, speechless.” Raibeart winked. “Ladies can’t resist a man who stands out. We’re like peacocks that way.”
Rory pried his eyes away and glanced down to where Jennifer stared as if frozen mid-word. He saw Raibeart give a few more poses out of the corner of his eye, and Rory lifted his hand to block the sight from Jennifer.
She pulled his hand down to unblock her vision. “Wait, did you just say I’m a…swamp hag?”
“Nae.” Raibeart shook his head. “Bog hag.”
“Bog wench,” Rory quickly corrected, remembering the name Raibeart had said before his uncle’s outfit had stunned all other thoughts from his mind. His modification hardly sounded better. “Uh, witch, wench, witch...”
None of it sounded flattering. This was bad.
Jenny Greentooth.
“Jennifer Greene. Jenny Greentooth. Jenny Greene. Jennifer Greentooth,” Raibeart said, signing the words like a little ditty he had just made up.
“Oh, good, I’m a bog witch because that sounds so much better.” Jennifer took a deep breath and looked back and forth between them. She pressed her hands to her mouth. “I don’t even really know what a bog is. I mean, I know it’s like a swamp in Scotland or something. And I heard of medieval bog people being found like mummies.”