Jamie’s acknowledgment of his friend was without sentimental adornment. “Cutter,” he said with a brisk nod of his head.

Cutter got down and together the two men put Bliss’s baggage into the back of the wagon, then Jamie climbed deftly up beside her, released the brake lever with one foot, and took the reins in his hands.

Dawn was just beginning to extend tendrils of light over the hills and Cutter’s chuckle gave Bliss a feeling of camaraderie that pushed back the chill and the shadows a little way. She rested her head against Jamie’s shoulder and closed her eyes.

“What’s so funny, old man?” Jamie asked with a companionable sort of insolence.

Cutter’s amusement came out as a chortle this time. “You are, Jamie-me-boy. You are.”

Jamie didn’t pursue the point, for reasons of his own. “Any trouble since I’ve been gone?”

“Nothing the rest of us couldn’t deal with,” Cutter said. “That Maori girl up and left right after you did, so Dog and I have been doin’ the cookin’ and cleanin’.”

Bliss dreaded to see the state of Jamie’s house, but at the same time, she was relieved that Carra would not be there to assist with the work. That kind of help she could do without.

She sighed contentedly to think how romantic it would be, just her and Jamie in that isolated house. Surely, they would be able to resolve all their differences under such ideal circumstances. And he’d brought her along, at least, instead of leaving her in that fancy cage he’d bought in Auckland.

By the time they’d reached home and come to a noisy stop in front of the barn, the sun was up. Feeling very domestic indeed, Bliss set out for the house as soon as Jamie had lifted her down from the wagon seat, Dog prancing happily at her heels.

She gave the animal a cheerful pat on the head before opening the back door and stepping into the kitchen. The smile faded from her face when she saw the stacks of dirty pots, pans, and plates.

With wifely resolve, Bliss took the apron that had been Carra’s from a peg beside the door and slipped it on. She was hard put to find a clean kettle to heat water in so that she could wash the other things, but it was steaming away on the stove when Jamie came in.

Bliss had taken the enamel coffeepot outside to wash and fill it at the pump, and her hands were numb and awkward with cold as she measured fresh grounds into its basket and set it on to perk.

Jamie stopped her and lifted one of her reddened hands to his lips. There was a weary smile in his eyes when he said, “To bed with you, Duchess. You must be dead tired.”

“I’m not going to bed unless you do,” Bliss asserted, then she blushed hotly. Cutter, who had come in with Jamie, made a great business of not having heard what she’d said, while Jamie grinned.