Bliss let the back of her head rest against his granite shoulder, surrendering to the sleepy delight he was causing her. “Come with me,” she whispered, trembling as a wave of anticipation washed over her.

But Jamie stepped back and gave her a mischievous swat. “For once, woman,” he said with mock sternness, “just do as I tell you.”

Bliss turned, purposely letting him feel the softness of her breasts against his chest. She traced the outline of his jaw with the tip of one index finger, then caressed his lips. “Do you still want me, Jamie?” she asked.

He caught her hand and held it tightly in his. “Birds still fly, rivers still flow into the sea, and what goes up still has to come down. Aye, Duchess, I want you.” He turned her and pointed her toward the rear stairway, giving her a slight push. “Now go, before I ’ave you right ’ere, dammit.”

Bliss laughed and went upstairs. By memory, she found Jamie’s room; it was frigidly cold.

Since there were shavings, kindling and firewood on the hearth, and matches on the mantel, Bliss got a nice blaze going before exchanging her clothes for one of Jamie’s flannel shirts. Her trunks had not been brought into the house yet.

The sheets were like thin layers of ice when Bliss crawled between them, and she shivered, wishing that Jamie were there to hold her close. She yawned, and her eyes drifted shut, and the next thing she knew someone was washing her face with what felt like a slice of raw liver.

Bliss gave a little squeal when she lifted her lids and found herself eye to eye with Dog. She heard a male chuckle as she bolted upright, ran one hand through her hair, and squinted into the deep shadows that filled the room. “Jamie?”

He was a tall, broad-shouldered outline, stirring the dying fire with a poker. “Aye, Duchess. It’s me. Are you ’ungry?”

Bliss yawned. “Yes,” she said, with conviction. “What time is it, anyway?”

“It’s night, love.”

“You mean, I slept the whole day away?” Bliss was filled with chagrin. She’d meant to do so many constructive things with her time.

Jamie raised a mug to his lips, then set it on the mantel. “There’ll be another along tomorrow, like as not,” he observed dryly before striding over to the bed. “Cutter and I will go to town for supplies in the morning. For now, this is all I could come up with.”

Neat slices of bread and cold mutton and dried fruit tempted Bliss’s appetite. She accepted the plate with thanks and ate hungrily. “There’s a town around here?” she asked between bites.

“Not much of one,” Jamie answered, with a kind of remote amusement in his voice. He was sitting on the edge of the bed now, idly stroking Dog’s furry head. “Most of the necessities can be ’ad there, anyway.”

Even though Bliss had slept the day away, like some slattern given to drink, she was far from rested. The rigors of past days, it seemed, were catching up with her. “I’m sorry,” she said when she’d finished eating and set the plate aside.