Grinning, she made it a point to enthusiastically greet each of the children and then she asked if they were ready to proceed outdoors. Surrounded by their lively chatter, she stepped into the cold and shivered as chill bumps prickled up her spine.

“ ’Tis cold today!” she exclaimed.

“Aye, ’tis,” Cormac grumbled. “Too cold to be standing still watching over children.”

Keeley slanted a sly smile in Cormac’s direction. “ ’Tis likely Christina will be joining us.”

His expression brightened and then he glanced rapidly in Gannon’s direction and adopted a more bland look.

“Come on!” Crispen urged. He tugged at Keeley’s hand until she gave in and hurried up the hill toward the area where the children played.

Teams were quickly formed and Keeley groaned when she realized the game was tossing balls of snow at one another with as much force as they could muster.

Thankfully for her, Gretchen was on Keeley’s team and she was quite adept at hitting her target. The boys howled with outrage every time Gretchen pelted one of them in the face.

Breathless with exertion after an hour of steady warfare, they called a truce and stood, hands on hips, gasping for air.

Crispen and Gretchen were whispering in low tones and kept staring over at Cormac and Gannon.

“You ask,” Crispen muttered.

“Nay, you ask,” Gretchen demanded. “ ’Tis your father’s men. They’ll more likely do it for you.”

Crispen jutted his chin out. “You’re a girl. ’Tis fact girls always get what they want.”

Gretchen rolled her eyes and then punched him hard in the arm.

“Ow!”

Crispen glared at her and rubbed his arm. “We’ll both ask.”

Gretchen smiled serenely and the two ran in Gannon’s direction. Keeley watched with interest when the two warriors visibly recoiled. Then they began shaking their heads and making negative gestures. They frowned, then scowled, and the children argued on.

It wasn’t until Gretchen’s expression turned from fierce determination to pitifully woeful that the men began to look uneasy. Her big eyes shimmered with tears and her chin quivered.

“Oh dear. They don’t stand a chance now.”

Keeley turned to see Christina approaching, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

“Gretchen isn’t opposed to using womanly wiles if it gains her what she wants. A more clever lass I’ve never met,” Christina said ruefully. “If she can’t beat capitulation from someone, she’ll turn on the pitiful eyes.”

“I’m dying to know what they want,” Keeley said.

“Whatever it is, it looks like they’ve been successful.”

Cormac looked up and his eyes brightened when he saw Christina. Gannon turned in the direction of the keep while Crispen and Gretchen trailed Cormac as he walked over to where the two women stood.

“Gannon’s going to fetch his shield!” Crispen crowed.

“His shield?” Keeley asked.

“Aye,” Gretchen said. “To slide down the hill on.”