Cameron walked swiftly toward the sound, down the length of the back of the stables, its long stone wall rising high beside him.
"There!" Daniel said, pointing.
At the end of the wall, boards had been nailed over a hole to protect the crumbling foundation. From behind it was the unmistakable barking of Achilles--starting low and ending high, in almost a squeak. The more excited Achilles became, the squeakier he sounded.
The high-pitched barking escalated, accompanied by the noise of paws scrabbling on wood. Cameron and Daniel dropped to their knees, lanterns clanking on the ground, both men reaching at the same time for the gray pieces of board. Two pairs of gloved hands, one huge, the other thinner and more wiry, yanked wood away from the hole.
Achilles' snuffling nose came into view, his body squirming as his tail wagged deep inside the hole. Daniel got his hands around the dog and started pulling him out. Cameron didn't let himself think about the fact that Achilles might have become stuck down here by himself, nothing to do with Gavina.
Daniel fell back, his arms full of the dark-furred Achilles. Achilles, panting in happiness, licked Daniel's face, then went right back into the hole.
Chapter Five
"Damn you, dog!" Daniel shouted and grabbed for him again.
Achilles filled the hole for a brief instant, then he squeezed on inside, his hindquarters writhing with his wagging tail.
Cameron's lantern fell on a confusion of objects behind the dog, some small and squirming, little peeping noises issuing from the dark. Cameron saw the wide reflective eyes of a cat, and beyond that, a flash of pink.
Somewhere in the back of his whirling thoughts, Cameron remembered Angelo, his groom, friend, and valet, telling him that cats always instinctively sought the warmest places to sleep. If you seek warmth, find a cat.
Cameron yanked loose another board and started to put his head inside the hole. Daniel seized him by the shoulder.
"Let me, Dad. You'll get stuck."
Cameron, the largest Mackenzie, had to concede. He moved out of the way but stayed on his hands and knees while Daniel got himself on his stomach and slithered inside.
Cam heard a low miaow then Daniel's voice as he spoke to dog and cat. Daniel inched his way back, his kilt catching on the icy stones and exposing his thighs, but he didn't release the bundle he carried with him.
In a new pink dress her Aunt Eleanor had given her, topped with the tiniest rabbit fur coat Cameron had ever seen, Gavina was just opening her gray eyes, her face flushed with sleep. Achilles scrambled out behind her and ran to greet the other dogs coming up with the rest of the men, led by Ian and Hart.
Daniel sat back, lifted Gavina to his lap, and blew out his breath. "She's lovely warm. Probably stayed warmer than any of us tonight."
Gavina blinked sleepy eyes at her stepbrother and father, then lifted her arms. "Dabby," she said."I'm here, sweetie." Cameron scooped up Gavina with his giant hands and cradled her against his chest, brushing the top of her head with his shaking lips. Her body was indeed warm, her breath milk sweet as turned her face up to kiss his cheek.
"She was talking to me," Daniel said beside him. "She said Danny."
Cameron shook his head. "No, she said Daddy."
Father and son shared a stubborn look. Gavina pulled away from Cameron and reached for Daniel, her little hands opening and closing. Cameron relinquished her, and Daniel swung her up over his head, making her laugh.
"Who's the sweetest little sister a lad ever had, eh?" Daniel said. "What were you doing out here, worrying us all to death?"
"Kitties." Gavina pointed back under the stables. The mother cat and kittens, perfectly happy where they were, looked out at the sudden influx of Scottish men and dogs with mild curiosity.
Cameron heaved himself to his feet, taking Gavina from Daniel and holding her close. His heart wouldn't stop hammering.
Daniel leaned the boards back over the hole, and Achilles danced in tight circles around first Cameron then Daniel. He ran to the other dogs, paused to touch noses with Ruby, and leapt back to Cameron again.
Hart lifted his lantern, the relief on his face undisguised. "You've got her, then."
"She's all right," Cameron said, barely able to form the words. "She's all right."
Ian was next to Hart, looking over Cameron, Gavina, Daniel, and the now-covered hole. Achilles ran to Ian, circling his legs.
Ian bent down and stroked the black fur. "Good dog," he said.
*** *** ***
"You've found her?" Isabella leaned over the stair railings, Beth beside her, as the men and dogs swarmed back into the front hall.
Cameron held up a bundle of pink and fur, and Gavina squealed with laughter. Isabella clutched the railing, relief making her knees weak. Beth let out a shaky breath. "Thank God," she whispered.
Ainsley came out of the opposite wing, lifting her skirts as she flew down the stairs toward her husband and child. She was weeping as Cameron caught her up, crushing Gavina and Ainsley into a hug. Daniel put his arm around his father, leaning his forehead on Cameron's shoulder. Isabella's eyes stung as she watched the family pull into itself, the four of them comforting and rejoicing together.
Mac came down the stairs, two at a time, reaching Beth and Isabella. He hadn't taken the time to change out of his painting things, which was fine with Isabella. He looped one arm around Beth and the other around Isabella, kissing his wife's cheek.
"All is well, then," he said.