to crawl through without unlocking the window.”
“Aye, but I won’t have you doing that, lass.” Reaching inside, he pushed up the honeycomb shade before flipping open the lock. Then he eased the window slowly upward as small pieces of glass rained down on the windowsill and the porch.
“We’ll need to get this fixed tomorrow or the place will be an open invitation to thieves,” she said.
“Let’s hope that thieves won’t be out in this kind of weather. I’m also hoping we can find something to temporarily block the cold air from coming in the house.” After opening the window completely, he brushed away the bits of glass from the sill. “Let me have the torch.”
She handed it to him, and he crouched down to play the beam over the inside of the cabin. “Looks like a kitchen, and no furniture right next to the window.” He handed the flashlight back to her. “Just shine it on the opening while I get inside. Then I’ll unlock the door for you.”
“You seem to know your way around a break-in, Duncan.” Briefly she thought about the hacking incident, but this wasn’t the same kind of thing, and besides, she’d been the one who’d suggested breaking in.
He was a big guy and had to maneuver to get through the window. Glass crunched under his shoe. Once he was inside, he stuck his hand back out. “Torch, please.”
She gave it back to him and walked over to the door.
Within seconds, the locks clicked and the door swung open. “Welcome to my castle, milady.”
“See, now you’re even talking like royalty.” She walked into the house. Even with the heat on low, the place was ten times warmer than outside. “Wow, that feels nice.”
“It does. Let’s get some light on the situation.”Walking back to the kitchen, he swung the flashlight beam over the walls and settled it on a dimmer switch. “Ah, there ’tis.” Crossing to it, he rotated the knob and an elegant little chandelier over the kitchen table slowly came to life. Each bulb was small and shaded, so the effect was romantic.
“So the Stewarts like ambience. I had no idea.”
“I’m afraid we just compromised their ambience.” Duncan gazed at the chandelier. “I can already tell they love this place, and now we’ve vandalized it. Not only will I pay to have the window fixed, but—”
“No, I will pay.” She laid her purse on the table. Then she pulled off her damp hat and draped it on the back of a kitchen chair.
“You ran this errand on my account, so I’ll pay.”
“Duncan, you’re an invited guest.” She put her gloves on the back of the chair next to her hat. “I’m paying.”
He laughed. “We’ll split the cost.”
“No, I—”
“Are you really going to stand here with the cold blowing in and argue this point?”
“Well, when you put it that way, I guess not. We’ll discuss it later. But just know that I’m going to—”
“Kate.”
“Okay. Later.” She pressed her lips together to keep from adding anything more.
“In any case, I think they deserve some compensation for us barging into their home uninvited.”
“I agree, but because I’ve met them, I don’t think they’ll be upset. We haven’t ruined anything that can’t be replaced.” But she felt a twinge of guilt, all the same. The kitchen was charming with its tile countertops, rustic walnut table and chairs, and open shelving for acollection of dishes that looked as if they’d been made by local artisans.
“First order of business is to cover up that window and clean up the broken glass.”
She shook her head. “No, first order of business is thawing out your feet. We should probably start by putting them in some lukewarm water so the shock’s not too great. Then I’ll cover the window.”
“Sorry, but I’m not dipping my toes in warm water until that window’s sealed up to my satisfaction.” He started opening cupboards. “I don’t want to waste any more electricity than we have to, and some snow is blowing