She wanted a burger, she realized.
It was one of the dishes she hated making on a daily basis because it was so simple, so uncreative—now she craved it!
Could she make one for Ian? He’d loved her sandwich, so maybe he’d love a burger…
But how would she make it without a stove? There was a cast-iron pan hanging on the wall, and she could put it into the bread oven and grill the patties over the coals. Not having a meat grinder, she’d have to mince the meat with a knife. She’d lack some spices, of course, like pepper… And she wouldn’t have real buns, but bread would do. Without ketchup, mayonnaise, and pickles, she’d have to add moisture and a nice tang by melting thin slices of cheese over the patties.
Oh yes. Fresh parsley, garlic, and onion, and just a tad of rosemary would go a long way towards adding flavor.
Giddy with anticipation to have Ian try it, Kate went to work. She put on a simple linen head scarf that Cadha had given her to keep her hair out of the food. There wasn’t any beef, so she made chicken patties.
Ian came into the kitchen as she was working. He picked up the edge of her scarf and fiddled with it.
“Ye look bonnie,” he said. “I’ve sent Manning to the northernmost farms and a boy to Falnaird, my cousin Craig’s home,” he added. “He must be there now with his wife. Many of my clansmen being northeast with Bruce, I canna reach them in time. But I hope Craig and his men will come. Mayhap Owen if he’s around. I need all the help I can get, and I ken my clan will do everything they can.”
Kate nodded. “Sounds like a wise decision. Do you think you’ll have enough time to prepare?”
“There’s never enough time, but we probably still have a few days. The pigheaded Sassenachs dinna ken ’twas me. They wilna track us here, down the loch. The English dinna ken our lands. There are several farms on the way and Manning will warn them. Surely, the Sassenachs will want to replenish their provisions there. On the morrow I raise an army. But I canna do anything more today.”
Kate sighed. “I’d say you’ve had enough adventures for today. You must be starving.” Kate wiped sweat from her forehead. Heat from the coals blazed into her face as she stared into the oven to make sure she wouldn’t burn the meat. “Wait another fifteen minutes. I’m almost ready.”
He frowned. “Minutes?”
Oh darn. Did they not measure time with minutes yet? Right. She hadn’t seen any clocks. They probably hadn’t even been invented yet.
“I mean, soon.”
He stood by her side. “It smells divine. What are ye cooking, Katie?”
Playfully, he laid his hand on her back and slowly ran it down to her bottom.
“Whatever ye’re cooking, I verra much like how ye do it.”
A pleasant shiver ran through Kate where he touched her. “A surprise. From home.”
“As long as ye’re eating with me…”
“Oh, I am. I’m suddenly so homesick, nothing will do but the food. Why don’t you get us a bottle of wine?”
“Oh, aye. I’ll put water to boil for bathing and set the table, dinna fash yerself.”
He set to work bringing fresh water from the well and pouring it into the cauldron. A short time later, Kate held a plate loaded with medieval burgers. They were essentially sandwiches, but not bad considering the conditions. Who knew that after eight years of grilling dozens of burgers every day, Kate would be craving them?
She took the plate into the great hall.
Outside, night had already settled in, and the windows glowed indigo. Candles and flowers decorated the lord’s table: bright-yellow marigolds, purple thrift, and white flowers she didn’t know the name of. Plates and cups and a clay jug were already on the table. Ian stood up as she walked in.
Kate’s heart thundered against her ribs as she set the plate of burgers on the table. This was like a date. A romantic, candlelit dinner date with a hot Highlander in a medieval castle.
Well, technically, Dundail wasn’t a castle. But that didn’t matter. Anything would be romantic, as long as Ian was by her side.
Oh God, if this was a date, she shouldn’t be in an apron, wearing a torn-and-dirty dress, with hair that looked like a crow’s nest. Kate wiped her hands against the apron and untied it. She put it on a bench, then took her seat by Ian’s side.
“Sorry, I look like hell,” she said. “You deserve a romantic dinner with a lady.”
Ian was staring at her without blinking. In the light of the candles, his face was relaxed and full of wonder. His brown eyes were warm, his red hair ablaze from the light. Kate studied the thin scar crossing the edge of his left eyebrow, the slightly crooked bridge of his nose, the cut that started just above his bristle.
God, he was handsome. Handsome, and kind, and so wounded. Kate was torn between the urge to kiss every inch of his face while cuddling in his arms and the desire to listen to his heartbeat to make sure he was real.
“Ye’re the only person in the world I want to share my evening meal with, Katie,” he said. “And ye’ve never been more bonnie than ye are now.”
Warmth rushed to Kate’s cheeks, and she looked away, unable to meet the heat in his eyes. She exhaled sharply and smiled, picking up the plate with the burgers and offering it to him.
“Try this. It’s
