“But like all simple things, once you add the human element, all hell breaks loose.”

“I want this chimney to smoke worse than Lucifer's own fire. Let's add another brick to be certain.Dougal stiffened. He'd thought they were repairing the chimney, but they wanted it to smoke. What in the hell was going on?”

“You don't have to say a thing except yes. You don't have to do anything, either, I'm quite willing to plan it all." "You?""Yes me.""You'd plan all of it? Even the wedding?""Why not?""You don't even like to plan your own breakfast."He grinned. "You mean more to me tban bacon.""More than [i]bacon?[/i] I'm honored.""You should be, my foolish pea brain.”

“Jack looked at the paper. Devonsgate had listed all twelve footmen: John, Mark, Luke,Thomas…Bloody hell, his butler had hired the entire New Testament.”

“I am quite out of patience with him." Fiona Kincaid set her teacup on the small tray with a decided click. "Dougal's been in a horrid temper since he arrived.""I like him better this way," Fiona's handsome husband retorted. "He barely said a word over breakfast."She gave an exasperated sigh. "I'm surprised you two don't get along better, as you're very similar." Jack's flat stare made her add hastily, "In some things.""In very few things.”

“Angus, when you're done with the brick, I shall add some oiled rags. That will make it smoke even worse."Angus turned an admiring glance at his partner in crime. "Miss,ye've a gift fer this,ye do."She chuckled,the sound just as seductive, except for the hint of mockery. "I'm becoming as adept at this as the new owner is at shirking his duty.""Now,miss,he might have a good reason not to rush here.""Like what?""I don't know.Perhaps he won several houses at the card game and has been visitin' them all.""It's far more likely he was waylaid by a lass with loose morals. From what I hear, the man's a lace-bedecked profligate."Blast the woman and her rude assumptions! He may have stayed in Stirling to sample the charms of a widow, but that did not make a lace-bedecked profligate.What burned the most was that she was correct in her assumption about what had kept him away from his new acquisition.”

“I'm very happy that you're following your dreams. I've discovered that they fragile things and must be fed if they are to live long enough to turn into reality. There are only two things that will feed a dream: action and honesty. If you are honest enough to face your dream, with all its limitations, and willing to take whatever action is necessary to make up for those limitations, then there is a good chance you will be one of the few to succeed.”