“If I told you your bare ass looks fantastic in the moonlight, would you hold that against me?”

“Before the war, a white man named Jonathan Edwards came to Stockbridge to teach my people about sin, but I doubt very much he could see sin in this. You defended yourself against a man who would otherwise have killed you and your friends. Perhaps you feel no regret because your spirit knows you did what was right.”

“She told him ... how her heart had fairly skipped a beat when she'd seen him standing in the middle of the road dressed as a true Highland warrior."If I hadna been in love wi' you already, I'd have fallen in love wi' you then."He grinned, his whiskery face unbearably bonnie even with its cuts and bruises. "So you like the sight of me in a pladdie, aye?""Aye--and wi' braids in your hair." She leaned down and kissed him. "But I think red paint looks silly.”

“I am _not_ a woman from your village."His eyes narrowed. "No, you are not, for if you were, you would be grateful for the better fate Connor has won for you with his blood. Rather than thinking only of yourself, you would be beside him now, tending his hurts.”

“_I_ boil it." Joseph entered last, closing the door behind them. "Last time, you burnt it."Connor glared at Joseph. "We were attacked! What would you have me tell the Abenaki? 'I cannae fight just now. I'm makin' candy. Would you like a wee taste?”

“If you think your scars bother me, you're wrong. In my eyes, you're a hero. Your scars are just proof of that.”

“I think you need someone in your life you can depend on, someone you can confide in when things go to hell at work, someone to massage your tired feet and your stiff shoulders, someone to bring you tea and cook a meal oncein a while. Someone to be there for you.”