Mari's Mistake (Icehome, #10)

by Ruby Dixon

"Are you sure you want to give this to me?" I ask Megan, smoothing my hand down the pretty, pale yellow outfit I'm wearing. It's a matching tunic top and skirt, both dyed a rich, buttery shade, and there's decorative jagging along the sleeves and hemline that flutter in the slightest breeze. It might be the prettiest thing I've seen yet, and I twist and turn, admiring the zig-zag stitching along the collar and under the breasts to emphasize the figure. I feel delicate and airy, like an ice planet princess, in this thing, and I can't wait to show T'chai. He's going to love the sight. Across the fire from me, Megan smiles and shifts on her padded seat. She's got a braided leather project in her lap, but she pauses it often to rub her lower back. "Oh yeah. I made that a few years back and it hasn't fit right since I had Holvek. The boobs and hips just aren't the same." She pats her flank with a rueful expression. "It's just sitting around, so I figured I'd save it for someone else and it looks great on you." The leather's so soft it feels like suede—like T'chai's skin—and I can't stop petting it. "I love it. How can I thank you?" "Pfft." Megan waves a hand. "I'm just glad someone else can use it. No thanks necessary. It's—" She pauses as her son comes barreling into the hut. "Mama!" he bellows, holding an empty bowl. Behind him trots a little dvisti colt on three legs, the fourth tucked up tight against its furry body. It takes one look at me, bleats, and bounds over to Holve...