Love Practically (The Penn-Leiths of Thistle Muir, #1)

by Nichole Van

Had Leah known how being married—or even almost married—would have so expanded her conversations with others, she would have pursued the state more aggressively.

Malcolm snorted. “Aye. I ken a dog licks ye tae say ‘I like ye.’ But a cat? A cat only licks ye tae see how delicious ye would be should an unfortunate accident befall ye.”

Malcolm turned the fish. “How about you, Ethan? Are ye planning to use this afternoon as fodder for your burgeoning poetic career?” His tone was entirely that of a pesky brother. “‘Ode to a River Soaking,’ an epic poem in rhyming couplets by Ethan Penn-Leith.” Snickering, Ethan threw a pine cone at his brother. “More like ‘Ode to Why Malcolm Penn-Leith Is a Horse’s Arse.’” “I’m fair certain ye wrote that already. I seem tae remember ye reading it tae me once. Something scathing which rhymed arse with farce and left Aileen in fits of laughter.” Ethan grinned, entirely unrepentant. “That sounds about right.”

“She’s angry,” Malcolm said conversationally to Ethan. “Why?” Ethan shot back. “Because—” Malcolm hiccupped. “I shu-shuspect we’re a bit fou.”

man cannae fish without whisky.” “It’s rather the point of fishing, I ken,” Ethan said. “I thought fish were the point of fishing,” Leah said. “Och, fish are merely a happy accident.” Ethan brightened. “Excellent drinking is the only thing fishing can guarantee.”

I promise, we dinnae get your Fox too foxed.”