Hannish lovingly laid his head on top of hers for a moment. "How glad I am to have you keep me company. What do you think of Colorado?"
"It looks a lot like Kansas, which is by far the flattest stretch of land on earth. Even Northern Scotland is not as flat as all that. But. my dear brother, when I stepped off the train in Denver, the view took my breath away. Never have I seen a sight the likes of the grand Rocky Mountains. Had we no south bound train to catch, I would be staring at them still."
"I never tire of seeing them either." Hannish pointed to his mansion in the distance and then turned to watch her eyes light up. "Marblestone."
McKenna's mouth dropped. "It is magnificent. If this does not please your wife, nothing will."
Situated on a plateau above the town, the enormous three-story mansion was white and glistened in the sunlight. As wide as it was long, it had a multitude of windows on each floor, decorative oval windows and saw-tooth wedges above the top floor and several chimneys. Too soon, the carriage rounded a bend in the road and she could no longer see it. "How many rooms?"
"Sixty-seven, more than enough to seek your solitude, should you tire of me."
"I am pleased to hear that," she teased.
"I intend to fill it with at least ten happy, laughing children."
"Why do you call it Marblestone?"
"It is not marble on the outside, but you shall see when you go inside. The Yule Marble quarry is in the mountains to the west. Marble is very expensive, but once it is polished, it is by far the most beautiful stone in the world."
"Then you truly did make a fortune when you sold the mine."
"More than even my wife could spend in a lifetime."
The gradual incline of the winding road kept her from seeing more of the mansion through the trees, so she slumped back in her seat. "I have a complaint."
"Why am I not surprised to hear that?"
"You built it facing the valley and not the mountains."
"Aye, but there are windows facing the mountains as well, and there is afternoon tea to be had outside where you can see for miles. Just wait, you will not be disappointed."
"And are the Americans you employ friendly? Some Americans were not so pleasant on the train."
"I was quite fortunate to find these and you will find them most pleasing. You do intend to stay, do you not?"
She defiantly lifted her chin. "I shall stay just as long as it takes to get my twenty pounds back, and not a minute more."