Ash's friend Rowan is having a baby that just might be his (if he could only remember). He has no idea how to help her. Meanwhile, her cousin Hazel provides some undemanding distraction while Genista the hillfayre girl teases him with possibilities beyond his reach. What with helping his dour father at the charburn, being troubled by three women and dealing with an unexpected stepmother, Ash is thoroughly confused. It doesn't help that he thinks he looks a bit like a sad frog and usually smells of charcoal.​