“You’re going to let Darcy hit this girl? Do you think she’ll be able to do it?”
They both peeked through the door again.
“Look,” Agnes was saying. “This isn’t about fighting fair. It’s about fighting dirty. You want to take her down in as few strikes as possible, then walk away with your head held high. This is a message to all the other little shi…farts who think you’re an easy target. We. Are. Not. Easy. Targets. Got me?”
Darcy nodded solemnly. “Is this what you did when you were in school?”
Agnes got a very scary look on her face. “I annihilated anyone who picked on me or my sisters.”
Darcy’s eyes went wide. “And did they stop?”
“Oh, aye, they stopped.”
Drew shuddered. “No offense, but next time I’m in trouble, I’m calling her, not you.”
Logan didn’t blame him.
“Do you think she’ll still be here if there’s a next time?” It was clear that Drew was trying to look like he didn’t care, but it was there all the same. In the solid set of his shoulders, and the blank look on his face.
“She’s trying, son. I think she definitely wants to stay.”
“How will we know for sure that she’s decided to stay and that she means it?”
“I really don’t know.”
They watched Agnes and Darcy spar for a couple more minutes before Drew whispered, “I like her, Dad. I hope she stays.”
“Me too,” Logan said. “Me too.”
Agnes got out of Logan’s car, which she’d borrowed to get to the council meeting, and strode up the steps to the front door of the castle.
Yes. Castle.
Although not huge by castle standards, it was still impressive. Four stories tall and flanked by matching turrets, the gray stone structure sat in a park-like setting full of manicured hedges and huge old trees. Even if the castle and grounds hadn’t been covered in snow, it would still have been gorgeous. It was a shame it was a private residence. If it hadn’t been, she’d have added it to her list of ways to attract people to Invertary. Tours of this castle would have been a massive hit.
The large oak door with its brass knocker and stained glass might have increased her nerves if she hadn’t spent the past hour teaching Darcy how to defend herself. Now, she felt nothing but confidence. She wouldn’t let a kid at school intimidate Darcy, and she sure as hell wouldn’t let anyone inside this castle intimidate her. Nobody messed with her or her family. Nobody.
Agnes stopped short of ringing the bell.
Her.
Family.
The one she’d chosen, not the one that’d been forced on her through crappy circumstances.
A clarity, the likes of which she’d never experienced before, settled over her. She loved her sisters, but the weight of having to care for them when she’d been barely able to care for herself had been a heavy load to bear. The kind of load no kid should ever have to deal with.
But she wasn’t a child any longer. Her shoulders were broad, and she had more strength now than she ever did then. She could care for Logan, Darcy, and Drew without drowning under the weight of it. And she could choose her career now, instead of taking the first offer that came her way. Or working in a job she hated just because she’d spent time training for it.
Her dreams had changed. And instead of feeling guilty about letting her old dreams go, she would embrace the new ones. Which meant compromise. If she wanted her family and a life in a town that was every bit as crazy as she was, then she’d have to stay in Scotland. But she’d do it on her terms. And that meant making enough money to get her and her new family out of the country every damn winter! Because, seriously, there was a limit to how much rain and cold she could deal with, and she figured she’d reached hers about five years earlier.
With a renewed sense of purpose and a lightness she hadn’t felt in years, she rang the bell to the castle.
A few moments later, the heavy door swung open, and Caroline smiled out at her. Today, she wore lilac cigarette pants with a matching cashmere sweater—total Grace Kelly. “Are you ready?” she asked.
“Absolutely,” Agnes said.
She was ready for everything. It was right there before her, and all she had to do was reach for it. Which she intended to start doing straight away. With that thought, she followed Caroline into the castle, ready to pitch her ideas for town rejuvenation to the council.
Chapter 25
Agnes’ sisters arrived in Invertary the day before Christmas Eve. Logan hadn’t known they were coming until Agnes borrowed his car, went into town, and came back with them in tow. They’d then spent a raucous evening in his living room, catching up with each other and telling the kids stories. Ones that no doubt put ideas in their heads Logan would have to deal with for years to come.
Jack, Agnes’ nephew, who was a few years older than Drew, had hit it off with his son straight away. They’d stood side by side, watching the women laugh together and talk a mile a minute, then looked at each other and said, “PlayStation.” Since then, they’d been holed up in Drew’s room, working their way through his stack of games.
Darcy, meanwhile, had taken one look at Isobel’s daughter, Sophie, and pretty much adopted her. The four-year-old looked at Darcy as though she were her fairy godmother. And Darcy, for her part, had dressed Sophie like a doll before teaching her how to dance.
“You might need to extend the house if you’re going to host any more Sinclair sisters’ get-togethers,” Keir, Mairi’s man, said to him once the men had retreated to the kitchen to drink beer and enjoy some silence. “You could knock out the living room wall and add a good few feet. Maybe a conservatory.”
Unlike the husbands of Agnes’ other two sisters, Keir was chatty. He also thought Duncan and Callum were hilarious. Probably because the two men had sat on the living room sofa staring at the women with a mixture of bewilderment and fear for the past few hours.
“I don’t know how long Agnes is staying in Invertary, so this might be the first and last get-together that happens here,” Logan said as he put a bowl of nuts on the table. He saw little point in hiding the fact that their relationship was still on shaky ground. Agnes had no doubt shared this information in one of her many phone calls with her sisters.
“She’s got a job now,” Callum pointed out, reaching for the nuts.
A taciturn Scot, the London boss of Benson Security rarely smiled, except with his wife and kids. He wasn’t easy to get to know, but Logan had a lot of respect for the man. Not only had he survived a bomb in Afghanistan that had taken both his legs, but his introduction to the Sinclairs had involved a dead body and men with machine guns. And he’d still married one of them.
“Aye,” Duncan said. “They settle some when they’ve got something to occupy them. A bored Sinclair woman is a dangerous thing.” He would know. The artist had hired Donna as his housekeeper, even though she’d been ill-suited to the job. Now that she was studying to become an illustrator, she seemed much more content.
“What’s the new job then?” Keir asked as he raided the fridge. A mechanic by trade, he’d sold his business and now traveled the world, helping Mairi sort out her business. “Last I heard, she was working in the hotel.”
To be fair, he’d only arrived from Canada the day before, so he had an excuse for being out-of-date.
“No, that’s done with,” Logan said. “She lasted almost a month with Dougal, which is a damn sight longer than I would have.”
“Never thought it was a good fit,” Callum said.
Logan stared at the man. “You were the one who set it up.”
He shrugged. “Agnes needed a job, and Isobel wanted her to stay in the UK. If I’d gotten her a job in London, there was a good chance she’d have been promoted to some far-off place. So, I talked to Dougal and shoved her here.”
The three men stared at him.
“Does Isobel know that?” Logan asked. “Because Agnes sure as hell doesn’t.”
&nbs
p; “She didn’t need to know,” Callum said. “She’s pregnant. If she wants something, she gets it.”
“Let’s keep this between the four of us,” Keir said.
They raised their beer bottles to toast their agreement, sharing an identical worried look as they did so. If this got out, they’d all be dead.
“So, she’s not working at the hotel?” Keir said as he put a load of different cheeses and crackers, that Logan hadn’t even realized they had, on the table. Either Agnes had been shopping for something she could cook, or his mother had been stocking up for him again.
When Agnes had moved in, Logan had told his mother he wanted her key back, but Agnes had stopped him. She’d grabbed his arm and whispered, “She brings food, don’t be an idiot.” So his mother still had her key.
“Originally, she wanted to start up a hub for small businesses and tried to get funding to get it off the ground. But when the council heard her other ideas, they decided to create a position for her and to run the hub under the council banner. So, now she’s in charge of Invertary’s industry schemes. She’s supposed to find new ways to attract business to town and, as part of that, she’ll oversee the business center.”
“Did they rip her off?” Callum asked. “Would she have made more money if she’d kept ownership of the business center?”
That’s what he’d wondered too. “She says no. The salary for the job is good, and she gets to stick her nose into lots of different areas. She won’t be bored.”
“Told you,” Duncan said before taking a sip of his drink. “You need to keep a Sinclair woman from getting bored, or it all goes to hell.”
“Aye, it’s good for her.” In all honesty, Logan wished she’d kept the business and run it herself. It was a whole lot harder to walk away from your own business than to quit your job and head out of town.
“You’re worried she’s still going to run,” Callum said astutely.
“She never wanted to stay in Scotland.” He took a sip of his beer as he leaned against the counter, trying to give the impression he was much more relaxed than he felt. Agnes was like water—every time he tried to grab her and hold on tight, she slipped through his fingers.
“People change,” Duncan said. “I never thought I’d want to marry again.” He waggled his ring finger to prove his point.
“I never thought I wanted to do anything other than be a soldier,” Callum added. “But I enjoy being one of the Benson Security partners.”
“I never thought I’d like beer,” Keir said and held up his bottle. When they stared at him, he shrugged. “I’m at least ten years younger than the rest of you, and I have Mairi to cope with, so cut me some slack.”
“How do I know she really wants to be here?” Logan asked. How did he know she meant it? Unlike his ex-wife, who’d said one thing but resented the hell out of him because she’d wanted another.
“You trust her,” Duncan said. “It sucks, but that’s the only option.”
“I might have some trouble with that,” Logan admitted. “Once bitten and all that.”
“Welcome to the club,” Duncan said.
“You get a T-shirt,” Callum added.
“I’m way too young for this group,” Keir said.
“Hey,” Agnes said as she came into the room, grinning at all of them. She headed straight for Logan and wrapped her arms around him. “The pub okay for dinner tomorrow night?” she asked as she looked up at him.
“Aye.” Damn, if she left him, he’d be broken. “The pub’s fine.”
“Good.” She went on tiptoe to press a kiss to his jaw. “And since it will be Christmas Eve, we all thought it would be fun to dress up. You four have to wear suits.”
There were unanimous shouts of outrage.
Agnes narrowed her eyes. “Wear suits. Or kilts. Or whatever. But we’re going smart and fancy. It’s one bloody night of the year. You can manage it for one night.” With one last glare at all of them, she stalked from the room.
“She always was the scariest,” Keir said as he watched her go.
“Aye,” Callum said. “Good luck with that.”
“Are you sure you want her to stay?” Duncan added with a grin.
Aye, he was sure. He just wasn’t convinced it was possible.
“I can’t believe how big your belly is,” Agnes said as she sat beside Isobel on the sofa. “Are you sure this isn’t twins? Because you’re way bigger than you were with Jack or Sophie.”
“Definitely not twins,” Isobel said. “It’s because I got knocked up by a much bigger man this time. I’m going to give birth to a giant.”
“I want kids,” Donna announced from where she lay on her back in the middle of the floor. Agnes wasn’t sure why she was there, but she seemed happy. “I think I should start popping them out soon. Duncan isn’t getting any younger, and I want my kids to play with yours, Izzy.”
“That will be hard when I live in London and you live in Glasgow,” Isobel pointed out.
“One of us needs to move,” Donna said. “There are art colleges in London. I bet one of them would hire Duncan in a second.”
Seeing as her husband was a world-famous artist, Agnes was pretty sure she was right in her assumption.
“I could run my matchmaking business out of London,” Mairi said. “But then Aggie would be alone, and that’s not fair. But, I could also run my business from Invertary. Keir can open a garage anywhere, so he’d be fine. Does Invertary have a garage?”
“Not that I know of, but you can’t move here just because you’re worried that I’ll be lonely.”
“Do you want me here or not?” Mairi demanded, living up to her fiery red hair as usual.
“Yes,” Agnes said.
“Then it’s done.” She grinned at all of them from where she sat curled up in one of the armchairs. “I’m moving to Invertary!”
“Yay?” Agnes said drolly.
“Keir?” Mairi shouted.
A minute later, he sauntered through from the kitchen. “What?”
“Want to move to Invertary?” The way she said it made it clear there was only one acceptable answer.
“Aye?” he said, looking bewildered.
“Good answer.” She held out her arms to him and, with an indulgent smile, he leaned down to kiss her before sauntering back out of the room. “Guess I’d better go house hunting,” Mairi said as she watched him leave.
“I wish we could all be in one place together again,” Donna said wistfully.
“One day,” Isobel said. “You never know. But in the meantime, we can visit lots.”
“I think it’s best if you two visit us, rather than the other way around,” Agnes said. “Seeing as you both married money and can afford to fly up here whenever you fancy.”
“True.” Donna grinned.
“Hey,” Mairi said. “I didn’t need to marry money. My business is going to make me a fortune. I’ve already got TV stations clamoring to interview me and geeks queuing up for me to find them a wife. I can afford flights to London on my own. Don’t worry,” she told Agnes. “I’ll pay for yours.”
“Thanks,” Agnes said drolly.
They lapsed into silence, each busy with their own thoughts. Looking around at her sisters, Agnes’ heart swelled. They’d done good, and she was proud of all of them.
“We made it,” she said. “We made it out of that house and away from those people who didn’t deserve us. We have families of our own, careers we can be proud of, and most important of all, we have each other.”
“Always,” Donna said firmly.
“You bet,” Mairi said.
“Don’t make me cry,” Isobel wailed.
A minute later, Callum rushed into the room. “Are you okay?” he demanded to know.
The four sisters had climbed onto the sofa and were hugging and crying in a huge puppy pile.
“I think they’re fine,” Logan said from behind Callum.
Agnes looked over at the man she loved and smiled through her tears.
She was so far past fine that it made her ache. And he was the reason why.
Chapter 26
“Why am I wearing a kilt?” Drew complained from the back seat as they drove into town to have dinner at the pub with Agnes’ family.
“Because,” Agnes said from the passenger seat, “I asked you to.”
“You didn’t ask,” Drew grumbled. “You handed it to me and gave me two choices, wear it or die.”
“And you chose wisely.” Agnes beamed. “I’m so proud of you.”
Hearing Darcy giggle, Logan caught her eye in the mirror and grinned. There was no messing with Agnes—she’d win every time. And from the way his girl had dealt with that bully who’d been harassing her, she was another Agnes in the making. He wasn’t really sure what he thought of that.
“This is so exciting,” Agnes said. “I can’t remember the last time I dressed up to go out.”
Logan reached for her hand. “You look gorgeous.”
“I should bloody well hope so.” She waved a hand down her body. “This took hours.”
Her pale green sheath dress shimmered in the light, showcasing her gorgeous figure with each step she took. Against Logan’s advice, she hadn’t put on her new snow boots, but wore delicate pink heels and carried a matching bag. She’d put pearls in her ears and draped several strands of them around her throat. Fake, she’d told him when he commented. One day, he’d replace them with the real thing, because Agnes glowed in pearls. Her messy, twisty, updo hairstyle looked sexy as hell, and her makeup made him want to see her face by candlelight. And, because the town was still covered in snow, she wore her big black padded coat over the whole thing.
“You look good too,” she said with a heated smile.
She’d been hassling him all evening to find out what was under his kilt, and he’d promised to show her later.
“You’d better appreciate it,” he said. “This isn’t exactly the weather for a kilt.”
Her gaze strayed to the snow-covered town spread out in front of them. The glittering lights strung across the high street looked magical against all that white. And at the bottom of the road was the ever-present blackness of the loch.
Can't Buy Me Love: Romantic Comedy (Sinclair Sisters Trilogy Book 3) Page 21