As usual, Agnes ignored the reprimand. “Were you hurt?”
“Cuts, bruises, thistles stuck in my backside. Other than that, I’m fine.”
There was a long, worrying pause. “That’s it. I’m coming home. I can sit the exams in a few months.”
“You will not!” The last thing Mairi needed was Agnes elbowing her way back into the situation and taking over. When she got in one of her I’ll-sort-it moods, she tended to trample over everything and everyone to ensure her will was carried out. Mairi had a headache just thinking about it. “These exams are important, and you left Keir to look after me.”
“And he isn’t. I know this because. You. Fell. Down. A. Cliff.”
“Keir grabbed me and pulled me into the cliff. If he hadn’t, I’d have hit the water. Trust me. He’s watching out for me, whether I want it or not. And in case you were even vaguely interested in what I might want, the answer is I don’t want him here.”
“I’m coming home,” Agnes said, making Mairi wonder if she’d heard anything she’d just said.
“No. I forbid it. Sit the exams and come home when you’re done. I’m fine. It’s all fine.” She stood up, still holding the towel. “If you come home before the week is up, I swear I will make you pay.”
“How, exactly? Are you going to cook for a month?”
“No.” Mairi narrowed her eyes at the faded Valentine’s card Agnes kept pinned behind the photos on her noticeboard. It had been written by a local hotel owner’s son, whom Agnes had spent a summer with as a teen. The same hotel owner that Agnes had been cultivating for years, hoping to manage his business once her course was finished. “I’ll call Old Man Ferguson and tell him that not only did you have an affair with his son years ago, but there was a love child that you put up for adoption. I’ll tell him that the only reason you want to work for him is to ruin his business and get revenge on his family for leaving you alone and pregnant as a teen.” Damn, that sounded good.
There was an aggravated sigh. “You’ve been watching daytime soaps again, haven’t you? What did I tell you about that? I told you they would rot your brain, and now we have proof, because that was a seriously crap threat. Nobody would believe it.”
“Fine, then I’ll fill your bed with spiders and worms if you come home early.”
“You little witch.” Agnes sucked in a deep breath. “I’ll stay here, but Keir better make sure you’re safe or I’ll deal with him myself.”
“I’ll be sure to let him know. Now go sail through those exams and become a big-time hotel manager.”
“I love you, you halfwit.”
“Love you too, big brain.” Mairi hung up and turned to find Sean standing in her doorway, his arms full of boxes of chocolates.
“They’ve stopped sending flowers,” he said, looking a little bewildered.
Mairi snatched a box from the top of the pile. Thorntons, her favorite. She looked up at Keir’s brother. “You want to watch daytime TV and pig out on chocolate?”
“Works for me.” He turned and headed back into the living room. “Put on some clothes, though,” he called back at her. “If Keir catches me here with you dressed like that, he’ll kill me.”
“Keir wouldn’t care if I was walking around naked when he returned.”
There was the sound of unhinged laughter from the living room. Mairi threw on some old sweatpants, which were a fetching shade of puke green, and a pink and white striped tee and went to join Sean on the sofa. She opened the chocolates, put her feet up on the crate that functioned as a coffee table, and pointed the remote at the TV.
“Jeremy Kyle,” they both said in delight as the tabloid talk show host appeared on the screen, surrounded by shouting guests.
“Which one is it?” Sean tore into giant box of Roses chocolates.
Mairi hit the button that would give them the show details. “Your boyfriend killed my hamster.”
With matching grins, Sean and Mairi settled in to watch some train wreck TV.
Chapter 13
Keir parked his SUV in front of the garage, right behind the horse-drawn buggy. He closed his eyes for a couple of seconds, then opened them again. Nope, the buggy was still there. A guy in a black top hat was sitting at the reins, and the horses had left their own little presents right outside his door. Next to the buggy stood Amir, dressed head to toe in traditional Pakistani clothes. He had on what looked like beige silk pajama pants under a long beige tunic, with a dark blue jacket on top. The jacket had a high collar and beige embroidered patterns on it. On his feet he wore what looked like beige silk slippers and about a ton of hair gel on his head.
With a sigh, Keir climbed out of his SUV and headed for Amir.
“Nice outfit,” he said.
And he wasn’t joking—it was nice. Not as good as a decent kilt, but he’d bet Mairi would be impressed. Something he didn’t want her to be, which meant he needed to nip this effort in the bud straight away.
Amir ran a hand down his jacket with pride. “This is my favorite formal kurta pajama suit. The color will be most complementary to Mairi’s beautiful hair.” He reached into the back of the buggy and pulled out a bag. “Can you give this to Mairi, and tell her I would be most delighted if she would grant me the honor of wearing this on our date tonight?”
Keir peeked in the bag. Bright pink and blue silk peeked back at him.
“It’s a Punjabi suit,” Amir said. “Pants, tunic and scarf. Comfortable and practical, as well as being most pleasing to the eye.”
The guy had gone to a lot of trouble and had clearly spent quite a bit of cash doing it. Keir almost felt bad for raining on his parade. “Did Mairi say she was going on a date with you tonight?”
“I sent her a text, but there has been no reply.” Amir looked down at his iPhone. “This is not like Mairi. She is very good at replying to every message in a most timely manner.”
Keir didn’t bother telling the guy that Mairi’s phone was now in the sea, probably on its way to Ireland. “She’s had a rough night. I don’t think she’ll want to go out this evening, but I’ll let her know you dropped by.”
Amir frowned. “This is my evening.” He gestured at the men behind him. “We drew straws. Not literally, we used a program for deciding the order of dates, but the principle is the same. I am to be the first.” He straightened his shoulders, which still didn’t get him past Keir’s jawline. “I have the carriage, the clothes and a basket with the most delicious of Indian food. I would have liked to bring some uniquely Pakistani food, but I have not yet learned how to cook. To be honest, there is very little difference between Indian and Pakistani cuisine. I am sure Mairi will enjoy this. I had it flown down from the best Indian restaurant in Glasgow. I am taking Mairi on a picnic.” He went pale and held up a hand. “Nowhere near the cliffs.”
“I don’t think she’s up to a night out,” Keir said. In fact, Sean had texted to tell Keir that Mairi had conked out on the sofa in the middle of watching Ellen.
Above him, a window opened, and a red head poked out. “What’s going on?” Mairi said. “Amir, don’t you look handsome?”
The Pakistani man blushed a deep red, and Keir was tempted to pat him on the head like a pet. He stopped short. When had he started thinking about his competition as pets? There was something seriously wrong with this whole situation.
“I am here to be taking you on our date. We each have an evening planned with you, and it is my honor to be the first.” Amir gave a courtly little bow.
“I told him you weren’t up for it,” Keir called up. “You fell off a cliff last night.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “That was last night. This is today. And if I’m not mistaken, that’s Indian food I smell.”
Keir didn’t have to see the drool rolling down her chin to know she was salivating. Indian food and Mairi were a match made in heaven.
“It would do me the greatest of honors if you would accompany me on a picnic, my beautiful Scottish flower,” Amir said.
&n
bsp; “In a buggy,” Mairi said with a grin. “I love it. I’ll be right down.”
“No.” Amir pointed at the bag he’d handed to Keir. “I brought you some traditional clothes from Pakistan.”
Mairi clapped her hands. “Is it a Punjabi suit?”
Amir laughed and nodded.
“I’ve always wanted one of those. Keir, stop hanging around and get up here.” She slammed the window shut.
Amir beamed at him. “I think I am in with a chance,” he said, making Keir want to pat him: very, very hard.
He turned his back on the guy, grabbed his holdall from inside the car, then headed through the garage and up the stairs to Mairi’s house.
She was waiting inside the door, her arms outstretched. She wiggled her fingers at him. “Gimme.”
He handed over Amir’s bag with a grunt of disgust. “What happened to you not encouraging these guys?”
“That was before Amir got me a Punjabi suit. I’ve been wanting one of these for ages.” She tipped the bag up and held up a blue tunic embroidered with pink flowers, pink pants and a long blue scarf with more pink flowers. “How cool is this? Be right back.” She ran into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her.
“I know you’re the eldest,” Sean said from the sofa where he was working his way through a box of chocolates. “And you’re supposed to know way more than me. But bro, seriously, you need to up your game. There’s a short guy out there stealing your girl with Indian takeaway and silk pajamas.” He shook his head in disgust.
Keir wasn’t sure if the disgust was aimed at him or the situation.
“I am upping my game. I brought supplies.”
Sean cocked an eyebrow at him, which made Keir wonder what he’d look like if they were shaved from his forehead. “What’d you bring?”
Keir rooted around in his bag and produced a large comb, conditioning spray and a six-pack of potato scones. His brother stared at the items in Keir’s hand, then stared at Keir. His mouth opened and closed several times.
“You have got to be joking,” Sean said at last.
“What? Mairi loves fried potato scone sandwiches. This is something none of the guys out there know. It’s inside information.”
“And the comb?”
“I’m going to use it to seduce her.” Keir stuffed everything back into his bag.
Sean ran a hand over his face. “I take it back. You might be older, but you don’t have a bloody clue. While Mairi’s on her date, I’ll get you sorted out. And don’t even tell me she isn’t going. You couldn’t stop her if you tied her to the bed. She’s got exotic clothes and a curry to tempt her, there’s no way she’ll trade that for tatty scones.”
He had a point. The bedroom door opened and Mairi bounced out. “What do you think?”
Keir pressed his hand over his heart and staggered a small step back. Something that, thankfully, Mairi didn’t notice. She was stunning, and it wasn’t just the clothes. She was glowing, absolutely glowing, with joy. And for the first time since Keir hatched the plan to save her by marrying her, he wondered if he was doing the right thing. He wondered if he should step aside and let the boys try to win her. It was obvious from the look on her face, and her delight in the date Amir had planned, that she deserved everything the guys were trying to do for her.
“You look gorgeous,” Sean said as he came to stand beside Keir. “Don’t even think it,” he whispered to Keir as Mairi spun in a circle.
“Think what?” Keir whispered back.
“About giving up,” his brother said, and narrowed his eyes.
“Keir?” Mairi said as she came to a stop. There was a touch of vulnerability in her eyes that made him swallow anything negative he might have said.
“You are beautiful.”
Her face lit up at his praise. And she was beautiful. Her hair was wild and curling around her shoulders. The blue and pink suit brought out her peaches-and-cream complexion and made her eyes appear even bluer. She was stunning.
And she wasn’t for him.
He cleared his throat and reached into his back pocket to pull out the phone he’d picked up for her in Campbeltown. “Here. I programmed in all the numbers I could think of, and it’s fully charged.” He handed it to her. “Call if there’s even a hint of trouble, and I’ll come get you.”
Mairi looked at the phone, then back to Keir. She seemed stunned. “This is the new iPhone.”
“You need it for when you get back to work.”
She stared at the phone for a minute, and then chewed at her bottom lip as though she was trying to figure out what to say.
There was a knock at the front door and Mairi looked over to it. “That’s probably Amir.”
“Probably.” Keir stepped back.
There was another knock.
“Mairi,” Amir called.
Sean shook his head and sauntered over to answer the door. He swung it wide.
“Mairi,” Amir said in utter awe, “I have never in my life seen a more beautiful sight.” He clasped his hands over his heart and beamed at her. There was nothing hidden, the guy wasn’t keeping anything back; he was genuinely pursuing Mairi. And from the smile on her face, he was doing a helluva job of it.
“Where are we going?” Mairi headed for Amir, still clutching the phone Keir had bought for her. “When can we eat?”
Amir laughed. “Soon.” He reached for her and stopped midway. “May I take your hand, Mairi?”
“Of course.” She held Amir’s hand, and they turned to go down the stairs.
“Don’t forget,” Keir called, “call if you need to.”
“I will.” Big blue eyes looked back at him, as she walked away with another man.
“Why are you letting her go with him?” Sean asked as they watched them disappear down the stairs.
Keir could hardly answer; his chest was so tight. “Maybe that’s what I should have been doing all along.” He turned his back on the open door. “I’m going downstairs to work on the Beetle.” And then he headed in the opposite direction of the woman he loved.
♦♦♦
It was an evening of firsts for Mairi. The first time she’d ridden in a horse-drawn carriage, the first time she’d had Indian food at a picnic and the first time she’d worn something as pretty as the clothes Amir had given her. Her wonderful fake boyfriend had gone out of his way to make the evening special, from choosing some of her favorite foods, to bringing camp chairs and a folding table to ensure they wouldn’t have to sit on the ground. It was a wise decision. Curry was the perfect food, but it wasn’t exactly picnic fare.
He’d set the table up on a white sandy beach that wasn’t far from Arness—but then, they’d ridden a buggy to get there, so they couldn’t have gone that far from town. The meal was delicious, the view wonderful and the company delightful. Amir was funny and attentive. He was smart and caring. And even though he was a little dorky with it, he was really quite charming.
So why was she thinking about Keir instead of the man who’d gone to all this trouble to give her a special evening out?
She clutched the phone Keir had thoughtfully bought for her and wondered what he was doing. She wondered if he was pacing the garage, waiting for her to call, and worrying about whether she was safe. Keir always worried about her safety. In fact, she wouldn’t put it past him to make Sean access the GPS on her new phone, just so he knew where she was. She chewed at her bottom lip as she looked down at the phone. Maybe she should send him a text, just to let him know everything was fine.
“Mairi, you are not listening to me,” Amir gently reprimanded her.
She smiled at him. “I’m sorry, Amir. My mind wandered. Guess I’m more tired than I realized, and my head hurts a little. That’s what you get if you spend your night halfway down a cliff instead of tucked up tight in bed.”
“Is there something I can get you that will help? I can fetch you some medication.”
He moved to stand, and Mairi put her hand over his, stopping him. “Amir—�
�
“Please.” He held up a hand to stop her from saying anything else.
She watched him for a moment, still holding his hand. Eventually, his shoulders slumped, and he gave her a weak smile before sitting back down.
“There is no chemistry between us. Is there, my beautiful Mairi?”
He looked so forlorn at the thought that it was tempting to lie. But she couldn’t do it, to either of them. “No, there isn’t. That doesn’t mean I didn’t love everything about this evening, though. It was one of the loveliest I’ve ever had.” She looked down at her suit. “And this suit is the bomb.”
He gave her a wan smile. “I should head home to Pakistan.”
Her heart clenched for him. “You don’t need to go right away. You’re having fun with the other guys, making friends, causing trouble. Stick around and relax a little. Who knows, you might have even more fun if you aren’t chasing around after me.” She patted his hand. “Trust me on this, Amir. I’m no great catch.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” He smiled at her. “You are very hot, and you speak fluent geek. In my world, that makes you the female version of George Clooney.”
Mairi laughed and settled back into her chair. “There are other women out there, Amir.”
“I know.” He looked out over the water. The sun was setting, but they were facing the wrong direction for a spectacular sunset. “My parents tell me this every day.” He looked back at her, seeming a little sad and lost. “They have been pressuring me to let them arrange a marriage for me.”
“That’s normal in your part of the world, right?”
He nodded. “It might sound like the perfect solution. A man like me, who has problems with women, gets his parent to solve the problem for him.”
She knew straight away what the catch was. “But who would they choose for you?”
“My parents think in terms of the woman coming from a good family. Personality and interests aren’t a factor for them. But, it is selfish to complain about these things. There are many other boyfriends back in Arness who would be most grateful for their parents to find them a match.”
Can't Tie Me Down! Page 10