She stood at the end of the bed and whipped her hair up into a ponytail. “Collin Menzie. I love you. I didn’t plan it and have no idea what to do about it, but I said it, so yeah.”
She nodded, spun on her heels and left, leaving Collin speechless. The lass had stolen his breath, and then just disappeared in typical Quinn fashion. He rested his hands beneath his head as he repeated her words in his mind. She loved him. Surely he could convince her to stay.
Chapter 18
Quinn sat in the front passenger seat next to Angus. She no longer felt right sitting in the back, no matter how much Angus protested. Mavis and he weren’t servants in the castle. They were Collin’s family. “How’s Mavis?”
“As bossy as ever,” he answered with a twinkle in his eye. He reached over to the glove box, opened it and pulled out the replica emerald-encrusted dagger. “She wanted you to have hers.”
“Oh, I couldn’t.” Quinn pushed his hand back.
“I’m no’ telling her that. You can tell her, lass. I did my duty. She willnae be yelling at me. She can yell at you,” he said, laying the dagger in her lap.
“Chicken,” Quinn teased.
“No’ chicken, smart.” He tapped his head to point to his brain. “Where to first?”
“The hospital to check on Johnny.”
Angus started the engine and glanced in Quinn’s direction. “You still plan to leave?”
She nodded, remembering the bomb she’d dropped on Collin. “The sooner, the better.”
“But, lass…”
“It’s for the best.” Quinn smiled, contradicting the ache in her chest. “I don’t belong here, and he doesn’t belong in Florida. There’s no way to make it work.”
“Forgive me for saying so, Quinn, but you’re making a mistake.”
A huge, colossal mistake, but then again, she never did anything small. She’d told him how she felt, which was more than she would have done a week ago. Like their attraction, she didn’t fight it, and she didn’t fight her newfound feelings, but acknowledging her feelings, and living the rest of her life in Scotland, were two very different things, and there was no way he’d ever be happy living anywhere else.
****
Johnny was dressed, sitting in a chair, with a newspaper in his hands when Quinn walked into the room. She’d expected him to be covered in mountainous red bumps like a hormonal teenager, and yet, the few he had were covered in cream.
“They told me you weren’t contagious anymore and you’re healing in rapid time,” she said, glancing around at his accommodations. It wasn’t a five-star hotel, but it was better than the hotel where they’d been staying that first night.
“I’m glad you didn’t come down with it.”
“You and me both.” Quinn walked over to the window and glanced down at the cobbled streets below. “When are they cutting you loose?”
“Tomorrow.” Johnny folded the newspaper and rose. “I hope you’re done with your business. I’d really like to go home and see my family. They’ve been worried sick.”
Quinn clasped her fingers together instead of patting his arm. One couldn’t be too careful. “I’ve finished my business, and I’m ready to leave when you are.”
“Great.” A smile stretched across his lips. “I’ll call your cell when I get to the plane.”
“Uh… My cell died a slow, painful death, and I don’t have Collin’s number at the castle. I’ll call you when I head to the airport, and if you’re not there yet, then I’ll just wait.”
A blush spread across Johnny’s cheeks. “I’m sorry I delayed your return trip home.”
“I’m not.” Quinn did the unthinkable and squeezed his arm. “Well, I am sorry you got sick, but I’m not sorry I was stuck here longer than expected.”
“Noon it is.” He nodded. “If I have to sneak out of this place. I’ll be there on time.”
Quinn left Johnny’s room and rubbed at her aching heart. She’d meant what she told Angus. She didn’t belong in Scotland, but that didn’t make it any easier. She’d miss this place. She’d miss Collin, Mavis, and Angus. Hell, she might even miss fighting with Ian. Nah. Who was she kidding?
Angus was waiting by the hospital entrance for her. The smile on his lips fell into a frown as she approached. “What is it, lassie? Did he take a turn for the worse?”
“No.” Quinn linked her arm through his and led him outside. “Everything’s fine. We’re leaving tomorrow.”
He patted her hand and opened the passenger door. “Everything will all work out. Have faith.”
Faith. She had faith that she’d be leaving. She had faith that her sisters would give her an earful, and she had faith that there would always be ghosts and people who needed her help.
****
Quinn entered the castle with bags in both hands. She’d done more than purchase another set of clothes. She’d bought going-away gifts for everyone who had touched her life. She jogged upstairs and put most of them on the bed before jogging back downstairs and into the kitchen to find Mavis instructing a new person behind the stove.
Quinn’s smile softened at the way Mavis gently guided the new woman, with words of encouragement. “I brought you a parting gift.”
She turned to Quinn, her lips tilted in a frown. “You’re leaving?”
Quinn gave her the best enthusiastic face she could muster and held out her bag. “One more day and you’ll have me out of your hair.”
Mavis’ shoulders dropped as she took the bag. Reaching in with her good hand, she pulled out two objects wrapped in tissue. The first was her dagger.
“I gave this to you. Why are you givin’ it back?” she asked, perplexed.
“Because it’s your family heirloom. This dagger represents the strong women in your family. The ones the Menzies trust and that I trust. It’s only right that it belongs to you and is passed down to the next generations.”
Mavis pressed the treasure to her chest and smiled. “I’ll make sure they know how the legend ends.”
She unwrapped the second gift, and her eyes sparkled as she met Quinn’s gaze. “Plane tickets?”
Quinn grinned. “Two open-ended round-trip plane tickets to Florida for you and Angus. You deserve a vacation, and I won’t even expect you to come cook for me. Of course, you’ll have to wait until after you teach your new student to cook. You can’t leave Collin to go hungry.”
Tears misted her eyes. “I’ve never been outside of Scotland.”
Quinn winked. “I wish you the best that life has to offer, including amazing Italian food.”
Quinn’s heart clenched as she hugged her. She’d miss Mavis and her fabulous cookies. “Take care.”
She hurried from the kitchen as her eyes misted. Quinn still had so much to do and pack, but she went in search of Collin. She found him in his office with a pile of paperwork up to his chest. He ran his hand through his hair as he read through some document. “I knew I’d find you here.”
His gaze shot up, and the tension from his face softened as he rose. “It took you long enough. I thought I’d have to send out a search party.”
“How bad is it?” Quinn asked, as she crossed the room toward him.
“It could be worse,” he answered rounding the desk. He pulled her into his arms and lowered his head until his lips were a mere inch away from hers. “We should talk about this morning.”
The butterflies, she’d always heard about, took to flight in her belly. The last thing she wanted to hear was if he loved her, or worse, that he didn’t. “No, we don’t.”
Quinn pressed her lips to his to steal his train of thought. His hands on her back made a sensual path down her spine to her ass, and he lifted her in the air. She wrapped her legs around his waist and held on for dear life when he broke the kiss.
“I missed you, and I have something special planned for this evening.”
“I’m leaving tomorrow,” she blurted out and eased down his body. He remained quiet for several long seconds while she watched her
words register. They’d both known the day would eventually come, no matter how hard leaving would be.
“Well then.” He nodded and took her hand. “It’s a good thing I planned your surprise for tonight.”
He pulled Quinn out of the room and down the hall, bypassing the stairs where she thought their destination might lead. Taking her to bed apparently wasn’t his idea of a surprise. Pity.
Quinn followed him through the kitchen and out into the courtyard where cell service was as dead as the ghost that hung out in the castle. To her surprise, they kept walking. Her hopes diminished when he turned away from the direction of the bridge and the empty cabin beyond the ridge.
Harness came running out of the barn, and she steeled herself for his attack. Instead, he wound his way around her legs and barked just as Garth, the lumberjack caretaker, walked Collin’s stallion out of the barn by the reins.
“He’s ready.”
Collin grinned, climbed onto the horse and held out his hand. Quinn surprised them both when she took his hand and let him swing her up. He reached behind him for her hands and wound them around his waist. “Just hang on and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Quinn lowered her hands, stroking his jean-covered crotch. “We’ll see who takes care of who.”
Chapter 19
Collin slowed his horse over the ridge toward his favorite spot by the cliffs. The moon was high in the evening sky, and the stars twinkled in a cosmic dance. If tonight was her last night, he’d give her a night she’d always remember to replace the curse and the death.
Holding out his arm, he helped her down before dismounting.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered into the night.
“It’s my favorite spot.” It was the perfect place for what he had to say.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her with the passion of a warrior returning from battle. In some ways he was. The lass had crumbled every stone around his heart. She’d conquered the beast and given him back more than the emerald. She’d given him…hope.
Collin slowed the perusal of her tongue and kissed her tender lips, memorizing every detail about this moment and her.
“Stay with me, Quinn. Donae leave.”
“Collin, I’ve got to go. I’ve put off my responsibilities long enough. It’s time for me to get back to the real world and step out of the fantasy.” She stared up into his eyes with a pleading gaze as if she truly wanted him to understand.
“I…”
She held her finger to his lips and quickly replaced them with her mouth. Her actions wouldn’t silence him from what he had to say. Collin ran his fingers through her red hair and pulled the ponytail free as he kissed her. Her red tresses danced on the breeze, wild and untamed like the woman in his arms. Breaking the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers. “I love you.”
She smiled up at him with sadness in her eyes. “Then show me.”
“Aye. I plan to do just that.” Collin slipped two blankets out of the saddlebag and laid them out on the ground, turning to find Quinn had already kicked off her shoes and was working the buttons on her blouse.
Collin stilled her hands and laid her down, covering her with his body. He kissed her lips and moved down her silky skin as he slid each button free. They had all night, and he planned to use every moment showing her exactly what she meant to him.
They lay naked beneath the moonlight, Quinn against his chest as he ran his fingers through her hair, their bodies only partially covered by the extra blanket. She raised her head and smiled up at him.
“This is perfect.”
“You’re perfect.”
She ran her fingers over his chest, tracing the contours of his muscles and then laid her head back down. “I won’t forget you.”
“How could you?” He smiled down at her. “You’re probably carrying my bairn.”
Her chuckle rang out as she rolled off him. “Not likely, handsome. I’m on the pill, but if I ever have a kid, you’d be the front runner for baby daddy.”
“Glad to know I’m in the running.” Collin rolled and settled between her sweet thighs. “Maybe you need a reminder of what I have to offer.”
“I think you’re right.”
Her smile brightened his world as her heels dug into his ass, pushing him into her sweet channel. He took his time pleasing her, searing this moment into her memory and his. Quinn Thatcher didn’t know it yet, but her reluctance drove his determination. He’d let her leave, but never for good. This wasn’t the end of them. There would never be an end if he had his say. It was just a matter of figuring out how to convince her to see things his way. No amount of water or distance could break the bond they were forming. She’d see it soon enough.
Her stomach grumbled as the hour passed, and he finally decided they both needed sustenance to maintain their strength. They were in for a long night, and the night was just beginning.
“It’s time for food and part two of my plan.” He slid the blanket free and slipped back into his clothes. As she dressed, he took his fill, memorizing her creamy flesh and planning to kiss every inch.
“You mean your plan didn’t just include seducing me?”
‘I think you were the seducer, luv.” Collin winked, then packed up the blankets and mounted the horse. “I just picked the locale.”
Collin led the horse in a walk to ease the tender flesh between her thighs.
They’d rounded the corner toward the castle when Quinn pointed to the sky. “Is that smoke?”
“Aye.” Collin jabbed his heels into the horse, making Quinn’s hold tighten around his waist. They broke through the clearing to find that it wasn’t the castle on fire but the caretaker’s house.
“Oh God,” she whispered.
Garth stood outside swatting the flames with blankets as the horse jolted to a stop. Smoke rose into the night sky as flames grew. The air was thick with soot, covering the surrounding leaves. Collin helped her down and climbed off.
“Quinn, go alert the staff. They know what to do.”
Collin yanked the blankets out of the satchel and doused them in the horse’s water from the barn and returned to help in the battle.
Chapter 20
Quinn ran as fast as she could and burst into the kitchen to startle several people.
“Garth…fire.” She’d no more said the words while trying to catch her breath than Mavis, Angus, and the staff flew past her. She’d turned to follow when a hand landed on her arm.
“No, Quinn. Help me get the extra extinguishers. They’re in all of the second story rooms,” Abigail said and led Quinn out of the kitchen and toward the stairs.
She raced behind her up the stairs toward her room, but Abigail disappeared into the door before Quinn’s. She hurried inside, scanning the room in search of an extinguisher. The smell of kerosene made her nose twitch and pause. A pool of liquid sat on top of the dresser, and Quinn slid her finger through it and brought it up to her nose. She’d been right. Kerosene.
Quinn spun around to find Abigail standing in the doorway with a gun in her hand pointed at Quinn’s chest. “You ruined everything.”
She shook her head, not understanding Abigail's words. “What are you talking about?”
“You killed Ramsey. He was going to take me away from here with the money and treasures he stole.”
Anger ripped through Quinn’s body. This little bitch had been in on it. “You set the fire?”
A devious smile formed on Abigail's lips. “Garth was easy. He never suspected a thing. I knew Collin was going to take you to the cliff. It’s where he took me.”
Quinn swallowed hard around Abigail’s lies. “He turned down Margarete. Why should I believe he’d ever love a sadistic bitch like you?”
Abigail pulled a lighter out of her pocket and flicked the Bic. “I hope you burn in hell.”
“I’ll be sure and save you a spot.”
Abigail tossed the flame onto the kerosene-soaked dresser and eased out of the room, keeping the bar
rel of the gun trained on Quinn’s chest. She pulled the door closed, and Quinn heard a lock click into place.
This wasn’t happening. She wasn’t dying in this room. She ran to the door and tried to turn the knob. It didn’t budge. She covered her mouth with her shirt and hurried into the bathroom, looking for anything she could use to put out the fire. There was nothing.
Quinn ran to the window and pried it open, taking in a breath of fresh air. The fire at Garth’s still raged on. She yelled, yet no one heard her voice.
Covering her mouth, she glanced furiously around the room. Her gaze landed on the bed and moved to the curtains. “I did it once. I can do it again.”
She yanked the covers and the window linens free and made quick work tying them together. She had to get out before fire caught her makeshift rope on fire.
She tied one end to the steel bed frame and tossed the extra out of the window. Wrapping her arms around the linens, she climbed up onto the windowsill and eased herself out.
“Nice and slow.” She replayed the words Collin had used and tried not to look down.
“Fire,” she screamed at the top of her lungs as she held on for dear life and cleared the second story. If she fell now, at least she wouldn’t die, but it would hurt like hell.
“Quinn.” Collin’s voice filled her with relief.
“There’s a fire in my room,” she hollered and eased another step down the wall. Her foot slipped, and she dangled, held by nothing more than the puny muscles in her arm. She screamed again.
“Quinn, let go. I’ll catch you.”
Sweat beaded her brow as she glanced down at him. He was still too far away. If he tried, he might miss.
White foam came pouring down on her from above. Someone was in the room putting out the fire. Thank God, the linens holding her life wouldn’t burn.
Her arms burned as she hung on, trying to get another footing.
“Quinn, let go.”
Quinn glanced down again to see a crowd had formed below. Abigail stood in the distance behind the crowd with a gun pointed directly at Quinn.
Visions and Spells Page 29