“Please leave him alone.”
“Sweetheart, this is a bone, and I’m a rabid dog. Thanks for the heads up.”
“Please don’t. Please. I didn’t mean to say anything. I just wanted you to believe me about the invitation.”
“If that’s the case, then it’s due diligence to make sure you’re not lying to me. I mean, that is how all this started, right?”
“It was a farm accident. That’s all. He’s a good man. He really is.”
“Yeah, you sound more like his publicist than his soon-to-be sister-in-law. I think I’ll check for myself.”
Paige had ruined everything. Now this horrible woman was going to go to the hospital and make a scene to find out all the dirt she could because Paige had been thoughtless.
“Please don’t. All of this is my fault. I’ll make sure you get your invitation. I promise.”
“Okay, that’s all I needed to hear.” The phone went dead, and Paige could finally breathe.
That story had to die. If Penelope read that article, she’d never speak to her again, and there was no way she’d believe Paige had tried to stop it. Not with their history.
CHAPTER 34
Rory brought the hammer down hard, and instead of hitting the nail, he hit his finger. He swore and pushed off the ground, alternating between sucking on it and slinging his hand to ease the throbbing.
“Somethin’ on yer mind?” asked Taran
“Nothin’ I want to talk about,” he growled.
“Ye sure? That’s the sixth time ye’ve hit yer finger today. Ye’ve got four fingers left, and luck is nae shinin’ on ye. If the sun sets, yer doomed.” His brother laughed hard.
Rory didn’t want to discuss any of what was going through his mind or what he was feeling. He swiped the hammer off the ground where he’d dropped it and began working on the fence again.
Taran softly squeezed his shoulder. “Talk.”
He rocked back on his heels and sat on the ground. “It’s Paige.”
“She’s got a thing for ye.”
“She told me she loved me.”
Taran didn’t miss a beat. “Like I said, she’s got a thing for ye.”
Rory shook his head. “That’s more than a thing. That’s the whole lot. It’s everythin’.”
“Is that nae what ye want?”
Rory punched the ground. “Aye. Naw. I dinnae know. I felt like the wind was knocked out of me. I didnae even say anythin’ back. I backed away from her like she had a disease. The look she gave me, it was total and complete heartbreak. I ran out of the guesthouse without even a look back. She’d let herself be vulnerable, and I stepped on her.”
“Sarah said she’s been actin’ distant. That must be why she missed the Christmas Eve festival and celebratin’ Christmas with the family.”
“Aye. I didnae mean for her to think she needed to stay away.”
“What did ye expect? She told ye she loved ye, and ye ran like a mouse.”
“We’ve got a fence to work on.”
“Aye, and we’ve got a deadline. We’ve got New Year’s fireworks to watch tonight.”
Rory pushed off the ground and started on the fence again. He tried concentrating on what he was doing, but all his thoughts rested on Paige. How he’d hurt her. The hammer hung loose in his hand.
“Do ye love her?” Taran asked.
“What?”
“Yer supposed to be workin’ on the fence, but yer starin’ into space. I figured the question needed to be asked.”
“I love Alana.”
“Do ye need a stompin’ to move on too?”
Rory pushed off the ground and faced his brother. “That’s not funny. I wasna in some tiff with her. She was taken from me. Ripped away. I had nae choice. Nae say in the matter. I’ve led Paige on. I’ve hurt her. And I did it all after she told me one of us would get hurt.”
“Yer right. Ye didnae have a choice with Alana, but ye do now. Do ye let her go, or do ye make the choice to keep her from bein’ ripped from ye as well. So, do ye love her?”
“I dinnae know.”
“Do ye love her?”
“I dinnae know.”
“Do ye love her?” Taran asked again, more forcefully.
“Why do ye keep askin’ me that?”
“I’ll keep askin’ until ye give me an answer that’s better than ‘I dinnae know.’ That’s nae how we were brought up. ‘I dinnae know and a bucket of nae. If ye dinnae know, the answer is nae.’ That’s what Pop always said. So, do ye love her?”
Rory rubbed his jaw with his knuckles. The answer wasn’t no. She’d brought something out of him and made him feel things he thought he’d never feel again. He was alive. Her laughter sang him to sleep at night. The way she melted into him. How she kissed him. The feelings he had for her were so intense that he didn’t know how to classify them.
“Do. Ye. Love. Her?”
“Yes. I love her with everythin’ in me. I want her all the time and in every way. I cannae imagine life without her anymore.”
“Well, I guess ye did know.”
The hunger he had for her swelled inside of him. He should have told her he loved her that day. He should have spent his time with her, tangled together with her and declaring over and over how much he loved her and wanted her.
“Go. Tell her.”
“But the fence?”
“I’ll fix the fence. Go get the bonnie lass.”
“Thanks,” Rory said as he mounted his horse and set off at a gallop. All the restless thoughts that had plagued him since their heated moment in the guesthouse had given way to a solid picture of the future. One with Paige and him and a home together.
He spurred the horse into a faster run and went straight to the guesthouse. Penelope answered the door, wide-eyed. “Hey, Rory. What’s going on?”
“I need to speak to Paige.”
“She’s not here.”
He swore under his breath. “Where is she?”
“She went into town. Said something about wanting to take a walk.”
“Do ye know about where she’d be?”
“I can call and ask.”
Rory shook his head. “Naw, dinnae go to any trouble. I’ll go find her.”
“Are you sure? It’s no trouble. I mean, it’s a phone call, not a flight to another city and showing three women around.”
He chuckled. “That was fun.”
“So you say.”
“Go ahead and call, and I’ll see ye in a bit.”
“Sure.”
He walked the horse to the barn and heard singing. “Who’s here?”
Sarah peeked her head around a post. “Uh, just me.”
“What are ye doin’?”
“Well, I was coming in early and taking care of the horses because I’d missed doing it on the weekends at my mom’s horse sanctuary, but Taran caught me when I first got here and said I needed to stop sneaking around his animals.”
“Did he tell ye to stay out of the barn?”
“It’s like it was the only thing he knew how to say.”
Rory laughed. “He can be a broken record.”
Sarah grinned. “And so stinking stubborn.”
“Aye, no argument from me. Has he said thank ye at all?”
She bit back a grin and twirled a piece of her hair around her finger. “He mumbles sometimes, and I pretend that’s what he’s saying.”
“He’s not mumblin’ anymore, is he?”
Blush like a blanket draped from one cheek to the other. “He’s doing a lot less mumbling now.”
“I bet he is.”
Sarah held out her hand. “Want me to take care of her?”
“Smooth deflection.” He laughed. “But I can do it.”
Sarah shrugged. “I know, but I miss helping my mom. Taking care of the horses helps.”
Rory handed over the reins. “Okay, but only if it’s what ye want to do. Yer here for vacation, not unpaid help.”
“I’m good.”
>
“Okay, thank ye.”
“And you didn’t even mumble it.” She giggled.
With a chuckle, Rory climbed the stairs to his flat. He hoped Penelope didn’t take too long. He hadn’t felt so light in a long time. Knowing he loved Paige gave him such a peace, and he needed to tell her. His hope was that he hadn’t destroyed what they had.
CHAPTER 35
P aige’s phone rang. “Hello?”
“Hey.” Penelope’s chipper voice came through the phone. “Rory’s looking for you. It seemed kinda urgent.”
“Oh, I doubt that. I think he wanted to coordinate the bachelorette and bachelor parties. To make sure we were keeping both you and Angus occupied.”
“That is soon, isn’t it? What do you have planned?”
Paige stopped walking and grinned. “Oh no. You’re not getting anything from me.”
“That is so not fair.”
“It’s completely fair, and when you see how great it is, you’ll see what you have to live up to when you throw mine one day.” It was supposed to be teasing, but the moment the words left her lips, her eyes teared up. Stupid.
“Are you sure everything’s okay? I know you said you were fine and that you and Rory had come to an understanding, but something doesn’t feel right.”
Other than her miscommunication with Rory, the only other thing she’d been thinking about was that reporter. She’d sent out the invitation this week. Still, she wondered if the woman would actually keep her word. The last conversation had felt off, but so far Paige had seen nothing.
Paige put as much happy lilt in her voice as she could muster. “I’m sure everything’s okay.”
“Okay. Are you coming back to the guesthouse anytime soon?”
“Oh yeah, I’ll be back later.”
“Why did you go to town today anyway?”
Paige wanted away from the farm, the guesthouse, and Rory. Walking through the city had given her a chance to breathe, and she’d needed it. “I don’t know. I guess I just wanted to walk in the city. I am a city girl after all.”
“Are you actually going to go out with us tonight?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been big on that stuff anyway.”
“Paige, come on. You missed the Christmas Eve festival, Christmas, and now you’re trying to skip out on the fireworks show tonight.”
“I’m not trying to skip out. And I was sick on Christmas.”
Penelope sighed into the phone. “Do you really think I bought that sick act?”
“It wasn’t an act.”
“You are coming tonight. I am not taking no for an answer. We are going to lock arms, sit on the bench, and swing our feet as the fireworks go off. Just like when we were kids.”
Paige smiled. “Fine. What time? That way I can be sure to be back and ready in time.”
“Well, we’re leaving here at sundown.”
“Okay, I’ll head back now.”
“Great.”
“Penelope!”
“Yeah?”
“I love you. I am so sorry it took me so long to realize your value and treat you like you should be treated. I am so sorry for all the mean pranks I pulled on you, and I hope one day you can forgive me for them. I don’t deserve your forgiveness—I know that—but I hope you can anyway. I think you are wonderful. I think Angus is lucky to have you. I hope you two are happy together.”
“Where is all that coming from?”
“A Scottish Christmas miracle?”
Penelope laughed. “I’ll see you in a little bit, sis.”
Paige ended the call and stared at the phone. She hailed a cab and took it back to the guesthouse. Penelope wanted her to go, and so she’d go. When she got to the guesthouse, a note was left telling her they were all at the farmhouse and to come as soon as she saw the letter.
Freshening up was on the to-do list first. Plus, she needed to gather up her courage and swallow her embarrassment if she was going to see Rory tonight. It would be the first time they’d seen each other since she’d stupidly told him she loved him.
She sat on the edge of her bed and shrugged off her coat. Who was she kidding? Facing Rory was going to be nearly impossible because she was in love with him. She couldn’t change how she felt. Tears trickled down her cheeks, and she sniffed.
“Are those tears of joy or what?”
Paige quickly wiped her eyes and whipped around. “Rory?”
“Aye, and we need to talk.” He slapped a newspaper onto the bed. “Imagine my surprise when I opened the door and found this on the front step.”
“Oh no.” Her heart hit her stomach.
Her hands shook as she picked up the paper with Angus’s picture in color and the word “exclusive” written across the top. The byline read, “Celebrity Proposal: True love or just a show to fix a tarnished image?” That’s why the reporter had sounded off. They’d planned on printing it anyway. The picture turned blurry as her eyes filled with more tears.
“Care to explain it?”
Paige pulled her eyes from the awful paper and looked up at Rory. His face was twisted in anger. She knew he’d be angry, but she hadn’t been prepared for him to look at her like that. “I have no explanation,” she said softly.
“None?”
Paige shook her head and slowly laid the paper back on the bed. She was numb. Penelope was never going to forgive her. She’d just gotten Penelope back. They’d become friends again. She wanted Penelope to be happy and to be happy with Angus. She even wanted Angus to be happy. Her stomach soured as she pictured him reading the horrible article. It would be like a knife to the back after their talk in the hospital.
“Get out,” he said through gritted teeth.
Rory’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts, and she looked up. Everything felt like a nightmare. Her world was dissolving under her feet, but she deserved it. All of it.
Paige absentmindedly nodded and stood. “Yes, I…I think I should.” Her voice didn’t even sound like it belonged to her. The detached, mechanical sound made it foreign to her ears.
Rory took her by the arms. “I trusted ye, but Penelope was right. Ye are a selfish, hateful woman. Ye think about ye and only ye with no consideration at all about the people ye hurt. I cannae believe I fell for it or for ye. I cannae believe I had feelin’s for ye.” His lips curled, and he looked her face over.
“I know, and I’m sorry.”
“Ye know, and yer sorry? Right.” He pursed his lips. “I’ve never hated anyone as much as I hate ye. All yer lies and deception, all right here. Pretendin’ to care about Penelope. Pretendin’ to care about me. Why? All so ye could sucker punch us when this came out.”
She opened her mouth to speak and then thought better of it, clamping her lips shut.
“Dinnae speak. I think I’ve had enough of yer lies. The family is already gone. I told them I’d be bringin’ ye. Pack yer things quickly. I dinnae ever want to see ye again. I’m sure Penelope will feel the same way as soon as I tell her.”
Paige choked back sobs. “I know. I’ll be gone as fast as I can.”
“See that ye are. How did Penelope put up with ye for so long? All the rotten things ye did to her. That nightmare ye had? It wasna terrifyin’ enough to pay ye back for how ye’ve treated her. How Penelope and Sarah could call ye friend baffles me. The disgust I feel for ye…” He let her go with a small push and walked out.
The torrent of emotions she’d held back came out with a cry, and she sank to the bed. He was right. She was all those things and more.
CHAPTER 36
Rory seethed as he raced down the road to town. The nerve of that woman pretending she’d changed. He was glad the rest of the family had left so they wouldn’t have to deal with her. Penelope would be so hurt when he told her, but he couldn’t keep it from her. Not something that big. There was no doubt it was going to hurt her.
Angus had made a mistake, but it wasn’t deliberate. Paige’s actions were on purpose with malicious intent. She want
ed to destroy her sister’s relationship and keep her from moving to Scotland. His face flushed with anger at the thought.
Paige had fed him lies. She hadn’t accepted anything. Angus said she’d given him her blessing, but it was a ruse. One more way to drive a wedge between him and Penelope. Rory despised Paige with a passion.
He parked and sat with his hands on the steering wheel. He’d been leaving the farmhouse to tell Paige he loved her. That’s when he’d found the paper. He was so foolish. And the whole while, she’d been playing everyone.
Suddenly, the car felt oppressively hot. He got out and slammed the door. His thoughts were a mash of anger, hurt, disappointment, and grief. If he’d gotten the chance, he’d have told Paige he loved her. It made him sick to his stomach.
“Hey!” Angus called from behind him.
Rory smiled and threaded through the crowd until he was standing in the middle of his family. “Hey.”
“Where’s Paige? I thought you were bringing her.” Angus looked at him puzzled.
Penelope bounced over to Angus and threw her arms around his waist. She tilted her head and eyed him. “Is something wrong, Rory? Where’s Paige? You said you were bringing her.”
“Can I borrow ye for a second?” He’d tell Penelope and then break the news to Angus.
She shrugged. “Sure.”
Penelope tiptoed and gave Angus a quick kiss before following Rory away from the throng of people clogging up the small town. They stopped far enough out that the noise was muffled by the distance.
“What’s going on?” asked Penelope.
Rory pulled the newspaper out of his coat. “This.”
Penelope took the paper and angled it toward the light. “Oh, this? I know.”
What? “Ye know? Are ye nae livid?”
“Not really. It’s just a stupid article.”
He gaped at her a second. “No? She pretended to be ye. Again. Had this horrible article written. I caught her at the guesthouse and gave her a piece of my mind. How could she do that to ye? I know ye have dealt with it for a long time, but I’ll not put up with it. Yer kin.”
Penelope sighed. “That’s a sweet gesture, but I’ve known about it a while. You should go back and apologize.”
Mending the Billionaire Scotsman: A Clean Scottish Romance Book Two Page 16