by Lisa Hobman
She leaned across and squeezed his forearm. ‘Hey, that’s not what I meant. You know you can stay as long as you want. It’s your house after all.’
He stared into space for a while before speaking again. ‘You know… I did have this ridiculous dream at one time…’ The corners of his mouth twitched as his words trailed off.
Her intrigue spiked. ‘Go on?’
He rolled his eyes and scratched his head, grinning with what appeared to be embarrassment. ‘You’ll think I’m a wee daftie.’
She smiled and gave him a gentle, friendly shove. ‘Oh, come on. You can’t dangle a carrot and then whip it away like that. Spill it, Tiger.’
He pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. ‘Aye, all right.’ He wagged a finger at her. ‘But if you laugh…’ He took a deep breath. ‘So… you know the shack on the beach that’s all boarded up?’
She nodded slowly. ‘Yeees?’
‘Well…’ He shook his head and grinned. She couldn’t tell because of the dim lighting but felt sure he was probably blushing at what he was about to admit. ‘It’s been for sale for ages and I’ve considered putting an offer on it a couple of times.’
Cassie straightened her back and widened her eyes. ‘Really? But what would you use it for?’
He scrunched his eyes tightly for a moment and cringed when he opened them. ‘Okay… you really will think I’m a total bawbag. But… I fancied opening a wee café like it was before. You know, maybe running surf lessons from there too.’
Cassie clapped her hands. ‘Oh god, you have to do it! That would be amazing! The beach is crying out for something like that!’ her voice rose with her giddiness.
He grinned, clearly loving her enthusiasm. ‘You really think so?’
She nodded eagerly. ‘Oh absolutely.’
Appearing boosted by her encouragement he laughed. ‘I even had a name picked out and everything.’
She clapped her hands excitedly. ‘Go on then. What is it?’
He spread his fingers out and gestured in the air. ‘Imagine this then… it’s a café and a place for surf lessons… so… the name would be… “Surf Sup.”’ He nodded at her with wide eyes as if begging for her agreement. ‘You know, surf for the lessons and sup for the drinks all the while being a play on words. You get it? Surf’s up? Surf… Sup?’
She laughed out loud. ‘Of course I get it, you numpty. Good grief you must think I’m thick.’
He guffawed along with her waving his hands defensively. ‘Nah… nah I didnae say that. I just wasn’t sure if it was clear, you know?’
She nudged him playfully again. ‘Of course it’s clear. And I think it’s bloody genius!’
He shuffled around to face her properly. ‘You do? You really do? I mean… you’re not taking the pish?’
‘I’m absolutely not taking the pish. I think you have to do it. I’ll help any way I can. What a great way to use your inheritance and create something of your own.’ She really meant it. ‘I’m telling you, Mac, Rab would be so, so proud.’
He briefly lowered his head at the mention of his beloved uncle. ‘You think so?’ His voice came out as a whisper.
She reached over again, keen for any form of physical contact, and gently squeezed his arm. ‘I know so.’
Chapter Thirty-eight
Mac
Mac walked into the solicitor’s office with more than a little trepidation. He remembered the same experience when his parents had been killed. And again for the reading of his uncle’s will and his stomach churned at the painful, unwelcome memories.
Mr Durant, the kindly, grey-haired gentleman Mac had become all too familiar with, stood and held out his hand. ‘Mr Mackenzie, good to see you. How are you holding up?’
Mac nodded. ‘Yeah… erm… okay thanks. Still not really sure it’s all sunk in to be honest.’
The solicitor’s brow furrowed in sympathy. ‘Yes, indeed. You’ve had rather a lot to deal with lately what with your uncle’s death and the subsequent fire. But… I hope I have something that may ease the burden of it all.’
Mac sat in the leather chair opposite and pursed his lips briefly. ‘I thought I’d had everything there was to be given after Rab’s death?’
Reaching for a thick file on his desk the suited gentleman shook his head. ‘No, no. In this file are some things, which I presume you thought lost forever in the fire. I’m not entirely sure why Rab put them in my care, but I had strict instructions that in the event of his death they were to be handed over after his funeral. Obviously with the fire this was somewhat delayed and I do hope you can look past that fact. I surmised from the accompanying letter to me that he wanted you to be of sound mind and prepared for what was in the file and I therefore felt it best to wait. Well… now it’s yours. I’ll leave you to peruse the contents.’ He stood from the desk and handed the file to Mac before patting his shoulder and leaving the room.
Mac took a deep shaking breath and with trembling fingers he opened the file. Inside were blueprints for a house and confusion initially clouded his mind as he tried to figure out why these were being given to him. On closer inspection, he realised it was the house his parents had planned to build on the land beside Rab’s. He gasped and his eyes welled with tears as he spotted his father’s handwriting on notes regarding the resources needed to construct their family home. Flicking further, he let out a sob. There was a thick batch of photographs tied together with ribbon. Photographs of Mac with his parents, with Rab, with his grandparents. Photographs that had adorned the walls of Rab’s house… but how… He untied the ribbon and lifted each photograph up to examine it more closely through tear-fogged eyes. These were the originals. He could tell by the aged appearance of some. Rab must have framed copies and kept the originals safely for him. Bless his heart.
Aware that tears were now unabashedly streaming down his face, he continued to gaze at each and every image with the fondest of memories, yet simultaneously a soul searing sadness that gripped his insides and made his heart ache. Everything had been lost until now. Now he had the memories in physical form. And he only wished he could hug his uncle and thank him for this truly wonderful gift.
Right at the back of the file was an envelope. With shaking hands and barely contained emotions, Mac opened the envelope and lifted out the letter.
Hello Son,
I know this is all a bit depressing but if you’re reading this, I’m no longer with you. I’ve had heart trouble for a while now, see. But I didn’t want to worry you. You’d already lost your mum and dad and I hate that I’m writing this, knowing that when you read it you’ll be without me too. But anyway, I suppose death is just a fact of life, eh?
On to my reason for leaving you a cryptic letter from the great beyond. As you’ve no doubt seen, I kept all the photos that belonged to your mum and dad. I wanted to make sure they were in safe hands until I was gone. They’re the originals of the rogue’s gallery I created on my walls. Dust gatherers yes, but ones that I wouldn’t have removed for the world. Anyway, these are yours now.
And there’s something else I need to tell you. You’ve inherited my house and my estate, but you’ll already know that. What you don’t know is that you’ve also inherited that café on the beach. Don’t be cross but I saw you eyeing it up in the property pages when it came up for sale so I bought it for you when I knew I was ill. I could’ve given it to you back then but I figured grief is something that needs a focus. So this is your project, son. Make that wooden heap into something amazing. Do with it what you will. But do something that makes you happy; something that makes your heart sing and your soul calm. Do it in my memory and know that you were the best son any father could’ve wished for. I may not have been your biological dad—my brother was irreplaceable I know that—but I looked on you as a son all the same. And I loved you.
Be happy Tadhg.
Much love
Uncle Rab
*
Armed with a head full of new and surprising information, Mac returned
to Rose Brae. Exhaustion had set in and when he walked in through the door he was ready to climb in to bed in spite of the early afternoon hour.
Cassie greeted him with a hug and a high-pitched squeak that screamed of a burden to be shared. ‘Mac! Oh thank goodness you’re here… wait what’s wrong? What’s happened? You look like shit.’
He forced a smile. ‘Gee thanks. It’s a pretty long story and to be honest I don’t have the energy just now.’
She stepped back and knotted her hands in front of her. ‘Oh… okay… not to worry. Can I get you a drink of coffee or tea or some food or—’
Mac placed a reassuring hand on Cassie’s arm. ‘You’re doing that stressy thing you do. What’s up?’
Cassie shook her head. ‘No… no you’re tired. It can… It’ll wait.’
With a sigh, he gently tugged her behind him to the couch and regarded her with narrowed eyes. ‘Spill it, Pebble.’
She closed her eyes and inhaled noisily before huffing out. ‘He’s in prison.’
Mac scrunched his brow at the old news. ‘Coutts? Yeah, I already know that.’
‘Seth!’ she blurted. ‘Seth is in prison too.’
Mac widened his eyes. ‘Fuck! Really? But how…’
Cassie wrung her hands in her lap and bounced her knee as nervous energy evidently coursed through her body. ‘Coutts sang like the proverbial canary. Told the police everything. How Seth paid him to torch your van and Rab’s home. And then how Seth went along for the ride when Coutts decided it was too big a job for one man.’ She stared at him with a horror-filled gaze; her cheeks had drained of colour. ‘He could’ve killed you, Mac. If you’d been in there...’ Her eyes were wide and they welled with tears as she spoke in a shaky, pain-tinged voice as if what she was saying was just dawning on her like some horrific, new realisation. She gripped the straggly strands of her hair and stared at the carpet. ‘It would’ve been so easy. Then you’d be dead and it’d all be my fault and I couldn’t live with myself.’ She lifted her gaze and locked it on him once more. ‘How could I go on? I couldn’t… I couldn’t carry on, Tiger. I couldn’t stand it. I wouldn’t survive without you. I need you. You mean the world to me.’ Her emotion filled words fell from her lips in a dramatic rush and her chest heaved.
Mac reached up and stroked her cheek. ‘Hey, shhh. He didn’t kill me. I’m fine so please stop this. Calm down, okay and…’ The weight of what she had just said landed on his heart like a falling wave and he gasped. ‘Whoa. Hang on. You… wouldn’t survive without me? I mean the world to you?’ His heart picked up a pace and pounded at the cartilage of his ribs. Had he heard right? Or had he maybe imagined it? Wishful thinking was a powerful and cruel thing. Or perhaps he’d read in between the lines and discovered imagined meaning there?
Her cheeks flamed and she pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth before she spoke. ‘Did I… Did I just say all that out loud?’
He nodded slowly. ‘Y-you did. But…what did it all mean, Cassie?’ His voice was a throaty, confused whisper.
She fell silent. Her eyes now filled with a different kind of fear. She was frozen in place and Mac had to fight the urge to laugh at her inadvertent impression of a rabbit in headlights. But this really was no laughing matter.
He reached over and squeezed her arm in the hope it would bring her back to earth. ‘Hey, it’s okay. Just say it. Whatever it is. Good… or… or bad. If what I’ve heard wasn’t what you actually meant… just… say it, please?’
She swallowed and fixed her soft gaze on him now. ‘I’m sorry, Mac. I know that things have been strange between us. Everything started off wrong. From the way we ended up meeting, to you rescuing me from the road, to that kiss outside the cottage…’
His heart sank. He’d misunderstood. His hope faded rapidly and he lowered his head.
She spoke again. ‘But the thing is… I said I wanted to be friends and I meant it—’
Unwilling to allow the inevitable humiliation to ensue, he stood and forced a wide smile. ‘Hey, no worries. That’s fine. Shall I put the kettle on now?’
She quickly rose to her feet to join him and as he turned away she grabbed his arm. ‘But… that was then. I meant it then, Mac.’
He turned to face her, his knees weakened with fear and hope. ‘And… now?’
She closed her eyes. ‘That’s the problem. My feelings. The ones I didn’t have for you…’
God she was so damned frustrating. He was totally confused as to where the conversation was going and whatever the hell she was trying to say she was doing it backwards. He lifted his chin and locked his attention on her, willing her to just spit it the hell out.
She smiled weakly. ‘It turns out I actually did have them. Feelings I mean. For you.’
His heart tripped over itself and he rubbed his hand over his shaggy hair. ‘You had feelings for me?’ Should he be happy? Sad? Indifferent? ‘Had?’ It was past tense after all.
She nodded: a slight, almost unnoticeable movement of her head. ‘Have,’ she whispered. ‘I have feelings for you. I’m sorry.’
What’s she sorry for?
A loud grunt of relief, or emotion, or whatever the hell it was, left his body and before he questioned for too long where the heck it had come from he swept her into his arms and covered her mouth with his like he had been desperate to do each time he saw her since the last time he’d tasted her lips.
Chapter Thirty-nine
Cassie
The relief of finally getting the truth out in the open flooded her body and she allowed herself to be swept along in a wave of passion as Mac kissed the breath from her body. A light-headed sensation of delight replaced the knot of fear in her stomach as she kissed him back with just as much fervour. The feeling of his tongue dancing a heated tango with hers, sent shivers of pleasure through every nerve ending and the heat of desire warmed her core. Her fingers tangled in his tousled hair whilst the stubble of his chin grazed at hers reminding her that this was real.
She was finally in his arms.
He pulled away without warning, his panted breaths coming fast and his brow crumpled in confusion.
He cupped her cheeks and smoothed his thumbs over the flushed skin there. ‘Is this real? Because I want this to be real so badly, but I’m also not known for my tact and I don’t want to mess this up.’
She allowed a sweet smile to grace her lips and she nodded. ‘It’s very real. I… I think…’ She stopped, afraid of saying too much too soon.
He slipped his hands into her hair and ran his nose down hers. ‘You think what? Just say it because the real probability is that I’m thinking the same thing.’
Spurred on by his admission she bravely told him, ‘I think I’m in love with you, Mac.’
His responding grin lifted her heart and he breathed, ‘You took the words right out of my mouth.’
She crushed her lips to his once more, desperate to feel every inch of his body against hers and berated herself for not admitting her feelings sooner. She’d been so cagey about trusting him. But after everything that had come to light about Seth she could see there was no comparison. Where Seth was possessive, jealous and controlling, Mac was genuine, kind, loving and caring. He didn’t have a materialistic bone in his body and he had fallen for her after seeing her at her lowest, heartbroken state. After she had, quite frankly, been a bitch of epic proportions. And after her ex had done his best to ruin his life.
Mac pulled away once more and rested his forehead on hers. ‘Can you do me one thing, Pebble?’ She nodded, willing to do anything at that precise moment. ‘Will you set the pace here? Because I don’t want to mess this up and I just know that I will if I do what I want to do right now. So… just tell me how you want this to go. I’ll wait if you want to wait before we go any further. We can take it slow, see how things go. I so don’t want to mess this up.’ He closed his eyes briefly, emphasising his point.
With her arms around his broad shoulders and his encircling her completely, she felt safe.
This felt right.
Without hesitation she gazed up into his eyes. ‘What is it that you want to do right now? Just say it, because the real probability is that I’m thinking the same thing.’ She smiled; secretly excited by the opportunity to use his words back at him.
He inhaled slowly as if to calm himself before speaking. ‘I want to take you to bed, undress you slowly and make love to you for the rest of the evening.’
Her heart skipped and her body tingled at his words. ‘Funny… I was thinking I’d like that very much too.’
Several hours later as they lay in her bed, wrapped in each other’s nakedness, Cassie couldn’t help the smile on her lips. In the lamplight she propped her head up on her hand and gazed down at the sculpted chest of the handsome man beside her. Her fears of being intimate with another man had been completely quashed. Tadhg Mackenzie had been both gentle and passionate; taking control of her body and delivering sensations of pleasure with his own that sent her soaring in ecstasy.
‘What are you smiling about?’ he asked as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
She sighed. ‘I think I know now what I’ve been missing all these years.’
He raised his eyebrows and chuckled. ‘Seth not a whizz between the sheets then?’
She felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment. ‘It’s not that… He was… I don’t know… satisfactory I suppose.’
In an instant Mac scooped her up and climbed between her thighs again. She squealed and then giggled as he nibbled at the sensitive flesh of her neck.
‘Well I hope to goodness I was more than bloody satisfactory. Jeez. No woman should have to put up with satisfactory.’
He moved his mouth downwards until his tongue teased her nipple and she sighed. ‘You were definitely more than satisfactory. She could feel his arousal against her thigh and it dawned on her that this would be the fourth time of the evening. That had never happened with Seth. He was always quick to jump from the bed and shower after sex, as if the smell of her was one to be washed from his skin immediately. Quite insulting, in fact. Mac, on the other hand, kissed and caressed every inch of her skin again as if feasting on the most delicious dessert he had ever tasted.