Echoes of Edinburgh

by JoAnn Durgin

  Lowering her gaze, Shelby paused to gather her thoughts. Although his words flattered her, unwelcome doubts pushed their way to the forefront of her mind. “Harry, please answer a question for me.”

  “Shoot.”

  “How is it that you’ve had so much time to spend with me? Please don’t misunderstand. I’ve loved every second we’ve spent together, but I have to wonder how a man so committed to his work can spend half his days showing me around Edinburgh.”

  Harrison glanced into the distance and blew out a breath. “I have the freedom to extend my stay in any city as the need arises.” He returned his gaze to hers. “I also have a number of accumulated vacation days, and I choose when to take them. After I met you, I made the conscious decision to spend some of those days with you, Shelby. Please know that neither our time together—nor any of the places we’ve gone—have ever been at the expense of my time for the foundation.”

  Shelby could only nod. He probably thought she was questioning his work ethic and that wasn’t at all what she’d meant to imply. Or was it? Perhaps the thought had lingered in her subconscious. Not that she was proud of her thoughts.

  Harrison’s phone buzzed in his pocket.

  “Go ahead. Answer it. It might be important,” Shelby said, turning away and running a hand over her hair. Not wanting to eavesdrop, she walked a few steps away. What was that conversation all about? More than that, what was wrong with her? She’d been snapping at him on and off throughout the day. As usual, he’d been wonderful and done nothing to merit her wrath. Poor guy must think she was a lunatic. She’d certainly acted like one lately.

  Harrison talked for a couple of minutes before disconnecting the call and returning the phone to his pocket. “Pops has requested the honor of our presence at his house tomorrow night for dinner, since it’s your last night in Edinburgh.”

  “Sounds good,” she said. “I hope you accepted for us.”

  “I did.” He fixed his gaze on her. “Pops said he wants to explain what was in the envelope from your dad.”

  17

  Lost in thought, Shelby headed to where Harrison parked the car. Her emotions were even more scattered, but at least she’d know what was in the envelope before she left Edinburgh and could close that chapter of her life. Harrison caught up to her and opened the car door, standing aside and waiting.

  Her senses on high alert, she knew he had something to say. The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach warned her it might not be especially good or anything she wanted to hear. By the time he slipped inside the car and buckled his seatbelt, Harrison still hadn’t spoken.

  She cleared her throat. “You know the saddest thing of all?” When he didn’t answer, she plowed on. “Whether or not Mama was ‘Kentucky Woman,’ I hate that Pops didn’t move on with his life, find a wife, and make a family of his own. He’s such a good man and deserving of love.” Leaning her head against the seat, she blew out a breath. “I suppose you think I’m being overly sentimental and judgmental.”

  “Don’t presume to know what I think, Shelby.” Turning the key in the ignition, Harrison pulled the car away from the curb.

  Seemed she wasn’t the only one on edge. She swallowed hard. “My apologies.”

  “Pops made his choice a long time ago, and he’s made a life for himself here. A good life. Look, I know you think falling in love is the answer to his loneliness. I’m not saying I haven’t thought the same thing. I’ve tried to help, offered to talk with him about it. But it’s his life to live, not ours, and he has to pay the consequences for his choices.”

  Inside her, the steam was building. Shelby bit her lip, staring out the window as she measured her words. Even so, she knew it’d only fuel the fire. Might as well get it out now. “What about you, Harrison?” she asked, turning to face him. “Whether or not you realize it, you’ve allowed what happened with Tiffany to scare you away from finding love, and I’d suggest you’re running away like Robert did all those years ago.” She crossed her arms, shivering in spite of the warm summer breeze coming through the open windows. “Maybe that’s why you’ve bonded. You’re kindred spirits.”

  “Fine.” They were driving by a park, and Harrison steered the car to the curb and turned off the engine. “We’re going to talk this out. Right here, right now.”

  When she put her hand in his a minute later as he helped her from the car, he laced his fingers with hers and led her to a large tree near the middle of the park. “I hope you don’t mind sitting on the grass,” he said. “I’ll get your sweater out of the car if you want.”

  Even agitated, the man considered her needs. “That’s not necessary. Thanks.” She pulled Harrison down beside her and leaned against the tree. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

  Resting his arms on his propped knees, he stared straight ahead. “What makes you think I don’t want love in my life?”

  “That was unfair. I’m sorry,” she said. “But look at your life, Harrison. From what I know, you travel the world, never staying in one place long enough to put down roots or form any kind of permanent relationship. “

  “I’m sure you can see the irony of that statement in terms of our relationship. If what we’ve shared together is any indicator, it doesn’t take long to form a deep personal attachment. Tell me what permanent relationships you have in your life, Shelby. And co-workers and clients don’t count.”

  “I have plenty of friends,” she said, faltering a bit, tears stinging the back of her eyes. Mainly friends from college and professional colleagues, but Harrison didn’t need to know the particulars.

  “Here’s something that might shock you.” His eyes searched hers. “In the short time I’ve known you, I’ve come to care about you a great deal. Enough to believe that a future with a woman might be possible. Enough to stay in one place for the rest of my life, put down roots, get married, and start a family.”

  Her eyes roamed over his face and her mouth gaped. “What are you saying?”

  “I’m falling in love with you.”

  “Well, don’t do that,” she said, rising to her feet. “How could we realistically have a future together? You know how much I care about you, Harrison.” Her voice broke. “You might think you love me, but I need someone with me, by my side, working through the problems of life together. Not someone who’ll be flying off across the country or the globe at any given moment. I admire what you do, but I don’t think I could handle always being second best.”

  Shelby’s chest heaved with the force of her emotion. “I can’t do it. I won’t allow you to wreak havoc with my emotions, make me think...make me feel,” she sputtered, losing steam and backing up a few steps. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them, but it was too late.

  Standing up beside her, the muscles in Harrison’s jaws flexed. “You think all I want are a few kisses here in Edinburgh? Then you’ll go back to Chicago, and we’ll never see each other again? Ever? Because if that’s what you believe, then I wonder if you know me at all. Right now,” he said, taking her hand, pulling her around and backing her up against the tree, “I don’t want you to think. I want you to feel, I want you to—”

  His lips descended on hers, and all she wanted was to slip into his heart and stay the rest of their natural born lives. “What we need to do is leave,” she said, pushing against his chest. “This is dangerous.”

  “Why?” His breath fell warm and sweet on her cheek. “Tell me why, Shelby love. Am I dangerous, or is kissing me dangerous?”

  “Both.” She squirmed and wriggled beneath his arms to walk a few feet away, needing to put distance between them. “You’re dangerous for my heart, Harrison. And don’t call me that. Because...”

  He turned and leaned back against the tree. “Because why?”

  “You ask far too many questions I’m not ready to answer.”

  “Fine,” he said, raising his hands. “I have one more question I hope you can answer.”

  Emotionally spent, she met his gaze.
“Try me.”

  “Can you honestly tell me I’m the one who’s scared and running away from love?”

  And again, the man was right. Frighteningly so.

  She lowered her gaze. “No, Harry. I can’t.”

  18

  Harrison took her to a new restaurant along The Royal Mile, but all Shelby could do was pick at her salmon. Although the food was delicious, she was preoccupied. He made a valiant effort to engage her in conversation but respected her right to stay quiet. Finally, pushing her plate toward Harrison, she encouraged him to finish it. He did, after first polishing off his Aberdeen beef while she ate her vegetables. Good thing his appetite wasn’t affected. Men could eat their way through anything. Daddy had been the same way.

  After dinner, Harrison drove them to a park and pulled a blanket out of the back of the car. They found a spot and spread the blanket on the ground, settling on it.

  Harrison reclined beside her. “Speak to me.”

  The night was lovely with a hint of a breeze, the moon almost directly overhead as the sounds of sultry jazz wafted across the capital city, luring lovers and romantics to join in the timeless, eternal dance.

  “And then we dance,” he said.

  “Dancing can be dangerous.”

  “We dance.” His tone left no room for resistance.

  “We dance.” Shelby’s lips upturned ever so slightly. When he reached for her, she gave him her hand. Her heart hurt from all the emotion, and a tear slipped down her cheek.

  “Shh,” he said, gently moving her hand aside and brushing away the tear. “Come. Dance with me now.”

  Sitting up, Harrison held out his hand, expectancy written in every nuance of his face and fathomless blue-green eyes. After only a moment’s hesitation, she allowed him to pull her to her feet, and they joined others of all ages and nationalities swaying slowly to the music.

  Under normal circumstances, dancing made her feel awkward and inept, but not so with Harrison. Never with Harrison. He made everything comfortable. Easy.

  “You’re very good at this.” She ran a hand over his five o’clock stubble, rough and masculine.

  “Easy to do when I’m holding the most incredible woman in the world in my arms.” His eyes reflected the light filtering from the moon overhead.

  Leaning her head against his solid chest as they moved together in time with the rhythm of the music, Shelby felt his warmth. Felt Harrison’s heartbeat beneath the fabric of his cotton shirt. Strong and steady, like the man. When she inched her hand upward, he wrapped his fingers around hers, clasping them together.

  He twirled her in a slow circle with a gentle smile she’d forever remember. “God brought you here to find Pops, Shelby, but I’m every bit as sure He brought us together for His divine purpose.” Harrison lowered his head and touched his lips to hers. Achingly tender. “I’ll always remember this dance, this moment,” he whispered, “as the night I gave my heart.”

  With his words, her thoughts spun faster than her body as he twirled her again. If he expected an answer or a declaration of love, Harrison revealed no outward disappointment when she found no adequate response.

  Instead, Shelby stopped dancing and drank in the sight of him, allowing her gaze to travel over his. “Harry,” she said. “I’ll never forget...”

  He kissed her temple. “It’s all right not to say anything. Just let me hold you.”

  And so she did.

  19

  Saturday Evening—Robert’s Home

  Shelby gasped, studying the painting on the easel in the middle of Robert’s living room. “This is amazingly lifelike. You’ve captured her spirit as well as her beauty.”

  After they’d shared the great meal Pops prepared for them, he’d told them he wanted to show them something. She assumed it was something about the envelope from her father, but not...this.

  Harrison moved to stand beside her. “Who is she, Pops?”

  When Robert didn’t answer, Shelby spoke up. “Harrison, this is my Aunt Lily, my mother’s younger sister. She’s three years younger and looks enough like Mama to have been her twin.” She gave him a pointed glance she hoped Harrison would understand and then moved her gaze to where Robert sat in a nearby armchair. Kentucky Woman was Aunt Lily. “Pops, does she know you’re still in love with her?”

  “No, and it’s going to stay that way.” Robert’s voice was quiet but firm. He shot a glance at Harrison. “I wanted both of you to know.” Unfolding his lanky form from the chair, he strolled across the room and stared out the front window.

  Shelby crossed the room to stand beside him. She touched his shoulder. “Tell us about it, if you want.”

  The muscles in his jaws flexed, and Robert shook his head. “Not much to tell. It was a long time ago. I loved your mother, Shelby, but Lily was the one I wanted. We made promises to each other before I joined the Army and went into active duty. I did a lot of things right but so many things wrong. She was young, beautiful, and wanted children, but I didn’t put a ring on her finger. I was gone a long time—too long to ask her to wait for a man who might never come back home alive. The simple truth is, I couldn’t hold Lily back from finding happiness, and she deserved more than I could offer.”

  “My Uncle David was wonderful, and he made Lily happy, but he’s been gone more than a decade,” she said. “I’ve done more living since I’ve been here in Scotland than ever before in my entire life.” Shelby grasped his hand and held on tight. “Please don’t let stubborn pride, or whatever’s holding you back, keep you from claiming the life you want. The love you could share with Lily.”

  He turned. “I have a very full life here.”

  Her heart softened when she glimpsed the dampness in his eyes. “Yes,” she said, keeping her tone quiet, “but you left a big part of yourself in Kentucky, Pops. You told me that very thing when I first met you. Think about coming to visit Lily in Lexington, or maybe she could come to Edinburgh?”

  Robert shook his head and ran a hand across his brow. “Shelby, what are your plans for Harmony Lane?”

  The abruptness of his question startled her. She hadn’t even shared this part of her life with Harrison, perhaps because it made her too sad. “I have a realtor who’s pushing me to list it on the private market.” Inhaling a breath, she released it slowly, affording her a few more seconds to gather her thoughts. The admission was harder to make than she would have expected. Aware Harrison watched her closely, Shelby avoided looking at him. “If I give the go-ahead, she assured me she’s guaranteed to garner several solid offers within a matter of days.”

  “I hope you don’t want to sell the farm,” Robert said, his voice earnest.

  Shelby walked back into the middle of the room. “No, I don’t want to sell. Of course not.” Tears sprang into her eyes, threatening to choke her. Crossing her arms over her middle, she started to pace. “Selling Harmony Lane would be a betrayal of everything my family has held dear for two generations. How could I ever do that? This is when being an only child has its extreme disadvantages. What else can I possibly do?” Stopping her pacing, she stared at Robert and brushed away a tear. “I’m ill-equipped to run a horse farm. No matter how much I love my home, growing up there doesn’t guarantee I won’t run it into the ground. I can’t risk doing that, either.”

  “You wouldn’t do that, Shelby,” Harrison said. “You’d manage it as well as you do everything else in your life.”

  “I’m not sure if I even want to take the chance.” Shelby glanced at him through watery eyes, grateful for his presence and his confidence in her.

  “Have a seat and let me tell you about your father’s letter.” When Robert motioned to the sofa, Shelby stared at him for a moment before settling on it with Harrison beside her. She reached for his hand, and he laced their fingers together, giving her immeasurable comfort.

  “After your mama died, Tommy started thinking about the future of Harmony Lane, and he’d started to face his own mortality,” Robert said. “If anything unf
oreseen happened, he knew he could count on you. Little could he know what happened a few years later, but in the letter, your father asked me—if anything happened to him—to consider coming back home to Kentucky and”—his gaze met hers—“taking over the management of Harmony Lane. He said his top man at the farm was planning to retire in a few years.”

  Unable to speak, Shelby’s eyes widened, and she forcibly closed her mouth. This was far beyond anything she’d hoped. Her pulse raced. Her head throbbed.

  “Our grandfathers and fathers had all been close friends,” Robert said. “In the letter, your dad told me he’d always admired their work ethic and knew I’d inherited that same loyalty. At one point, Tommy and I had been close, Shelby. Almost as close as brothers.” His last words sounded forced, and Robert paused a moment, clearing his throat. “Tommy said, and I quote, ‘Any man who can run a castle is the man I want to watch over Harmony Lane.’ He asked me to come home again. Home to Kentucky.”

  Shelby’s heart swelled when she glimpsed his deep emotion. Releasing Harrison’s hand, she crossed the room to stand before Robert. “Pops, is coming home to Lexington and managing Harmony Lane something you’d consider?” Her heart galloped like one of her thoroughbreds. Putting a hand on her chest, she willed her pulse to slow, all the while knowing it was a lost cause.

  The Adam’s apple in Robert’s throat moved up and down. “I’ve been thinking about it this week, ever since you gave me the letter. I’ve done some soul-searching and prayed about it. For one thing, it depends on whether or not the current owner agrees.”

  Shelby swallowed the lump in her own throat. “Tell you what. If you’ll agree to come home to Kentucky and manage Harmony Lane, I’ll remain the owner. I promise you that much.”

  With a smile stretched wide across his face, Robert extended his hand. “Aye, Shelby. I would. It’s time, and I feel this is where the Lord is guiding me.”

  A tear slipped down her cheek. “I’d rather have one of your hugs.” When he opened his arms, she willingly walked into her future, in one sense. The future of Harmony Lane. Not that Robert was a substitute for her father. No one could ever take her daddy’s place. But, without a doubt, the Lord—through her dad—put this special man in her life. Seeing Harrison’s smile, she released a deep sigh.