"Pleasure," Kate said to him.
"And come meet Fran and Ian." Lucy pulled her into the castle, moving so quick and talking so fast that Kate didn't have as much time as she wanted to marvel at the hall. But the man striding toward them more than made up for it. Ian MacLaren was just as Lucy described—tall, built, dark good looks, and a magnetism to knock your socks off.
Ian shook her hand, the embrace warm and welcoming. He had a killer smile that charmed her completely. Yeah, Lucy was right. The guy pretty much oozed sex appeal. As introductions were made, Lucy stood slightly behind Ian's shoulder, wiggling her eyebrows and mouthing, I know, right?
Kate had a hard time keeping a lid on her laughter.
"You've settled into the cottage?" Ian asked as they moved into the kitchen.
"Yes. It's perfect. The loch is really beautiful. Breathtaking, actually." Which she knew from personal experience. Breathtaking view, breathtaking temperature...
"I knew you'd love it," Lucy said. "It's picture perfect, isn't it? The stone, the fireplace, the views…"
"I think I recognize it from one of the photographs you sent to Gram."
Lucy perked up. "Mmm. I have news on that. But first, this is Fran." A woman approached the kitchen table with a tray of fruit and cheese.
"Lovely to meet you, Kate. We've all heard so much about you."
"Nice to meet you too. And whatever Lucy said I did, I didn't."
Fran laughed. "We did hear a story or two…" With a wink, Fran set the tray on the table. "Next time, you'll have to bring your grandmother and cousin Riley. I hear the four of you together is something to behold."
Kate could definitely attest to that. If by 'something' one meant chaos. "My trip has Gram thinking about taking one of her own soon. I know she'd love it here." Kate turned to Lucy. "She misses you. Packing up your stuff and shipping it over . . . she was in tears but at the same time so happy for you." It had been hard on Kate, too. The three of them had lived in that tiny apartment in New York for so long; Lucy staying in Scotland had been a big adjustment.
Sadness came into Lucy's wide brown eyes.
"She's so thrilled for you, Luc. You have no idea. To her, it's like you're living a fairy tale." Kate glanced around the massive kitchen with its stone walls and large fireplace. "She's not far off is she?"
Lucy's eyes were on Ian as he helped Hamish set the table. "No. I'd say she's spot on."
Any reserves Kate had about meeting Ian and the Grahams were wiped away. Lunch was fun and full of laughter and conversation. Ian and Lucy were so much in love it made her chest hurt at times, seeing the looks they shared, the way he leaned close to her in the chair, them sharing secret smiles…
"Dev's not coming at all then?" Fran asked Ian after glancing at the wall clock.
"Said he'd try to stop by. But you know how he gets when he's in project mode."
"He's working on getting one of the fields cut," Hamish clarified for Kate's sake. "The equipment is old. Keeps giving out on us. Makes everything take twice as long."
"Once we start turning a profit," Ian assured him, "we'll begin replacing things."
"How's that been going? The guest house and rentals?" Kate asked.
"All eight rooms in the main house are booked," he answered. "Most of the guests are out sightseeing today."
"Ian hired a local tour guide to take some of the work load off," Lucy said. "And two of the other cottages are let for the week as well. Ian and Dev are working on getting the others in shape."
"And once the farm is back in working order," Hamish added, "we'll start selling hay and cattle and sheep."
"There's one more brother, right?" Kate recalled Lucy had mentioned that Ian had two brothers.
"Aye, that'd be Jamie," Hamish answered. "Was here for a few weeks on leave. Won't see him again for another six months or so."
"James is the last one in the military," Lucy explained. "Devin and Ian are out now. And once James is done, he'll move to the estate."
"Are ye involved with anyone back home, lass?" Hamish asked, leaning back in his chair with speculation. He was so obvious, Kate couldn't help but smile. His accent was thick at times, making it hard to follow, but he had spunk and she liked that about him.
"No, no one special. And not in the market either, which is too bad because I hear from Lucy that the other MacLaren boys are a pretty good-looking pair."
Fran and Hamish laughed. Ian's brow lifted and Lucy shrugged. "What? It's true."
Ian rolled his eyes.
"You're miles above, babe," Lucy said, then paused. "Well, maybe not miles. Yards. No, feet." She was grinning at him.
"Light years," he clarified.
Kate thought it was the sweetest thing in the world, seeing her dreamer of a cousin find such an amazing man, in such an amazing place.
As they pitched in to clean up lunch, the door to the mudroom opened and closed. Kate paused, dirty dishes in her hands. In walked the hot Scot from the barn. In the flesh. As big and sexy as she remembered. Her stomach flipped and the dishes in her hands wobbled. She was glad the table put some distance between them.
As greetings were thrown around, he finally turned his eyes on her and froze.
Soon, everyone in the room stopped. Kate could feel them staring. Heat flooded her face. She scowled at him. He cocked his head and lifted a brow, a faint smirk on his face, telling her exactly what he was remembering from their last encounter.
"Good to see you again, lass," he said, his mouth twitching. "I'd like my shirt back when you get a chance."
Kate's eyes narrowed to fine points. She heard someone gasp and another let out a soft chuckle. Ian cleared his throat. "I see you've met my brother," he said.
"Not really."
The man in question stepped closer and reached across the table. "Devin MacLaren," he said with a daring glint in his eyes.
Oh, he was trouble all right. And the last thing she needed was trouble. Kate set the plates down and shook his hand. It was rough on the palms, calloused, and warm. And big. "Kate Walker. Lucy's cousin."
Devin straightened. "Ah. Should have made the connection."
"So you two…" Lucy fished.
"Ran into each other on the road yesterday evening," Kate supplied quickly before he could say anything. "No big deal."
"Well, sit yourself down, lad," Fran said. "I'll make you a plate."
Devin washed up in the sink. His shirt stretched across his back as he leaned over. Lucy bumped her with her shoulder, and Kate jumped as she gathered the dirty plates back up from the table. "Cute huh?" Lucy said under breath.
Kate let out a snort. "A teddy bear is cute. That . . . is something else entirely."
Devin finished, dried his hands, and made for the table. He filled the room. Took up all the space and oxygen. Kate didn't appreciate that at all. She deposited the plates by the sink and thanked everyone for lunch.
"Oh, wait," Fran said, turning around from washing the dishes. "Dev, weren't you saying Hildie's off her food?" He nodded, mouth full. "And don't you work with dogs, Kate?"
"Yes. Well, I mean I used to. Pet sitting. Grooming. Some training, that sort of thing. I'm not a vet or anything."
Devin just watched her, his expression showing nothing as he ate.
"Still," Hamish added, "ye might be able ta see what's wrong with our wee lass, right Dev?"
Dev shrugged and asked Kate, "How long have you been working with dogs?"
Her back went stiff. She certainly didn't need to air her qualifications for his approval. "Twelve years."
Obviously that didn't impress him because he went back to shoveling food in his face. "Come by in the morning then, if you don't mind. Just stay on the road past your cottage and you'll come to my place. Big stone farmhouse on the left. Be interested in your take. She's not been herself lately," he muttered.
Everyone was looking at her. She wanted desperately to say no, but couldn't—not with the hopeful eyes of the Grahams on her. Plus it'd be
rude not to, not after she was staying for free in the cottage. She'd help wherever she could. "Sure. I'd be happy to take a look. Do you all mind if I steal Lucy away for a bit?"
Her cousin leapt at the opportunity and Kate was treated to a personal tour of the castle, ending in the second floor library where they took a break on the massive leather couch.
"I can't believe you're here," Lucy said, pulling her feet under her.
"I can't believe you live here. In this country. In this place. It's crazy."
"I know. After all of our dreaming and reading those Highlander books of Gram's. Sometimes I can't believe it either."
"Ian loves you. I can see it every time he looks at you."
"He's so good for me, Kate." Lucy's smile was contagious. "So what was that with you and Devin? I'm guessing your run-in with him was more than 'no big deal'."
Kate shrugged. "I sort of went skinny dipping in the loch." Lucy's hand flew to her mouth. "Sort of got separated from my clothes. Sort of found myself standing bare-ass naked in front of your soon-to-be brother-in-law."
"No," Lucy breathed, eyes round. Then, she dissolved into laughter.
"Well, it's not that funny. It was embarrassing."
"I bet he didn't think so."
"Oh no, he just stood there looking shell-shocked."
"You do have that effect on men. Always have." Lucy wiped at her eyes. "So he gave you his shirt."
"Yeah. His dirty, sweaty shirt. Better than nothing I guess. I didn't hang around for proper introductions."
Lucy shook her head, something like admiration in her eyes. "You always were the wild one. The risk taker. I can't believe you went skinny dipping. The loch is freezing."
"Yeah. I know that now."
"Dev's a good guy. Quiet. And just think, you'll have a good story to tell your grand kids."
"Oh, ha-ha. Very funny. Like I said before, I'm not in the market."
"Holden really did a number on you, huh?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean. He betrayed you, took everything you had, and I know how much you loved him, Kate. But you can't let him destroy your opportunities. You never know what could happen, who you could meet. It'd be a shame to let what happened with him ruin your outlook. Don't give him that power too."
Kate was caught somewhere between pissed-off and hurt. She hadn't come here for a lecture.
"You were always so open," Lucy went on, "so quick to give people a chance, to give them your heart."
"Stop, Lucy. Just . . . stop," she said, tiredly. "It's a mistake to be that open. There is such as thing as being too trusting. It's called gullible. And look where it got me. My best friend embezzled my entire business into the ground. He ruined me. And I believed in him, believed every excuse when things hadn't added up. I was stupid." She rubbed a hand down her face. "So stupid."
"No, you weren't. There's no one to blame but him. He's the one with the issues, not you. He's the one in prison, not you."
"Yeah, and he gets three square meals a day, paid medical care, and cable TV while I don't have a penny to my name after twelve years of working my ass off."
"They haven't been able to get any of the money back?"
She shook her head. "It's all gone. He spent every dime."
Lucy crawled across the couch and wrapped her arms around Kate. "I'm so sorry."
Kate didn't let Lucy's hug touch her heart. If she did, she'd break down and sob. And once that dam opened, everything else would flood out too. Like the fact that she'd loved Holden for years. Secretly, of course, because on their one failed date—when Kate suggested they give it a try—he'd burst out laughing and said the idea of them romantically together was ridiculous. He'd leaned across the table and kissed her forehead as her heart shrunk and told her he loved her. She was his best friend, after all.
Yeah. She was stupid. So stupid.
What kind of woman wastes almost an entire decade loving a man who had no interest? Loving him so much that every other relationship she tried at failed since her heart wasn't in it. Kate had clung to the tiniest bit of hope that one day Holden would see her as something more.
"He took advantage of you, Kate," Lucy said softly. "He took your love and friendship and loyalty for granted. It might not have been that way in the beginning, but he changed. I'm so pissed at him. He was like family to the rest of us."
"I know." It had been a shock to them all, what Holden had done.
Lucy sat back with a sniff. "Bastard."
"You're too nice, Lucy," Kate told her with a smile she didn't feel.
Lucy shrugged. "Not always. Had I been there when all this went down, I think I might have gone postal on his ass. Seriously."
"You sound like Gram. She tried to convince Vinny Loren from upstairs to whack Holden for fifty bucks. Good thing I got there when I had. He didn't know what the hell to think. Never seen her so angry…" Tears rose at the memory. Gram had crumbled after that, crying, feeling helpless, unable to make it better for her granddaughter. It had broken Kate's heart.
"Anyway," Kate said, shaking off the memory. "I'm here now. Gonna get my act together, make a plan, figure out how to start over. Have some me time."
Lucy gave Kate's shoulder a squeeze. "It's a good place to do it.
Chapter 3
Surprisingly enough, Kate slept well and woke up feeling more rested than she had in the last two months. There was something about keeping the windows open, hearing the sounds of the night animals, snuggling into the soft mattress as the temp dropped.
The sun was shining. Birds were singing. Kate made coffee and took it to the stone terrace that faced the loch. She smiled, this time feeling it all the way to her toes. Scotland did not disappoint. It lived up to every picture, every fantasy, every idea she'd had.
Nice to know some things were what they seemed.
Once she got her obligatory visit with Devin's dog out of the way, the day was hers and full of promise. After a quick shower, she dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, then pulled on her hiking boots, grabbed a light jacket and left the cottage.
As she went to get the bike leaning against the wall, movement caught her eye. It was the Scottish Terrier again. From its size, she guessed it to be male. He stood across the road in the high grass, watching her. Kate wasn't the best trainer in the world—not even close, but she had a feel for dogs, a sense that told her their mood, and this one was looking at her with such hope, such pleading.
"Stay right there," she said softly, going back into the cottage to root in the fridge and cupboards. Lucy had already stocked the kitchen in preparation for Kate's visit. In place of dog food, she chose some bread, plain crackers, and then cut up a small summer sausage into cubes. Just a few, though.
The terrier was still there when she returned. Feeling hopeful, she set the plate in the grass, backed away, and whistled to the dog. He whined, took a tentative step toward the road, but didn't cross. Kate grabbed the bike, hopped on, and pedaled slowly away. When she finally stopped and looked back, the dog was wolfing down the food.
That should hold him until she could get some proper food. Satisfied she'd done her good deed for the day, she continued on.
The ride added to her good mood. It felt wonderful, the cool wind on her face, the scenery, the absence of man-made sounds. It made her feel as though she could handle anything, that everything was going to be okay.
That feeling ebbed after the first mile.
Her thighs burned. Sweat dampened her skin, and her heart pounded. Devin could have mentioned his house was a few miles down the road.
Finally she saw the large stone farm house set in a flat valley between two hills. Slowing the bike, Kate turned left and coasted through a stone-flanked entryway and then down the long, rather bumpy lane. It was a beautiful spot, and the house was impressive. The closer she came, she saw time had done its work on the structure; the house was in desperate need of repair.
And from the amount of lumber, stone, and other
supplies loaded in the truck parked out front, repairs were apparently under way. It'd be pretty when it was fixed, she thought, eyeballing the architecture and grounds as she walked her bike to the front, leaned it against the house, and then stepped to a tall front door with a neat little window and peeling blue paint.
Kate took a moment to compose herself. It was like any fear or anxiety. Prepare yourself with a mental image. She hoped envisioning Devin's big shoulders filling the doorway would lessen the impact. He wouldn't get to her again. Simply because she wasn't in the market. Though, she supposed since she wasn't, enjoying the view wouldn't hurt. In fact, he was just the sort of man she fantasized about during all of her Scottish daydreams.
"You going to knock any time soon?"
Kate whirled at the sound of the unimpressed voice directly behind her. Well, she hadn't prepared for this. He was supposed to be in the doorway. Instead, Devin MacLaren stood there balancing a stack of lumber on his shoulder. His army beige T-shirt hugged his form and she didn't miss the way his bicep bulged as he held onto the two-by-fours. He wore khaki cargo pants, boots, and a tool belt.
He took 'hot carpenter' to a whole new level, and it took everything she had not to roll her eyes.
Dev waited for a reply, but didn't get one. He wasn't sure she'd show up today, and was kind of hoping she wouldn't. After her nude revelation in the barn, he wasn't sure he could look at her, carry on a conversation, or act normal without those images flashing through his mind at random.
Christ, she was pretty. And frowning. At him. Again.
"Let me drop these off and we can go inside." He started walking around the house. "Come on."
Dev dropped the lumber on the grass in front of the back terrace, and then led Kate into what was one day going to be a large sun room. It was just a blank slate right now, but the walls and windows were in at least. James had no idea Dev was fixing up the farmhouse as a little welcome home surprise for the youngest MacLaren. "Watch your step."
"Wow," she commented behind him. "This is nice."
He paused and turned around. Kate standing in the middle of his work and complimenting it made a sour burn creep across his chest—too many bangers at breakfast, probably. Those shorts she was wearing were too short. That T-shirt was too tight. And the way her hair was twisted off her neck like that made him want to put his mouth there…
A Scot Like You (The MacLarens of Balmorie, 2) Page 2