Hope Everlastin' Book 4

by Mickee Madden

  Laughing, Winston closed the distance and drew her into his arms. "It's using a rod and a hook to catch fish."

  "For wha' purpose?"

  "Ta eat, and for sport."

  She looked aghast. "Ye hook the poor wee things?"

  "They don't feel it," Winston assured. He turned his attention to Beth and Lachlan. "I'm going into town to call Grayson. If he can meet us, Deliah and I should drive to Ayr and pick up the identification papers he's made for you. He's probably wondering wha' happened to us when we didn't meet him in Edinburgh. The sooner we get yer paperwork, Lachlan, the sooner we can arrange the wedding and get you both and the twins away from here."

  "Wha' abou' Taryn?" asked Deliah.

  "Wha' abou' her?" Winston volleyed hesitantly.

  Deliah gave each of the men a measuring look before addressing Winston, "We know o' yer talks to go efter her."

  "How can you?"

  "Yer mindshield lowers when ye sleep."

  Astonished, he gasped. "You invaded ma mind? While I slept? Then told the women?"

  "Aye," she said proudly. "I be a weed, no' a fragile flower."

  "A weed?" Winston muttered, glancing at Beth and Laura for an explanation. None came.

  "Fegs," said Lachlan, shifting uncomfortably when Beth's challenging gaze met his. "Aye, we talked abou' goin’ efter her."

  "Tha's ma responsibility," said Roan and looked at Laura apologetically. "I had planned to bring it up to you efter the weddin’."

  It took a moment before she could ease her pique and say, "If she really is in danger, we shouldn't wait." She sighed in resignation. "Besides, she should be here for the wedding. I don't want your mind on anything but us during the ceremony."

  With a loving smile, Roan walked up to her and gently took her into his arms. "I love you. I know how much the wedding means to you. To postpone it for ma sister is verra generous."

  "Oh, darling," she purred, "I plan to get even when she returns."

  "Oh?"

  "Nothing drastic. I promise."

  "I could track her," said Reith.

  "No doubt, but you have business here, lad," said Lachlan.

  "The gardenin’ isna verra demandin’ right now, sir."

  Lachlan grinned. "Aye, but you need no' put mair distance atween you and yer wife. Wha' if she comes o' a mind to see you, and ye're no' here? No. Tis ma mither's belongin’s Taryn took, and somethin’ in ma mither's family she's investigatin’. Roan and I are the logical ones to go efter her."

  "Wha' abou' me?" Winston asked indignantly.

  "Deliah needs you close by," Lachlan said.

  "I be a—"

  "Weed, I know, lass," said Lachlan, "but we dinna know if you'll have problems wi' the pregnancy. Tis better Winston stay close."

  "I agree," said Laura.

  Beth nodded.

  "Okay." Winston sighed. He cast Deliah a forlorn look. Realizing that she believed he was disappointed to be stuck at home with her, he released a laugh and kissed her on the tip of her nose. "I was joking."

  "Were ye now?" she asked suspiciously.

  "Why is it you don't read my mind when I want you to?"

  She grinned mischievously. "No fun when I have permission."

  Beth whispered in Lachlan's ear. When he nodded, she said, "Roan, Laura, would you mind if Lachlan and I take the boys out for a picnic? A long picnic...say, for three or four hours?"

  Roan and Laura looked at each other as if unable to believe what they'd heard.

  "When?" Roan asked.

  "Now, if you like." Beth winked at them. "Send the boys down to help make the sandwiches then disappear to your room. Take a little time for yourselves."

  "Aye," Lachlan grinned. "You've both been lookin’ a wee frazzled o' late. We'll make sure ye're undisturbed."

  A delicate blush rose in Laura's cheeks, and excitement brightened the emerald green of her eyes. "Are you sure you're up to handling five kids at once?"

  Roan gushed, "O' course they can!" He sent Lachlan and Beth an eager look. "Right?"

  "No' to worry," assured Lachlan.

  "It will rain shortly," said Reith, and smiled at the fallen expressions. "The carriage house loft would make a grand picnic retreat. Do the lads play hide-n'-seek?"

  "It's their favorite game," said Laura.

  Reith humorously bowed at the waist. "Then may I prevail to invite maself to this picnic. I would enjoy playin’ wi' the lads."

  "You're invited," said Beth.

  "I'll go and rearrange the bales o' hay," said Reith. "Do ye need me to help bring anythin’ to the carriage house?"

  "We'll manage," said Lachlan.

  Reith went to his sister and kissed her on the cheek. "Ye have a safe journey to Ayr wi' yer Mr. Connery."

  "Winston," Winston said. "We'll be in-laws before long."

  "Aye, sir. Just remember ye have valuable cargo wi' ye in yer car."

  "As if I could ever forget," Winston said amicably. "Deliah, do you want to come into town wi' me?"

  "To make the call to Mr. Grayson?"

  He nodded.

  "Aye, I would like to go. Might we stop for sweets? I've a cravin’ I canna ignore."

  "Then stop, we shall. But put shoes on."

  She looked down at her bare feet and lifted a pathetic expression for him to see. "Must I? They make ma toes feel bro-ked."

  Winston turned to the others and shrugged flamboyantly. "Wha' can a mon do? Barefoot and pregnant she wants to be, so who am I to argue?"

  With a merry salute, Reith headed into the hall. Before he reached the front doors, the sound of the brass knocker being engaged echoed through the first floor. Other more forceful raps followed before Reith opened to outer doors to see who was on the other side.

  A mantle of gloom fell over those remaining in the parlor.

  Lachlan, his expression one of annoyance, remarked, "If the police have returned, I'll throw maself from the tower!"

  Winston stood at the threshold to the hall. Voices carried his way. After several moments he turned and delivered a dubious look to his friends. "We have company."

  "Who?" asked Beth, peeved. "The police again?"

  Winston shook his head as the voices grew louder in their approach. "No. But you might wish they were, though."

  He stepped aside. Reith, his face flushed and eyes offering a mute apology, led four people into the room. Shocked silence prevailed for a time as two couples in their sixties stood haughtily appraising the occupants of the room.

  "This is a fine hello," said one of the women. She was tall and slender with crisp hazel eyes, short blond hair, and austere features. The man next to her was two inches taller, portly around the middle, blue-eyed and white-haired, and his cheeks rosy.

  "Mother," Laura said weakly, "Dad...what are you doing here?"

  Before Lauren or William Bennett could reply, Eilionoir Ingliss cut in. "Taryn called us, of course, and told us about the wedding."

  Roan inwardly fumed at his sister's audacity. Utilizing all his willpower to appear outwardly calm, he nodded to his parents and asked, "How do you come to know Laura's parents?"

  "I called them," Eilionoir snipped, giving her salon-dyed, reddish-blond head a toss. "Taryn supplied their number. I guess some good comes of her chosen profession."

  Laura went to her parents and put an arm around each of their necks, while Roan stood in a silent battle with his own. His mother looked a little older than he remembered, but she was still a beautiful woman and obviously still full of herself. His father, however, looked years older than his actual age. His hair was gunmetal gray, and dark circles underscored the bags beneath his amber eyes. His cheeks were sunken, his face sickly and pale.

  It occurred to Roan that his mother had worked her husband nearly to his grave. Dugan had always been a large man to Roan, but now he seemed shrunken and barely Roan's own height.

  "Son," Dugan said with a terse nod, "you're looking well."

  Roan could barely detect any hint of S
cottish in their voices. It left a chilling void in his heart, and he tensed despite his efforts to the contrary. They were strangers to him. Dim memories, most of which were not pleasant. In his father's eyes, he could do no right, and his mother had never had an ounce of patience with him. That they would assume he wanted them to attend his wedding irked him.

  His mind drifted into a daze. One moment he was wondering how to convince them to leave, the next he realized everyone but Deliah and Winston was sitting at the dining room table. Pots of tea and coffee were being served by Lachlan and Beth, and the boys were uncharacteristically waiting for permission to dive into the sandwiches stacked on two platters on both ends of the table.

  He was surprised to find himself seated at the head of the table. Laura was to his right, her parents to her right. To his immediate left was his mother. Next to her was his father. She was staring at him with a familiar look of disapproval. His father was avoiding looking at him at all.

  Laura's parents, on the other hand, were cheerful although exhausted from the trip. Beth, he noticed, was quietly observing the guests, and he suspected she was wishing she had family to attend the wedding.

  "Must we suffer that mouse staring at us from the cage?" Eilionoir snipped. "And what is a cage doing on such a fine sideboard?"

  Since she was staring at Roan, no one answered, and he was lost in his thoughts.

  "You're as rude as ever," his mother commented, a cup held with both hands, poised inches from her enhanced lips. "Roan? Did you hear me?"

  He nodded dispassionately.

  "Taryn failed to tell us you were marrying a woman with three children."

  The room fell silent as Roan shifted a dark warning look at his mother. "They're Laura's nephews."

  Eilionoir smiled thinly across the table at Laura. "Are they in your charge, dear?"

  Laura passed Roan a worried glance before answering, "Yes. My brother died and their stepmother—"

  "Abandoned us," interjected Kevin with a smile. "Good thing, too, cause she wasn't right for us. We belong with Aunt Laura and Uncle Roan."

  "Charming boy," said Eilionoir, her tone implying quite the opposite. Her gaze met her son's. "Are you able to support a ready-made family?"

  The question came as Lachlan seated himself at the opposite end of the table. "The mon is wealthy enough!" he boasted for Roan's sake. "This estate is his."

  "You don't say?" Eilionoir murmured.

  "Actually, it belongs to Lannie," said Roan with a deadpan look fixed on Lachlan. "He's been gracious enough to share it wi' us."

  "Gracious, ma eye," Lachlan blustered, grinning broadly, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Tis yers."

  Roan flagged a dismissing hand, and sighed with annoyance as he looked at his parents. "Dinna worry yerself abou' how I'll take care o' ma family."

  "Roan, I couldn't be happier with my Laura's choice," said Lauren happily, and gave her daughter's hand a loving squeeze atop the table. "And I know Jack approves of you as a father for his sons."

  "Grandma," piped up Kahl, "will you tell us about our daddy, later?"

  "It would be my pleasure, Kevin."

  "I'm Kahl."

  Lauren blushed, and her husband chuckled. "We're suffering jet lag," he told the boys collectively. "Be patient. We'll get the names straight, soon enough."

  The boys passed skeptical glances amongst themselves.

  "I'm sure you do approve of Roan marrying your daughter," said Eilionoir to Lauren, her cold tone raising Roan's hackles. "There aren't many men who would take on a woman with three boys."

  "Mither, shut up."

  She stiffened and shot him a horrified look. "Excuse me?"

  "You heard me."

  "Roan," Laura pleaded softly.

  "Dinna mistake her rudeness for jet lag, Laura," he said, clenching his hands on the table top. "She doesna have a maternal bone in her body."

  "That's enough!" his father warned.

  "No, Dad, it isna, by far. This is ma home, now, and these people ma friends and family. I willna stand for yer wife puttin’ down Laura, the lads, or anyone else I love." He glared into his mother's cold stare. "For as long as ye're under this roof, you will conduct yourself like a lady. Tis bad enough you didn't wait for an invitation."

  "Has one been mailed?" she asked curtly.

  Roan shook his head. "I didna want you here. But now tha' you are, ye're welcome to stay for the weddin’."

  "You make it sound like a privilege," she retorted.

  "Hardly, mither," he wryly cut her off. He gulped down some of the chilled water in his glass then heaved a breath to quiet the anger stirring inside him. "If I recall, I sent you an invite for ma first weddin’."

  "We were away on a business trip," his father said defensively.

  Roan nodded. "And where we you both when Adaina and our son were buried? Anither business trip? I know Aunt Aggie called you. But I guess it wasna important enough for you to return to Scotland."

  "We're here now," his mother clipped.

  "Why?" he asked softly.

  Eilionoir glanced at her husband then lifted her chin and met her son's probing gaze. "Taryn begged us to be here for you. That's why."

  Lachlan was about to get to his feet when he felt something move at the nape of his neck. He reached to scratch the annoyance but stopped when he realized what was causing the sensation.

  "Tell me, Mr. and Mrs. Ingliss," Lachlan said, "have you no idea wha' a grand son you have in Roan?" He scowled when they silently looked down the table at him. "Weel, I'll tell you!"

  "Lannie—"

  "Roan, be quiet," Lachlan said wearily, still scowling. "Do you know who I am?" he asked Roan's parents, and went on before they could reply. "I'm the Lachlan Baird, the same Lachlan Baird who Robbie and Tessa Ingliss murdered and walled up in the tower."

  Eilionoir stiffly rose to her feet and gestured for her husband to follow her example. "I'm too tired to listen to this nonsense. Roan, you know where our room is. Let us know when you're up to acting civil."

  "Sit down, ma'am," Lachlan said in a deadly quiet tone as he stood. The elder Bennetts' eyes were wide with amusement and wariness combined. "Nonsense, am I?" he went on and slowly walked to Roan's back. "Sit down...please."

  Eilionoir glared through him. She had no intention of folding to his intimidation until her husband sat and tugged on her sleeve. She sank onto her chair, her unwavering gaze locked with Lachlan's in a war of wills.

  "Mrs. Ingliss," Lachlan continued, the anger in his eyes belying his smile, and his hands resting on Roan's shoulders, "twas Roan who ended the Baird Ingliss feud, and no small accomplishment it was. You havena a clue wha' he's suffered all these years."

  "Lannie, please," Roan said testily but quieted when Lachlan playfully whacked him on the head.

  "But yer son's sufferin’ didna prevent him from bein’ a mon o' compassion. I canna stand by and hear you talk to him like he's beneath you, no' deservin’ o' yer love and respect. In truth, despite his lineage, he's mair o' a mon than any I've had the pleasure or displeasure to meet. So, ma good people, unless you wish to incur the wrath o' all here who love this mon, I suggest you change yer attitudes and be grateful he's allowin’ you to attend a weddin’ tha' will be like no ither yer sorry eyes have seen, or ever will see again."

  "You're a long-winded so-and-so, aren't you, Mr. Baird?"

  "Tis one o' ma charms, Mrs. Ingliss," he said smoothly. "This weddin’ is verra important to the couples involved, and I willna stand for disharmony spoilin’ a moment o' its plannin’ or the ceremony itself."

  "Nor I," whispered a voice in his left ear. "Are they to know about us?"

  "Canna be helped," said Lachlan.

  "What can't be helped?" Eilionoir asked impatiently.

  "Ma conscience," Lachlan lied with a disarming grin. "Eat up," he said merrily, gesturing expansively with his hands. "And tomorrow when ye're fully rested and Deliah and Winston have returned from Ayr, we'll start on the particulars."
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  "Particulars of what?" asked Lauren Bennett.

  Lachlan bowed his head to her. "Sweet lady, there's a few matters you need to know afore we can get down to the business o' the weddin’."

  "Just a few," Laura said, and started to laugh. Before long, everyone but the mystified parents were releasing their tension with laughter.

  Snuggled within the thick strands of hair at Lachlan's nape, Blue smiled in response to the musical sounds.

  Chapter 15

  With the arrival of "The Parents", Roan and Laura didn't get to spend time alone, and the picnic was canceled. For the residents of Baird House, the day seemed to drag on without end. Their guests were shown their rooms and helped to settle in. Then came a tour of the mansion and later, grueling hours spent in the parlor trying to get reacquainted and relatively comfortable with one another.

  For the most part, the Bennetts were a cheery couple. They were quite different from the parents Laura remembered, and were eager to please their hosts and hostesses, despite their exhaustion. Lauren Bennett asked to help in the kitchen and was delighted to discover Roan did most of the cooking, and was willing to share some of his favorite Scottish recipes with her.

  While she was at ease conversing with Roan, William Bennett preferred to stay in the background, observing his future son-in-law. This suited Roan just fine. He'd already lost points with the man. William didn't approve of a man cooking unless he was a bonafide chef. Nonetheless, the Bennetts were not a problem in Roan's opinion.

  However, such was not the case with his own parents.

  Also given a room on the second floor, Eilionoir complained it was too small the bed too soft, and Dugan claimed he nearly suffered a heart attack when a "hideous" creature perched on the window sill and gawked in at them. They made no effort to talk to Laura, and complained that the boys were too noisy. The house was too large, too drafty, too isolated. The topper for Roan came when his mother disapproved of what he'd planned to make for dinner, and the fact that he cooked, and not the woman he was soon to wed.

  Eilionoir was "hurt" that her son wasn't willing to fix one of the few Scottish meals she liked. He decided it best not to tell her he had no idea what she liked or disliked, and certainly wasn't inclined to care, either. He cooked one of his own favorites, mince and tatties, a meal of minced steak and potatoes with a spicy brown sauce. The dessert was Dundee cake, a rich fruit cake with almonds on top.