My Scottish Summer

by Connie Brockway

  “Iain, it’s only been ten days! We don’t know each other! How can you think we can live together?”

  “I’m talking marriage, Maddie.”

  “You are asking me to marry you?”

  “Yes. What the hell did ye think?”

  “Iain! How can you think I’d marry you so soon?”

  He froze, then shook his head. “I don’t know. I guess I thought what I felt for you was reciprocated. Hell, ye couldn’t be more patronizing, could ye?” He held the door open for her and nodded with his head. “Go on, run away, back to yer safe job and yer empty life. I won’t bother ye again.”

  “You’re just hurt, Iain. When you have time to think about all this, you’ll be glad we didn’t—”

  “Get out, Maddie.”

  “Iain…”

  He drew himself up straight and glared at her. “Get out.”

  8

  Maddie ran all the way to her room and threw herself on the bed, crying into her pillow. The knock on her door made her sit up in panic, looking for tissues. She called out hesitantly, relieved when Sara’s head poked around the door.

  “May I come in?” Sara asked.

  When Maddie nodded, Sara came to sit on the foot of the bed. “Are ye all right?”

  “Yes. No.”

  “What happened?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Nothing? But ye spent the night with him.”

  “Sara! Does everyone know?”

  “Just me. And Keith and Derek. We all saw ye run out of his cottage this morning.”

  “Oh, God!” Maddie wailed, hiding her face in her hands.

  Sara’s eyes widened in sudden worry. “Did he hurt ye?”

  “No!” Maddie wiped her eyes. “He’s not like that…” She took a deep breath. “We didn’t do anything I didn’t want to. That part was wonderful.”

  “Then can’t ye just talk and work it out?”

  “No. Some things can’t be fixed, Sara.”

  “Do you want me to talk to Iain?”

  “No! He’s not the problem. I am.”

  “What do ye mean?”

  “He says he loves me, Sara!”

  “Well, I’m no’ surprised. We’ve all seen him the last week. So why are ye this unhappy?”

  “He wants me to marry him.”

  Sara threw her arms around Maddie. “That’s wonderful!”

  “No, that’s horrible!”

  “Wait, I don’t understand. Iain says he loves ye, and he wants to marry ye.”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m trying to see why ye’re so upset, Maddie.” Sara tilted her head. “Oh! Ye don’t want to leave yer job. Ye don’t want to move to Skye.”

  “Iain says he’ll move to New York.”

  Sara’s eyes widened. “He did? What did ye say?”

  “I said no.”

  “Ye turned him down? Iain asked ye to marry him, and ye said no?”

  “I’ve only known him a few days.”

  “He seems sure enough.”

  “It’s a mirage, Sara, not reality.”

  Sara cupped her chin in her hand and studied Maddie. “Ye’re afraid.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  Sara nodded vehemently. “Yes, ye are. Ye’re afraid ye’ll fail.”

  Maddie met her eyes. “What if it didn’t work out?”

  “Then ye’d be older and wiser. What if it did?”

  “What if I left my job and then we failed?”

  “Ye’d get another job.”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “It looks simple to me. If ye want to keep yer job, he’ll go to New York. If ye don’t, ye can come here. He says he loves ye. The only reason I can see to turn him down is if ye don’t love him in return.”

  “People don’t fall in love this fast.”

  “Some people obviously do. It’s yer decision of course, Maddie, but if ye don’t even try, it’s an automatic failure. Do ye not love him at all?”

  “Yes. No. Oh, I don’t know. I know I care a lot for him. He’s a wonderful man. He’s a good man. He’s gorgeous.”

  “Problems in bed?”

  Maddie met her eyes. “None.”

  “Then? He’s nice, but not nice enough? No magic?”

  “Oh, there was magic! Wonderful magic. No, that’s not it. He’s amazing. I’ll always remember him. Why does that sound so lame?”

  “Because it is.” Sara stood up. “I think ye’re afraid, Maddie.”

  “It’s all too much, too soon.”

  “Then stay longer and see what ye think in a week.”

  “I have to get back to work.”

  Sara shrugged again. “Then go home to yer job. I hope ye’ll be very happy together.”

  Maddie showered, then quietly went downstairs and outside. The hotel suddenly seemed claustrophobic. The path she chose led down to the water, then to the rocks at the north end of the bay, where she stopped and looked across at the blue islands and the cloud-spattered sky above. Iain in New York. She pictured him bundled against the cold at Christmas, walking with her on a spring day in Central Park, standing with her before the Temple of Dendur. Maybe they could make it work if he came to New York. Maybe she could have it all, her job and Iain. No. It would be selfish of her to ask him to leave Duntober, and a horrible thing to do to Magnus after he’d told everyone it was his dream. And if she came to Skye…?

  Why was it so hard to breathe? Iain’s expression when he told her to leave would haunt her forever. She hadn’t meant to hurt him. How could this have happened so quickly? He doesn’t really love me, she told herself; it’s just his pride that’s wounded. Or was Sara right? Was Iain right? Was she afraid to try because they might fail? Any relationship might fail. If she was too timid to try with a man like Iain, what did that say about her? About the rest of her life?

  But it was so sudden. She needed more time. She’d stay another week, and when they both calmed down, she’d talk to Iain again. If he was serious about moving to New York… But no, that would never work. Even if she could reconcile her guilt feelings about Magnus, Iain wouldn’t want to wait for her to get home at eight or nine every night. And he’d never understand why she had to work all weekend, every weekend. She took a deep breath. She didn’t understand it either anymore. Why did she buy into the whole workaholic syndrome? Iain’s right; this career is not enough. She pressed her eyes closed. Life without Iain. Life with Larry. Is that really what she wanted? She’d had no idea she could feel this way about anyone, nor that anyone could feel this way about her. If she walked away now, would she ever find a man his equal? What if this was her only chance for a real love, and she was so stupid that she let it slip through her fingers?

  She needed another week. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and called the office, leaving Larry a voice mail saying she was going to take a third week. That should get a response, she thought, and went back up the hill.

  She had to find Iain.

  Duntober was crowded with men, but none of them Iain. The workmen were cheerful, but no one knew where he was.

  “He’s gone, miss,” one said. “He was here for about an hour, then he left. I haven’t seen him since.” The man shrugged. “Is his Rover at the hotel?”

  “I don’t know; I didn’t look.”

  He gave her a smile. “He’ll be back. Why don’t ye wait for him to find ye?”

  Iain’s Range Rover was gone, and Sara gave her a blank look when Maddie asked her where he might be. “He could be anywhere. He’s got a lot to do just now. It may be ye’re worrying for nothing.”

  “No one knows where he is.”

  “Maddie, ye should just leave him alone.”

  “I need to talk to him.”

  “A little late for that, isn’t it?”

  “Sara!”

  “Look, Maddie,” Sara said with a sigh. “He’ll be back. He knows where to find ye. It’s not everyday a man’s proposal is turned down. He may need to get off by himself.”


  Maddie had lunch with Magnus and Anne and their friends who had stayed for the week. Soon after that Magnus went to call the MacLeods, and Sara took Anne and her friends to Portree. Keith and Derek went to Duntober, and Maddie tagged along. She tried to sketch, but found herself staring off into the distance.

  Her phone rang at three o’clock, and she took it out of her pocket and looked at it. The last thing she wanted to do just now was talk to Larry. She let it ring twice more, then answered. It wasn’t Larry, but a breathless Katie instead.

  “Larry says you can’t take another week. You need to be here by Monday.”

  “Why?”

  “The account execs have moved the deadline for the dot-com presentation up five weeks, and we’re expanding the scope. We’re adding TV and outdoor.” Katie paused for dramatic effect. “Media bought time.”

  Media bought time, Maddie thought. That meant that the Media Department had bought television airtime, not at all what they’d discussed. The client had originally agreed to do only a radio and print campaign, and those were near completion, most of the details arranged. Now she’d have to plunge into development and casting for the TV spots, coordinate with the copy writers and account execs, start from scratch. All the deadlines she’d worked out so carefully would have to be revised, and possibly everything her team had worked on for months would be scrapped and something new thrown together in its place. It meant that this was not a good time to be gone from the office, but it wasn’t the end of the world. It just meant more work to do in less time when she got back. She forced herself to be calm.

  “When did this all happen?”

  “Last night. Larry’s furious that you’re gone,” Katie said in hushed tones. “He says you’ve let the whole team down by not being here. He says—” She paused, and Maddie knew she was wondering how to say what was next.

  “Just tell me, Katie.”

  “He says if you’re not here on Monday… he says you’re fired.”

  “He doesn’t mean that.”

  “He does, Maddie. He’s faxing it to your hotel. What should I do?”

  Maddie’s laugh sounded brittle. “Don’t worry, he’s just bluffing.”

  “I don’t think so. He’s been talking to HR.”

  Maddie held her breath for a moment. “I haven’t taken any vacation in three years.” She forced her tone to be bright. “Don’t worry, I’ll call him and get this straightened out.”

  “I hope so. Maddie, just get back here, and it’ll all blow over.”

  “Katie, let me think. I’ll call you back.”

  “Call Larry. Think on your way to the airport.”

  Maddie sighed and dialed her boss’s number. “Larry,” she said. “It’s Maddie. What happened?” She listened quietly while Larry shouted out the details. “But I don’t understand. We went over this five hundred times with the client.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Get your butt back here. Now.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “You’ll do as I say. Get back here.”

  She tried to repress her anger. This was a crisis, but it could be contained. It was time for rational thought, not bullying.

  “Larry, you’re the Creative Director of the firm. You own the agency, for Pete’s sake. Tell the account execs to tell the client we have to keep the original deadline. We can’t change both the scope and the deadline. It’s not reasonable.”

  “Don’t tell me who I am, Maddie. Just get on the next plane home.”

  “I’m staying another week.”

  There was silence, then Larry hung up. Maddie looked up from the phone to the water. Larry’s latest power play was having the reverse effect. Instead of making her want to rush back to be by his side to fix this, she was resentful, seeing him and his machinations with clear eyes. So why was she thinking of leaving to be with him instead of here with Iain? Why didn’t this bother her more? Maddie laughed. Damn, she was a slow learner.

  It wasn’t quite so funny when Sara handed her the fax. Katie had been right. Larry’s letter was carefully worded, saying that if she weren’t back in New York on Monday, she’d be fired. Her call to HR was even more chilling. Larry, Susan reported, kept two complaints about everyone on his team on file at all times.

  “That way,” Susan said, “he can let anyone go and let the lawyers sort it out later. I thought you’d gotten copies of the complaints.”

  “No. What are the complaints?”

  “Missing deadlines. Like that’s not normal around here when the scope changes. But, Maddie, understand. This is a power play. You’re either here on Monday, or you’re out.”

  “I’m taking a third week.”

  “You didn’t request it. It hasn’t been approved. You know the rules.”

  “I’m taking a third week.”

  “Ooh, then this is going to be ugly. Sorry, Maddie, you’re on your own.”

  Maddie called Larry, but he and Katie were in a meeting and couldn’t be disturbed. She drafted her response fax carefully, saying that she was still taking the third week. Let the chips fall. She called the airline and rescheduled her flight.

  Iain didn’t come to dinner, and no one mentioned him. Magnus said the call to the MacLeods had been cordial, that they’d be coming to the Games, and that they were delighted he was restoring Duntober. After dinner, when everyone went into the lounge, Magnus asked her to sit with him, and when she did, he gave her a measuring look.

  “What happened?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Magnus frowned. “Don’t be evasive. Between yesterday and today, with ye and Iain. What happened?”

  She told him the bare bones of it. At the end of her story he smiled.

  “Did I ever tell ye I had to beg Anne to go out with me?”

  She shook her head.

  “And when I proposed on the first date, she slapped me.” He laughed, and Anne looked up and smiled at him. “But I knew what I wanted, Maddie, and I knew there was a chance as long as she was still talking to me.”

  “But he’s not talking to me. He’s gone.”

  Magnus snorted. “I know Iain. He heals alone and then comes back to the world. He’ll be back. I know where he’ll be tonight, lassie, and tomorrow night.”

  “At Duntober? He said he’d be there, but will he?”

  Magnus nodded. “If Iain says he’ll do something, he does.” He patted her hand. “He loves ye, Maddie. Ye must decide if ye want him, lassie, but I can tell ye, he’s yers for the asking. Mind his pride, though.”

  Maddie thanked him and kissed his cheek, then looked up as Sara came to stand over them with a worried expression.

  “Larry’s on the phone, Maddie,” she said. “And he’s quite angry.”

  Maddie listened for a few minutes to Larry’s diatribe, then cut in. “Look, Larry, let’s stop the posturing. I’m going to take the third week. We’ll still get everything done.” She held the phone away from her ear while Larry ranted. Like in a bad movie, she thought. He’s a cliché. “Larry, it’s not going to work. I’m taking the week.” She hung up and met Sara’s eyes.

  A half-hour later, Katie called to tell her that Larry was in the office roaring that he was going to fire her whether she came back or not.

  “For what?” Maddie asked.

  “Insubordination. Desertion. Betrayal. You name it.”

  Desertion, Maddie thought. All she’d done was take a few vacation days. Wasn’t this all a bit out of whack? Betrayal, for God’s sake. Get real.

  “Everyone’s mad at you for not being here. Larry says you don’t have any work ethic, and if you’re not here by Monday morning, your job is mine.”

  “It’s an empty threat.”

  “I could do it, Maddie. I’d be good at it.”

  Maddie felt a chill. She worked with vultures.

  “He said he owned the agency and could do whatever he wanted. Then he threw his phone through the window.”

  “Through the window? You’re on the fou
rteenth floor!”

  “I know. He just looked at all the broken glass, then told me to find out if he’d killed anyone outside.”

  “Good Lord!”

  “Maddie, you should get back here as soon as you can.”

  Maddie called Susan in HR again, who said not to worry, that the legal team told Larry he would never make it stick. “Larry can’t win this one, and when he cools down he’ll see that.”

  Great, she thought as she hung up. My future is secure, but my boss hates me, and people are salivating over my job. That’s a really good atmosphere to be creative in. Creative, she mocked herself. When was the last time you were creative in that job?

  She went to find Sara, who was at the pub with Keith. She’d visit with them for a while, then go to Duntober around eleven and try to talk with Iain.

  But she didn’t need to go to Duntober. When she walked into the pub, Iain was at the bar. He turned, two glasses of ale in his hand, then looked past her, walking to a table in the back. He sat down and handed Joanie a glass. She gave him a dazzling smile and snuggled up next to him.

  Maddie stood by the door for a moment, watching them. Iain looked up at her and she met his eyes across the room. He held his glass up in a salute, and she spun around and fled.

  9

  Maddie watched the dawn from the porch at the Trotternish. Iain had not come back to the hotel, and she hadn’t gone to Duntober. Maybe she should now, she thought. Maybe they could talk this through. Or maybe Joanie had spent the night with him. Well, she thought, if that had happened, she’d just go home and try to patch it up with Larry.

  The lower gate was locked, but she climbed over the fence without difficulty. Anyone who wanted access to Duntober could get it easily enough, she thought. That would have to change if the vandalism continued. She paused on the terrace, then climbed the wooden stairs, repaired now, to the Great Hall. The castle still had the power to touch her, to spark her imagination. I don’t want to leave, she thought as she came to stand in the arched window. I don’t want to plunge back into the madness of advertising, to spend my life picking out the right person to eat a hamburger in a TV ad. It was entirely possible that her career had reached the end of it’s life all by itself. Weird, but it didn’t faze her. Iain was right. There was a whole world out here, and she wasn’t exactly saving lives in advertising. Maybe it was time to start living. Maybe on Skye. Maybe she should start building a castle.