The House on the Shore

by Victoria Howard

  Silence greeted her as she opened the door to the croft. Luke must have taken the dogs for a walk. She hung her coat on the stand in the hallway and made her way into the kitchen.

  She stopped. She wasn’t alone.

  Mark, her former lover, leaned against the Aga, his hands folded across his chest.

  “What the hell are you doing in my house?”

  “I knocked, but the door wasn’t locked.” He took a few steps towards her. Her green eyes narrowed.

  “You’ve got some nerve walking in here uninvited. I’m going to call the police.”

  “If I remember correctly, you don’t have a phone.”

  Out witted, she slammed her bag on the table. “Get. Out. Now.”

  “I wrote to you, but you didn’t reply. Did you get the letter?”

  “I received it. It burned very nicely in the Aga.”

  “Let me say my piece, then I’ll leave if you want me to.”

  “Oh, I’ll insist. That’s guaranteed. Speak if you must, but make it quick.”

  Mark offered her a nervous smile. “Anna, darling. Our time apart has changed me. I was hoping it might have changed you, too.”

  She set her chin in a stubborn line. She pulled a kitchen chair away from the table and plunked into it. “You have five minutes, which is more than you deserve. Then I want you to leave.”

  Mark thrust his hands into his pockets and looked out of the window.

  “I’m waiting, Mark.”

  He turned to face her again. He leaned back against the draining board and spread his hands in front of him. “I’ll admit it. I was wrong to give your promotion to Stella, but she is…was better…”

  “You drove all the way out here to tell me that?”

  “Of course not. That didn’t come out right. Let me try again. I was under a lot of pressure at the time, and I made a serious mistake.”

  “Please, Mark, don’t insult my intelligence by offering another excuse. We both know why you gave her the job, and it wasn’t because she was better qualified. You made a fool of me, and that’s something I can’t forgive.”

  “Can’t or won’t?”

  “Both. Time’s up, now go.”

  “Anna, please. I was shocked when you handed in your notice.”

  “You were shocked?” She jumped to her feet and glared at him with reproachful eyes. “My God, Mark! What did you expect me to do, shake Stella’s hand and offer her a welcoming smile?”

  “Well, no. I thought you would realize it was for the best. I was naïve. I was a fool. I thought you wanted hands-on experience rather than mountains of paperwork. Besides, we’d been together for nearly two years. I was hoping—”

  “Hoping what? That we would enjoy a threesome? You slept with her, for God’s sake! How do you think that made me feel?”

  “It was only once—” he replied, not meeting her gaze.

  “Liar!”

  “Okay, so it was more than once, but I swear it meant nothing. It’s you I care about. She’s out of my life now. She went back to London to marry her Australian boyfriend. It’s over.”

  “So, that’s really why you’re here. You’re pathetic.”

  “You have every right to be upset. I don’t know how many times you want me to say I’m sorry. You didn’t have to resign, and when you left Edinburgh so quickly, I—”

  “You what? Felt sorry for me?” she shouted finally giving in to her anger.

  “I felt guilty. You didn’t give me a chance to explain. Not properly.”

  “You had ample opportunity. In fact, I distinctly recall us having a similar conversation. Nothing has changed. I don’t need you.”

  “But Anna, I want to make things right between us. Is that wrong of me?”

  “Absolutely. I don’t want you in my life.”

  “Really?” He held up a stack of pages. “If this manuscript is anything to go by I suggest you go back to teaching. No publisher will touch it.”

  “You had no right to read my work. You son-of-a-bitch! You break in and go through my personal papers. Out!”

  “I’m sorry I said that. I’m just angry. I’m sorry. I didn’t come here to argue.”

  “If you didn’t come here to argue and you didn’t come here because your girlfriend went back to someone better than you, what did you come for, Mark?”

  “I’ve told you, to apologize for being stupid. I thought…I hoped that once you knew how sorry I was, you would take me back. I miss you.” He grabbed her. His fingers dug into the soft flesh of her arms, making her wince, as he tried to kiss her.

  Anna twisted her face away and screamed. “Let-me-go!” she shouted, pushing him away, but he tightened his hold on her waist. She beat her hands on his chest, but he refused to release her. Finally she stamped on his foot.

  “Ow! What did you do that for?”

  “Because I don’t want to be mauled by you!”

  “Anna, please take me back. I’ll make it up to you, I promise. We were so good together.”

  She tore free from his grasp and slapped him with a force she didn’t know she possessed. He put a hand over his red cheek and stared at her.

  “Anna…I didn’t mean…I didn’t intend… I love you.”

  “There is no us, Mark. Not anymore. The only person you love is yourself. Now get out.”

  Before she could say anything more the dogs burst into the kitchen followed closely by Luke.

  “Hi, sweetheart,” Luke said, bending down and kissing her hungrily. “Who’s our visitor, and why does he look like you slapped the shit out of him?”

  Anna gritted her teeth. “Luke, this is Professor Mark Jackson. Mark, this is Luke Tallantyre, a—”

  “A very close friend,” Luke interrupted, studying Mark with the eyes of a man who was used to meeting his adversaries face on. For the second time in as many days, he felt a stab of jealousy. He draped an arm around Anna’s shoulders and pulled her close. “Honey, you got any more friends I should know about?”

  Anna turned pink. “Mark is head of the English Department at the University where I worked. He was passing and decided to drop in to say ‘hello.’ Isn’t that right?”

  Mark nodded and offered his hand. Luke ignored it.

  “Just passing through?” Luke replied. “Weird. The road doesn’t even come this far. I hope the trip was worth it. Anna doesn’t make the best coffee in the world. What happened to your face, dude? Run into a tree? Or a hand?”

  Mark bristled. “I came here to discuss something with Anna, in private. Not that it’s any of your business.”

  “Anything that concerns Anna is my business.”

  “Anna and I are…were good friends as well as work colleagues.”

  “Good friends, huh? Your definition of the term is just a little bit different than mine. Where I come from loyalty means something.”

  “Stay out of this, Mr. Tallantyre.”

  “Not a chance, jackass.”

  “Now, look here,” Mark eyes narrowed in response to Luke’s icy stare. “I don’t have to take insults from you.”

  “I agree. So do as the lady said and get out.”

  “Luke,” Anna said, squeezing his arm. “Perhaps you’ll feed the dogs.”

  Luke turned his face to hers, his expression softening. “No, honey, you feed the dogs. I’ll escort Jackson back to his car.”

  “Actually,” Mark interrupted. “I was hoping to talk to Anna over dinner. I’ve reserved a table at the Monymusk Arms.”

  Luke crossed his arms. His biceps bulged. “Not gonna happen, schoolboy.”

  “I suppose not,” Mark hesitated. “Anna, please reconsider and come back to work. You’ll get the promotion and a raise in salary. I’ll confirm it in writing. The new term starts on the eighth of September. What do you say?”

  Anna was stunned. It was what she wanted, or had wanted. But pride took over. She answered in a rush of words. “That’s very kind of you, but no. I couldn’t work with you again. It’s a question of trust, you
see. And I don’t think I could trust you under any circumstances.”

  “Okay,” Luke said, taking the other man by the elbow. “Time to go, old buddy.”

  “I’ve had enough of your interference. Get-your-hands-off-me!” Mark’s fist shot out and hit Luke squarely on the jaw. Luke staggered back. Blood trickled from the side of his mouth and his head hit the frame of the kitchen door, adding to the pain.

  Mark stared at Anna, his eyes full of contempt. “I suggest you keep your tame ape under control and in his—” before he could finish the sentence, Luke’s fist connected with Jackson’s nose in a bone-shattering crunch.

  Anna watched aghast. “Stop it! Both of you. Stop it now!”

  The two men ignored her. Mark aimed a kick at Luke’s groin, which Luke deftly avoided. The kitchen table toppled, sending Anna’s manuscript fluttering in all directions. Luke landed another punch, this time on Mark’s cheek. The professor stumbled, but regained his balance in time to return the blow, but it lacked force. He grabbed a saucepan off the draining board, held it in front of him, and waited for the opportunity to strike Luke.

  Luke’s left foot shot out, and the heavy pan flew from the other man’s hand.

  “You’ll have to do better than that, Jackson!”

  Anna screamed. Tears streamed down her face. She tried to get between the two men to intervene, but Luke pushed her safely out of the way. She stood in the doorway and watched in silence, as the two men circled each other in the confined space. Luke dodged another blow and she gasped in relief.

  Never taking his eyes off his opponent, Luke feinted left and whacked Mark in the gut. Mark bent in half, cradling his crushed midsection. The air whooshed out of his lungs as he slowly sank to his knees.

  Anna rushed to Luke’s side and smacked him on the arm. “Did you have to do that?”

  “Hey! Hey! He started it. Besides, I wasn’t the one who called him a bastard. Although that’s something we agree on.”

  “You were listening?”

  “Yes, and I’m not apologizing for doing so. Nor am I going to apologize for hitting him. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it’s a duck. In other words, he’s a jerk, not only for putting you in such an untenable position that you resigned, but also for cheating on you. I’m glad you turned the son-of-a-bitch down—on both counts.”

  Anna glanced down at the man on the floor, groaning and clutching his stomach.

  “Don’t worry,” Luke told her, “once he gets his breath back, he’ll be fine. Come here.” He opened his arms to her. Despite his aching jaw, he kissed her passionately.

  Mark coughed and winced. Luke released his hold on Anna and bent down to help Jackson to his feet.

  “Get out, and don’t come back.” Luke pushed him into the hallway.

  “You’ve not heard the last of this, Tallantyre,” Mark cautioned as he stumbled to the door, blood dripping from his nose. “I’m going to see you’re charged with assault!”

  “You started it, asshole.”

  “Mark, go,” Anna said softly.

  Mark turned and looked at her, his hand on the knob of the door. He stopped. “I can’t believe you prefer this—”

  “Don’t go there, Mark,” Anna interrupted. “You and I are finished. Accept it. There’s nothing more to say.”

  Mark slunk away, handkerchief held to his bloody nose. Anna closed the door and turned back to face Luke. His right eye was beginning to swell. Blood congealed at the corner of his mouth.

  “Come into the kitchen, and let me get some ice for your face.”

  “I’m sorry about the mess,” Luke said, righting the kitchen table and stooping down to gather her manuscript.

  She opened the refrigerator door. “Don’t worry about that now. You’re going to have a black eye come the morning.” She held an ice pack to his cheek. He winced. “And just look at your hands—you’ll not be able to paint for a few days.”

  “I’ve had worse,” he said pulling her body hard against his. He brushed her hair back from her face. “You’re shaking. Want me to light the fire?”

  Anna shook her head. “I’m not cold. I’m shocked by Mark’s behaviour,” she said, and gave him a smile that made the heat pool in his groin.

  “Yeah, well, adrenaline will do that every time.”

  “I’m also tired and hungry.”

  “Is that so?” Luke replied, taking the ice pack from her hand and dropping it into the sink. “There’s a casserole in the slow oven. It won’t be ready for another couple of hours. In the meantime, why don’t you tell me why Morag’s pickup is outside?” He kissed the soft spot just below her right earlobe.

  “Do you want the short or the long version?” she asked, and wrapped her arms around him. No matter how many times Anna told herself that all she and Luke were destined to share was a few weeks of hot sex, she couldn’t stop herself responding to him.

  He gave her a smile as intimate as a kiss. “The short version. While the casserole can wait, I can’t.” The fingers of his left hand skimmed her cheek before settling in her thick hair. His right hand slipped under her T-shirt and slowly caressed her back.

  “But your face…” Anna said as she felt the now familiar tingling in the pit of her stomach. Her nipples hardened at Luke’s soft caress. The smouldering passion she saw in his eyes echoed her own.

  “It’s only a few bruises. Nothing to stop me from making love to you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  There was no sign of Morag when Anna entered the hotel kitchen on Sunday morning. She hung up her coat and went through to the bar, pushing open the swing door only to stop and stare at the pale-faced man sitting next to Ewan.

  “Lachlan, this is a surprise,” she smiled. “Is Morag with you? Only I didn’t see the Land Rover in the car park.”

  “Anna, you’d better come and sit down,” Ewan said gently. He rose from his chair and crossed the room to take her arm.

  Her smile faded when she saw the sombre expression on Lachlan’s face. “What’s the matter? Morag’s all right, isn’t she?”

  “Sit down, Anna,” Ewan repeated, giving her a gentle push towards a vacant chair. He strode over to the bar, poured a measure of brandy into three glasses, and carried them to the table.

  Lachlan took a deep breath. “There’s no easy way for me to say this. She was supposed to meet me at the railway station, but never arrived.”

  “Morag is missing?” Anna grew light headed. “But I don’t understand. She left immediately after you telephoned. I saw her drive off.”

  “I don’t understand, either. I waited till nine o’clock, but there was no sign of her. I telephoned the house. There was no answer, so I hired a car and drove home. I thought she might have broken down on the way, and that I’d find her and the pickup on the side of the road. But I never saw another vehicle during the whole of the journey.”

  “She took my Land Rover,” Anna said, lowering her gaze so Lachlan wouldn’t see the tears in her eyes. “She’d run out of petrol on the way to work, so I gave her my keys. We were going to swap vehicles this morning.”

  Lachlan leaned forward in his seat, his face visibly tense. “I see. You know Morag as well as anyone. What sort of mood was she in? I know she doesn’t like me being away, but was she depressed.”

  She took his hands in hers. “Quite the opposite, she was delighted at the prospect of having you home. She felt unwell for a while before she left. In fact, I offered to drive her, but she refused, saying she felt fine. Have you…have you notified the police?”

  “No one’s reported an accident, and no one fitting Morag’s description has been admitted to hospital in either Fort William or Inverness. The police need to know what she was wearing. Perhaps you could help me with that.”

  “Of course.” Anna dug in her bag for a piece of paper and a pen.

  “I must tell them she was driving your Land Rover, and not the pickup.” A powerful and well-built man, with ginger hair, Lachlan stood. “You’d be
tter write down the registration number for me, as well.”

  Anna nodded and scribbled it down.

  “You can use the phone in my office,” Ewan offered. “While you’re doing that, I’ll get one of the girls to make us some coffee. I think we’re going to need it.”

  When Lachlan left the room, Anna sat quietly, her body stiff with shock. She took no notice of Ewan, until he thrust a glass of brandy into her trembling hands.

  “Here, lass, drink this. You’re as white as my great-grandmother’s ghost. Don’t faint on me, do you hear me? Coffee is on its way.”

  Inclining her head in a gesture of thanks, Anna took a sip. The amber liquid burned her throat.

  “It rained all afternoon, and the glen road can be treacherous in those conditions. Morag isn’t used to driving the Land Rover. I knew I should have gone with her. I’ll never forgive myself if anything has happened to her.”

  “Now, now, lass. Don’t go blaming yourself. Morag can be stubborn at times. There’s bound to be a simple explanation.”

  “Do you really think so?”

  They both watched Lachlan re-enter the room, his face tight with anxiety.

  “Any news?” Ewan asked.

  “No,” Lachlan said, bowing his head in despair. “The police won’t do anything for forty-eight hours and have suggested I go home and wait. But I can’t sit here and do nothing.”

  Ewan nodded. “We’ll organize our own search party. We’ve all helped with training exercises for the mountain rescue team, so we know the drill. Fortunately, they store some of their equipment here, although I’m not sure if there are any radios.”

  “Ewan, I know the glen as well as anyone. If you can spare me, I’d like to help,” Anna volunteered.

  “Aye, I daresay the hotel can manage without you, lass. We’ll make this our base,” he said, resting a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “Lachlan, go home and leave a note for Morag in case she turns up, telling her to contact you here. I’ll organize maps and check what equipment we’ve got. I’ll round up the villagers and ensure there’s plenty of hot coffee and sandwiches for everyone. I suggest we meet back here in an hour.”