The Coulson Boys (Adam)

by Karen Lamb

  “Go on lass, I promise I won’t bite.”

  “I still might,” I said quite angrily, but reluctantly took his hand. He had a firm handshake, and as I began to release my hand he continued to hold it for what I felt was an inappropriate length of time, which only succeeded to unnerve me further.

  “I believe you can let go now.” I said firmly, his eyes seemed to take in every inch of me. His face softened and a look of interest crept across his eyes.

  “So let’s start again shall we?” when he finally released my hand, “as I said, my name’s Hamish and you would be?”

  “Mrs Hamilton” I said formally, my defences still firmly up.

  “Right, and you’re staying at the castle?”, for some reason I didn’t want him to know I was alone in the lodge, so I nodded.

  “Yes, in the castle”.

  “Is this your first time to Skye?” if this was his version of small talk he was failing miserably.

  “Yes” I replied, determined to keep this conversation short. As luck would have it rain clouds had suddenly arrived and spots of rain began to fall.

  “Well, it looks like you’ll need a lift.”

  “No that won’t be necessary.” I heard myself reply, but before I knew it he had me in his arms carrying me to the bike and unceremoniously dumping me in the seat.

  “Stop being pig headed” he said “and take a lift.” The journey was mercifully quick, as he knew all the short cuts to the Castle.

  As he pulled up outside the entrance, he jumped off his seat and ran around to help me out.

  “You see I can display some manners when I choose too,” and with a smile and a wave he got back on the quad and rode off. I breathed a sigh of relief; I could now make a dash for the lodge.

  I had a quick shower and hung my clothes to dry, before putting on some jeans and a woolly jumper. There was a knock at the door, a lady stood with cleaning equipment and a broad smiling face, she asked in a beautiful soft highland voice if it was convenient to do a tidy up and set the fires.

  “Oh how lovely, I didn’t expect to have my own cleaner, what a treat.”

  “Well ma’am, we can’t have you cleaning when it’s your holiday now, can we”

  She set too, doing her tasks while I put a pot of coffee on. I searched her out,

  “Would you like a coffee, it’s just freshly brewed?”

  “How kind ma’am, I shouldn’t really.”

  “Well I won’t tell if you don’t! Come into the kitchen a moment,” she reluctantly put her duster down and followed me to the kitchen table. “I’m Claire by the way, and you are?”

  “Elspeth” she said rather awkwardly.

  ”Now Elspeth, please tell me a bit about the area.” It didn’t take much coaxing before she was happily chatting away and telling me were the nearest shops were and what there was to see on the island and I noted some of her suggestions for a later visit.

  After she had finished and left I decided to treat myself to some lunch in the hotel bar; I hadn’t eaten anything so far, apart from some of the hotel’s delicious shortbreads with my morning coffee. I could also pick up information on fishing lessons and enrol myself on the cookery course, afterwards. The weather was back to sunshine and clouds, Ewan had warned me it could change quickly and to be prepared for every eventuality.

  As I walked into the reception the mandatory fire was quietly burning away, Kathryn, the manager was again on duty behind the large desk, she had introduced herself on our arrival with a polished charm and friendliness. Her beautiful honey blonde hair was curled into a casual knot at the back of her head, she had a naturel beauty that money couldn’t buy, I could imagine she was never short of boyfriends. She looked up as I approached.

  “Hello Mrs Hamilton, I was so sorry to hear about your friend’s husband.” Crikey! news travels fast around here I thought!

  “Yes I’m afraid my friend had to leave suddenly, her husband has been in a car accident, Ewan kindly offered to drop her off at the station in Glasgow.”

  “I hope he’s going to be alright.”

  “I won’t hear until later on today, fingers crossed it’s not too bad.” She nodded sympathetically.

  “So, your all on your own Mrs Hamilton.”

  “Yes, it looks like I might cut my holiday short, I need a little more time to think things through but in the meantime, I would love to book some fishing lessons, how do I go about that?”

  “Oh that’s easy, I can organise that for you, when were you thinking?”

  “I believe the forecast is not too bad for the next few days, so anytime that suits really.”

  “Ok, I will ask Jock our resident Gillie to come up with some suggestions and I’ll give you a call.”

  “I also wanted to book myself in for the cookery course.”

  “Ah yes, I remember now, you are already enrolled, you just need the last-minute information pack. Do you like cooking Mrs Hamilton?”

  “Please, call me Claire, Mrs Hamilton sounds so stuffy! And yes, I absolutely adore cooking, nothing gives me more pleasure than cooking for family and friends.”

  “I promise you will be in good hands, our chef Marco is world famous for his cuisine. He really enjoys teaching and passing on his skills to our guests. I believe the course begins next Monday, again I can get back to you with the details.”

  “One last thing, I was thinking about a light lunch in the bar, I’m starving!”

  “Good idea,” smiled Kathryn “just go on through to the bar, Fabio is on duty and he’ll help you select something tasty.”

  “Thanks Kathryn.”

  “My pleasure,” she smiled.

  The lounge bar was tastefully decorated, the tartan carpet in reds, gold and black, set off the floor area. The seating was a mix of large sofas and huge comfy armchairs, various sized tables were scattered in between, the walls were adorned with large gilt framed pictures with romantic scenes of ruined castles, highland cattle; my favourite was an enormous horned stag standing resplendent on a craggy mountainside.

  I walked towards the bar, Fabio the head barman was busy preparing drinks, there were about a dozen people eating and drinking, I liked the relaxed atmosphere, I knew immediately I would feel comfortable eating and drinking here on my own.

  “How can I help you, would you like a drink?” he asked, a velvety Latin accent indicated his Italian origin.

  “A white wine spritzer please with ice, and the lunch menu please.”

  “Right away” he smiled. As he prepared my drink I looked at the menu, there was so many delicious things it was going to be difficult to choose! In the end I decide to have a poached chicken Caesar salad.

  There was a cosy table for two in a corner, which I made my way over to. I sat back and sipped the icy cold drink while pondering what my options were. If I stayed the whole month would I be bored? I very quickly decided that there were so many things to do that it wouldn’t be an issue! My main concern was would I be lonely? That wasn’t so easy to answer, my mind couldn’t help but drift into ‘if only mode’, if only Adam was here to share this with me, if only Laura and Frank could be here, this could well be the perfect place to take time out and talk to each about their marriage. I did hope Frank was going to be ok, but I wouldn’t know till much later today.

  Fabio brought my salad, “Buono appetito!” he said again with his warm smile. The salad was so beautifully arranged, delicate pieces of poached chicken nestled into a bed of young salad leaves, golden toasted garlic croutons sprinkled on top, shavings of fresh Parmesan cheese delicately strewed around the plate, with a pale Caesar dressing drizzled on top, I picked up my knife and fork and dived in with gusto!

  Half an hour later I had finished my delicious lunch and was enjoying a double espresso. I had decided the logical decision was to stay as long as I was enjoying myself; anything else would be a ‘cop out’. I made my way back to the lodge, fed and content, a lovely post lunch soporific feeling came over me, I decided I would have a siesta
, enjoy my Kindle, and catch up on my lack of sleep.

  I was woken abruptly from my slumber by my phone ringing, I saw it was Laura.

  “Hello,” I yawned.

  “I’ve woken you up haven’t I?”

  “Yes, but that’s not a bad thing, I only intended to have a nap and I think I have been asleep for nearly two hours!”

  “You obviously needed it”, said Laura “it was a very early start”. Shaking myself fully awake I sat up in bed.

  “How is Frank?”

  “He looks awful Claire, his face is bruised and he has a nasty cut above his left eye, his right leg is definitely broken in three places and he has a nasty concussion. The medication is making him drowsy, they want him to sleep for the next two days. Apart from that he’s going to be fine, it will take about two months for him to fully recover. The fire brigade said he was lucky to be alive, they had to cut him out of the wreckage, they think he fell asleep at the wheel, I’m not at all surprised, he has been working long hours, and late nights, it’s got to stop Claire, he can’t keep this up and I don’t want him too” she said tearfully.

  “Oh Laura, I wish that I could give you a big fat hug, hang in there, you’re made of tough stuff, I know you’ll help him with his recovery. Who knows maybe something good is going to come from all of this”! Ten minutes later, I said good-bye to Laura, she was obviously in shock, and thankfully things weren’t a whole lot worse than they were. I wondered if this was what their marriage needed, two months together, time to heal Frank’s injuries and their marriage!

  I got up and stretched my body before making my way downstairs, I headed towards the lounge where the fire was lit, the staff had keys to come and go so they could tend the fires and to see if I needed any supplies. It was almost 6pm and the light was slowly fading, I looked out the window at the sky, this was definitely a view I wanted to paint, whether I could capture the moment was another thing!

  I made a pot of tea and began to read my latest book download on my Kindle. The plot was exciting and romantic, it made me wonder if I could maybe come up with an outline for a book, I’d have lots of time up here and it could be the perfect space to get my creative juices flowing. I made one or two notes and allowed my imagination to take over. There was a knock on the door and then the bell rang, Kathryn was standing outside her arms full of paperwork and folders. I rushed to open the door, as a cool wind greeted me.

  “Goodness me, quickly come in Kathryn, that’s a cold wind.” She grinned.

  “They make us tough up here, this is positively balmy Claire!” She passed a load of paper work in my direction.

  “Now I think this is pretty much everything you will be needing for the cookery course next week, Marco likes you to do a little bit of homework before hand, just so you are familiar with cookery terminology and the basic recipe layouts.

  “How lovely,” I said, “I cannot wait to meet him and cook in his kitchen.”

  “Then there is the fishing, can you make 9.00am tomorrow? You will be picked up from here and driven to the designated fishing spot, here is a list of things you need to bring along, but don’t worry if you haven’t got some of the equipment, we always have extra for our guests. So Claire, I’m expecting trout on the menu tomorrow night,” laughed Kathryn.

  “I’ll do my best, what fun, I can’t wait!”

  “Talking about food, do you want me to book a table for you in the restaurant?” I shook my head.

  “Not tonight, I think a selection of sandwiches would suit me fine, and then early to bed so I am refreshed for my day’s fishing.”

  “No problem, I’ll organize some sandwiches from the kitchen and of course we mustn’t forget a hamper for tomorrow!”

  “What would I do without you and Ewan?”

  “All in a day’s work” she reassured me.

  Adam called briefly, he was sounding stressed, something I was unfamiliar with. The good news was his father was responding well to the medication, they thought he could come home in the next few days, recuperating fully would take a few weeks. I decided to tell him about Frank’s accident and Laura’s departure, unfortunately that was almost the last straw, he was frustrated that he wasn’t there with me, and the distance that separated us, not to mention how much he was missing me. I tried my best to reassure him I was absolutely fine, and in fact I was going on my first fishing adventure tomorrow. Another five minutes of loving exchanges before he reluctantly said good-bye with a promise that I would call him if I needed anything, or just wanted to talk.

  CHAPTER 29

  I slept like a log, and was wide-awake before the alarm went off. I jumped out of bed, full of anticipation for the day ahead. As I got dressed it dawned on me that I was ticking another activity off my ‘bucket list’, it felt good to be moving on with my life and that meant trying out new things. I had lots of time before Jock arrived, a quick pot of tea and some toast, with a good dollop of homemade raspberry jam, which Elspeth had left yesterday. I was just about to pour my third cup of tea when the doorbell rang. I rushed to open the door, stopping abruptly when I saw, to my horror, Hamish standing there.

  “What are you doing here?” I demanded.

  “You wanted to go fishing today,” he said with a smug look on his face.

  “Yes but not with you, Kathryn said Jock the Gillie would be taking me out on the loch.”

  “Well Jock’s busy today, so I offered to take you.”

  “Over my dead body.” I said quietly.

  “Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that?”

  “I said,” more forcefully, “over my dead body, I will contact Kathryn and arrange to go when Jock is available.”

  “I wouldn’t bother, he said he’s pretty busy at the moment,” then glancing around he said,

  “Is this your tackle?” And in one fell swoop he grabbed my rod and bag and took them off to the quad bike. I stood rooted to the spot for what seemed like an age, not fully understanding what had just happened.

  “Well, are you coming?” he shouted, “you’re missing the best time of the day.” The realisation that I had to spend a whole day with this awful man had left me suddenly deflated.

  I grabbed my waterproof jacket and trudged out to the quad. Hamish sat imperiously at the wheel, the engine turning.

  “Come on then lass, jump on board or do you want me to be a gentleman and lift you on?”

  “Don’t touch me” I spat back at him.

  I sat silently fuming inside, while Hamish started whistling a Celtic sounding tune, he seemed pretty pleased with himself like the cat that got the cream.

  “So why did you tell me you were staying at the castle?”

  “I would’ve thought that was pretty obvious,” as I turned to face him, “so you wouldn’t bother me”!

  “Right, so I bother you now? Well things are looking up I would say.”

  “You have to be the most arrogant, rude and unpleasant man I have ever met!”

  “Ah lass you haven’t lived much then!” I couldn’t believe his attitude, it was like he was deliberately hell bent on getting under my skin.

  “So, have you been fishing before”? His eyes sparkled with mischief, he was enjoying taunting me, well I wouldn’t play along. I folded my arms and looked to my left or straight ahead, anywhere but at him.

  “Look Claire, you’ll enjoy this far more if you stop being huffy”! My mouth dropped open in shock.

  “How do you know my name?”

  “That’s not important,”

  “It is to me, have you been asking questions about me?” I asked defensively.

  “Don’t falter yourself lass, I just happened to hear some of the staff talking about you and calling you Claire not Mrs Hamilton, you seem to have quite a fan club at the castle,” he smirked.

  “Well, I haven’t heard anyone talking about a Hamish, whatever you last name is, but that could be that you’re not well liked at the castle.”. Oh god, had I really just said that as I saw a genuine look of hurt in his
eyes. ‘Careful Claire’ I thought, words can sting and it’s hard to take them back once said, for a split second I regretted my childish outburst.

  “I’m sorry, that was a little harsher than I intended.”

  “Apology accepted. I think we have both got off on the wrong foot, it might be a good idea to clean the slate and start again.”

  Reluctantly I did think this had all become a bit silly and I did want to enjoy my day. I dropped my defensives.

  “Okay, let’s start again. I am Claire Hamilton and I am staying at the lodge for the next month.”

  “Now this feels a whole lot friendlier, doesn’t it?”

  “Don’t push it Hamish.” He burst out laughing, his face suddenly transformed, I saw for a split second a softness, which I had to admit, was not unattractive.

  “And I am Hamish McDonald, at your service.” I found this side of his personality much nicer, and I wondered why he preferred to show off his Mr Grumpy demeanour?

  We chatted about everyday things and the conversation flowed easily.

  “There up ahead is the boathouse,” he pointed out, “we’ll park and I will get the boat from its moorings.”

  “What can I do to help?”

  “Well you could bring the tackle and rods please, I believe you asked for a luncheon hamper, that should be there too!”

  “Aye, aye skipper,” I replied, obligingly.