by L. L. Muir
“Are ye awake, lass?” Rory’s voice and the movement of the door registered at the same time. Flooded with relief, she couldn’t form words and her stomach continued to roil.
Rory looked at her face, set the tray aside and gathered her in his arms. “What is it, Lilly?”
She sobbed into his shoulder. Sobbed her relief. Sobbed her heartbreak. Suddenly, all the grief and fear she thought she had a handle on, bubbled to the surface.
Rory held her though it all. Just held her. And another dimension of love for him was born.
Finally, she raised her face, swollen and mottled as it must look, and gazed at his strong features. She would remember him like this. Emerald eyes, filled with worry and…love. Knowing he loved her was the only thing that let her think she’d ever survive his actual leaving.
“I thought you were gone,” she whispered. “I thought Soncerae had taken you early.”
“Nay, lass.” He pressed a kiss to each wet cheek. “I just wanted to bring ye breakfast to return the favor for last night.”
She dropped her forehead to his chest. “How will I do this? Tonight, or whenever she comes. How will I go on without you?”
He lifted her chin and smiled into her eyes. “Time and again, I’ve seen ye use yer courage and determination to get through a difficult task. Ye’ll do it again and ye’ll keep doing it. I wish ye had the same faith in yerself, that I have in ye.”
She nodded, unconvinced, but unwilling to let him see it. She needed to let him go believing she’d be okay. “You’re right. I’ll be fine. Really.” She stepped back and glanced at the tray. “That smells wonderful.
~ ~ ~
Lilly closed the door to the B&B after arranging to stay another night, though she could hardly bear thinking about returning alone. And after that…? She couldn’t seem to think beyond that.
Rory had gone to wait beside the car, stating his need for some fresh air and open space, while she called the constables office. Apparently, her handsome ghost wasn’t used to being inside.
“Were ye able to speak with a constable, then?” he asked as she approached.
“Yes,” she unlocked the car and they both slid inside. “They weren’t too keen about sending someone out, even though I told them about the threats and the danger I thought Kintray to be. It took some coaxing, but they finally agreed to send someone.”
“When?”
She started the car, and backed out. “They wouldn’t commit to a time. Today was all I could get them to promise.”
Rory nodded, turning his face to the window as they headed toward her property.
Lilly recognized the tight set of his shoulders. “What is it?”
“I dinna think ye should confront Kintray until the constable arrives.” He turned back to her. “I’ve no idea when Soni might appear and… Weel, I dinna want ye to be alone when ye face him.”
“Rory…” How could she remind him she’d be alone the rest of her life without making him feel even more guilty than he already did? “It’s time I learned to stand on my own two feet, make my own decisions and be accountable for them. That’s how this whole journey started, remember?”
“What is it ye plan to tell Kintray that ye dinna tell him last night?”
“I’m going to demand to see his papers. I can wait for the constable if you think it’s important, but…well, I admit he scared me last night, but do you think he’d actually follow through with his threat of bodily harm?”
She didn’t think Rory was even conscious of shifting his shoulders, nor the wince that skated across his face.
“I canna say. Simon is a Kintray, but he’s no’ Jascol, thank the saints. We canna ken the kind of man he really is. He boasts of a hard reputation, so I ken there must be some dark deeds to back that up. Ye canna tell with a bully.”
She gripped the steering wheel, wishing she’d eaten a lighter breakfast. It didn’t seem to be setting well on her stomach. “Well, I guess we’ll see.”
Thirty minutes later she pulled onto her property, crossing the same tracks she’d made the day before. Though the heavy rain had saturated the earth and beaten down the grass, the land all but sparkled. Fresh and new. So green, it almost hurt her eyes.
Home. She’d come home. And no one, not even a Kintray would kick her off. Simon could either live as neighbor or foe. That was up to him, but this McCallum was home to stay!
They climbed out of the car and walked hand in hand to the old cottage foundation.
Lilly turned to Rory, wonder in her eyes. “I can’t believe you actually walked this very piece of ground, with your mother and Iseabail. Oh, how I wish I could have been there.”
“Ye’re here now, lass. That’s what Iseabail would want.”
“Tell me more about her. About what it was like, here.”
His smile softened the angles of his face. “She was like a warm hug. Always laughing. Always bribing me with a fresh bannock to fetch her a pail of water. She dinna like toting the water,” he laughed. He pointed to a patch of land not far from the cottage. “She spent a lot of time there, in her garden. She could grow anything, that one.”
Lilly’s breath caught. That was where she’d visualized her, moving through the gate. She had connected with Iseabail.
Rory squatted down and picked up a stick. “This…” he said, drawing a pattern in the damp soil, “is what her silver, betrothal-brooch looked like.” He drew two, intertwined hearts with a single crown spanning their tops.
“Oh, it’s lovely.” Lilly said softly, linking her arm through his as he rose. “I wish it had survived.” She looked across the wide stretch of land, toward the hills. “Remember me here, Rory, in this spot. Iseabail’s spot.”
“Lilly.” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’ll think on none else.” He leaned in and captured her mouth. His kiss was deep, desperate. She matched him, memorizing each nuance, knowing she’d replay it in her mind on too many lonely nights.
“I see ye’ve come ta feed my pigs! Warmin’ up, are ye?”
Lilly jerked out of Rory’s arms. “Mr. Kintray.” She let her heartbeat return to normal. “You and your threats are unwelcome here.”
Rory took a step forward, away from Lilly. “Ye’ve strayed off yer property, Kintray.”
“Let’s not have a replay of yesterday,” she said stepping up beside Rory. She eyed, the sharp, pointed hoe Simon carried and hoped to call his bluff. “Mr. Kintray. If you have proper paperwork to back up your claim to my land, then please produce it. Mine is in order and ready for the constable to review. He’s on his way to settle this matter, once and for all.”
Kintray’s face bloomed a bright red. “Ye’ve thrown the ox into the pot now, lassie! Ye dinna—”
They all turned as a car pulled onto the property and parked close to Lilly’s.
“Good!” She folded her arms. “That would be him, now. Are you prepared, Mr. Kintray?”
She sent Rory a triumphant grin and turned to wait for the constable. A man emerged from the back and handed something to the driver. Strange, she’d expected him to arrive in the front of a marked vehicle. He looked as if he was paying someone.
As he stepped away from the car, the man looked around as if to get his bearings while the car backed out and left him standing there.
Who…? Wait! He looked familiar. Moved in a familiar way, but from this distance…
Her gasp was audible and her breath hitched in her throat.
“Miles?”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
But…Miles was in New York! Lilly still couldn’t believe her eyes. How could he have gotten here so fast? How had he found her?
“Miles?” Rory whirled toward her, disbelief stamped across his face. “Yer Miles?” he asked incredulously, before turning back to watch the man make his way across the property toward them. “What’s he doing here, Lilly?”
“I…I don’t know,” she replied, struck by how small she suddenly felt.
Clearing her throat,
she consciously stood taller. Shoulders back. Chin up.
Overdressed as usual, in a designer suit, Miles picked his way through the wet grass and mud.
She still couldn’t figure out how he had gotten here. Here, on her land. In Scotland! She started forward but Rory stopped her.
“Did ye ask him to come?”
The look on Rory’s face tore at her heart. She put her hand on his arm. “No, Rory.” She met his hard, emerald stare. “Absolutely not. I’m as surprised as you are.”
He studied her for the space of a few heartbeats and then nodded. “Then we will greet him, together.”
She nodded, grateful when he took her elbow, for support.
From the corner of her eye, Lilly noticed Simon quietly backing away. For a moment, though surprised, she thought it best. She’d asked him to leave, after all. But on second thought, this was her land. Her new start. The constable was on his way, and she had business with Mr. Kintray, despite Miles’ completely bizarre appearance. “You needn’t leave, Mr. Kintray.”
“That’s no’ a constable,” Simon sneered, still backing up. “I dinna have time to stand about while ye entertain.”
Was he acting odd, or had Miles’ sudden appearance completely warped her perceptions? She exchanged a puzzled look with Rory .
“The lass said, stay.” Rory stated, his voice strained. “This…interruption, willna take long.”
“Lillian!” Miles called, a strained smile pasted on his face. When he got closer, he took both of her hands in his. “How fortunate to find you here. I wasn’t sure where you’d be staying.”
“What are you doing here, Miles?” Lilly slid her hands free. “I thought you were in New York?”
He smoothed back his hair, adjusted his tie and looked regretfully at his shoes. “I chartered a plane and flew all night.” He gave his foot a kick, trying to dislodge some of the mud. “I’m worried about you. You’re obviously in some sort of…distress. Otherwise you’d never be so completely unmindful of our concerns.” His gaze fell to Rory’s hand at her elbow and gave him a hasty once-over before raising an eyebrow. “And this is…?”
She slipped her arm through Rory’s. “This is Rory Patterson. Rory, this is Miles Davenport. And this,” she waved a hand toward Simon, “is my neighbor, Simon Kintray.”
Simon folded his arms across his broad belly and twisted his thin mouth into an odd grimace as Miles turned his gaze on him. They seemed to take each other’s measure before Miles turned his hard gaze back to her. “Your neighbor?”
“Yes,” Lilly said proudly. “You’re standing on my property.
“Your property. You’ve signed the papers, then?” He looked a little surprised and flicked a glance at Simon.
“Yes,” Lilly replied. “Yesterday. But I still don’t understand why you are here or how you knew where to find me?”
“You told me, of course.” His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“No.” Lilly shook her head, slowly. “I’ve never mentioned the location of my property to you.”
“You did, sweetheart,” he spoke slowly, as if reminding a child. “You’ve just forgotten.”
“No,” Lilly wasn’t ready to let it go. “We both know I did not.”
Miles waved his hand in the air as if the question was irrelevant. “I guess your father told me, then. What difference does it make? I’m here now.”
“Because, my father doesn’t know either,” Lilly pressed. “He firmly refuses to hear anything about this property.”
Miles’ sigh was one of strained tolerance. “Perhaps over his concern that you would derail everything he’s worked for. As, has obviously happened,” he pointed out.
The patronizing tone he used when he was running out of patience was something Lilly was familiar with. But for some reason, despite the warning signs, she wasn’t willing to back down. She folded her arms and waited.
“Really, my dear, must we go on about this?” Miles challenged “What’s important is getting this property disposed of, and you home where I can take care of you.” He shot Rory a pointed glance. “Just as we planned.”
“We haven’t planned anything.” Lilly reminded him.
Miles’ mouth tightened as he sighed his irritation and scanned the cottage ruins and the unkempt land, beyond. “Are we really going to stand out here, in this…place, and discuss this?”
“This place, is my home.” She stated, emphatically.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” He reached for her. “You’re coming home with me. As usual, you require a guiding hand, and I’m here for you, now.”
Rory was chest to chest with him in an instant. “Ye’ll no’ make decisions for the lass, unless she gives ye leave.”
Almost a head shorter than Rory, Miles backed away, brushing at his lapels. “Call off your guard-dog, Lilly. We will discuss this in private.” He stepped to the side of Rory, and leveled a stern gaze at her. “Come, my dear. This is not the time to be difficult.”
“Unbelievable!” She said emphatically, tossing her hands in the air. “Miles, I’m not coming with you. I’m not going back to New York. And I’m not going to marry you!”
Miles glanced at Simon and gave him an almost imperceptible jerk of his head.
What was that? Lilly wondered. She looked at Rory, who’d obviously seen it, too.
“What part do ye have in this, Kintray?” Rory demanded.
Kintray puffed out his chest, but remained silent.
“Don’t be preposterous,” Miles sneered at Rory. “And I’ll thank you to mind your own business.” He turned to Lilly. “You’re distraught, my dear, but even so, I will not have this…person, meddling in our affairs.”
“That decision belongs to the lass,” Rory said with deadly calm. “No’ ye.”
Miles’s mouth thinned to a straight line and a dark flush colored his neck, but he didn’t argue.
“My affairs are Rory’s business.” Lilly stated flatly. “I want the truth, Miles. Why are you here?”
“Because I love you,” he stated, straightening his cuffs. “And, because it’s time for you to come home. Your father needs you. There are things requiring your presence. You know that. It’s time for this little debacle to be over.” His condescending look covered Rory from head to toe. “It’s obvious this local, has had some influence on you. But whatever he thought to gain from your acquaintance, will not materialize.”
The expression he turned on Lilly, had lost all pretense of negotiation. “We’re going home. My attorneys can handle the disposal of this unfortunate piece of property.”
Simon inched forward, a smug look on his face.
Lilly shook her head, incredulous. “Miles! You are not listening. You have no say. This is my life, my land, and any decisions regarding them are mine to make. I told you, I’m not going back, so there’s no need to continue suggesting otherwise.”
His face turned cold. Hard. “Ohh, but you are.”
At Miles’ nod, Simon broadened his stance, taking a two-fisted grasp on his hoe.
“I believe you’re about to change your mind,” Miles smirked.
A horrible realization began to materialize and Lilly looked at them both, not wanting to believe what was painfully obvious. “It was you!” She stated incredulously, to Miles. “You had that awful man give me that note outside McAdams’ office.”
She turned to Kintray. “And you’re part of it.” The pieces started falling together. “You used the same exact words to threaten me in your shed, that were in the letter.”
Rory snatched Miles by the lapels, lifting him until he barely balanced on his toes. “I should snap ye in two, ye heartless blackguard.”
“Put me down!” Miles pushed ineffectively at Rory’s hands. “Kintray!” he cried when Rory didn’t let go. “Take care of this oaf.”
“Aye.” Rory challenged. “Please. Give me a reason to break his neck like a twig.” He pulled Miles off his feet, turning him so his kicks were in vain. His eyes bulged, and he
began to wheeze and claw at Rory’s hands.
“Rory,” Lilly called. “Stop!”
“I suggest ye put that hoe down, Kintray, if ye expect to come out of this with breath still in yer chest,” Rory warned, giving Miles a shake. “I’m no’ so sure this one will.”
Lilly glanced at Simon, afraid he might use the hoe on Rory. She couldn’t let Rory hurt Miles no matter what she thought of him, but she couldn’t let Simon hurt Rory, either. She started toward Simon just as he tossed the hoe to the ground, his face pinched in hard lines.
Relieved, she turned to Rory, pulling at his arm. “Let him go, Rory! He’s not worth it.”
Rory didn’t seem to even notice her. “Ye were saying?” He addressed Miles, whose face was red and puffy, his kicks more desperate as he flailed ineffectually against Rory’s strength.
“All…right,” he choked and sputtered, his words garbled. “I… It was my idea.”
Rory set him on his feet and wrenched his arms behind him to hold him in place. “Continue.”
After a few gasping inhalations, and failed attempts to get free, Miles jerked his head toward Simon. “My idea, but Kintray carried it out.”
“Ye’re a bloody coward, Davenport,” Simon snarled, taking a step forward. “If they don’t get the last pound of flesh outta ye, I will!”
Lilly shook with shock and disbelief. “How could you, Miles? I can’t believe you would go so far. Why?”
Miles’ eyes were wild with fury. “Do you really think I would just let everything slip through my fingers?” he snarled. “After all I’ve worked for? All I’ve put up with? Your father? You?” He snorted. “Do you think I would tie myself to someone so unmanageable, for a smaller prize than your father’s company?”
“I never agreed to tie myself to you, in the first place!” Lilly snapped at him. Even though their association had never developed on a personal level, his words still stung. “And just because you and my father consider our relationship to be a good merger for the company, that doesn’t make our marriage automatic. I have a say in the matter.”
She paced a few steps trying to calm herself. “I still don’t understand why you would go so far. My father obviously thinks you walk on water. You could have just let me go, washed your hands of me, and still had the company.”