Page 46 of Kilt Trip

“Oh, no. No. We work together.” Addie leaned in so they’d catch her meaning. “He’s completely available.”

They dissolved into a fit of giggles, clinging to each other’s shoulders and wiping away imaginary tears. “If I was forty years younger...” Birdie growled like she might pounce.

Addie clamped her lips together at the direction of this conversation and how far back Logan strayed from Cowboy Hat.

Gertie settled her hands on her waist, thrusting her chest out. “If I was twenty years younger!”

Their hooting laughter drew out the questioning glances of the rest of the group. Logan put his hands over his ears, and Addie’s heart expanded into her lungs. She hadn’t had so much fun since she and Devika went ATVing in Morocco.

Back at the farm, Duncan and Peggy invited the group into their kitchen. They took seats at the enormous farmhouse table while Peggy passed around scones, clotted cream, and jam, telling stories of the farmers who provided the local ingredients.

She was as warm and welcoming as Gemma. And just as encouraging to eat a wee bit more.

Logan sat with Duncan, arm tossed over his shoulder. He made it look spectacularly easy to maintain friendships while being on the road all the time. It wasn’t nostalgia driving these tours, it was Logan’s deep sense of community. He was at home on the road, and it made everyone else feel like they were, too. A part of something special.

His stories, the sound of his deep voice, made people not only listen but care. But he was more than an entertainer.

He formed connections.

By tomorrow, the group would be swapping email addresses to keep in touch, she was sure of it.

Logan caught her look and raised a shortbread cookie, giving her a quick endorsing nod. She huffed out a laugh. The inside joke warmed her insides more than the tea.

The group interacted with a comfort she’d never seen established so quickly. They raved about the coos and the cottage, buzzed with excitement over unpronounceable shared dishes and unique flavors.

Addie pulled out her phone.

Addie: Blood sausage is as revolting as the name suggests.

Elyse: What do your people eat, again?

Elyse: Oh, right. Corn dogs.

Addie grinned.

“See,” Logan said, pulling up a chair and whispering over her shoulder, sending a shiver rippling across her neck. “You can bring tourists into your home.”

She rolled her eyes but didn’t have a retort. She’d been on tours all over the world. Meeting the locals gave a sense of attachment, a claim to this place she didn’t usually feel.

Addie hadn’t traveled like this since she was a kid. Heather used to say she didn’t need to see the whole world, she only wanted to soak up the place she was in.

Addie had forgotten that somewhere along the way.

When they’d finished eating and said goodbye to their hosts, Addie followed Birdie and Gertie onto the bus. They strutted down the aisle like they were on a runway, their attention trained on Logan and their shoulders shimmying as they passed.

He flashed Addie a look of pure horror, and she hid a smile behind her fist. On second thought, including those two had turned out to be the best decision she’d made all year.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” he asked with a nod toward Birdie and Gertie.

“So much.”

Logan stood to make room for her to pass, and she accidentally brushed against his chest. Looking up was a mistake. The wind had mussed his hair and flushed his cheeks. His eyes darkened to the same shade as a gathering storm, and it sent a primal thrill of anticipation through her. Logan blinked first and stepped farther into the aisle, gesturing for her to move past.

She sat and tucked her hands into her lap to keep from checking if his five-o’clock shadow was as rough as it looked.

They headed north again, the engine humming, and the roads twisting. Logan’s leg rubbed against hers as the bus turned on the corners. A fluttery feeling reminiscent of high-school field trips stirred in her chest. Now all they needed was to share a pair of headphones and make gaga eyes at each other.

Turning so her back was to the window, Addie struck up a conversation with Carlos and Sofia behind her, if only for some space. “What would you say is the big draw of Scotland? Edinburgh?”

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