Page 77 of Kilt Trip

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Eilean Donan was one of the most photographed and revered castles in all of Scotland. For good reason. As if painted onto a storybook page, it sat on its own island in the middle of a murky gray loch, the same color as the gloomy sky.

Logan and Addie passed tourists taking pictures in the cold as they walked along the long bridge leading to the imposing fortress and climbed the steps to the keep door.

“The tidal island was first inhabited in the sixth century, and the first fortified castle was built in the thirteenth. It was partially destroyed in the Jacobite uprising and lay in ruins until its restoration in 1911.”

She bit her thumbnail and raked her eyes from his head to his boots. “That’s hot. We should record you for self-guided tours.”

His chest tightened. He couldn’t even tell if she was teasing.

She’d spent the long drive playing I Spy as if he couldn’t tell she was doing a piss-poor job of hiding behind a happy face when he could sense her turmoil, the same as the churning tides. They should have gone to the moor first. Her mum was clearly on her mind.

They walked through the castle to the Billeting Room, the part Logan looked forward to most. As much as this site was hugely popular, it was also unique. The Macrae family displayed important heirlooms for public viewing.

The room was made entirely of stone, but a wooden table and chairs situated on a large rug in the middle of the space made it welcoming and homey.

“Look at this, lass.” Logan studied the pictures of the Macrae family for some similarity he could point out. A giddiness rose in his chest looking at Addie’s extended, albeit distant, family relations. He could see running a tour like this for Macrae groups, turning something touristy personal.

Her gaze skimmed over the photographs.

“Four generations of Macraes are still constables of the castle today,” he said, swallowing his disappointment as she breezed past the family portraits, trailing her hand over an exhibit of cannonballs.

“Sounds fancy. Do they take tea with the Sheriff of Nottingham?”

Logan let out a low breath. She was tossing up walls faster than he could break them down. His arms hung heavy at his sides. The constant effort was exhausting. Especially when she gave so little in return.

Addie walked through the kitchens with dated pots and pans and leaned in to inspect one of the waxy mannequins wrapped in dirty period clothing. “Hmm...they look more modern than I would have expected. I had no idea they were so advanced in the Middle Ages.”

“It’s a diorama of the 1930s, not medieval times.”

“Really?” She smirked, catching him in her joke. He crossed his arms.

Addie grabbed his hand and led him through the next room where she bowed to the suits of armor, giggling at herself.

She wasn’t even trying to find a connection.

Logan scoured his memory for a fitting story to tell her, hoping, like the time she drove the van back to Edinburgh, it would soothe the anxiety he knew she felt over where they were heading next. He wanted her to give this place a chance to hold her interest and her heart. “Have you heard the story of the Five Sisters of Kintail?”

“Oh, goodie.” Addie clasped her hands together, overblown delight on her face.

“Clan Macrae is often referred to as the children of Kintail. Legend has it, during a particularly violent storm, two Irish princes washed onto our shores where they fell madly in love with two daughters of the King of Kintail. Promising to send their brothers to marry the remaining sisters, the two princes returned to Ireland with their new brides. The five sisters anticipated their ship, but the men never came. The Gray Wizard agreed to turn the sisters into mountains to preserve their beauty while they waited.”

Addie’s eyebrows pinched together. “That’s a terrible story.”

“It’s a story about steadfastly waiting for love.”

“Or wasting your life away for some guy who never showed.”

Logan felt her absolute dismissal deep in his stomach as she walked away.

It shouldn’t have surprised him. No one ran faster than Addie when feelings were involved.

When she realized he wasn’t right behind her, she circled back and looped her fingers around his wrists. “Oh, come on, it’s just a story. Lighten up.”

He didn’t want to lighten up. He wanted her to get serious. With him.

Addie grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled him around a corner, into a window alcove. “I didn’t know this about myself, but I love castles. So many secret places.” She ran her palms down his chest, her eyes hot on his, a seductive tilt to her lips. When Logan didn’t react, she stepped up on the shallow stairs. “Don’t you want to know why?” she whispered in his ear and slipped her hands into his back pockets.

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