Page 16 of Wild Scottish Rose

I might be a woman of power…might step into the power of The Order. To “help to protect Loren Brae, the Truth Stone, and keep the Kelpies at bay.”

Well, Gran, is that your ultimate legacy or what?

CHAPTER SIX

Owen

I’d mostly slept well, though it had taken me awhile to fall asleep. As promised, the cottage was as cozy and welcoming as could be, but it was the image of Shona, bent over the bed, her sweater riding up her back and revealing the thin silky hot pink strip of a thong that had my mind careening directly into the gutter. The flash of hot pink silk had been so unexpected from a woman who was dressed monochromatically that I had quickly reassessed my image of her. Not that my initial impression had been bad, however.

When I’d seen Kennedy harassing the poor woman across the banquet room, it hadn’t been my need to soothe my sister that had drawn me across the hall. No, there was something that had captivated me about the woman with silky straight hair, wide blue eyes, and pert, pink mouth. I’dliken her to a porcelain doll, but once Shona had spoken, she’d eradicated any thoughts of fragility right out of my mind. No, this was a woman who knew her own mind, adeptly handling Kennedy, and giving it right back when I teased her. Her image had come to mind more than once since I’d left the wedding, and I couldn’t have been happier when happenstance had led me to Shona’s doorstep.

Granted, what had happened to Ryan wasn’t a happy event, but I could separate the two in my mind. In any case, if I was going to settle in for a while, having a beautiful, albeit temporary, landlord didn’t hurt.

Ducking through the near constant rain that had hammered the little cottage all morning, I scrambled into my rental car and brought up the address of the hospital again in my navigation system. Rain pummeled the windshield, but when I turned on the engine and the wipers, I could just make out three women standing in the warm glow of the greenhouse. It looked cozy in there, a beacon of warmth and greenery on a dull day, and I realized that I wanted to see inside.

It was the way my brain worked. I’d never given much thought to gardening or greenhouses before, but once my mind landed on something new, I wanted to investigate and learn more about everything involved with it. This trait was likely what made me a good filmmaker, a relentless need to discover the truth, but it also had led me down some really fascinating paths in my life.

Once I’d turned my mind to filmmaking, nothing had been able to stop me in pursuit of success. In an unusual move, I’d been able to straddle both the world of feature films, as well as documentary filmmaking.It had taken me eleven years, but I’d had great success in both, which allowed me to choose my projects at a whim, and it was what had also given me this ability to take some time off between projects. A much-needed rest, away from the hustle and bustle of the film world, and Scotland had promised to be the perfect place for a recharge.

Or so I’d thought.

I hoped Ryan was more coherent today and could expand on what he’d hinted at yesterday. Maybe it was just the drugs talking, and he wouldn’t be able to remember what he’d said to me, but either way, I had no problem settling in at Loren Brae for the next few weeks. From what I could gather as I drove, the little town tucked at the shores of pretty Loch Mirren was charming. Paired with my beautiful landlord and a cozy cottage, Loren Brae might be the perfect place for me to unwind for a while.

Or discover a deep-rooted mystery.

Because my senses were tingling, I had a feeling the latter would consume my time, because it was the same feeling I got every time I launched into a new investigative documentary. There was just this sense of knowing that lit me up inside, driving me to uncover the truth, and that same energy now hummed through my body. If Loren Brae had secrets to share, I’d be the one to uncover them. Soon, little Loren Brae might just be world-famous.

By the time I reached Ryan’s hospital bed, it was mid-morning, and he was awake and arguing with a nurse.

“My man!” I exclaimed, clapping him on the shoulder and giving the nurse a sympathetic look. “Is this guy bothering you?”

“Och, he’s a bit tetchy this morning.” The nurse gaveRyan a stern look. “He’s insisting on having a coffee with his brekkie, but that just won’t do. It’s tea or nothing I’ve told him.”

“Tea,” Ryan scoffed. I was just happy to see him looking more like Ryan. Yesterday he’d looked as pale as death, and now the color had returned to his cheeks.

“Better than nothing. Plus, the Scots make a great cup of tea, don’t they?” I winked at the nurse, who gave me an equally stern look before departing from the room.

“Lovelywoman,” Ryan grumbled.

“Might I recommend not giving the people who saved your life a hard time over a cup of coffee?” I dropped into the chair next to his bed, my eyes going to the monitor. A steady heartbeat, normal blood pressure, and oxygen levels seemed good as far as I could tell. Not that I was an expert, but I’d been in and out of the hospital enough with my mother for any number of overly dramatized incidents to be able to read a patient monitor quickly.

“Now that you’re here I can pick on you instead.”

“Sitting in bed getting to you?” I guessed, leaning back, and resting my ankle on my knee. If I knew anything about Ryan, it was that he chafed at being forced to sit still. He often took his meetings on the phone, while walking, to avoid sitting at his desk.

“Hate it.”

“What did the doctor say?” The bruising had darkened across his forehead, and they’d removed the bandage to reveal a few stitches.

“I’m cleared for release later today. My parents should be arriving around now and driving down from Glasgow. I told them not to come, but you know Mom.”

“She’s a worrier,” I agreed, smiling at the thought of his mother. She’d been a second mother to me, nurturing me in ways that I’d wished my own mother was capable of, and I’d always envied Ryan’s easy relationship with his parents.

“Yes, they’re making me stay at a hotel with them in Edinburgh while they explore the city for a few days, then we’ll all fly back together. I’d wanted to hang here longer, but I picked up another gig.”

“Did you? Anything good?” In a happy turn of events, Ryan had followed me into the film world, but was a showrunner instead of a director.

“A romcom, actually.” Ryan laughed at my stricken expression. “Hey man, don’t knock it. The world needs love, you know.”

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