Page 79 of Wild Scottish Rose

The man made a compelling argument. But I couldn’t have him putting his life in danger.

“I don’t know what the right answer to that is,” I admitted, my heart hammering in my chest. “But I do know that I can’t have you go to the island. I just can’t. Owen, I’d be…” My voice caught, and Owen crossed to me, cradling me in his arms.

“Baby, I’ll be fine. I promise you I won’t do anything stupid,” Owen said, kissing me as tears sprung to my eyes.

“You don’t get it,” I said, furious with myself. “This isn’t something you can control, Owen, or even anticipate. You could die.”

“I could die every time I walk out of the house, darlin’.” Owen kissed away my protests until I subsided, blinking the tears from my eyes.

“It’s going to be okay, I promise you.”

“I don’t know if you can promise me that. Surely you can see by what happened to Ryan.”

“Water horses,” he mumbled.

“What?”

“Water horses. That’s what Ryan said he saw. They came up out of the water and attacked him.”

At least he knows what can and will happen to him.My heart ached, and already I could kick myself for sharing this information with Owen. Now I wasn’t just worried about Loren Brae.

My heart belonged to Owen.

“I’ll make smart choices.”

“I really wish you didn’t have to make this film. Couldn’t you pick up another project? I’m sure you have dozens of offers.”

“I do. But this is where I want to be, Shona. Right here. With you. And learning about one of the greatest legends of all time.”

“At least you put me before the Kelpies.” I sniffed, and Owen grinned, tossing the notebook aside. I gasped when he lifted me, tossing me effortlessly on the bed and crawled on top of me.

“Sexy Shona, of the silky panties and soulful eyes, I’ll always put you first.”

It was all I could think about as his kisses took me under. I hope he remembered his words to me when the time came to decide on the movie.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Shona

As predicted, over the next two weeks my life shifted into “after-Owen” status. It was, quite simply, almost overwhelming how much he filled my life. His enthusiasm knew no bounds, he constantly followed me with a camera, and when he wasn’t with me, he was down by the banks of Loch Mirren.

He’d set up shop there, bringing with him a chair, a cooler, and an umbrella.

And he waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Until everyone in town became interested in his project, and soon, he had people passing by each day to have awee chat with him.

Some of which included personal tidbits about their own experience with the Kelpies through the years.

Many even agreed to be on film.

Agnes was fuming, but to her credit, she didn’t direct her fury my way. Which I appreciated, because I wasn’t sure how I’d react if she tried to push me to decide between Loren Brae and my heart. It was all getting muddled and mixed up in my head, but all I knew was that every day I was falling more deeply in love with Owen.

He’d extended his stay.

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