Page 18 of Wild Scottish Rose

“There’s this island in the middle of the loch, and I had a thought to paddle there, get out, take some pictures of the village from a different vantage point. It looked easy enough to get to, and from what I could tell I should have been able to pull my canoe up on the small beach. So I went that way. Even though?—”

“Even though what?”

“Now that I think about it, the boat guy did tell me to stay away from the island. He was pretty emphatic about it. Which is likely why I went that way. You know how I am when people tell me what to do.”

I made a note to interview the man at the boat rental place on the Notes app in my phone.

“I do. You’re stubborn.”

“I am. Plus, I couldn’t see any reason he was warning me away. No currents, no bad weather, nothing.”

“And yet, here you are.” I nodded to the stitches on his face, and Ryan gave me a sheepish look.

“Right, so I get close, and then it was just like…a blur of fricking water and movement and, I swear to God, I saw a huge horse rise out of the water. I think it was a horse.”

“A what now?” I coughed, covering my mouth with my fist. “Did you say a horse walked out of the water?”

“Nope. Not ahorsehorse. Like a horse made of water.”

“I’m trying here, Ryan. But I’m struggling.” Maybe he had hit his head harder than anyone realized.

“The water took the shape of a massive horse, it charged me, and knocked me out of the damn canoe.” Ryan lifted his chin, and his expression took on a mulish look I knew quite well because I often wore the same.

“Did you see anything else? Any other details that you can add?” I stayed in interview mode, offering no other feedback.

“I feel like maybe a soft glow of light? On the island. A glimmering of something? But it happened so fast, Owen. Like, I don’t even know. Calm water then, boom! Water horse stampeding at my face. Oh, and it shrieked. That was it. That is what caused me to freak out and try to get away. The shrieking. It was like…I don’t know. Made my blood cold, you know?”

“I don’t, but I’ll take your word for it. What happened next?”

“The horse hit me. Felt like being hit by a truck. I went flying, and the next thing I know is I’m in a boat with some people around me. After that, I woke up here.”

“You’re damn lucky.” I let out a sigh, and pressed my lips together, letting my thoughts assemble. “You realize this sounds crazy, right?”

“No doubt about it. I’d say the same if I was sitting where you are.”

“I’m going to have to investigate this, aren’t I?” A grin rose on Ryan’s face.

“I expect nothing less from you, man. If anyone can figure out what’s going on here, you can.”

“I booked the cottage for a whole month. Sure, you don’t want to stay on?”

“Can’t. Mom’s already up in arms about evacuating me, like we’re in some third-world country.”

“But she’s willing to stay in Edinburgh for a few days?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Apparently, that city is civilized enough for her.” Ryan chuckled, shaking his head, and I did the same. “One bad road trip, and she refuses to stay in small towns anymore.”

“I’ll order my camera equipment in. I already have a few people I can talk to, starting with your boat rental company.”

“For sure. They clearly know something as they warned me away.”

“Either way, I think this is going to be an interesting stay. So much for taking a break.” I gave Ryan a wolfish grin, and he laughed. My mind whirled. Was it possible that there really was a Loch Ness Monster of sorts hiding in Loren Brae? I needed to do some digging.

“You and I both know you’re shit at taking breaks. Might as well do something interesting while you’re here. Find out what did this to me, Owen. I’ll owe you.”

“On it, brother.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

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