Page 45 of Wild Scottish Rose

“I like to be wined and dined first,” I told the woman, silently laughing as Shona bristled next to me. “I’m not a cheap date.”

“What if I bake for you? My sticky toffee pudding has charmed more than one man into my bed.”

“Catriona!” Shona exclaimed.

“The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” Catriona advised Shona, arching an eyebrow.

“She’s not wrong,” I assured Shona.

“Of course I’m not.” Catriona smirked.

“We’re looking for whatever bread you have that will go best with chutney,” I said, sensing Shona was ready to turn tail and leave. “And I’m fairly certain I’ll need several boxes of that shortbread of yours.”

“No problem. I’ll give you a focaccia and a baguette, that way you can toast some up if you want.”

“Perfect, thank you.” I paid Catriona and winked at her when she blew me a kiss goodbye as we walked away.

“You know where to find me.”

I laughed, charmed by her, and hooked Shona’s arm withmine.

“Shameless,” Shona muttered.

“Charming,” I countered. “And why not? She’s a beautiful woman.”

“She’s like over twice your age, Owen.” Shona slid a glance up at me.

“Doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate beauty,” I said, my eyebrows winging up when Shona glowered at me. “What? Don’t believe me? Women age like fine wine. Beauty comes in all packages, my sweet.”

“I honestly wasn’t expecting that from you.” The way Shona said that, as she bent to pick up a stack of bushels to take to the van, had me putting my back up.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just figured you for the fancy Hollywood type, I guess. I imagine a lot of perfect actresses throw themselves at you.”

I thought through her words as she walked away to put the baskets in the van. I couldn’t say it stung, but I also wasn’t partial to her thinking that I had a rotating door of beautiful actresses visiting my trailer on set.

“Shona,” I said, when she returned from the van, the wind lifting a strand of her hair and whipping it across her face. I nudged it back, winding the silken piece around my finger, and tugged lightly until her eyes met mine. “I’m not your typical Hollywood type. It’s why I don’t live there. I find artifice off-putting.”

“I’m sorry,” Shona said immediately, a guilty expression on her face. “I shouldn’t assume these things.”

“You’re not necessarily wrong,” I told her. “A lot of Hollywood is solely focused on image. But I’m not. I like real people, and I think everyone can be beautiful.”

Shona sighed.

“Damn it, Owen. You’re making it really hard not to like you.”

I beamed.

“Come on, let’s go give Eugene his toy. I want to see if he likes it.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Shona

Of courseEugene loved the hedgie toy. How could he not? I’d yet to see anyone who didn’t topple under the weight of Owen’s easy charm.

“Look at the little guy go!” Owen exclaimed, laughing as Eugene did laps around the greenhouse, pouncing repeatedly on the mini stuffed hedgehog. “I think he likes it.”

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