Page 60 of Wild Scottish Rose

“Och, come on, Agnes. It was nothing.”

“It certainly was not nothing,” Agnes seethed. “Here I come in for my after-work glass of wine and next thing I know I’ve got my arms full of a crying woman, broken-hearted over this one’s rejection.”

“In fairness, she’d come in well past tipsy, and I refused to serve her,” Graham explained.

“At which point she mentioned that you slept with her and snuck out of her house in the middle of the night.” Agnes arched a brow at Graham, and his scowl deepened.

“That’s not very nice,” Owen observed and Graham slid him a glass of water.

“Not that you’ll believe me, but I told her that I couldn’t stay the night as I had an early morning appointment the next day. And we both knew the score. She wasjust using me to feel good about herself after her breakup.”

“And you? What were you using her for?”

Graham leveled Agnes a look that had my own insides heating.

“Distraction.”

Agnes rolled her eyes, but I couldn’t help but catch a hint of longing flash through her eyes.

“When was this?”

“Yesterday,” Agnes bit out.

“You had a one-night stand yesterday?”

“No, it was like two years ago.” Graham sighed. “It’s hardly my fault the lass has a long memory, is it? Can I get you ladies anything?”

I looked down at the beaming Owen and smiled.

“Glass of cab for me, please.”

“Same,” Agnes said, turning to skewer Lachlan with a look. “What did you do to the poor lad?”

“He came to the castle. Asked some questions we weren’t ready to answer. Needed to see what the lad was made of first,” Archie said.

“Or you just wanted to get him pissed and throw him off track,” Agnes said, sighing and resting her head in her hands.

“Shona won’t let me plow her field,” Owen announced, and my cheeks heated.

“Is that right? I didn’t take you for a prude, Shona.” Graham grinned at me as he passed me my glass of wine, and I took a slurping gulp to cover my embarrassment.

“She’s not. It’s a … a gardening pun. I want to make her bloom for me. Like those pretty flowers,” Owen insisted.

Agnes mock fanned her face.

“Och, Shona. Why won’t you bloom for this fine gentleman?” Lachlan leaned in, and I glared at him.

“Oh, so now he’s a fine gentleman? You’ve gone and gotten him pissed, so now that’s enough for you to like him?” I asked.

“It’s what men do,” Owen insisted, looking up at me. “They didn’t like me asking about the Kelpies, but I think they’re warming up to me.”

I met Archie’s eyes. He shrugged.

“The lad’s got the gist of it.”

“Is that true? You’re warming up to him?” I looked to Lachlan. He’d always been the unofficial mayor of this town, leading tours at MacAlpine, and Sophie was his partner. Most of us, I believed, would follow his lead.

“I mean, he’s worked with Ewan McGregor,” Lachlan explained as if that said all I needed to know.

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