Page 66 of Wild Scottish Fortune

“Oh man, he’s good, isn’t he?” Orla gaped down at him, her resolve wavering.

“He is. I don’t think I have the willpower to hold out.” I reached for a piece of chicken and Harris, ever the gentleman, took it delicately from my fingers before wandering across the yard to eat it in a far corner. “Huh, look at that. I thought he’d scarf it down.”

“Nope.” Orla’s expression was just a touch sad. “He’s protecting it. And likely savoring every bite of it since he doesn’t get chicken often. It’s a prize for him, you ken?”

“Aye.” But I wasn’t looking at Harris, I was looking at Orla, my heart breaking for the young girl that nobody had been able to provide the most basic of things for. She glanced at me and shook her head, and then smiled.That smile.It was one of the many reasons I could see myself falling for this woman.

“Tell me how you started working for Munroe.”

“Well, it started with a pool game…” For the rest of the lunch, I kept things light, regaling her with tales of my university days with Munroe, all while making sure she had more than enough to eat. By the time she’d pronounced herself full, we’d made good headway through the food. I packed the rest away after giving one more slice of chicken to a delighted Harris.

“We’d best get on. Not only have you earned your prize, but we need to take this handsome fellow back to the shelter before they close for the day.”

Orla’s face fell, and I knew she was thinking about Harris having to return to the shelter. There was nothing that I could say to make it better, as I didn’t have an answer for this problem.

Yet.

We packed up the picnic, and I helped Harris into Orla’s truck since I knew he didn’t want to be separated from her. Promising to follow me to the surprise, Orla waited while I backed my truck up with a wave goodbye to Shona. My stomach jittered with nerves, but at the same time, I was excited. This decision hadn’t come lightly to me,but I hoped the choice I had made would show Orla that I was in this for the long haul. She needed to be shown that people didn’tonlylet her down.

But in all honesty, I wasn’t just doing this for Orla. I was hopeful for a future with her, but I also realized that this was something that I needed too. A fresh start, a new beginning, and putting down roots in a place that was beginning to feel like home to me.

I followed the road that hugged Loch Mirren, perfect cotton ball clouds reflected in her waters, sunlight bathing the rolling green hills in a warm glow. When I saw it like this, picture-perfect on a Saturday afternoon, it was hard to imagine the shrieks that split the night came from the loch’s haunted depths. I’d heard them myself, hadn’t I? We all had. The crew didn’t speak of it, but after careful questioning, Munroe had opened up to me about the Kelpies. A known issue in Loren Brae, and one they were secretly trying to combat to help the village from dying off from people moving away out of fear. He hadn’t exactly elaborated on how they planned to combat the Kelpies, but our conversation had been cut short by a meeting about delays in supplies. Still, this hadn’t deterred me from my decision. If everyone else was staying to fight the Kelpies well, hell, so was I. Even if I had no clue what that meant. Maybe this was my own way of showing up for myfoundfamily—Munroe, Common Gin, the crew, and Orla—even if they didn’t know I considered them such. The more I stuck around and ingratiated myself to everyone, the more I’d build a new future for myself here.

Humming, I put my indicator on and turned off the main road and down a small lane within walkingdistance of the little downtown stores. I drove a minute before pulling to a stop in front of a charming three-bedroom stone cottage with a walled back garden and cheerful flower boxes under the front windows. The door was painted bright red, and the flowers in the boxes matched the hue. I’d have to ask Shona what kind of flowers they were if I had any hope of keeping them alive. Getting out of the truck, I smiled at Orla as she pulled to a stop and hopped out, Harris at her heels.

“What’s this? Are you taking me to bid on a new project? On my day off?” Orla shook her head sadly at me and I laughed.

“Not quite. I’m not so cruel as to force you to work on a date. Come on then, have a look.”

“But what am I looking at?” Orla squinted up at me as I dug the keys out and unlocked the front door, a little hum of excitement going through me as we stepped over the threshold.

Would she be happy here?

It was my first thought when I’d seen the place, and one that I hadn’t been able to shake every time I’d gone back. Even this morning, when I’d signed on the final papers, making this cottage my new home, I couldn’t help but wonder if Orla would like it. Even if she never moved in here, I wanted her to feel safe in my home. Maybe one day our home.

I almost rolled my eyes at my thoughts. I’d only ever kissed the woman and here I was imagining living together? It made sense now, how Munroe had fallen so fast. I’d teased him about it at the time, before I’d met Lia, but now I was beginning to understand. When you knew, you knew.And I knew it was Orla. Whether she was ready to see it or not was an entirely different matter.

“Welcome to my new home.”

Orla’s mouth dropped open and she pivoted, gaping at the space.

“Fin! You didn’t. Did you really buy a house here?”

“I did.”

“But why? I thought you were only here for the buildout. This seems extravagant. Even for you.”

That rankled.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know…being posh and whatnot.” Orla waved a hand in the air, her eyes still taking in the house.

“I may be posh, but I’m not stupid with my money.”

At my tone, Orla turned, and she must have caught something in my expression because her body tensed, and her shoulders went back. It was as though she was bracing herself for a fight, and I realized that in the past, she’d likely had to protect herself in more ways than one. Even though I was annoyed, I understood that I would need to reassure Orla in ways that maybe I didn’t have to with other people that didn’t come from a place of trauma. I’d read about this, and now I was witnessing her response in real time.

“I’m sorry,” Orla said, taking a step back.

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