Page 43 of Highland Hearts Holiday Bookshop

“He was worse off out there. Couldn’t swim, couldn’t fly. He wouldn’t have made it.”

“What does the vet say?”

“Something clipped his wing. Hard to say what, but in rare cases the feathers will grow back. He doesn’t seem to think this will be the case.”

“Aw, buddy.” I frowned at the puffin currently devouring the fish I gave him. “What will happen to him?”

“If he can’t fly on his own, I’ll keep him.”

“Here? In this?” I couldn’t imagine that was a great life for a puffin.

“I’m building him an outdoor play park of sorts,” Alexander admitted, and I glanced up at him, admiration growing for this man who would take time out of his busy schedule to build an entire enclosure for a puffin.

“Is that right?” Our eyes held, his face was not far from mine. “Isn’t that a lot of work?”

“If he’s going to stay here, he’ll need a proper home. He can’t live in this forever, and that’s no way to live.”

“So what will the play park be like?”

“I hope to have it combine as many natural elements as possible, like the salt water, grasses, rocky nooks wherethey like to burrow. But also lightly fenced to protect him from any predators.”

“And that’s it? You’ll just have a puffin named Tattie? Living in your backyard? How long do they live?”

“I think like twenty years or so.”

“That’s a huge undertaking.”

Alexander just shrugged a shoulder.

“The wee lad needed a chance.”

“Will he be lonely?” I asked, plucking more fish from the dish and passing it to an eager Tattie.

“It’s better to be alone than unhappy, don’t you think?”

I realized we were talking about much more than a puffin. I chose my words carefully as I stayed focused on the little bird who clamored for more fish.

“But if he never leaves, and never gets a chance to get out there again, how will he know if he could be happy again?”

“He doesn’t. But maybe he’s young enough to not know what he’s missing yet. Puffins mate for life, you know. He’s just old enough to mate, so he likely doesn’t have anyone missing him.”

“They mate for life?” At that, I glanced between the bird and Alexander. Would these two end up growing old together? Being each other’s stand-in mates so to speak because life had dealt them a tough blow?

“Aye. They’ll go to sea for months at a time, but somehow always return to each other.”

“The heart knows,” I whispered, my eyes catching on Alexander’s.

The moment hung, another silence where we stared into each other’s eyes, until the puffin broke it by letting out a long low call that sounded like a man chuckling at a joke.

“Oh my God!” I exclaimed, looking down at Tattie. “Listen to you. Who is just the cutest, best puffin in the world? That was just the most adorable sound, wasn’t it?”

Tattie seemed to agree with me, because he did it again, sidling back and forth in front of his door and preening.

“I think he’s showing off for you.”

“You’re the most handsome ‘lad’ in all the land,” I promised theweepuffin and gave him more fish.Look at me using Scottish words.

“I used to think it was easier to be alone. Easier to avoid maintaining friendships, that kind of thing,” I said. “But now I’m not so sure.”

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