Page 33 of Madly Deeply

Spreag felt a chill slide through his soul.

"It's not right, keeping her tied to a ghost." Callum continued. "She needs to live. To love again. To be held by someone witharms." He held out his own arms to demonstrate, then grabbed his knees again to steady himself. "I see how she looks sometimes, when she thinks no one's watching. Like she's listening to someone who isn't there. Talking to empty air, poor wee thing."

The door opened and Alexandra stepped outside. "I came back for my phone. You shouldn't be in the sun..." She noticed Spreag and froze. "What's going on?"

"He can't see me," Spreag said quickly. "His gummies are still goin' strong."

Fraser jumped to his feet and straightened, then winced. "I'm tellin' yer man it's time to give ye up."

Spreag expected her to laugh, but instead, Alexandra stared at Fraser as if he were a stranger in her garden. Then she pulled those sweet lips between her teeth for a long moment, which meant she was gatherin' her courage.

If he could, he would have warned Fraser to go for a quick walk. But the farmer wasn't as oblivious as he seemed. At least he held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, as if sensing the coming storm.

"Alexandra. Love. Forgive me. Ye cannae hold against me anythin' I say with this candy in m' bloodstream. I'm aff m' heid."

"Callum," she said calmly, "I think you're ready to move back home. I'll come apply your cream twice a day, which you can't do on your own, but if you're down to Tylenol, you don't need to be babysat, right?" She didn't wait for an answer and backed away. "I'll pick you up some groceries and bring them over in a while."

The order was clear. Be gone by the time I get back.

Once she was gone, Fraser sat on the bench once more and the two of them stared into the abyss. In the end, it was Fraser who broke the silence.

"Buck up, old man," he said, though Spreag didn't know if he was addressing himself or the ghost who'd witnessed his eviction. "She needed a shock, aye? Best that her mind is movin' in the right direction. A wee setback, that's all."

He stood with a purpose and headed into the house, presumably to gather the clothing and things that had migratedacross the property line. But just before closing the door, he looked back at the garden.

"Ye can go anytime ye're ready and know that she'll be in good hands."

Spreag laughed when the door snapped closed, as if the big Scot believed he would just accept his marching orders.

Good hands? "We'll just see about that."

It was time to test Callum Fraser's mettle…

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Alexandra felt awkward knocking on Callum’s door that night. She'd left groceries on his doorstep earlier, then sent him a text to tell him so she didn't have to resume their earlier conversation, but facing him was inevitable. He had to have his cream applied regularly or he risked infection. And though her feelings were sore, she wasn't petty enough to want him harmed.

He answered the door fully clothed. The tips of his curls were wet. "Good evenin', Alexandra." He draped his hand over the top of the door, in no hurry to let her in.

"Hi. Are you ready?"

"Ready to take my med'cine? Aye, I am that." He hung his head sheepishly. "I apologize for any insult--"

"Don't be silly. You don't need to apologize. We'll just forget it, okay? You wanna let me in?"

"Aye." He stared into her eyes until she looked away, then he finally stepped back and opened the door wider, then wider still. "I assume ye're not alone."

She stopped in her tracks. "Callum." She said it like a warning.

"Sorry again," he said, then waved her out of the way so he could shut the door. "I'm havin' a hard time remembering the last conversation. I must have been a boor to make ye shoo me oot o' yer hoose like ye did."

She was sure he remembered every word. And now, he was playing some sort of game, and she didn't intend to play along.

"Not really. I just realized you were ready to be on your own again, that's all. I wouldn't want to hold you back, you know? Presumably the worst is over, pain wise. And your back is healing. It looks like hell, but the moisture is almost gone."

"Won't feel like a frog much longer, eh?"

"Exactly. Just don't forget your follow up appointment...if you're still in town in another week."

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