Page 40 of The Castle in the Bay

She could embrace it, step out and throw her hands high, welcoming the force of nature. It would be more fun thanhanging about here. Scamp suddenly perked up like he’d read her mind. He darted out into the downpour, but instead of going towards the farm, he was heading back up the hill.

‘Scamp, come back! This way.’ Her voice was all but drowned by the sound of the rain. Scamp was already bounding up the hill, his tail wagging furiously. Iona squinted through the sheets of rain. Someone was running down the hill, and Scamp was jumping around the figure. Was it Ruaridh? He was always out running, rain or shine. But no, he’d already left for work. It must be one of the other guests. Maybe Shaun, the bloke she’d come back with last night. He’d definitely seemed the running type. In fact, usually he’d be her type for everything, but she wasn’t in the mood. He’d got a bit grumpy with her the night before when she’d refused him and she’d taken out her bad mood on Monty. Honestly, why couldn’t men handle the word no?

As the runner got closer, she realised it wasn’t Shaun.

It was Monty himself.

He was clad in running shorts and a t-shirt and was soaked through.

‘Over here!’ Iona shouted, waving at him.

Monty fought his way over, with Scamp jumping around him. He hesitated, taking off his completely rain-obscured glasses and fruitlessly wiping them on his soaked top. He put them back on and stepped under the shelter.

‘What are you doing out here in this?’ he asked.

‘Same as you by the look of things.’ She rubbed more water from her face.

He peered around the makeshift shelter. ‘Interesting place you’ve found here.’

‘I thought it would be better than trying to get all the way back, but it probably won’t make any difference. My feet are utterly swimming. Feels more like I’ve been surfing than running.’ She watched as he flapped his soaked t-shirt. His muscles movedunder the fabric. Ok, that was surprising. They were more defined than she’d expected. She looked away quickly.

‘Yeah, might be better to make a break for it.’ He scanned around. ‘I think it’s easing a little.’

‘It is.’

Monty leaned back against the rock and sighed, then slowly lowered his gaze to meet hers. ‘Is this where you lure unsuspecting men to kiss you in the rain?’

She folded her arms and cast him a look. ‘Is that supposed to be funny?’

He huffed out a laugh. ‘Not really.’

Maybe it had been his attempt at a joke. Laughing at their predicament seemed better than crying about it. ‘Well, if we’re going to be around for a bit, maybe we could—’

Monty turned to her, his eyes meeting hers with an intensity that made her breath catch.

‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘I don’t think so.’

Iona opened her mouth to reply but stopped herself. That wasn’t what she was going to say, but he’d said no and she knew to her cost how irritating it was when someone reacted badly to that word. ‘I wasn’t even going to say that.’ She looked away. ‘And I won’t be kissing you again unless you beg me,’ she mumbled.

‘Right.’

She clenched her jaw, not sure what was making her so grumpy. There was just something about him, and it made her say gruff stuff when she actually wanted to say the opposite. When they’d been boarding together and out on the boat, it had been fine… Then she’d kissed him, and everything had got weird. She didn’t seem able to think straight when she was around him.

The rain subsided, the sky lightening just enough to reveal the wet and very green landscape glistening with raindrops like gems. Iona shook out her hair and stepped out from under therocky overhang, shivering as the cool air hit her soaked skin. Monty followed, Scamp darting ahead, his fur drenched but his energy undampened.

They started walking back down the hill, the wet grass squelching under their shoes.

‘Listen, about that kiss. It was obviously a sore spot,’ she said. ‘I was only doing it to help you and now you’re mad at me.’

‘I’m not mad at you.’ Monty looked at her and raised an eyebrow. ‘If anyone’s getting angry about it, it’s you. You’re the one who’s been grumpy with me ever since.’

And wasn’t that the truth? ‘Yeah… Well…’

He sighed, running a hand through his wet hair. ‘Really, we should just forget about it.’

‘I already have,’ she lied.

‘Yeah… Me too.’ He looked as unconvinced as she felt. ‘Because at the end of the day, what are we to each other? Nothing.’

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