Page 52 of Refuge for Ailsa

“Oh, my. That sounds beautiful. Does it have some land?”

“It does. About fifty acres.”

“Oh, my, Magnus! He has fifty acres! Plannin’ a garden, are ye?”

“Absolutely. I like things like that. I’m a conservation officer.”

Magnus finally chimed in. “So Ailsa has told us! You have a truck you work from?”

“Yes, sir. Almost brand new. They keep us in good equipment and we have great training.”

“Do you have a college degree?”

“Yes, sir. I have a degree in environmental sustainability and I went to the law enforcement academy in Richmond.”

“So how are you different from a regular police officer or deputy?”

Tavish loved explaining his job. Sure, most of it wasn’t glamorous, but he was still proud to be doing a job he considered important to the community and the state at large. It took him a few minutes, and he finished with, “And I’m working with Boyle, Mercer, and Garrard counties on the master reservoir project.”

“I heard about that. That’s pretty impressive,” Donovan said.

“I think I’m only one of two officers in this region who has a degree in some kind of environmental management, so they tapped me and RobinPeppers for the project. She has a degree in conservation management.”

Maeve was beaming. “It sounds like a very important job.”

“It is if everyone in these counties and around us wants to have clean water to drink. If we don’t act quickly, we’re going to have water quality issues, and that’s no good for anybody.”

“Indeed. What about your parents, Tavish? What do they do?”

It had been a nice afternoon. Why did he have to talk about them? Or even think about them? “My dad’s retired from Coast-to-Coast Trucking out west of town, and my mom works at a daycare.”She loves other people’s kids more than she ever loved me, he thought, trying to tamp down the hurt and pain.

Maeve reached over and patted his hand. “I’m sure they’re very proud of ye.”

What was he supposed to say to that? “Yeah, I guess.”

“Well, they should be! Their son is an important person here, tryin’ to keep us all safe and everthin’. I’m proud to know ye.”

“Thank you, Mrs.MacDougal. I appreciate that.”

“It’s just Maeve to you, laddie.”

“And everybody just calls me Tav.”

“Everybody but me,” Maureen said with a snicker. “I’ve got a whole arsenal of names for you.” Every person at the table was laughing, and Tavish felt good about being there. They’d been nothing but kind and warm to him. From time to time, he’d catch Ailsa’s eye and she’d smile at him. It seemed she thought he was doing a pretty good job.

When dinner was over, Tavish offered to help clean up, but the women shooed him from the kitchen. He knew why, and it had nothing to do with a woman’s place in the home. They wanted to talk about the men. He knew how they were, and he thought it was funny.

Magnus pointed to the back door. “You boys come on out on the back porch.”

“I’ll be out in a while. I want to pack a few things while I have a chance,” Donovan said. He and Maureen had decided they’d get an apartment in town, but they were moving just a little at a time in order to give their parents time to adjust to the idea. Neither family was fond of the idea of them “living in sin,” but they were grownups. They could do as they pleased.

Tavish sat down in one of the gliders on the back porch just as Magnus came through the door with another beer apiece. “You really like this?” Magnus asked.

“Yeah, I do. Most homemade brews are really hoppy, but this one isn’t. It’s smooth and has a good flavor. Not too sweet, not bitter. I like it a lot.”

Magnus nodded and took a swig. Then he set the bottle on a small side table and spread his arms out across the back of the glider he was sitting in. “You in love with my daughter?”

Tavish had to give it to him?the man didn’t pussyfoot around. “Yes, sir, I am.”

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