Page 119 of Scotch on the Rocks

“No. I may not always look it but I’m a gentleman.”

And they said romance was dead. “You still have time to ask her,” I pointed out, doing my best not to smile as he checked his reflection in the door’s glass, smoothing his unruly hair.

“Yer trying to distract me.” He turned back to me. “What’s really going on? Did that Macabe lad hurt yer?”

“Callum? Of course not.” The opposite was true, in fact. When I was with Callum, I felt strong enough to do anything. Only when he was gone did the problems occur. If he hadn’t been called away last night, I definitely wouldn’t have run headlong into a bog. He’d have collected the humane trap from the practice and, like the problem fixer he was, Shakespeare would be safely at home, ruling over her domain.

He would have fixed it all … like he fixed everything. Did I want him to fix everything? Did I want to rely upon another man so much that I’d be left broken without him?

Callum said he loved me, and I trusted he meant it. One of my first observations of him had been his staunch honesty. It had made me uncomfortable back then, but now … I knew there was little life in a relationship that didn’t value honesty.

Callum loved me. But could I trust that he loved me enough to stay forever? To hold my hand through this messy life – the good, the bad and everything in between? Because life hurt.

It’s all pain in the end, wee one, might as well make the journey worth it. Is that what Alexander had meant? That love was supposed to devastate?

Look at April and Mal, content to enjoy every moment together, knowing April’s job would always pull them apartfor months at a time. Love played only a small part when a relationship was built on such unstable ground. It would takeeverything.

“If he dinnae upset yer, why are yer crying?” Hank asked.

Because I love him so much it scares me.

Maybe it was the cold or the lack of sleep, but my emotions felt like the inside of a sewing box, a snarl of needles and threads of every colour. If you pulled on one, they would all tangle into a single jumbled knot.

All I could offer was a very wet, “I lost my cat.”

“You meanthatcat?”

My head snapped up, precisely as a pitiful yowl tore through the air. “Shakespeare?” Whipping around just in time to see her bounding from a hedge as though her tail were on fire, I crouched and opened my arms. No time to worry over her possible rejection. She was already in them, dry leaves and moss falling from her fur.

Her yowl became accusing, head butting my chin.This was all your fault, her yellow eyes seemed to say.

I held her tighter. “Don’t do that again.”

She purred and it felt like a suitable agreement.

Watching us, Hank wrinkled his nose. “I’ll leave yer to it.”

“Remember my advice,” I called over Shakespeare’s head.

“There was some advice between all that weeping?” But he smiled and I knew I’d won him around.

Phone in one hand, I slipped my keys into my back pocket and checked the lock on the cottage door. Giving it an extra rattle just to be safe.

After I’d settled Shakespeare safely inside, she’d demanded two full bowls of food, swallowed them down like she hadn’t eaten for a year, squished her body into themound of sofa cushions and promptly fallen asleep, where she was sure to remain for the rest of the day.

Hurriedly flicking through Callum’s essay of texts, I rushed around the side of the inn to my car.

Remember to call if you need me.

Any sign of her?

I’m starting to feel like a stalker, sweetheart.

Apparently I can’t take a hint, let me know if you’re all right. Please.

And there, sent at six a.m.You’re living up to your nickname again, harpy. I hope for your sake you’ve been tucked up, sound asleep in bed all night, because you won’t be getting any later. I think it’s about time I tied you up. Fair’s fair.

Heat curled in my lower belly and I picked up my pace. It was almost seven and I was eager to get to the Minor Injuries unit in Portree. Get tohim. I didn’t want to make things worse between him and Alistair, so I’d wait outside and then, once his dad was on the mend, we could talk to Alistair together and find the path of least awkwardness.

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