Page 47 of Surprises on the Scottish Isle

‘Actually, I haven’t.’ Tara replied.

‘A dolphin?’

Tara shook her head.

‘Would you like to?’

‘I would, but perhaps not today.’

‘Please come. It’ll be fun.’

‘Yes, come,’ Cal chimed in. ‘You’ll enjoy it, although there’s no guarantee that any whales or dolphins will put in an appearance.’

Tara wasn’t sure. She didn’t want Cal to feel obliged to back up Bonnie’s impromptu invitation. ‘I’ve got to finish this,’ she said, indicating the partly decorated funeral parlour.

‘If I promise to help, will you come?’ Bonnie stared at her hopefully. ‘Dad says that all work and no play makes Jack stupid.’

‘Dull,’ Cal laughed. ‘It makes him a dull boy, meaning he’s boring because he works all the time and doesn’t enjoy himself.’

‘You don’t want to be boring, Tara,’ Bonnie told her solemnly.

‘No, you don’t.’ Cal twinkled at her, and Tara blushed.

‘If you’re sure,’ she hedged. ‘I don’t want to impinge on your time with Bonnie.’

‘You won’t,’ he assured her. ‘Pick you up in half an hour? Wear something warm. It can get blustery out there.’

Cal was pleased to see that Tara had heeded his advice. She was wearing a padded jacket, and also had a knitted hat in her hand and a sturdy pair of boots on her feet. She smiled uncertainly, and he hoped she hadn’t felt railroaded into accompanying them, despite saying she would be happy to go out on the loch in the skiff.

Bonnie kept up a steady stream of chatter from the back seat on the short drive along the loch to Mack’s place, leaving Cal free to wonder what the hell he was doing. Cooking a meal for Tara the other evening was a step beyond having a professional and friendly working relationship with her. It had bordered on being intimate. And now he was taking her on a boat trip? Thank goodness for Bonnie. She would hopefully act as a buffer between them. However, if it wasn’t for Bonnie, Tara wouldn’t have been accompanying them in the first place.

Cal spied Mack as soon as he pulled into the parking area. He was on the boat, dressed in his customary shorts and T-shirt. He rarely wore anything different. The man didn’t seem to feel the cold and was impervious to rain.

‘Cal.’ Mack grinned as Cal approached and held out his hand. He chucked Bonnie under the chin, then turned his curious gaze on Tara. ‘Who’s this?’

‘Tara Sh— McTaigh. She’s just moved to Skye.’

Mack offered her his hand to shake, speculation in his eyes as he glanced at Cal, then back to Tara. Cal also saw something else in his friend’s eyes – appreciation and interest.

It ruffled Cal’s feathers.

No doubt Mack would ask him about her as soon as he managed to get him on his own. What should he tell him?Back off, because I loved her once and I’m pretty sure I still do? Or should he tell Mack to go for it, because there was next to no chance of him and Tara picking up where they left off? But the thought of her being with someone else, especially a mate, was unimaginable. Then it struck him that he might have to get used to it. Although Tara hadn’t long come out of a marriage, she was young, incredibly attractive and a lovely person, and sooner or later she would want to start dating again.

A knife twisted in his gut, sending a dart of pain right through him. If only he had told her about his father and the promise he’d made, things might have been so very different. They might have got married, and Bonnie might have beentheirdaughter—

‘Dad, why are you frowning?’ Bonnie was wearing a frown herself as she stared at him.

‘I didn’t realise I was.’

‘Are you cross?’

‘Not at all. Shall we go onboard and sit down?’

Bonnie wanted to sit as near to the prow as she could get without being in the cabin, and Cal placed himself immediately behind her, so he could grab her if he needed to. Tara sat on his other side.

Tara was forced to shuffle closer as the boat filled up with passengers, and he became conscious of her thigh touching his and her arm pressing against his shoulder. It seemed only natural to drape his arm along the gunwale to allow her more room. His hand itched to curl around her shoulder and pull her close, but he resisted the urge. Touching her more than this would be too much to cope with, and being this close to her was already sending his pulse into overdrive.

After Mack and his crew cast off and the boat had chugged away from its mooring, Mack launched into his usual spiel, informing people of the area’s geology and history and what wildlife they might see.

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