Page 56 of Surprises on the Scottish Isle

‘Not right to the top, but almost. Isn’t it magnificent!’

‘Hmm.’ Itwas, but Tara wasn’t sure she’d make it. They hadn’t gone far and she was already breathing heavily. The track was easy underfoot, but steep, and they were already a few hundred feet above sea level. The view behind, of Rona, Raasay and beyond, would have been enough for her. She didn’t need to see it from the top.

But neither did she want Cal to think she was a lightweight, so she kept plodding ever upwards. When the gradient ramped up so did Tara’s determination not to stop for a rest, despite her aching thighs and burning lungs.

‘We’ve picked a good day for it,’ Cal said, stopping and turning around.

Tara halted, grateful for the respite. The sky was cloudless, and the sea was painted navy, sapphire and cornflower. The horizon was grey and purple, the distant peaks reaching for the heavens. But the sunlight didn’t make the bare rocks above the path any more appealing, and she wondered how much further it would be.

‘What’s that down there?’ Tara asked, hoping to keep Cal talking for a few minutes more to enable her to catch her breath.

‘Loch Leathan. See that island in the middle? Legend has it that there was a castle on it in the mid-1600s, but there’s no evidence of it now.’

He began walking again and Tara reluctantly followed. As though sensing she was struggling, he held out a hand and she took it gratefully. After that, the hike didn’t seem quite as strenuous.

At least, not until the gravel path turned into a muddy, uneven, rocky scramble.

‘Take your time,’ Cal advised. ‘There’s no rush. We don’t want to risk a twisted ankle.’

It was like climbing up a staircase made out of large boulders set into the mountain, and Cal had to help her over more than a few. By now it wasn’t only her thighs that ached. Her ankles, calves, knees and the muscles in her behind were all shouting out for her to stop. Still Tara pushed on. Or should she saydragged, because Cal was more or less hauling her up the steep slope.

But at some point, it wasn’t the gradient that was stealing her breath, it was the sight of the vast basalt columns above them. They were so close she was convinced they were going to topple on her. And then she was amongst them, those rocky fingers reaching heavenwards, framing the stunning view.

She drank it in for a long time, awestruck and humbled, until the need for the promised coffee became too great.

Leading her a short distance from the path, Cal found a flattish rock for them to sit on and dished out their breakfast. Never had a BLT tasted so good, and she sighed with contentment as she washed the sandwich down with rich, strong coffee. What a place to eat it!

‘This even beats the view of the loch from my living room window,’ she declared, sipping the last of her coffee. ‘Thank you for bringing me.’

‘You did brilliantly.’

‘For someone who only walks to the pub and back?’

‘Exactly!’

‘I need to do more of this kind of thing. It makes you feel alive.’

‘I call it soul food. Being in nature, in the mountains, and with views like this, feeds your soul. I always feel calm and at peace afterwards.’

‘I can see why. I could stay up here all day.’

‘Me, too, but unfortunately I have to get to work.’

‘Work?’ Tara had forgotten about the studio. She’d forgotten she had commissions to fulfil and a workshop to plan. All that mattered right now was the mountain, the view, and the man she was with.

So she kissed him again.

This time it started slow and light, a mere meeting of the lips, the warmth of his mouth, the lingering but not unpleasant taste of coffee, then his arms came around her, crushing her to him and the kiss deepened.

Instantly Tara was transported back in time and place. She was twenty again, madly in love and the future held so much promise.

It could again, her inner voice whispered as his tongue found hers, and she thought she would like that very much.

It seemed to be a day for being breathless, because when the kiss finally ended, she was breathing almost as hard as she had on the hike up. Her heart pounded just as much and her legs felt equally as weak, she discovered, when she tried to stand. Cal had to steady her, which resulted in another kiss. It was lucky it was still early, and few people were on the mountain to witness it.

‘We’d better start making our way down,’ Cal said, ending the kiss far too soon for Tara’s liking. ‘We should be back at Duncoorie by nine thirty at the latest – just in time for you to open up. If that’s what you’re planning on doing today.’

Tara hadn’t planned on doing anything in particular after the hike, even though Cal had advised her that they would only be out for part of the morning. The thought of sitting at her bench making tiny sofas didn’t appeal when all she could think about was Cal.

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