Page 71 of Surprises on the Scottish Isle

He stepped inside. ‘That’s a pity. I’ll just have to eat your lunch as well.’ He held aloft a couple of covered plates.

Tara’s eyes widened and her tummy rumbled at the sight of what was on them.

‘Roast vegetable, tomato and lentil bake,’ he said, ‘with new potatoes and caramelised onion sauce. No? Shall I take it away?’

‘Don’t you dare!’ she cried, and when he produced two cans of chilled ginger beer from his jacket pocket, she could have kissed him. She would have if they’d had the barn to themselves, but the other crafters were in and out like fiddler’s elbows, so she settled for devouring her food instead.

Cal pulled some cutlery from another pocket, and Tara dived in. Teaching kids to make cardboard houses was hungry work.

After they’d eaten, Cal even helped her tidy the workroom, but he left her to set up the afternoon session on her own because they were beginning to attract curious glances, especially from Giselle, the woman who made sea glass pictures.

By the end of the second session, Tara was exhausted, and she had a newfound respect for teachers. It had given her confidence though, and she felt more assured that she would be able to deliver the adult workshops when the time came.

Wearily, she packed up the tools and unused materials, made sure she left the workshop as pristine as she had found it, dumped everything in the studio, and headed home for a shower and a relaxing evening with the man she loved.

The following week was somewhat quieter, much to Tara’s relief. Withthe junior craft sessions out of the way, she was able to turn herattention to fulfilling her online orders, making new stock for the giftshop, getting to grips with a new commission and finishing Bonnie’sdoll’s house. It was almost done, but it wasn’t quite there yet. All thefurniture was in place, but there were lots of little details yet to beadded, and Tara was quietly thankful that Yvaine’s house was sominimalist, because it was this attention to detail that took thetime.

Along with a return to normality in her professional life, Tara’s private life had also settled down in that Bonnie’s grandparents had returned and were looking after her during the day once more. Tara missed seeing the little girl around the place, but it meant she could crack on with completing her house without fear of discovery. To top it all off, Jinny had emailed Tara last week’s sales figures, and they were the best yet. Mhairi and Cal were also privy to those figures, so when Cal popped into the studio to congratulate her, Tara was on top of the world.

‘I feel we should celebrate,’ Calan said. ‘Would you like to go out for a meal?’

Tara thought for a moment, then grinned. ‘I’d prefer a picnic.’ The weather, fickle as usual, was lovely today, sunny and warm.

‘Where do you want to go?’

‘Out in the boat.’ She gave him a mischievous look, and Cal’s lips twitched.

‘I think I can arrange that. I know a nice little spot on the opposite side, where we won’t be disturbed.’

‘I did just mean a picnic,’ she warned.

‘Spoilsport. I was hoping for a repeat of some outdoor loving.’

‘I prefer your nice comfy bed.’

‘In that case, are you sure you want to bother going all the way to the other side? We could tie the skiff to the jetty and have our picnic there instead. It’ll save me having to do all that rowing.’

‘Watching you row is the best bit,’ she said cheekily.

‘Oh, well, in that case I won’t deny you the chance to ogle my rippling muscles, my firm thighs, my—’ Tara poked out her tongue, and Cal chuckled. ‘If you want to have a picnic on the other side of the loch, then that’s what we’ll do,’ he promised.

‘There’s also something else I want to do,’ she said, smirking when his face lit up, knowing what he was thinking and that she was about to burst his bubble. ‘Will you teach me to fish?’

As she predicted, his face fell. ‘You want to learn to fishthis evening?’

‘I do. We can’t spend all our time in bed.’

‘Why not?’ Cal seemed genuinely puzzled.

‘Because we’ll get bored of that eventually.’

‘I promise you I won’t,’ he replied earnestly, making her giggle.

‘We need to have some interests beyond the bedroom,’ Tara insisted.

She was serious. Cal was a man who loved the great outdoors. Tara, by way of necessity, spent most of her time indoors. She wanted to experience more of his world, to join him in it wherever possible. Besides, the exercise would do her good, and Skye was such a stunningly dramatic island it was a shame not to enjoy its natural beauty. A nice pootle across the loch, a spot of fishing, an open-air supper, and another pootle back sounded idyllic, especially if it was followed by some additional exercise under the covers. A perfect end to a perfect day.

‘You do it like this,’ Cal said, and Tara watched carefully as heshowed her how to attach the lure to the line. He passed a rod to her.‘Your turn.’

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