Page 83 of Surprises on the Scottish Isle

‘That’s why I’m leaving.’

Jinny’s eyes widened. ‘You’renot?! I thought you loved it here?’

‘I do. But I can’t stay, knowing I could bump into him at any moment. This castle ain’t big enough for the both of us.’ Her attempt at an American accent was pathetic, and her oblique reference to the song seemed to pass her friend by.

‘It is,’ Jinny insisted. ‘He doesn’t have much to do with the crafters on a daily basis, and once you move out of the boathouse and into a place of your own, the chance of bumping into him goes down a lot.’

Tara was shaking her head. ‘I’ve got to. I can’t stay here.’

‘Where will you go?’

‘My mum and stepdad have a caravan park on the Isle of Wight. I’ll stay there for a while, until I sort myself out.’

‘What does Mhairi say? I’m assuming you’ve told her.’

‘She knows I want to leave.’

‘She’ll be sorry to see you go. And so will I.’ Jinny got to her feet and held out her arms. ‘Come here, hen, let me give you a hug.’

Tara rose jerkily from her stool and accepted the hug gratefully, even though it made her cry again. Leaving Duncoorie would be a wrench. She loved it here – the castle, the craft centre, the friends she’d made – but her decision was final. This was her last day. In the morning, she would get up early and go.

She’d debated whether to leave today, because not only had she completed the commission, she’d made loads of miniatures for the gift shop and she’d also finalised Bonnie’s doll’s house. Once the commission had been collected by the parcel service, all that was left to do was to pack away any of the remaining bits and pieces that weren’t already in boxes and load them into the car.

But the journey would take fourteen hours or more, and that was without breaks. Driving on unfamiliar roads in the dark didn’t appeal, so she would spend one more night in the boathouse, where she would try to get a couple of hours sleep, then leave at first light.

Besides, she didn’t want anyone to witness her departure. She simply couldn’t face saying goodbye to anyone else.

Tara read through the letter she’d written, folded it, then slippedit inside an envelope. It was addressed to Mhairi. The castle’s ownerhad been so kind and Tara felt dreadful about sneaking away, but shehoped the old lady would understand. She’d also considered leaving anote for Bonnie, but in the end had decided against it. The doll’s housesitting on the table in the boathouse would suffice. She propped theletter against it, guessing it would probably be Cal who found it.

She left nothing for him. All their words had been said. Tara didn’t have any more, and if Cal did, she didn’t want to hear them.

Edgy and strung out now that there was nothing left to do, she roamed restlessly around the boathouse, running her hand over the worktops, stroking the arm of the chair, and committing everything to memory. She wanted to go for a walk but was scared of running into Cal or Bonnie. Or both.

Hoping she hadn’t forgotten anything important, she wandered into the bedroom, checking the wardrobe and drawers yet again.

They were empty apart from the clothes she’d wear tomorrow, and she was about to leave when movement outside attracted her attention.

Cal had emerged from his cottage, Bonnie behind him.

Her heart leapt, banging uncomfortably against her ribcage, and her eyes filled with tears. Would she ever stop crying over this man?

There was a defeated slump to his shoulders, she thought, watching him walk to the Range Rover and supervise his daughter as Bonnie got in and buckled up. She wished she could see his face clearly, but the distance was a little too far.

As he waited, he lifted his head and stared at the boathouse. Tara nearly shrank back in case he saw her, but she realised just in time that the movement might give her away.

She wondered how he was bearing up.

She had no doubt he was hurting, and she had no doubt that he loved her. So how was it possible their love could end like this?

Cal got into the car, and as Tara watched it rumble slowly up the lane, her eyes filled with tears. This was the last sight she would ever have of him.

His departure left her bereft, but at least it meant she could go for a final walk without the worry of bumping into him.

Her keys were on the table, and as she reached for them, her gaze fell on the doll’s house and she paused.

Making a decision, she picked it up, careful not to disturb the furniture inside. It might be an indulgence, but she hoped to catch Bonnie’s reaction when the child saw it on her father’s doorstep.

If there had been any hint of rain in the air, Tara wouldn’t have risked leaving it outside, but the sun shone, the breeze was light, and she was as sure as she could be that it would stay fine for the next few hours.

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