Page 84 of Surprises on the Scottish Isle

Kneeling, she made certain everything inside the little house was where it should be, then she set off for a final walk around the loch that she had come to love almost as much as the man who lived beside it.

Without Cal’s strength, the boat was harder to drag to the water’sedge than Tara imagined, and she almost gave up. But with one lastheave, it started to shift, and as soon as she had some momentum, shemanaged to launch it successfully.

Unfortunately, she also got her feet wet, but she didn’t care. Her trainers would dry overnight. If they didn’t, she had another pair she could wear on the long drive tomorrow.

Tara eyed the oars, dismissing them instantly. Rowing looked like hard work, and although she would have preferred a silent glide across the loch, she could always cut the motor when she reached the other side.

Lowering the outboard into the water, she pulled the starter cord, the way she had watched Cal do it. It took her three attempts and she was starting to worry becauseMisty Ladywas beginning to drift, when the engine finally spluttered, then caught and began running smoothly.

Steering the boat towards the middle of the loch, Tara hoped Cal wouldn’t be too cross with her for taking it out without his permission, but she had an undeniable urge to revisit the place where she and Cal had reconnected, where they had made love on Skye for the first time. It would always hold a special place in her heart, and she would never forget it. The opposite bank of the loch was where she’d been the happiest, and the desire to say farewell to it had hit her the moment she’d stepped onto the beach.

She’d only intended to walk to the end of the jetty, but once the idea of borrowing the boat had entered her head, the decision had been made. She wouldn’t be out long, and with any luck Cal wouldn’t realise she’d borrowed it at all. Anyway, she hoped to be back in time to witness Bonnie’s reaction when the child spotted her doll’s house.

With her gaze fixed on the opposite shore, Tara felt an overwhelming sadness. As she drew closer to it, the tears she’d been trying to hold back welled up and trickled down her face, as she sobbed her despair into the uncaring sea.

Chapter 25

At first, Cal didn’t spot the doll’s house sitting by his front door. His mind was on the boathouse, wondering whether Tara was in it, as he’d noticed that the studio lights were off. And when he did see the doll’s house, it took him a second to understand what he was looking at.

His daughter knew what it was immediately, leaping out of the car and dashing towards it as soon as he brought the vehicle to a halt.

‘Daddy! Daddy! Look!’ She crouched down to peer at it. ‘It’s just like my house.’

‘So it is.’ He looked towards the boathouse again, part of him expecting to see Tara.

She was nowhere in sight.

‘Shall we take it inside?’ he suggested, glancing at the sky. Clouds were building to the west and the wind was picking up. It wasn’t raining yet, but it would do soon, even before the storm arrived.

Being very careful, which wasn’t easy with Bonnie dancing around excitedly, Cal gently picked up the house and carried it into the cottage.

‘Can you move that out of the way?’ he asked, indicating the tablet and documents on the table. Then he set it down and stepped back to examine it. Tara had done a brilliant job. On the outside, it looked exactly like Yvaine and Bonnie’s house.

‘Can I open it?’ Bonnie asked.

‘Absolutely! It’s yours.’

The interior was just as wonderful, and the attention to detail was astounding. Bonnie thought so too, as she exclaimed over every little thing, pointing out this and that, and picking up various items to show him.

‘Tara is very clever, isn’t she, Dad?’

‘She certainly is. We’d better go and thank her,’ he suggested. The thought of seeing her made his heart leap, and a desperate yearning filled his chest.

Bonnie’s expression became wary. ‘Do I have to?’

‘No, you don’t. But one of us should, it’s only polite. She’s put a lot of work into this.’

‘I didn’t ask her to.’

Disappointed with his daughter’s sudden surliness, there was a hint of rebuke in his tone when he replied, ‘I asked her. I thought it might be a nice keepsake.’

Bonnie relented. ‘Tell her I said thank you.’

Cal recognised that this was as good as he would get for now. ‘I won’t be long,’ he said. Bonnie didn’t respond.

Leaving her to play with her little house, Cal headed down the track to the beach. His heart was thumping and he had no real idea what he would say to Tara, apart from ‘Thank you’.

Should he ask how she was? Or would that seem patronising?

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