Page 30 of Summer Escapes on the Scottish Isle

Bloody hell! This was so unlike her. It must be due to stress. These past two weeks had been difficult, and the next few weren’t promising to be much better, and everyone knew that stress had peculiar ways of manifesting itself.

Freya hastily reminded herself that she was in a relationship, and she vowed to phone Hadrian later. It would be good to ground herself in her normal life, because being on Skye was starting to become somewhat surreal.

‘What are your initial thoughts?’ Cal asked.

Mack scratched his chin again. ‘I’m not sure.’

‘Will you at least think about it?’

‘I will, aye, but I’m pretty busy with my regular tours just now.’

‘How about trying one, and see how you get on?’

Mack sniggered. ‘You’re the one who is trying – my patience, that is. Get away with you, and let me finish cleaning my boat.’

‘I think you’ll find that the lads have done it already,’ Cal pointed out, jerking his head towards a couple of men nearby. ‘This is just a suggestion, but you could put on an additional trip once or twice a week.’

‘I work enough hours already! Are you trying to kill me, man?’

‘Do you trust your crew?’

‘Implicitly.’ Mack’s reply was immediate and emphatic.

‘Couldn’t they take out the boat for one of the trips? Then you could run theColours of Skyeone without doing any more hours yourself. There’ll still be time for—’

Mack interrupted, ‘Haud yer wheesht a minute and let a man think.’ His eyes narrowed, and he called the two men over. ‘What do you say to earning a bit extra?’

The men exchanged glances. ‘Doing what?’

‘Taking the boat back out.’

‘This evening?’ one of them asked.

‘Now.’

‘Why?’

‘Because Cal here has got an idea in his head and he’s pestering me about it.’

A shrug from the shorter of the two. ‘Aye, it’s nae bother.’

Cal’s expression was one of confusion. ‘But how can you run a trip if there’s no one on it?’

‘Therewillbe someone on it,’ Mack said.

‘I can’t go; I’ve got to get back.’ Cal was shaking his head as he backed away.

But when Mack’s striking blue eyes turned in her direction, Freya knew who he’d lined up to go on this excursion –her.

Chapter 10

Mack strode towards the lock-up, cursing himself. He didn’t need any more work in the summer months, so why was he going back out on the loch when he should be going home and relaxing with that beer he’d promised himself? He was getting hungry, too.

‘Excuse me? Excuse me!’

The sound of footsteps accompanied the voice, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Freya hurrying after him.

‘I don’t think this is such a good idea,’ she said.

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