Page 20 of Edinburgh Escape
“I was so excited to discover I had a half-brother that I didn’t bother to look at the timeline. I could be walking into a shitshow with me as the main, unwanted attraction.”
His mouth curved. “It will make for an interesting vacation story to regale your teacher friends with upon your return to Montana.”
“I’m sure.” Maggie stared at the window, though she couldn’t see the landscape in the darkness. Instead, she studied her face reflecting back at her. No wonder her mother had never spoken of her father. She’d had an affair with a married man. No matter how hard she tried to imagine her mother engaging in anything so sordid, she couldn’t reconcile the act with the kindhearted woman who’d been her best friend since she could remember. Ayleen McKendrick had never hurt a soul. Now, as she looked at her reflection, she wasn’t as keen to know where she’d gotten the red hair and green eyes that had dark circles beneath them.
Maggie closed her eyes, wondering if she should abandon this quest, tuck her tail between her legs and go back to Montana. Then again, her mother hadn’t raised a quitter. She’d come this far. If someone didn’t want her to arrive at the Drummond estate, she wanted to know who that was and why. Then she’d give them a piece of her mind, let them know she didn’t want any part of the cheater Lord Drummond’s estate or anything to do with relatives who had lured her to Scotland just to hurt her or scare her away for good.
“Why don’t you stretch out on the seat?” Callum’s deep voice penetrated her internal battle.
She opened her eyes and stared into Callum’s dark brown gaze. “Are you sure you want to go with me to meet my relatives?”
He nodded, still holding her hand. “I’m with you, lass, but you look like you’re ready to pass out.”
“Is that code for I’m a wreck?” Maggie yawned. “Maybe I will close my eyes for a few minutes.”
“We have an hour until we change trains. I’ll wake you before we stop. Then it’s another hour after that.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Maybe we would have been better off on the sleeper train back to London.”
“That would have put us after noon getting to Edinburgh. This way we’ll be there as the sun rises. We can check into a hotel and sleep for a few hours before we go to meet your half-brothers.”
“Sounds like a plan.” She yawned again. “In the meantime, an hour nap sounds good.” Rather than stretch out on the seats, she lay her head on the table, her cheek resting on their joined hands.
Seconds later, Callum whispered in her ear, “Maggie, my bonnie lass, wake up.”
Something brushed across her temple as softly as a kiss.
Maggie blinked, lifted her head and stared into Callum’s dark eyes so close to hers. “I just closed my eyes.”
He grinned. “You’ve been sleeping for an hour. We have to change trains, or I’d leave you to sleep longer. I’ll need my hand long enough to retrieve your luggage from overhead.”
Maggie glanced down at their joined hands. Had he sat there the entire time holding her hand while she’d slept for the past hour? She released his hand and sat up straighter, feeling like she’d had too much alcohol to drink when she hadn’t had any.
The train slowed to a stop.
Callum rose, pulled Maggie’s carry-on bag from the overhead shelf, slung his backpack over one shoulder and her backpack over the other. “Ready?”
She pushed to her feet, amazed at the amount of effort it took. When she swayed, Callum slipped an arm around her waist and steadied her.
“We’ll need to hurry. These trains don’t stay long in the station,” Callum ushered her to the exit and onto the platform. They descended a set of steps, marched along a corridor and up another set of stairs. Maggie felt like a zombie, barely able to focus on placing one foot in front of the other. All she wanted was to lie down and sleep.
Once they were on their train, Callum settled her in one seat, stowed her suitcase overhead and dropped into the seat beside her. “Now, you can sleep.”
She leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes.
The train left the station, the rumbling motion lulling her to sleep, though the glass was cold and hard, not a pillow or a comfortable bed.
Callum shifted beside her. “You can lean on me if it’s more comfortable.”
“What about you?” she murmured. “Aren’t you tired?” The hard window annoyed her to the point she sat up and tipped toward Callum, her cheek finding a softer resting pillow against Callum’s shoulder.
“I haven’t been traveling for two days without sleep,” he said. “I’m fine.”
“Thank you,” she said and slipped into an exhausted sleep.
The next time he tried to wake her, the train was slowing.
“We’re here,” Callum said.
