Page 57 of Edinburgh Escape
“You couldn’t have known.” Callum lifted his chin. “For now, we remain alert and hope the Russians don’t make a move anytime soon.”
Chapter 12
After brushing her teeth and securing her curls up in a loose bun on the crown of her head, Maggie descended the stairs and found Bryce back in the kitchen, dressed to go outside and talking nonstop.
Alastair leaned against a counter, tossing an apple in the air and catching it.
Cook had her arms up to her elbows, kneading dough.
As soon as Bryce saw Maggie, he cried, “She’s here!” He raced over to Maggie, grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the door. “Let’s go.”
Alastair shoved the apple into his jacket pocket and reached the door before Bryce. “Slow down, little man. Montana isn’t going anywhere.”
“Mind if I join you?” a voice said behind them.
Maggie’s pulse quickened, and a shiver of awareness rippled through her.
She turned with Bryce to look over her shoulder.
Callum entered the kitchen with a smile that melted the hard knot that had settled in Maggie’s gut since earlier that morning when this man had walked out of their shared bedroom. His smile might be all for show, but it made her heart flutter. If only they could go back to the easy camaraderie they’d shared before he’d tried to strangle her, thinking she was the person in his nightmare. The man had serious PTSD. Despite that fact, Maggie wasn’t ready to give up on him. She’d be in Scotland for almost two more weeks. She wanted to spend as much time as she could with him. Preferably in bed, making love.
Her core heated at the thought. What they’d shared the night before couldn’t be a one-night stand. It had rocked her world so hard she wouldn’t walk away.
“You can come with us.” Bryce reached back for Callum’s hand.
Callum strode across the kitchen, took the boy’s hand and walked with them out of the manor and across the manicured lawn to the stable.
The building was constructed of wood and stone in a centuries-old architectural style. The structure had either been well-maintained or reconstructed to appear as it originally had.
Alastair flung open a door large enough to allow a horse-drawn carriage to enter and exit. Inside were ten horse stalls lining both sides.
Bryce ran to the third on the right and reached up to touch the muzzle of the horse whose head leaned over the top.
“You know the rule,” Alastair said. “One for Montana and one for you.” He pulled an apple from one pocket and handed it to Bryce, then another from the other pocket and waited for Bryce to take the one he held out.
Bryce took the first apple and held it up to Montana. “See? I’ll take a bite, then you’ll take a bite.” Bryce sank his teeth into the apple, chewed and swallowed. “Now, it’s Montana’s turn.” He held out his hand for the other apple.
Alastair laid it in the little boy’s hand.
Bryce held the apple up to the horse. “Now you take a bite.”
The horse nuzzled the apple with his lips and carefully took it from Bryce. He crunched the fruit between his back teeth and swallowed.
“Now, you show Montana how you can eat your apple,” Alastair said, “while I get his bucket of grain. Remember, you can’t grow big and strong if you don’t eat.”
Alastair stood for a moment longer, waiting for Bryce to bring the apple to his lips.
The boy held it up and sank his teeth into it.
Alastair nodded and turned away to get the grain he’d promised for Montana.
Bryce fumbled with the apple and dropped it to the ground. It rolled under the door and into Montana’s stall. “Oh, no,” the little boy murmured.
“Don’t worry,” Maggie said. “We’ll get another when we go back into the kitchen.”
Montana bent and picked up the apple, quickly chewing and swallowing it before Alastair reappeared with a bucket of grain.
“Do you want to pour it into Montana’s trough?” he asked Bryce.
