Page 47 of Return to Clan Sinclair
Perhaps it was best to warn Macrath that Ceana might very well be traveling to America.
Two days later Ceana found her daughters and Fiona on the beach, near the window nature had created in the grotto. They were sitting in a triangle, their skirts filled with rocks and sand, their faces pink from the sun, and their hair tangled by the brine-tasting wind.
Bruce sat next to them, perched on a rock as if it had been dragged there to act as his throne.
“Look, Mommy,” Nessa said, “Bruce found three more turtle stones for me.”
“And he’s promised to take me to the barn to see the new litter of kittens,” Darina said.
“And keep Carlton away,” Fiona added, sending a worshipful gaze toward Bruce.
“You shouldn’t be calling him Bruce,” Ceana said. “His name is Mr. Preston.”
“He asked us to,” Darina said, looking affronted. “Didn’t you, Bruce?”
He turned his head and nodded once.
He’d made a conquest of the three, that was easy to see. And of her, but hopefully that was less obvious.
Leaving him was going to be difficult.
She pasted a smile on her face and addressed her children. “You need to go gather up your things, girls. We’ll be leaving in the morning.”
Darina rolled her eyes. Nessa just sighed.
“Why are you returning to Ireland?” Bruce asked. “I thought you’d decided to stay in Scotland.”
She glanced at him, taken aback.
“Anything you really want could be sent to you, couldn’t it?”
“I suppose it could,” she said.
“Are you going only because of your relatives? The duke can be a pushy bastard.”
She bit back her smile. “Yes, he can be.”
“Don’t let him badger you into returning.”
“I’m not.” Her heart began a thumping beat.
“Then don’t go,” he said, standing.
“Aren’t you returning to America soon?” she asked, leaning against the wall of the grotto. She hoped she looked more relaxed than she felt. She could barely breathe.
“I’ve thought of expanding my business. I might start a Scottish branch.”
“Will you?” Her cheeks were getting warmer, and it wasn’t the bright afternoon sun heating her.
All three girls were looking from one adult to the other.
“It seems a worthwhile idea. But for now, I’ve decided to take a vacation. A holiday, as you call it.”
“You mean you’re staying here at Drumvagen?”
Warmth raced through her.
“Macrath has invited me to stay. Only for a while, of course. I might be looking for a house to rent. The house Henderson had is not too far away.” He studied her. “Would it give you any bad memories?”
