Page 22 of Some Like It Scot
“Would you mind if I got back to you on that answer after meeting with Mrs. Lennox today?”
“Of course.” Mum stepped back. “Now off with you.” Mum waved us away, but not before grinning at me with that crafty twinkle in her eyes.
Not again.
The look nearly gave me the boke. Could she and the entire book club become any more obvious or desperate in their matchmaking plans? I quelled the nausea and stared back at my mum as I held the door open for Katie to pass.
No!I inwardly shouted in hopes of transporting the clear message to her brain, but it bounced off her growing smile like the sprite-hearted woman she was.
Katie would be the fourth attempted match in as many months.
And Mum was no respecter of sons. Calum and Peter bore the brunt of her desire to see her weans married off and populating the whole of Mull.
And despite her grand boasting, none of the matches stuck.
Ever.
Especially the accountant from Inverness. What had Mum been thinking? The woman could talk the bark off a tree without a stop for breath.
I held Mum’s gaze until the door clicked closed, attempting to communicate the futility of her habit. But I knew my attempt was even more futile than hers.
Drawing in a deep breath and bracing myself for the walk, I joined Katie along the street toward the house while keeping a very non-romantic distance between us.
“Thanks for rescuing me back there.” Katie tucked the books she held against her chest and gestured back toward the bookshop with the fishing rod. “I mean, I know you were just sharing a message from Mrs. Lennox, but you arrived at the perfect time.”
I gave my head a shake. “I dinnae think Lennox even knows you’re in the village.”
“Oh.” Her narrow auburn brows took an upswing as that gaze turned back on me with newfound curiosity. “Well, thank you for rescuing me anyway.”
“Rescue?” It sounded worse when she said it. “Dinnae think that, Katie Campbell. I’m not the heroic sort, but I do know that those ladies can prove a wee bit overwhelming. No one should have to manage them on their own for too long.”
“So their... excessive welcome is a common occurrence then?” She released a long sigh and then chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever been quite so—”
“Interrogated?”
She snorted and my lips twitched at the ungodly sound. “Um... I was going to say enthusiastically interviewed, but your word might fit a little better.”
Sunlight brightened her hair to a fiery hue, a color not extinct from the western isles but still uncommon. And made even more noteworthy by its darker shade instead of the usual bright ginger color.
I rolled an annoyed gaze heavenward at my own thoughts. Shoving my hands into my pockets, I looked ahead and kept my attention away from the lass beside me turning from the road to go up the hill.
“Well, thank you again. I figured with the way we started off, I’d be the last person you’d want to help.”
I stifled my wince, my shoulders drooping just a moment. Being mistaken as ill-mannered may be worse than being dubbed heroic.
But only slightly. “Those book club grannies are not to be underestimated.”
“Book club grannies?” Her laugh burst out. “You realize I’ll never be able to think of them as anything else now.” She snickered and then sighed. “I don’t know what happened back there. Usually I’m better at handling myself, but I think they caught me off guard with their exuberant friendliness and curiosity.” Her eyes sparkled as she looked over at me. “Either that or there was some kind of truth serum in the tea.”
I coughed to hide my laugh. Few things appealed to a Scotsman like a keen sense of humor. “Does it take a serum to get the truth out of you then, Katie Campbell?”
I’d only meant to match jest for jest, but the smile fell from her face. She looked away, recovering with a new grin that didn’t reach her eyes. “I just assumed it was a regular occurence, considering the folklore and legends about this part of the world. A few faeries here, a mermaid there, occasional book club grannies brewing up trouble with magic tea.”
She took a few steps to get ahead of me, not by much, but enough to notice. What caused such a reaction?
I ground my frown and resolution into place again. I didn’t care. Rescuing... er... helping the lass didn’t mean I had to know anything else about her. Nothing. “Then I’d give Mirren MacKerrow a wide berth if I were you.”
Katie stopped altogether and turned, brows rising in unison. “Isn’t she your mom?”
