Page 87 of A Perfect Discovery

‘But what?’

‘Maybe one day we might live here together.’

Warm bubbles fizzed through her chest, filtering into her veins and she beamed. ‘I would love that. This place has called to me ever since I was little. Whoever lived here all those centuries ago carved out a perfect spot and the only other people who have lived here since are passing shepherds. We’ll be the first people to make it our home for centuries.’

‘For someone with such a scientific job, you really are a romantic soul.’

‘And that’s why…’ She took his hand. ‘We’re going to spend our first night here in the style of our ancestors.’

‘What?’

‘Come see.’ She tugged him down the hill where it plateaued close to the beach. She’d set up her camp in the sheltered lee of a row of scrubby bushes. Billowing smoke rose from her pathetic campfire.

‘Are you burning my land?’

She giggled. ‘Yup, well, hopefully the fire’s working but I’ve never been that great at making them.’

As they reached the level ground, Calum scanned around first at the camp then turned to stare out to sea. ‘It’s awesome. All of it.’

‘So, when the house is built,’ Rhona stoked the fire, ‘I see this as being a kind of terraced garden where we can sit of an evening.’

‘Is that after you’ve dug it up?’

‘Er… Yes.’ She pulled out her lips and tried to look innocent.

Calum stepped forward, cupped her cheeks in his palms, dipped his head and kissed her. Rhona sighed into the kiss, letting out a little cry of delight as their souls reconnected. ‘What’s mine is yours. You can do anything you want here.’ He dropped his eyelids, resting his forehead on hers.

‘The first thing I’m going to do is immerse you in the Iron Age experience. I have food.’ She indicated a basket next to the bivvy. ‘And we have a bed.’ She pulled back the canvas and Calum peered in.

‘You want me to sleep in there?’

‘That’s the general idea.’

‘You know I’ve never even been camping?’

‘Until now, Mr Matheson. We’re living on the land tonight. We can snuggle up and watch the stars.’

His gaze rose skywards and the light reflected in his sea-green eyes, twinkling like infinite possibility. ‘Ok, Miss Lamond. Let’s do it.’

∞∞∞

Settled by the campfire, Rhona nuzzled into Calum. With August coming to a close, darkness rolled in by nine. Calum’s arm lodged firmly around her and she kept as close as she could. His warmth was better than the dying fire against the evening breeze.

She tucked her fingers inside the lower edge of his sweater. ‘This is nice, isn’t it?’

‘It really is.’ He kissed the top of her head. ‘I love you so much. I’ve been terrified you’d leave. Even now I’m not sure you don’t think I’m a monster underneath.’

‘Stop, Calum. You’re not. Since I got to know you, I never thought that.’

‘Thank you.’ He ran his thumb over her cheek. ‘But it doesn’t change the fact that you have a job and a life that means you can’t stay here permanently.’

‘Yeah.’ Glancing down, she sighed. She’d blocked her worries about that until she was sure Calum wanted her. Now they came flooding back. She didn’t have a job except a few ad hoc research projects.

‘But I might have a way around it… If you wanted to hear it.’

‘Of course I do.’

‘My job is basically maintaining the properties I own, managing rentals and looking for deals. If I hand over some of that to an assistant, I don’t have to be here. I can work from anywhere as long as I have access to a phone. The stuff that has to be dealt with hands on is where the assistant would come in. So, I could travel with you wherever you need to go.’

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