Page 4 of How to Lose a Lass

I grit my teeth and fold my arms over my chest. "Who the hell are you?"

"Aidan MacTaggart." The bastard holds his hand out like he expects me to shake it. "And you are?"

I glare at him and curl my lip just enough to convey my feelings about this guy. "I'm the Marine who's about to kick your ass from here to Mexico."

Aidan MacTaggart seems completely unfazed by my threat. That makes me grudgingly respect him a little bit.

"Should I leave?" the guy who seduced my sister asks while running a hand through his hair. "Seems like the two of you have things to discuss."

Calli glances at him over her shoulder. "You don't have to leave. This is my brother Gavin."

Aidan smiles again, his curious gaze aimed at me. "Your brother? That does explain it."

I squint at him. "Explain what?"

"Why you're concerned about her welfare. I have three sisters, and I wouldn't like to find a man I'd never met staying in any of their homes. Especially not my younger sister."

I freeze, experiencing a sudden epiphany. One side of my mouth kinks upward. "Maybe I should go move in with your little sister."

"You could try, but Jamie lives with my older brother Rory at the moment. He's not as friendly as I am."

For some very annoying reason, hearing about the asshat's family makes me feel less...homicidal about Aidan MacTaggart. I grasp the back of my neck and frown. "I still don't like this, but...Calli's an adult. She can do what she wants."

But oh, yeah, the Scot is going down.

Chapter Two

Jamie

"Och, Rory, you and Lachlan are treating me like I'm a wee bairn." I set my hands on my hips and lift my chin just enough to get the point across to my overbearing older brothers. "I am twenty-six years old, which means I'm an adult. So please, dinnae act like I can't handle myself."

Lachlan straps his arms over his chest. "You might be twenty-six, but I am forty-two. That means you should respect my authority."

"You are not in charge of me. If I want to go to America like Aidan did, I will do it---with or without your permission."

"But Jamie---"

I hold up a hand. "Please, Lachlan, show me a wee bit of respect. I'm not a moron, and I have never done anything rash. I worked full-time at the Loch Fairbairn Library for five years, before I was made redundant, so dinnae make it sound like I'm an impulsive teenager."

Aye, I'd loved working at the library. But they simply couldn't afford to keep me on anymore.

Rory glances at Lachlan. "She's right. And if she goes to America, Aidan will make certain she doesn't get into any trouble, accidentally."

Aidan is only two years older than I am, but I understand why Lachlan and Rory believe I need my youngest brother to watch over me. In a family of six children, the eldest ones feel a responsibility to care for the rest of us. Lachlan especially feels that burden. And maybe I am being rather pigheaded about this, but I've never left Scotland, not even to visit England. It's time I saw another part of the world.

Lachlan and Rory exchange glances, though I can't figure out what those looks mean. Until Lachie says, "I'd be more inclined to trust your judgment if you hadn't sent that text message to Aidan."

Oh, aye, he had to bring that up. When Aidan had gone to Chicago to find an American wife, no one tried to stop him. I might have sent Aidan a cheeky text shortly after his arrival in America, but only because MacTaggarts love to harass each other. I had asked him, "Have you found your quarry, Don Juan? Expect details about American fling." That's nothing compared to what Lachlan did when he was in Chicago.

I cannae let him get away with implying that I'm the irresponsible one. "The man who had a four-week fling with an American woman and then ripped her heart to shreds has no grounds for chastising me for teasing Aidan."

Lachlan winces. "Aye, ye have a point."

Rory shakes his head at Lachie. "You caved without a fight. It's a sad state of affairs when a Scotsman lets his wee sister cow him. She's right, though. You treated Erica badly, yet she married you anyway. I will never marry again, so none of my siblings will have any fodder to use against me."

That sounds like a vow destined to be broken. I know Rory has terrible luck with women, and his three ex-wives clearly did more damage to his psyche than any of us know. But I believe with all my heart that he will find the right lass eventually. I want him to be happy.

Now that the family conference about how poor wee Jamie needs her brothers to run her life is over, I go for a walk to clear my head. My brothers can't stop me if I want to fly to America to visit Aidan and possibly meet a man. I've saved up enough money to pay for an airline ticket---economy class, of course. I don't relish a long flight in a cramped seat, but I'll do whatever it takes. I need to see more of the world than just Loch Fairbairn and my hometown of Ballachulish.

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