Jaw-clenching pride burned its way up his spine.“I am not now nor ever have been a coward.”
“Except when it comes to women.”She angled her chin higher, daring him to deny it.
And deny it, he would.“I am not afraid of women.”
“It pleases me to hear that.”She meandered back to where she’d placed her unfinished whisky on his desk and downed it.“Then ye’ll have no trouble preparing to receive the most important guest of yer lifetime, aye?”
He tensed to keep from groaning aloud.
“Aye?”she asked again, the sheer enjoyment of his misery gleaming in her eyes.
“When?”
Her smile widened.“Soon, my laird.Verra soon.”
Chapter 3
The bubbly young woman with the gorgeous streaks of purple running through her long black hair bounced around the cottage with enviable energy, pointing out all its amenities.She opened a tall, narrow cabinet in the tiny but pristine bathroom.“And here ye will find plenty of sheets and towels.As many as ye will ever need.Just place the soiled ones in the hamper beside the door that lets out to the garden.Laundry’s picked up on Mondays, and that’s when the cabinet gets filled with fresh.”She closed the cabinet and patted the door.“But if ye find yerself needing more, or needing anything for that matter, dinna hesitate to call or text me.We want yer stay here at Seven Cairns to be as perfect as can be.”
Jessa tried to remember the different storefronts she’d seen in the small village on the way in.“Is there a laundromat near here?For when we need to wash our personal things?”
“A laundrette?”The girl who had introduced herself as Keeva but never mentioned a last name turned and frowned at their two large bags and backpacks sitting just inside the front door.“Ye nay brought much, did ye?Just the one big suitcase for the each of ye and then yer small bags?I wish I could pack like that.Mairwen said ye paid for the full month.Ye’ve nay changed yer minds, have ye?”
“We travel light,” Emily said, then tipped a nod at Jessa.“And all she ever wears is black, so it’s good for more than one wearing.”
“Are ye in mourning, then?”Keeva eyed Jessa as if trying to decide what sort of creature she might be.
“No.Black is just easier.Is there a laundrette here in Seven Cairns?”
“Sorry, no.”Keeva shifted in place, suddenly seeming uneasy.“But I’ll speak with Mairwen.I’m sure we can figure something out for when ye need to wash yer things.”
“Or we could drive back to Inverness for a wash.It’s not like we’re restricted to Seven Cairns,” Emily said.
At the moment, the prospect of an hour-long drive, one way, to wash clothes sounded exhausting.Jessa forced herself to unclench her jaws and not take out her weariness on those around her.Maybe she should’ve drunk one of Emily’s energy drinks with all its dyes and additives.“I’m sure that’ll be fine.Excuse me.I need some fresh air to perk me up.”She crossed the small, cozy cottage, opened the back door, and stepped out into the warm sunshine.Scotland’s mild early summer was much nicer than Jersey’s sweltering humidity.
A waist-high fence of flat stones stacked and woven with amazing artfulness surrounded a surprisingly sizeable backyard that was an eclectic mix of colorful statuary, haphazard pots of greenery, large patches of moss, and clusters of wildflowers.Stone and ceramic cats, in a variety of colors, lounged in various poses around the yard.Brightly painted chickens with comical expressions joined them.Most noticeable and largest of all were the statues of hot pink sows with such joyful faces that Jessa couldn’t help but smile.
She ran her hand along the back of the nearest concrete pig that the sun had warmed enough to give the impression that the creature lived and breathed.For some silly reason, touching the happy sow loosened the tightness in her chest and made it easier to breathe.“If all else fails, I can wash my clothes in the bathtub and drape them out here to dry.There are plenty of places to hang them.”She’d done that before when low on money, and it had worked out just fine.
Lifting her face to the sun, she closed her eyes and pulled in another deep breath.The air even smelled sweeter in Scotland, cleaner, somehow, and full of promise.On impulse, she kicked off her shoes and walked barefoot across the soft moss, wiggling her toes in its cool sponginess.Maybe this place was a little bit of heaven after all.Stepping stones created a trail around the yard, and there was even a peacefully gurgling water fountain in the back corner.A plump little brown bird splashed and fluttered in it, enjoying its bath while completely ignoring Jessa.
Her tension and weariness drained away, leaving her feeling boneless and ready to drop into a slumbering pile of carefree nothingness.She was half tempted to stretch out under the tree in the corner opposite the fountain and take the welcoming backyard up on its silent offer of a nap.“Why not?”she asked the bird flitting in the fountain’s water.“Em said to chill, right?”
Since she could still hear Keeva through the open windows, happily chattering to Emily, Jessa decided not to stretch out flat on her back.Instead, she settled down at the base of the tree and leaned back against it.Its sprawling roots with their knobby knuckles protruding up from the ground and the concave shape of the enormous trunk cradling her as if she were a part of the garden rather than a visitor.The wind sighing through its leaves relaxed her even more, making her eyelids heavy.She relinquished the battle and let them flutter shut.
“There she is,” Keeva called out.“Miss Jessa—wake up, lass.Ye canna sleep at the base of that oak.The fairies might steal ye away.”
“They would return me when they got to know me,” Jessa said through a grumbling yawn.“And call me Jessa.I can’t be that much older than you.”
Keeva offered her a mysterious grin.“I promise I am a good bit older than yerself, miss.Looks can be deceiving.”She held out a hand to help her up.“Come, yer friend wants to see the path to the healing springs.”
“Tell her I’m relaxing, and we can find the path tomorrow.What is she doing, anyway?Unpacking?”Jessa had no desire or intention of moving from the tree’s comfortable embrace.It was as though she was melting into it, and all that was wrong with the world was slowly ebbing away.
Keeva caught hold of her hand and tugged while scowling up into the tree’s branches.“Stop it.It’s nay time yet, and ye know it.Besides, she is not for ye.”
“What are you talking about?”Jessa yanked her hand out of Keeva’s.Why would the friendly Scot abruptly turn rude?
The lass backed up a step and seemed almost startled.“No, no—not yerself, miss.Forgive me.I was scolding the oak.”
