“I swear to ye upon my birthing shell, I am here to keep her safe.” He cast a glance after her. “Now, let me go. They are still near, and it isna safe for her to travel alone.”
The deer faded into the trees without another sound.
With a flick of his wrist,Taggart erased Sheriff Matt’s memory. That should make the man forget why he needed to follow him. The sheriff’s persistent shadowing was a nuisance. The fool needed to tend to his regular business and get on with escaping from the whiny lass herding all those bairns at the nursery.
He settled back in the seat of his rental car and watched Hannahthrough the diner’s wide window. Bloody hell, but the woman vexed him. She refused his calls and left any room he entered. Surely, she hadn’t meant what she said about selling Taroc Na Mor.
Drumming his thumbs on the steering wheel, Taggart huffed a troubled snort. Somehow, he had to convince her to come to Scotland. All he needed was to get those pretty feet of hers on what she didn’t realize was her homeland. Then she would be there for life.
He shifted in the seat, remembering how warm and soft she had been while clutching him under that bridge. A low chuckle escaped him. What fire she possessed. When she drew back that tiny fist and bloodied his lip, it had shocked him. A woman with such fire also guaranteed immense passion. He squirmed again and adjusted the seam of his suddenly too snug pants. Gads, he needed to think of something else.
The late-evening sun shone through the diner window, highlighting her golden hair. Reminded him of the finest whisky swirling in the light of a torch. He loved the way she tossed her head when she laughed, although she didn’t laugh often. She appeared relaxed now that it was just her and her friend. Other times, she kept her guard constantly in place.
He sucked in a deep breath, understanding completely. Perhaps he and the Guardian had more in common than either of them knew. Well, suspicious or not, she had to come to Scotland. Taroc Na Mor needed her, and he wasn’t leaving here without her.
6
“You should at least go see it before you sell it.” Millie placed steaming plates of scrambled eggs and still-sizzling bacon on the table, then slid onto the padded bench opposite Hannah.
“I said you could feed me. Not lecture me.” Hannah scooped a heaping spoonful of fluffy eggs onto her plate. Her friend could be such a nag at times, but she sure could cook. She added several slices of thick, hickory-smoked bacon, crisscrossing them on the crispy mound of hash brown potatoes in danger of sliding over the edge of her plate. She always ate whenever she was worried. “Gravy? You promised sawmill gravy too, remember?”
Millie wrinkled her nose while eyeing Hannah’s overflowing plate. “How can you eat like that and still be so tiny? No wonder everyone hated you in high school.” She slid back out of the booth and headed to the kitchen.
“Everybody hated me?” Hannah repeated as the bubbly blonde came back through the swinging doors. “I thought everybody hated Geena because she was the first to get boobs.” She reached for the gravy and spooned it over the mound of food on her plate.
Millie shrugged. “We hated her first. But then it was you becauseyou ate anything that didn’t bite you first and never gained an ounce.” She sat back down and began filling her own plate. “Now, don’t you think you should at least go see that place before you sell it? I mean, come on! It’s freaking Scotland!”
“Exactly.” Hannah slathered a dollop of butter across a steaming buttermilk biscuit the size of her hand. “Jasper Mills is my home. My roots are here.” She pointed the buttery biscuit at her friend. “I told you what happened on the bridge. Were you not listening?”
Millie stared off into space, waving her empty fork back and forth while she chewed. “Oh, I listened.” With a deep sigh, she sagged against the cushioned back of the booth. “I also imagined what it must’ve felt like to be wrapped in those arms and crushed against that hard, muscular chest. I meandamn.”
Hannah rolled her eyes and licked the melted butter dripping down her thumb. “Give me a break.”
“What? Come on now! Okay, we won’t talk about his drool-worthy body or that gorgeous, raven-black hair, but you can’t tell me you didn’t at least notice of those eyes of his. I mean—seriously. Yes, you have sworn off men, but you’ve still got some hormones in there somewhere. Vibrators can’t take care of everything.” Millie nudged Hannah with her foot as she tossed another biscuit on her plate. “I have never seen such an icy set of baby blues in my life. He’s like a wolf. And the way he moves? Constant predator mode. Like a pirate. Or a vampire. Or both. Wouldn’t that be hot? A vampire pirate who could make you immortal with one luscious bite while holding you captive at sea.”
Hannah shook her head as she licked the strawberry preserves off the top of her biscuit, then reloaded it with blackberry jam. “You have read too many romance novels.”
Millie tapped her plate with the tip of her knife then circled it over all the food on the table. “Then why are you gorging yourself like there is no tomorrow? The last time you ate this much was when you decided to let Jake pop your cherry.”
Hannah stopped chewing. Suddenly, the delicious food lost all flavor. She wished she could spit it in the floor. With a hard swallow,she dropped the biscuit back on her plate, then pushed it to the center of the table.
Millie covered her mouth; her eyes growing wide. “I am so sorry. I didn’t think—please—I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Hannah waved the words away. “I’m not as hungry as I thought.” She pulled a paper napkin from the dispenser and wiped her mouth while sliding out of the booth. Millie shouldn’t feel bad. Sad thing was, she was right. The last time this sort of gorging occurred was the very time Millie said. So what was her psyche trying to tell her?
Millie crossed the room, fetched a dish tub, and started clearing the table. “You need to see that land. What if you get rid of it then wish you hadn’t?”
Hannah helped stack the dishes in the bin. “There are so many questions he hasn’t answered. That Guild of Barac’Nairn is still a mystery. And then what he did at the bridge when that sudden wind snapped off those trees. I heard nothing, Millie, not a sound. You know how the animals alwayswarn me. How did he sense what was about to happen? He never answered that either.”
“Well…” Millie paused while balancing a few more dishes in the bin. “I hear it’s a really long flight to Scotland.”
“So what is that supposed to mean?” Hannah followed her into the kitchen.
“If you have him hostage on a long flight, he will have to answer your questions. He can’t avoid you on that plane.” She slid the bin onto the counter, then turned and fixed Hannah with a concerned look. “Didn’t you say he told you he was familiar with your family history?”
Hannah caught her lip between her teeth. “I wonder if he knows how Granny died? Or what killed Mama?”
Millie gave her a knowing look, then turned back to the sink and started scraping the dishes. “Admit it. Both were strange deaths that were never explained, especially for a close-knit community like we have here. Maybe you better stick pretty close to this Taggart de Gaelson. Aren’t you about the same age as your mother when she died?”
