“Like in here? If you had the time to decorate?” Luch waved a hand at the living space and even though I really wanted to bundle him out the door, particularly becauseOban was sniffing around my bedroom door, I paused to answer his question.
“Paint,” I said, tilting my head at the plain white wall. I’d lived in enough boring places now to crave color and character. “I’m sick of white walls. I’d do something dramatic, like maybe a deep navy. And then pop colors with pretty rugs and cushions, maybe some colorful art prints.”
“Do you lease? Did this come with the practice?”
I moved to stand by the door, picking up my keys and jingling them, the international signal for I’m ready to leave.
“It’s mine.”
Luch whistled for Oban, and I opened the door, ushering them out, and then closed and locked it behind me, letting out a small sigh of relief. I couldn’t say what would have happened had Oban found Gloam, but the last thing I needed was for a chaotic dog and fox chase around my flat all while trying to explain to Luch why I had a pet fox.
“Surely you can paint then? Since it’s yours?”
“Huh? Oh, the decorating?” I pulled my thoughts back to the conversation as I followed Luch down the stairs, trying not to fixate on his broad shoulders. “I suppose I could, yes, if I find the time.”
“What are your hours?”
“Every weekday. Half-day Saturday. Closed Sunday, though I’ve been putting in half-days because I often end up dealing with emergencies anyway.”
“Busy lady.” Luch held the back door open for Oban, and the dog jumped dutifully in the back seat. He hadn’t spoken to me again, keeping his thoughts to himself, but I still had so many questions for Luch. If I could work up thecourage to ask him. Did he know his dog could talk? Maybe not. That was also a strong possibility. Maybe I was assigning potential ideas to Luch that weren’t even a possibility. Now that I thought about it, surely there were plenty of pet owners that had no idea that their animals could communicate. Luch was likely one of those, not some hidden witch like I was, which was also why he was so suspicious of my powers. If he was a witch, or had any type of power, he’d just identify himself and ask me about it.
Like Sophie had.
Getting into the front seat, I waited as Luch rounded the bonnet and slid inside the car, turning to smile at me.
“Ready for an adventure? We can’t go far, as I’m on call, but just a wee hike to show you a favorite spot of mine.”
“Sounds good. If the weather holds.” Glancing at the sky, I noticed the clouds that clustered over the hills in the distance. The only thing predictable about Scottish weather was that it was unpredictable, having a mood all its own.
“Don’t worry. It’s not far, and I’ve got umbrellas.”
“Prepared for everything, are you, Dr. Carmichael?”
Luch slid me a grin, his eyes full of heat, and winked.
“Always.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Faelan
Luch had driven about fifteen minutes or so out of Loren Brae, following the road that wound along the rocky shores of Loch Mirren toward the hospital, before pulling off onto a nearly hidden dirt and gravel lane that rolled up the sharp crevice of a hill. Once we’d reached the top, he’d parked and hooked a backpack over his shoulders that he’d pulled from the boot of the car.
“This is beautiful, Luch.”
“Aye, it’s a favorite for sure.” I followed him down a thinly trodden trail, the wind rustling the long grasses and flowers that brushed at our sides as we walked. Oban all but disappeared in it, and I laughed when I saw him bound, his little head popping over the top of the flowers before disappearing once again. I recognized many of the flowers as those of the bouquets I’d been receiving, and my heartwarmed as I thought about Luch walking out here, gathering wee blooms for me.
Damn it, but I didn’twantto like this man. My instincts were signaling that something was up with him. But from the outside, he was handsome, had a super dog, took care of people for a living, and gathered flowers for a newcomer in town. There were a lot of green flags here, and what would it hurt for me to give him a chance? If I was meant to be settling down and starting a life here, wouldn’t a romance be the next thing in order? Particularly now that I was also making friends. At the very least, I could maybe talk to Sophie about it. She’d know who Luch was and would tell me if there were red flags to be wary of. That was the benefit of small towns. You could get the backstory on your dating companion pretty quickly.
“Did you know there are standing stones out here?” Luch asked.
“I didn’t know that. But I’m not surprised.” There were standing stones all over Scotland, many rich with history, even more with magick. I tended to steer clear of them, never sure if I wanted to dance with any power that played there, and hoped he wasn’t taking me to a circle now.
“I’m told the locals believe you can make a wish at Christmas and it will come true.”
“Is that right? I hadn’t heard of it.” Even more reasons to believe that Loren Brae was the place for me if the locals believed in a Christmas wish at the standing stones. They’d probably not blink an eye at one more witchy woman being added to their mix. The thought cheered me and I smiled.
“Do you believe in that stuff? Magick and all that?” Luch asked. There was a note to his voice thatsuggested he most definitely did not, and I tried not to bristle at his line of questioning. Despite my initial hesitancy toward him, I truly doubted he thought I was magick, and especially given his medical and science background, it made sense that he doubted magick’s existence. So there was no reason to take offense to something not stated. Being questioned about magick was my own private trigger, borne of years of speculation and distrust from others.
