“You’re blackmailing me?”
“Nah, nah. Just getting what I’m owed. You could sell a bit of the land to pay me off.”
Now I grabbed him by the collar. He shoved at my hands but his efforts were pathetic. “Come after me or the farm and you’ll wish you were dead by the time I’m done with you, Hamish.”
The vicious smirk on his face made me want to kill him then and there. “Naw. By the timeI’mdone withyou, lad.” Hamish shoved my hands away again and I released my hold. “You’ll be hearing from my solicitor. But you might see me around the farm, checking over what is mine.”
“I’ll have you arrested for trespassing.”
“Fuck. Took you for not much, son, but I didn’t take you for a grass.”
“You don’t know me, Hamish. You have no idea what I’m capable of. Come near my farm and you’ll regret it for the rest of your pathetic life.”
Wiping his nose with a humorless laugh, he nodded. “I’ll stay off the farm. For now. The day I walk back on it is the day it’s mine. And on that day, a big fucking for sale sign goes on that land and I will rake in the millions you’re too much of a pussy to make.”
I scoffed in disgust and strode back to the Defender. Less than a minute later, I swung it out of the parking spot outside the Gloaming, refusing to acknowledge Hamish as I sped away.
His brand of nuisance was the last goddamn thing I needed right now, but his appearance made me even more determined to save my grandfather’s farm. I’d die before I let Hamish anywhere near it.
Tonight I’d start my research on the holiday lets. If it was worth pursuing, I’d talk to Lachlan Adair and see if he was interested in investing. I’d turn things around. There was no other option.
Six
Allegra
Ionly returned to the beach house when I knew my sister would be at work. Even then it was for a quick shower and a change of clothes. I packed a few things in a duffel bag in case my plan went according to … well … plan.
Aria had responded to my text with a forlorn one of her own.
Please come home. We need to talk about this. xx
Home.
Didn’t she realize it wouldn’t be that for me anymore if I didn’t do something to stop being kicked out of the country? I felt like she didn’t understand my urgency, my desperation.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I jumped back into the rental SUV and drove off the estate, heading out of Ardnoch toward the McCulloch farm. I’d never been to Jared’s farmhouse, but I knew it was signposted.
A narrow country road only wide enough for one vehicle at a time cut through lush green fields up toward the farmhouse. It appeared among a ramshackle collection of buildings thathoused what I assumed were farm vehicles and equipment. The farmhouse itself was an attractive two-story sandstone brick home with slate roof tiles. Dormer windows suggested the attic space had been turned into a room or two as well.
The yard around the house was mostly a gravel drive. It was muddy and unkempt compared to the house and exactly what a person might expect on a farm.
Jared’s Defender, however, was nowhere in sight.
Damn it.
I wanted to do this before I lost my nerve.
Turning around, I drove back down to the main road and made my way slowly (much to the aggravation of any traffic that found me) along it, searching the fields on my left. Another unmarked road appeared and I took it on the off chance it led me to Jared.
Sure enough, a minute later I spotted his Defender parked beside a gate to a field. Jared waited at the gate as a tractor, driven by Georgie, I assumed, worked the land.
At the sound of my engine, Jared turned and stiffened.
Butterflies erupted in a riot inside my belly. I considered myself a pretty confident person. Yes, I got nervous about things that mattered to me or situations that were out of my comfort zone, but I tended to march into them head-on. In fact, I kind of got off on the fluttery nerves of anticipation.
This was different. I felt like I might upchuck.
It’s a good plan, a voice inside insisted.Get out of the car.
