"Highland telegraph system?"I snort, tossing my suitcase into the tiny trunk space."Is that what you call gossipy old ladies?"
"Aye, and they're more efficient than social media.By now, they've probably picked out our wedding venue and named our first three bairns."
When I slide into the passenger seat, my heart does a strange little flip-flop at the casual mention of weddings and babies."Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Balfour.I'm still trying to process the fact that I'm dating a man who thinks jumping off mountains is a reasonable career choice."
Kirk grins as he revs the engine."Aye, well, let's start with a date before we worry about the rest.I know just the spot that I want to take you to---a hidden glen where the world feels like it's standing still."
The drive draws us deeper into the Highlands, away from the well-trodden tourist paths.Kirk seems to relax as we put distance between us and Loch Fairbairn, his grip on the wheel loosening, his shoulders relaxing out of their tense position.I find myself relaxing too, despite everything that happened this morning.There's something about the vast, rolling landscape that puts things in perspective.
We wind through narrow passes between mountains so ancient they look like sleeping giants.The heather paints the slopes in brushstrokes of purple and gold, and occasionally a red deer appears on a distant ridge, statuesque and wild.
"Almost there," Kirk says, pointing to a narrow track that veers off the main road."Most tourists never find this place."
He steers the Porsche carefully onto what's barely more than a dirt path, branches scraping against the sides of the car.After a few minutes of bumping along, the trees part to reveal a small glen nestled between two hills.A crystal-clear stream cuts through the center, bordered by smooth stones and clusters of wildflowers in every imaginable shade.
One thing I can proclaim with utter certainty?Kirk Balfour knows exactly how to give a woman just what she wants and needs.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kirk
"Oh wow," Gretchen breathes as she swivels her head back and forth, absorbing the panorama of this secluded paradise.She carefully steps onto the mossy bank of the stream.The water dances over smooth stones, catching the sunlight and fracturing it into a thousand tiny rainbows."It's like a fairy tale.I can't believe a place like this exists.How did you find this little paradise?"
"Stumbled onto it when I was sixteen."I thread her fingers with mine as we wend our way down to the stream."I had a row with my da about my future.He wanted me to go to university.I preferred to experience adventures, starting with wee ones and working my way up to wild stunts."
No one else is around, so it's only me and Gretchen and the rippling water with the vast Highland sky above.I've brought her to this private corner of Scotland because it feels untouched by time, a secret garden hidden between ancient hills.As I guide her closer to the river, the grass is springy beneath our feet and still damp with morning dew.
"I can see why you kept this little paradise a secret."She squeezes my hand."If this place showed up on Instagram, it'd be trampled within a week."
"Aye, it would for certain."I lead her to a flat rock beside the stream, because it's the perfect size for two people to sit side by side, and wave for her to join me."This has become my thinking spot.Whenever life gets too complicated or I need to sort things in my head, I come here."
Gretchen pulls her knees up to her chest, seeming to watch how the sunlight sifts through the trees, painting patterns on her face.The quiet here feels different from any silence she's experienced before, I'd wager.Rather than being empty, air is full of subtle sounds---water over stones, birds calling to each other, the soothing rustle of leaves.
"Did you and your dad work it out?"Gretchen asks."Your university dream, I mean."
I lean back on my hands, tilting my face toward the sky."In the end, we came to an agreement.He realized I was serious about stunt work, and I decided to compromise just a little.I went to university for a year and a half before dropping out to pursue what I truly loved.Da wasn't happy about the situation, but he accepted it was my life to live.Now he brags about me to his mates at the pub."
"My parents were the opposite.They wanted me to follow my dreams, but I somehow ended up in the safe lane instead."The lass picks a tiny flower, delicately sniffing its scent.Then she dips her fingers into the cool stream to watch the ripples that spread outward."Sometimes I wonder if I've been hiding in my comfort zone for too long."
I cannae resist admiring her bonnie face, noticing the way the light dappling through the trees turns her eyes a different color---amber one moment, gold the next."It's never too late to change course,gràidh."
"You've used various non-English phrases before, but I have no idea what they mean."She winces."Or how to pronounce them.Are they Gaelic?"
"Aye, you're very clever.Gràidhmeans 'love' or 'dear one.'Mo leannanmeans 'my sweetheart.'"
"I like that.It sounds...special, like you created those words just for me.
"You are special,mo leannan.Just like this place---and you."
She bows her head, causing her hair to fall around her face in a cascade, and peeks up at me through the locks."You make me feel like I'm the only woman in the world."
"To me, you are."I excavate a small, smooth stone from my pocket, its surface painted with a delicate blue spiral pattern."I have something for you.It's nothing fancy, but it is a Highland tradition.When you find a stone that speaks to you, give it to someone important."
She accepts the stone, turning it over in her palm."Is this from the river?"
"Aye.The stone became polished from years in the stream."
She admires the stone a wee bit longer as a sweet smile plays on her lips.Then she traces her thumb over the spiral.The blue paint gleams in the sunlight, as if it was applied with careful brushstrokes instead of a quirk of nature."Did you paint this?"
