Quinn enteredthe castle with bags in both hands. She’d done more than purchase another set of clothes. She’d bought going-away gifts for everyone who had touched her life. She jogged upstairs and put most of them on the bed before jogging back downstairs and into the kitchen to find Mavis instructing a new person behind the stove.
Quinn’s smile softened at the way Mavis gently guided the new woman, with words of encouragement. “I brought you a parting gift.”
She turned to Quinn, her lips tilted in a frown. “You’re leaving?”
Quinn gave her the best enthusiastic face she could muster and held out her bag. “One more day and you’ll have me out of your hair.”
Mavis’ shoulders dropped as she took the bag. Reaching in with her good hand,she pulled out two objects wrapped in tissue. The first was her dagger.
“I gave this to you. Why are you givin’ it back?” she asked, perplexed.
“Because it’s your family heirloom. This dagger represents the strong women in your family. The ones the Menzies trust and that I trust. It’s only right that it belongs to you and is passed down to the next generations.”
Mavis pressed the treasure to her chest and smiled. “I’ll make sure they know how the legend ends.”
She unwrapped the second gift, and her eyes sparkled as she met Quinn’s gaze. “Plane tickets?”
Quinn grinned. “Two open-ended round-trip plane tickets to Florida for you and Angus. You deserve a vacation, and I won’t even expect you to come cook for me. Of course, you’ll have to wait until after you teach your new student to cook. You can’t leave Collin to go hungry.”
Tears misted her eyes. “I’ve never been outside of Scotland.”
Quinn winked. “I wish you the best that life has to offer, including amazing Italian food.”
Quinn’s heart clenched as she hugged her. She’d miss Mavis and her fabulous cookies. “Take care.”
She hurried from the kitchen as her eyes misted. Quinn still had so much todo and pack, but she went in search of Collin. She found him in his office with a pile of paperwork up to his chest. He ran his hand through his hair as he read through some document. “I knew I’d find you here.”
His gaze shot up, and the tension from his face softened as he rose. “It took you long enough. I thought I’d have to send out a search party.”
“How bad is it?” Quinn asked, as she crossed the room toward him.
“It could be worse,” he answered rounding the desk. He pulled her into his arms and lowered his head until his lips were a mere inch away from hers. “We should talk about this morning.”
The butterflies, she’d always heard about, took to flight in her belly. The last thing she wanted to hear was if he loved her, or worse, that he didn’t. “No, we don’t.”
Quinn pressed her lips to his to steal his train of thought. His hands on her back made a sensual path down her spine to her ass, and he lifted her in the air. She wrapped her legs around his waist and held on for dear life when he broke the kiss.
“I missed you, and I have something special planned for this evening.”
“I’m leaving tomorrow,” she blurted out and eased down his body. He remainedquiet for several long seconds while she watched her words register. They’d both known the day would eventually come, no matter how hard leaving would be.
“Well then.” He nodded and took her hand. “It’s a good thing I planned your surprise for tonight.”
He pulled Quinn out of the room and down the hall, bypassing the stairs where she thought their destination might lead. Taking her to bed apparently wasn’t his idea of a surprise. Pity.
Quinn followed him through the kitchen and out into the courtyard where cell service was as dead as the ghost that hung out in the castle. To her surprise, they kept walking. Her hopes diminished when he turned away from the direction of the bridge and the empty cabin beyond the ridge.
Harness came running out of the barn, and she steeled herself for his attack. Instead, he wound his way around her legs and barked just as Garth, the lumberjack caretaker, walked Collin’s stallion out of the barn by the reins.
“He’s ready.”
Collin grinned, climbed onto the horse and held out his hand. Quinn surprised them both when she took his hand and let him swing her up. He reached behind him for her hands and wound them around hiswaist. “Just hang on and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Quinn lowered her hands, stroking his jean-covered crotch. “We’ll see who takes care of who.”
Chapter Nineteen
Collin slowedhis horse over the ridge toward his favorite spot by the cliffs. The moon was high in the evening sky, and the stars twinkled in a cosmic dance. If tonight was her last night, he’d give her a night she’d always remember to replace the curse and the death.
