‘A proposition?’ she repeated, narrowing her eyes. ‘If it’s to do with what Gordon found out – and the fact that you’re not entitled to this house or any of this land – then that’s not a discussion you should be having with me. It’s with Duncan, the new laird.’ She watched him carefully, noting the slight twitch of his jaw at the word before continuing. ‘Though to be honest, with the stunts you’ve pulled, a lesser man would have probably already gone to the police to kick you out of here. You should consider yourself lucky Duncan’s not like that.’
‘Oh, yes, and you know all about what Duncan’s like, don’t you?’ Kieron’s tone was cool. ‘Don’t worry about your precious groundskeeper. I’ll get to him. But this is about you and me.’
‘Me?’ she asked in surprise. ‘I have nothing to do with anything.’
‘Oh, but you do.’ He stepped closer, uncomfortably close. And Ruby sensed it. A low growl rattled from her throat, though Kieron didn’t react. Instead, his gaze narrowed on Bex, as if she was the only thing in the room he was aware of. The hair on the back of her neck rose. She didn’t think she was going to be getting that apology after all. ‘Because let’s be honest, Rebecca, you made me look like a fool. And I don’t let anyone get away with making me look like a fool.’
29
Bex held her ground. She wasn’t going to let Kieron intimidate her. He could say whatever he wanted; sticks and stones, after all. And anyway, for someone’s words to hurt, you had to value their opinion, and there was nothing about this man that she valued. Not any more. Besides, it wasn’t like he could do anything. Not with Ruby standing there next to him. He glanced down at the dog, apparently realising the same thing, and inched backwards.
‘That animal has no place in here,’ he snarled. ‘She belongs outside in a kennel.’
Bex felt the slightest twist of a smile flicker at the corner of her lips.
‘Really? Well, you’re welcome to throw her out if you want. I won’t stop you.’
As Kieron’s gaze flicked back down to Ruby, her top lip curled upwards, exposing a row of shining white, incredibly sharp teeth.
This time Kieron’s backwards step was even larger, the increased distance enough to quieten Ruby.
‘You won’t get away with this,’ he said, refocusing his attention on Bex with a snarl that almost rivalled Ruby’s. ‘None of it.’
There it was again. That accusation, when what had she done exactly other than her job? Sure, maybe she shouldn’t have kissed Kieron after the whole storm incident, but it wasn’t like she was in her right mind then. She’d almost died. It had been a kiss. Not a declaration of undying devotion. Had this guy never been dumped before? Seemingly not.
‘I don’t know what you’re accusing me of.’ She managed to keep her tone even despite the way her blood was boiling. ‘All I did was follow your uncle’s instructions.’
‘I’m not talking about Fergus!’ Kieron yelled, cutting her off. ‘I’m talking about us. I’m talking about?—’
Whatever else Kieron wanted to blame her for, Bex didn’t find out, as he stopped mid-sentence. At first, she wasn’t sure why, until he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. His face crumpled as his lips pushed out in a pout. As he sniffed and swiped across the screen, Bex assumed it was to cancel the call, but a moment later he lifted it to his ear and twisted his body away from Bex. He took a step towards the fireplace and shielded his mouth with his spare hand, as if that would be enough to stop Bex from listening in.
‘I can’t talk right now, Mummy,’ he hissed. ‘No, I know. I said I will, and I will. This is not a good time. Yes, yes, I’ll ring you back later.’
After hanging up, Kieron placed his phone down on the side table and topped up his glass with a solid inch of whisky, which he downed in one. Any hope Bex had had that he might just have been enjoying a slight tipple evaporated.
‘You made me look like a fool because you played me,’ he spat at her, the smell of his breath saturated with drink. ‘It was all a game, wasn’t it? Making me fall for you. Making me help you get your promotion. Well, you’ve seen how that turned out now.’
‘I didn’t play you,’ Bex shot back. ‘I never asked for your help. It might surprise you, but I actually liked you too. I thought you were genuine. But I guess I got that wrong, didn’t I?’
‘You made me look like an idiot,’ he continued, ignoring her. ‘All those people who heard my toast?—’
‘I didn’t ask you to do that either!’ Bex interrupted, her temper flaring. ‘I didn’t know you were going to say all those things. How could I?’ She drew in a long breath. Losing her rag wasn’t going to help anything. What she needed to do was try to make him see reason. And the angrier he got, the harder that was going to be. Slowly, she took a step towards him. ‘Kieron, I’m sorry if I hurt you, but I meant what I said. I really did like you. You know that. And… for what it’s worth, I didn’t know where Duncan and I stood back then.’
‘But you do now, don’t you?’ Kieron said, his eyes narrowing. ‘You know how you feel about him now.’
She pressed her lips together. Of course she did. She loved him with all her heart, but this was hardly the right time to say as much. Not that there was any need. It was clearly written all over her face.
‘You love him,’ Kieron said. There was a smoothness to his tone. A warmth even. ‘You love him, and he loves you. Right?’
The question felt like a trap. It made her want to shrink away, but she didn’t. She kept her shoulders square and met his gaze.
‘Yes,’ she said firmly. ‘I do.’
‘Good.’ For the first time since she had stepped into the room, his anger faded, and what looked like a smile curled on the corners of his lips. ‘That’s exactly what I was hoping you’d say.’
As Kieron turned back to the table, Bex glanced down at Ruby, confused. Had she missed something? Misread his expression? Why would he be happy she and Duncan loved one another?
Over at the table, Kieron finally placed his whisky glass down and picked up a folded piece of paper. With that smile still in place, he offered it to her.
