“Wait until you’re not driving.Make no mistake, I know exactly why I’m here, but I want your full attention when we talk.”
The man had never been super chatty unless it came to honey.That truly was his passion, and his enthusiasm was contagious.“Not going to give me a clue?”
“You didn’t respond to my messages or answer my calls.”
Suzie released an impatient sigh and made no secret of her displeasure.“Fine.I’ve already told you Middlemarch is small and countryside surrounds the town.The land we’re driving past now belongs to my family.My grandfather and father.The Mitchells’ land flanks ours.The Mitchell twins, that is.Their older brothers Saber and Felix own another large block of land while Leo runs the vineyard.”Suzie rattled off the owners of the land they passed, their progress toward town slow because they encountered a farmer shifting his herd of Hereford cattle along the road.
“Bees are much easier to care for than these large beasts.Are those alpacas?”
“Yes, that’s Mitchell land.When I was a kid, they had mainly sheep, but they diversified when the market fell.They still have sheep, but they also have cattle, alpacas, and, as I mentioned, a vineyard over Cromwell way.”
“Makes sense.A bad honey season was why Angus and I started the gathering.We also rent out the castle to business groups for conferences and to regular tourists during the height of summer.”
Once they’d maneuvered past the cattle, old Mr.McWilliams tractor slowed them down.Suzie waved when he pulled over to let them pass.
She pointed out the school, the police station, the vet, a vehicle service station, a dress shop, and a supermarket.“This is the cafe,” she said, pulling into a parking space.Her stomach quivered as sudden nerves assailed her.
Suzie was acutely aware of Niall following her up the footpath to the front door.The green scent from the rose bushes seemed especially strong, almost nauseating, on this bright winter day.She breathed through her mouth, and her breath emerged in puffs of steam.Two steps led up to a wooden verandah, hanging baskets full of trailing greenery bright against the stained wood.
The doorbell tingled as she pushed the door open and held it for Niall.Coffee plus the sweet, sugary scent of baking hit her, and more of her angst faded.He was here.A man wouldn’t travel halfway across the world to see her without reason.She tried to tell herself that.Tried to listen, but fear darted in, adding to her confusion.
“Would you like coffee?”Niall asked.
Suzie nodded at one of the staff.“A latte, please, plus a cheese scone.I’ll grab a table.”She pointed at one in the corner and retreated, turning her back on him and her discombobulation.When he’d disagreed with her leaving Scotland, she’d been furious.Disappointed.However, her positive outlook prompted her to view this as a sign to attend university.Calls to Edwina had gone unanswered, but instinct told her Edwina wasn’t returning home.She’d met Edwina’s mother in the supermarket, but from what she’d said, she had expected her daughter to arrive home with Scott and Liam.
Edwina’s grandmother had held an air of smugness and suppressed excitement, but Suzie knew better than to ask questions.Still, it had made her uneasy, and she’d feel better once she spoke with her friend.
Suzie slid into a chair and closed her eyes.It felt like she stood in a mushy swamp and was slowly sinking, no matter how hard she tried to reach solid ground.
“What’s wrong?”Niall’s low voice came.
She jolted, her eyes flying open.He pulled out the chair next to her instead of the one opposite.Seconds later, his big hands cupped one of hers.
“I’m sorry, Suzie.I didn’t understand until you’d left how much you meant to me.You’re more important than my honey.Much more important.Waking up in my bed without you by my side felt wrong.I need you.”
But did he love her?
What if he felt companionship, and she’d simply become a habit for him?She’d seamlessly slotted into his life, and now he was taking her for granted.Her ideal man should require her as much as she needed him.Like her next breath.And she wanted respect, dammit.Then there was her family.She loved her parents and her brother and sisters.They were a close family.Sure, they had dramas because they were normal shifters.They laughed together and fought together.It was what families did.
She glanced at Niall and found him frowning.He tilted his head, looking as if he was silently debating with himself.
“This is coming out wrong.”He tugged on his hair.“Suzie, I l—” He broke off abruptly when Emily, the cafe’s owner, arrived with two cups of coffee and two scones.
“Thanks, Emily,” Suzie said when it appeared Niall wouldn’t do anything other than scowl.A little devil prompted her to push him.“Niall, this is Emily.She’s Saber’s wife.”
Niall nodded.“We met this morning.Scott and I visited Saber.I wanted him to know I was visiting his town and to give him a progress report on the search for Liam.”
Suzie blinked, baffled that he’d thought and planned when she’d assumed he’d charged in like a raging bear.
“We did,” Emily said and grinned.Before she turned away, Suzie caught the woman waggling her eyebrows.She winked at Suzie.
Suzie frowned.
“Is something wrong?”Niall asked.
“No.”She picked up a cup and took a sip.“Ugh!Too sweet.I think this is your coffee.”She shunted it toward him.
Niall ignored the coffee, his expression one of frustration.“Suzie,” he said, his voice tight with suppressed tension.“I—”
