Christ, he was feeling low today.Low and worried and anxious.
"Where ye off to, lad?"Hamish asked as he sat at the kitchen table.
"A walk, I guess."He had to distract himself.Fran was right.It was out of his hands now.He needed to stop hovering.
"Good," Hamish said."Take Pumpernickel.That old pony could use the exercise.Take the rifle too.Come ta think on it, a rabbit would be nice…"
Fran gave Ian a panicked look.No way was Hamish making his infamous rabbit stew.The last thing Ian needed was Mrs.Brooks stuck on the loo for the next two days."I'll keep an eye out," he promised, then headed out to the barn.
An hour later, Ian led Pumpernickel through a dense patch of forest.The canopy of pines had kept the drizzle from soaking them through.Mist had begun to settle on the ground, and the wet chill of evening seeped into Ian's bones.He didn't mind walking slowly so his old companion could keep up.It passed the time.When they were younger, Ian and Pumpernickel spent hours traversing the hills and finding adventure.Ian gave the pony a pat."You're a good ole boy, Nick."
Maybe one day, his own kids would learn to ride on Nick and… Ian paused, broad-sided by the thought, and then rubbed his tired eyes.
Tired.I'm just tired.
It was probably time to turn back anyway, and make one last check before Mrs.Brooks' arrival.
As Ian went to call for Dimon, he noticed the dog's gray tail sticking straight out as the hound rooted through the bushes.He reached for the rifle…
Chapter 2
Lucy crashed through the woods, cursing under her breath.Her hair stuck out from underneath the cap—she knew because she could see the frizzy halo it formed in her peripheral vision.She was muddy and her brand new white sneakers were ruined.There were scratches on her hands from the thorn bushes she'd gotten tangled up in and frustrated tears stung her eyes.To top it all off, it was getting dark.
Back when they were kids she, Riley, and their other cousin Kate had initiated the "unbreakable bond".Lucy was seriously considering breaking that bond.From their very beginnings, Riley had been the trouble-maker—they'd dubbed her Ruh-Roh Riley after Scooby-Doo.Kate was the wild child, the wear-your-heart-on-your-sleeve type.And Lucy?They'd probably say she was the flighty one, the quiet dreamer, the one who could never make up her mind, stick to any one thing or person, the one who still, thirty years after she'd come into the world, didn't have a plan.
And as far as plans went, this was, for once, not one of her epic failures.It was Riley's.All Riley's.
"Please, Lucy," her cousin had begged several weeks ago."Mark asked me on this trip because he wants to work things out.I have to go to Aspen."
"No.You have to go to Scotland."
"Not if you go in my place.The folks at the guest house will be fine with it.It happens.Tell them I had a last minute emergency and you're my replacement.Look, I realize this is crazy.I realize I could lose my job if Byron finds out.But…" Riley's voice had dropped then, becoming shaky, "I don't know what else to do, how else to fix things.I feel like this is my last chance."
As she stumbled over the uneven ground, Lucy remembered the pale skin and the dark shadows beneath her cousin's eyes."I want this marriage to work, you know?I didn't go into it thinking I'd get out when things got tough..."Riley laughed then, a hollow sound, as she stared out her office window."I've already taken my vacation days and sick days from when I had the flu.All of our freelancers are out.Please do this for me, Lucy.Please.Here, take this."Riley had given her the thick leather journal she now carried in her backpack.
"I've never been out of the country, Riley.How am I supposed to write an entire article about some hotel?"
"It's not a hotel.It's a guest house.You still have your passport from when you were going to go to Italy."
A trip of a lifetime that had never happened.
"Take your camera—you're a whiz with pictures—and the journal.Record everything, the sights, the food, your room, all the little details.I'll write a kick ass article from that.It's simple.MacLaren will love it.And I'll be in Aspen getting back together with the future father of my children.Byron will never know the difference.He never calls me when I'm on the job, so you'll be in the clear.All he cares about is the article and how it reads."
Riley had been desperate.Her cousin loved her job.She never cut corners or cheated like this.Never.That Riley had suggested the ruse at all showed Lucy how precarious her cousin's relationship had become and how desperate she was to fix it.
So far, none of it had turned outsimple.
When she slipped again on a wet slope of ground, landing hard on her rear, Lucy's gasp turned to a sob.She'd come to Scotland to help Riley, but she'd also agreed because something had to change in her own life.The time away was supposed to help her start thinking about the future, a new life where she, Lucy Walker, was in control.She wanted a purpose, to stop feeling lost and figure out who the hell she wanted to be, and then have the balls to go after it.
And here she was lost again.Not exactly the start she was aiming for.
The wet ground had soaked through to her underwear.Her pants were torn and muddy, but still vibrant and oddly hypnotizing.Her outfit was so outrageous she couldn't help but laugh.
After wiping her nose, and trailing mud across her face, Lucy patted her ridiculous cap with camaraderie and then pushed her jet-lagged body to its feet.
A booming shot rang through the woods, jarring and shocking like a sudden crack of lightning.
A gigantic wolf-like creature bounded from the bushes and raced toward her, mouth salivating, eyes gleaming.
