Page 82 of Chasing a Highland Dream

He leaned closer and kissed her once more before saying, ‘Because you’ll no doubt take after her and I intend to be in your future, Arabella Douglas. For a very, very long time. If you’ll have me, of course.’

‘Oh, I think that can be arranged.’

He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her tenderly. She knew then, as she had done since the first time he kissed her, it was only a matter of time before she followed him to Skye. Because she’d follow him anywhere if he asked her to.

EPILOGUE

FOUR MONTHS LATER

Bella’s stomach did the loop-de-loop as she drove Fifi along the coastal road past Eilean Donan Castle. The late November sun was hanging low in the sky and heat was blowing from the vents inside the car. She was going to see Harris again soon and she could not wait. And what made this even better was it was his birthday.

‘I hope this old heap doesn’t collapse under the weight of all my belongings,’ Isla said as she glanced over at the back seat, which was crammed full of ‘stuff’ to one side and had Beau strapped into his seat at the other. The dog was gazing out the window at the passing scenery.

‘Hey, she’s not a heap any more. Neil worked wonders on her, so she drives like a dream now, don’t you, Fifi?’ Isla rolled her eyes and Bella giggled. ‘Don’t worry anyway, Granny, you haven’t actually brought that much. The van took the bulk of it yesterday and they were setting up your living room and bedroom, so you’ll be all set by this time tomorrow.’

‘Did you leave the bottle of fizzy plonk for Ben and Skye like I asked?’

‘I did. They were so excited when I saw them. They’ll love having their own place at last.’

‘It’s funny, isn’t it, Skye bought my house and I’m moving to Skye,’ Isla said with a chuckle.

‘It is. I don’t think they could believe their luck when you accepted their offer. They’ve been looking for ages but have kept missing out on the houses they’ve loved. So yours is a dream come true for them.’

‘I was happy to help them out. You know me; I’m a sucker for a love story.’

Bella switched her CD player on, safe in the knowledge that Neil had repaired it so the discs no longer shot across the vehicle when it went over a bump. No more risk of decapitation, yay! ‘Dog Days Are Over’ began to play and Harris immediately sprang to Bella’s mind. This song reminded her of him so much these days. It lifted her spirits and reminded her of dancing around the garden at his new house as the song played in the background and laughter rang through the air as he chased her with handfuls of dried leaves. She hadn’t seen him for three weeks and it had been agony waiting for Isla’s moving day.

But she’d been kept busy with the goings on at Drumblair Castle. The apartments were now being let to holiday makers, not just the creative types that Olivia had intended. The drama Aiden brought had apparently put her off. Brodie’s divorce had come through, so Bella was waiting with bated breath for an announcement and Olivia had assured her she’d be the first to know. And just before she had left for Skye, Kerr had turned up at the castle, looking like a tramp. He had sobbed and begged Olivia’s forgiveness but of course she was understandably wary. In a strange turn of events, Innes had thrown off the mantle of confirmed bachelor and had taken Adaira Wallace out on several dates, so of course, Bella was waiting on news there too.

‘Ooh, this is a nice song. Who is it?’ Isla asked, pulling Bella from her thoughts.

‘This, Granny dearest, is Florence and the Machine.’

‘Ooh, what kind of machine?’

‘Sorry?’

‘What type of machine has she got?’

‘Who?’

‘Florence? Is it a music machine?’

‘Oh, no, Granny, the Machine is Florence’s song-writing partner.’

‘Really? Wow, they can get machines to do anything these days. Is it one of the Andrex things?’

‘Do you mean Android?’

‘Aye, that’s what I said.’

Bella snickered. ‘No, Granny, she’s a person, the machine is just her name.’

Isla snorted. ‘Well, what were her parents thinking? Honestly, that’s so wrong.’

‘It’s not her actual name, you bampot,’ Bella said with a chuckle. ‘It’s Isabella Summers, I think.’

‘Thank goodness for that.’