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“Oh, er . . . we’re just going rafting. There’s nothing, you know . . . going on between us.”

“Not yet,” the first says wisely.

“Not yet,” the other agrees.

And then, both laughing shrilly, they leave the hotel.

Well . . . that was weird.

A minute later, Alasdair returns with Lewis in tow.

“Oh, wow, is that Cat’s wetsuit?” Lewis asks. “It fits you really well.”

I give him a tight smile. I didn’t mind Alasdair looking, but I’m fast growing tired of men checking out my figure.

“Aidan mentioned you were going rafting together,” Lewis goes on. “I was a little surprised. Ally isn’t the most sociable guy.” He pats his big brother’s shoulder.

“Aye, well, it was Aidan’s idea, and now he’s nowhere to be seen. He sets something up, and then he buggers off before he has to get involved with it. Typical Aidan.”

“If you don’t want to do this . . .” I say.

“No, no, we’re in our gear now. We’re doing this.”

Lewis laughs. “Like I said, not the most sociable person. Certainly not what you would call a charmer, but—conversational ability aside—he is pretty good on the river.”

I allow my tight smile to turn into a genuine one, glad at least one of the three brothers is outgoing and friendly. Mind you, the young boy I met all those years ago was outgoing and friendly too. I wonder what turned him into the grumpy man he is today.

“All right, Lewis, I shouldn’t have to warn you about this,” Alasdair says, “but past experience proves I do. While I’m away, your job is to keep the hotel running—nothing more. Answer the phone, answer emails, get the rooms cleaned—and make sure Jamie helps you with that. If, for any reason, you find yourself on a website ordering new paint or carpets or bed linen, you’ve done something wrong.”

“Actually, room six could do with a new mattress,” I interject.

“Yes!” Lewis claps his hands together and grins at Alasdair. “I agree. This woman knows what she’s talking about!”

“No,” Alasdair overrules. “I’ll have a think about the mattress. You are not to go spending money while my back is turned. Understand?”

Lewis blows out a frustrated breath, his shoulders slumping. “All right. Understood.”

“Good.” Alasdair turns to me. “Shall we? Oh, and are you sure you don’t mind getting those wet?” He nods to my trainers. “They look expensive.”

They were expensive, but it’s not like I have an old pair of trainers with me.

I shrug. “It’s fine.”

“All right, this way. See you later, Lewis.”

Alasdair leads me through the hotel and into a large but unfinished room I’m guessing is to become a function room. At the other end, French windows offer a view of a gorgeous garden.

“Wow, are you in the middle of an extension? This space is going to be amazing. You could use it for so many things.”

“No,” Alasdair grunts. “The work was put on hold.”

“That’s a shame. It’s so close to being finished.”

“It still needs to be plastered, switches need to be installed, lights need to be fitted, flooring needs to be laid, and it needs to be painted—and we need to buy furniture too. We don’t have the money at the moment.”

“I see. Well, I hope you’re able to finish it soon.”

With a noncommittal grunt, Alasdair leads me out into the garden. It’s dry again, the rain having left as quickly as it came. At the end of the garden, we go through a gate in a tall hedge and out onto a driveway with a double garage, outside which two cars are parked.