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“You bastard!” Lewis roars, chasing after him. “I’ll get you for that!”

As the pair of them bicker and fight like wee boys, I let out a low sigh. Aidan is determined to start a business with me, but I’m never going to be able to step back from the hotel. I can hardly leave these two in charge.

Also, why is Aidan so anxious that things don’t become serious between me and Emily? Would that be so bad?

* * *

I’m at reception, working on the laptop, trying to finish a few things before dinner service begins. When the front door opens, I glance up to see a man and woman enter, both of them striking. The man is flamboyantly dressed in a luminous green shirt with contrasting bright-orange glasses. He has a neatly trimmed beard and short afro hair with shaved sides. The woman, meanwhile, has dark-brown eyes and corkscrew curls that bounce when she moves. She offers me a small smile.

“Ah! Now, I know there are three brothers, so I’ve got a one-in-three chance. My gut is telling me you’re . . . Ally. Am I right?”

I grin. “You are! And you must be Grace. It’s nice to meet you.”

I come out from behind the reception desk and hug her, but the embrace feels half-hearted on her part, and she pulls away too quickly. Maybe going straight in for a hug wasn’t the right thing to do. I’ve never met her before, after all.

Attempting to brush over any awkwardness, I glance at the man and say, “Grace, I’m sorry, I didn’t realise your . . .” I hazard a guess “. . . boyfriend was coming too.” I hold out my hand to him. “Hi, I’m Ally.”

He looks at my outstretched hand and scoffs. “Ally, two things you should know about me: first, I’m a hugger, and second, Grace is my sister.”

“Oh, David!”

I start to apologise, but he throws his arms around me.

“Ally! Wow, you really are muscly.”

“Er . . .” I laugh, unsure how to respond to this. “Sorry for the mix-up, mate. Emily’s talked about you too, of course, but I didn’t realise you were coming up.”

The difference in greeting between Grace and David couldn’t be any more pronounced. David seems delighted to meet me.

“Yeah, it was a last-minute decision,” he admits. “Talking of which, if I have to bunk with Grace, fine, but . . . I’d rather not. We have just spent ten hours in a small car together. If you have any other rooms, I’ll take one.”

I laugh again, more relaxed this time. “Aye, don’t worry, I’ll sort you out. I’ve three siblings of my own, so I understand wanting a bit of space.”

The biggest grin spreads across David’s face. “Aye,” he mimics with a giggle.

Grace gives him a weary look. “Excuse my brother. He’s a big Outlander fan, and this is his first visit to the Highlands, so . . . yeah, he’s pretty giddy.”

“Don’t worry about it! It’s nice that you’re excited to be here, mate.”

I grab a couple of keys then insist on carrying their cases up the stairs for them. Grace tries to protest, but David shushes her.

“We both felt the muscles on him, sis. Let him carry them!”

Once again, I don’t know how else to respond but laugh. I lead the way upstairs and along the corridor to Emily’s room. “A couple of visitors for you!” I say, chapping on her door.

When Emily opens up, her face transforms into a picture of pure delight, which warms my heart. There are hugs with Grace and David, and she pulls me into a hug too, maybe so I don’t feel left out. I don’t object—I’m happy to be hugged by her any time, any place.

“David, this is such a nice surprise! I wasn’t expecting to see you.”

“Yeah, well, one of the perks of being a freelance graphic designer is I can work from anywhere. Besides, I had to come, didn’t I? You’re like the sister I never had.”

“You have a sister!” Grace jabs him in the stomach.

Emily laughs then gives them each another hug. “This is great! I’m so excited to see you both. Come on in, all three of you. Let’s catch up!” She holds open the door.

“By the way, I’m loving this new look.” David gestures at Emily’s woollen jumper as he steps past her and into the room. “How would you describe it? Casual country chic?”

Emily scoffs. “Most of the outfits I brought with me weren’t right for Bannock, so I went shopping. There’s only one clothes shop in town, and it sells a lot of tweeds and other woollen things. My choices were limited!”