A Scot Like You (The MacLarens of Balmorie, 2) (3 page)

Devin washed up in the sink. His shirt stretched across his back as he leaned over. Lucy bumped her with her shoulder, and Kate jumped as she gathered the dirty plates back up from the table. "Cute huh?" Lucy said under breath.

Kate let out a snort. "A teddy bear is cute. That . . . is something else entirely."

Devin finished, dried his hands, and made for the table. He filled the room. Took up all the space and oxygen. Kate didn't appreciate that at all. She deposited the plates by the sink and thanked everyone for lunch.

"Oh, wait," Fran said, turning around from washing the dishes. "Dev, weren't you saying Hildie's off her food?" He nodded, mouth full. "And don't you work with dogs, Kate?"

"Yes. Well, I mean I used to. Pet sitting. Grooming. Some training, that sort of thing. I'm not a vet or anything."

Devin just watched her, his expression showing nothing as he ate.

"Still," Hamish added, "ye might be able ta see what's wrong with our wee lass, right Dev?"

Dev shrugged and asked Kate, "How long have you been working with dogs?"

Her back went stiff. She certainly didn't need to air her qualifications for his approval. "Twelve years."

Obviously that didn't impress him because he went back to shoveling food in his face. "Come by in the morning then, if you don't mind. Just stay on the road past your cottage and you'll come to my place. Big stone farmhouse on the left. Be interested in your take. She's not been herself lately," he muttered.

Everyone was looking at her. She wanted desperately to say no, but couldn't—not with the hopeful eyes of the Grahams on her. Plus it'd be rude not to, not after she was staying for free in the cottage. She'd help wherever she could. "Sure. I'd be happy to take a look. Do you all mind if I steal Lucy away for a bit?"

Her cousin leapt at the opportunity and Kate was treated to a personal tour of the castle, ending in the second floor library where they took a break on the massive leather couch.

"I can't believe you're here," Lucy said, pulling her feet under her.

"I can't believe you
live
here. In this country. In this place. It's crazy."

"I know. After all of our dreaming and reading those Highlander books of Gram's. Sometimes I can't believe it either."

"Ian loves you. I can see it every time he looks at you."

"He's so good for me, Kate." Lucy's smile was contagious. "So what was that with you and Devin? I'm guessing your run-in with him was more than 'no big deal'."

Kate shrugged. "I sort of went skinny dipping in the loch." Lucy's hand flew to her mouth. "Sort of got separated from my clothes. Sort of found myself standing bare-ass naked in front of your soon-to-be brother-in-law."

"No," Lucy breathed, eyes round. Then, she dissolved into laughter.

"Well, it's not that funny. It was embarrassing."

"I bet he didn't think so."

"Oh no, he just stood there looking shell-shocked."

"You do have that effect on men. Always have." Lucy wiped at her eyes. "So he gave you his shirt."

"Yeah. His dirty, sweaty shirt. Better than nothing I guess. I didn't hang around for proper introductions."

Lucy shook her head, something like admiration in her eyes. "You always were the wild one. The risk taker. I can't believe you went skinny dipping. The loch is freezing."

"Yeah. I know that
now
."

"Dev's a good guy. Quiet. And just think, you'll have a good story to tell your grand kids."

"Oh, ha-ha. Very funny. Like I said before, I'm not in the market."

"Holden really did a number on you, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. He betrayed you, took everything you had, and I know how much you loved him, Kate. But you can't let him destroy your opportunities. You never know what could happen, who you could meet. It'd be a shame to let what happened with him ruin your outlook. Don't give him that power too."

Kate was caught somewhere between pissed-off and hurt. She hadn't come here for a lecture.

"You were always so open," Lucy went on, "so quick to give people a chance, to give them your heart."

"Stop, Lucy. Just . . . stop," she said, tiredly. "It's a mistake to be that open. There is such as thing as being
too
trusting. It's called gullible. And look where it got me. My best friend embezzled my entire business into the ground. He ruined me. And I believed in him, believed every excuse when things hadn't added up. I was stupid." She rubbed a hand down her face. "So stupid."

"No, you weren't. There's no one to blame but him. He's the one with the issues, not you. He's the one in prison, not you."

"Yeah, and he gets three square meals a day, paid medical care, and cable TV while I don't have a penny to my name after twelve years of working my ass off."

"They haven't been able to get any of the money back?"

She shook her head. "It's all gone. He spent every dime."

Lucy crawled across the couch and wrapped her arms around Kate. "I'm so sorry."

Kate didn't let Lucy's hug touch her heart. If she did, she'd break down and sob. And once that dam opened, everything else would flood out too. Like the fact that she'd loved Holden for years. Secretly, of course, because on their one failed date—when Kate suggested they give it a try—he'd burst out laughing and said the idea of them romantically together was ridiculous. He'd leaned across the table and kissed her forehead as her heart shrunk and told her he loved her. She was his best friend, after all.

Yeah. She was stupid. So stupid.

What kind of woman wastes almost an entire decade loving a man who had no interest? Loving him so much that every other relationship she tried at failed since her heart wasn't in it. Kate had clung to the tiniest bit of hope that one day Holden would see her as something more.

"He took advantage of you, Kate," Lucy said softly. "He took your love and friendship and loyalty for granted. It might not have been that way in the beginning, but he changed. I'm so pissed at him. He was like family to the rest of us."

"I know." It had been a shock to them all, what Holden had done.

Lucy sat back with a sniff. "Bastard."

"You're too nice, Lucy," Kate told her with a smile she didn't feel.

Lucy shrugged. "Not always. Had I been there when all this went down, I think I might have gone postal on his ass. Seriously."

"You sound like Gram. She tried to convince Vinny Loren from upstairs to whack Holden for fifty bucks. Good thing I got there when I had. He didn't know what the hell to think. Never seen her so angry…" Tears rose at the memory. Gram had crumbled after that, crying, feeling helpless, unable to make it better for her granddaughter. It had broken Kate's heart.

"Anyway," Kate said, shaking off the memory. "I'm here now. Gonna get my act together, make a plan, figure out how to start over. Have some me time."

Lucy gave Kate's shoulder a squeeze. "It's a good place to do it.

Chapter 3

Surprisingly enough, Kate slept well and woke up feeling more rested than she had in the last two months. There was something about keeping the windows open, hearing the sounds of the night animals, snuggling into the soft mattress as the temp dropped.

The sun was shining. Birds were singing. Kate made coffee and took it to the stone terrace that faced the loch. She smiled, this time feeling it all the way to her toes. Scotland did not disappoint. It lived up to every picture, every fantasy, every idea she'd had.

Nice to know some things were what they seemed.

Once she got her obligatory visit with Devin's dog out of the way, the day was hers and full of promise. After a quick shower, she dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, then pulled on her hiking boots, grabbed a light jacket and left the cottage.

As she went to get the bike leaning against the wall, movement caught her eye. It was the Scottish Terrier again. From its size, she guessed it to be male. He stood across the road in the high grass, watching her. Kate wasn't the best trainer in the world—not even close, but she had a feel for dogs, a sense that told her their mood, and this one was looking at her with such hope, such pleading.

"Stay right there," she said softly, going back into the cottage to root in the fridge and cupboards. Lucy had already stocked the kitchen in preparation for Kate's visit. In place of dog food, she chose some bread, plain crackers, and then cut up a small summer sausage into cubes. Just a few, though.

The terrier was still there when she returned. Feeling hopeful, she set the plate in the grass, backed away, and whistled to the dog. He whined, took a tentative step toward the road, but didn't cross. Kate grabbed the bike, hopped on, and pedaled slowly away. When she finally stopped and looked back, the dog was wolfing down the food.

That should hold him until she could get some proper food. Satisfied she'd done her good deed for the day, she continued on.

The ride added to her good mood. It felt wonderful, the cool wind on her face, the scenery, the absence of man-made sounds. It made her feel as though she could handle anything, that everything was going to be okay.

That feeling ebbed after the first mile.

Her thighs burned. Sweat dampened her skin, and her heart pounded. Devin could have mentioned his house was a few
miles
down the road.

Finally she saw the large stone farm house set in a flat valley between two hills. Slowing the bike, Kate turned left and coasted through a stone-flanked entryway and then down the long, rather bumpy lane. It was a beautiful spot, and the house was impressive. The closer she came, she saw time had done its work on the structure; the house was in desperate need of repair.

And from the amount of lumber, stone, and other supplies loaded in the truck parked out front, repairs were apparently under way. It'd be pretty when it was fixed, she thought, eyeballing the architecture and grounds as she walked her bike to the front, leaned it against the house, and then stepped to a tall front door with a neat little window and peeling blue paint.

Kate took a moment to compose herself. It was like any fear or anxiety. Prepare yourself with a mental image. She hoped envisioning Devin's big shoulders filling the doorway would lessen the impact. He wouldn't get to her again. Simply because she wasn't in the market. Though, she supposed since she wasn't, enjoying the view wouldn't hurt. In fact, he was just the sort of man she fantasized about during all of her Scottish daydreams.

"You going to knock any time soon?"

Kate whirled at the sound of the unimpressed voice directly behind her. Well, she hadn't prepared for this. He was
supposed
to be in the doorway. Instead, Devin MacLaren stood there balancing a stack of lumber on his shoulder. His army beige T-shirt hugged his form and she didn't miss the way his bicep bulged as he held onto the two-by-fours. He wore khaki cargo pants, boots, and a tool belt.

He took 'hot carpenter' to a whole new level, and it took everything she had not to roll her eyes.

Dev waited for a reply, but didn't get one. He wasn't sure she'd show up today, and was kind of hoping she wouldn't. After her nude revelation in the barn, he wasn't sure he could look at her, carry on a conversation, or act normal without those images flashing through his mind at random.

Christ, she was pretty. And frowning. At him. Again.

"Let me drop these off and we can go inside." He started walking around the house. "Come on."

Dev dropped the lumber on the grass in front of the back terrace, and then led Kate into what was one day going to be a large sun room. It was just a blank slate right now, but the walls and windows were in at least. James had no idea Dev was fixing up the farmhouse as a little welcome home surprise for the youngest MacLaren. "Watch your step."

"Wow," she commented behind him. "This is nice."

He paused and turned around. Kate standing in the middle of his work and complimenting it made a sour burn creep across his chest—too many bangers at breakfast, probably. Those shorts she was wearing were too short. That T-shirt was too tight. And the way her hair was twisted off her neck like that made him want to put his mouth there…

The burn was replaced by a pounding heart. Devin shook his head and cleared his throat. "Thanks. Hildie is in here." He moved into the remodeled kitchen. It was the first thing he'd tackled. And he was damn proud of the job he'd done.

"Okay. Double wow. Did you do this?"

Dev's throat felt funny, tight and thick. He nodded, opened the fridge and pulled out a water. He took a long drink, feeling her eyes on him. "You want one?"

"Yeah. That ride was longer than I thought it'd be."

He didn't respond, got her a water, and tossed it over. Now it was his turn to stare as she opened it, tipped her head back, and guzzled. He scrubbed a hand down his face and let out a controlled breath. She finished—thank God—re-capped the bottle, and set it on the counter behind her, leaning against it as she did. Her gaze traveled around the room with admiration. She was buying time, he thought, and realized she was just as overwhelmed and jumpy as he was. Which made things worse for him. If she was feeling half of what he was, they were in for a load of trouble. And trouble was the last thing he needed.