Surprises on the Scottish Isle (Coorie Castle Crafts #1)

Prologue

Tara snuggled deeper into the crook of Calan’s arm and draped one leg over his. The sheet was a tangled mess of damp cotton, and she pushed it down, too warm for even a light covering in the rare heat of Glasgow in early May.

Her fingers idly stroked the auburn hairs on his chest, and she thought what a lovely chest he had, all firm and muscley, the skin soft and gleaming from their exertions. He appeared to be half asleep, his eyes closed and his breathing even. The only thing that gave him away was the twitch of his lips as he held in a laugh.

She knew her light touch tickled him, but those hairs were incredibly strokable. To be honest, all of him was strokable. There wasn’t an inch of Cal she didn’t love.

Finally, he let out a snort and opened his eyes, turning his head to look at her. ‘If you keep doing that, I won’t be responsible for my actions.’

It was a promise not a warning, and it sent a shiver of desire through her. Wickedly, her fingers went to work again.

With a low growl, he sat up and flipped her onto her back, pinning her down.

‘Want some of your own medicine?’ he murmured, his lips on the delicate skin below her ear. He nibbled her neck, and she squirmed with delight.

His mouth moved lower, and he licked along her collarbone.

‘I haven’t got time,’ she said, her breath hitching as his hands did some wandering of their own. ‘I’ve got a lecture this afternoon that I can’t miss.’

He stopped what he was doing and propped himself on an elbow to look deep into her eyes. ‘I wish you didn’t have to go.’

‘So do I, but it’s the last one before my exams. It’s all right for you, you’ve finished yours.’

The reminder killed her mood. Cal had just sat his finals. This was his last year at university and soon he would be heading home to Inverness, leaving her in Glasgow.

Tara was only in her second year of her degree course, and she dreaded having to wait another year before they could move in together. Where that would be was unclear, but Calan’s degree was in Business and Management, and with his love of the great outdoors he hoped to land a job working for one of the large country estates in the Highlands.

As for Tara, she hadn’t decided what she wanted to do after she finished uni, but it would be something to do with art. In quieter moments, she daydreamed that Cal would manage the grounds of some lofty mansion, whilst she curated its paintings, tapestries and statues. They would make a brilliant team.

Cal was watching her. ‘I love you.’

No matter how often he told her those three little words they always made her hum with happiness. ‘And I love you,’ she replied softly.

He was her soulmate, and she couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have found him. People could go their whole lives without experiencing love like this. But there were only three short days left before he returned to Inverness, and the thought of him going made her heart ache. She wished he could stay in Glasgow and move in with her, but she still lived at home with her mum and stepdad, so that was out of the question. The only thing making their imminent separation bearable was the knowledge that the long summer holidays were just around the corner and she would be able to visit him soon. She was looking forward to meeting his parents and seeing where he lived.

Her movements were slow and reluctant as she got dressed, kissed Cal, then headed out the door. Her thoughts were already on this evening and Tara was absolutely determined to make the most of the next three days, because it might be a while before she could be with the man who had stolen her heart.

The first thing I’m going to do when I get a job is buy a car , Cal vowed, as he lugged his ginormous rucksack off the train and made for the taxi rank. Thankfully he wasn’t the type of guy to acquire loads of stuff, and he’d managed to cram everything he’d wanted to bring to Inverness in it. The rest had either been donated to other students, or disposed of because it was knackered, such as the chipped mug he’d used for the past seven months, or the duvet whose stitching had come undone.

Nevertheless, he was surprised that neither his mum nor his dad had offered to fetch him from uni. Even a lift from the railway station would have been nice, he thought, as the taxi slowed when it neared the bungalow and he saw that both their cars were on the drive.

Barrelling through the front door, he clattered into the hall and dumped the over-large rucksack at the bottom of the stairs. ‘Mum? Dad? I’m home!’

The house was strangely silent. Usually there would be the radio or the TV on, and one or the other of his parents would have hurried to greet him.

‘Mum?’ He poked his head into the kitchen. ‘Dad?’ The living room was empty. He glanced out the window, but they weren’t in the garden.

Sighing, Cal returned to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Was it too early for a beer? He could certainly do with one. Saying goodbye to Tara this morning had been awful. She’d been in tears, and he’d felt like crying himself. The thought of not seeing her for the next couple of weeks was excruciating. He felt as though his heart had been ripped out of his chest.

Cal never imagined he could feel this way about anyone, but leaving her in Glasgow had felt like he was leaving his right arm behind. He’d undoubtedly left his heart. It belonged to Tara, and he prayed she would take care of it.

Prising the top off a cold brown bottle, he necked half the contents in one go, then took out his phone.

Home safe. Missing you already. Love you x

Her response was immediate.

Missing you more. LU2 xxx

A thud overhead caught his attention and he stashed his phone in his pocket, wondering which one of his parents was upstairs and why they hadn’t heard him shout.

When he reached their bedroom, he discovered that the reason they hadn’t responded to his calls was because his dad was sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed, staring absently at the wall and rocking back and forth, being comforted by his mum who had tears streaming down her face.

What’s wrong? How long has he been like this? and Why didn’t you

tell me? were the first questions Cal asked his mother after he’d

helped her persuade Dad to get into bed and swallow a tablet out of a

blister packet whose box had a long name written on it.

She was sitting at the dining table, shoulders hunched, cradling an untouched mug of tea. ‘The doctor says your dad has had a breakdown.’

‘When did it happen?’

She dashed the back of her hand against her pale cheek. ‘I should have seen it coming. He hasn’t been right for weeks. That bloody job of his. He never should have gone for that promotion. It was too much for him. I should have tried to talk him out of it. Oh God! ’ She burst into tears again, and Cal scooted his chair closer and put an arm around her.

‘How long has he been like this?’ he persisted.

‘Three weeks, give or take. He woke up one morning and refused to go to work. He wouldn’t tell me why. He just sat on the edge of the bed in his pyjamas and wouldn’t move. I couldn’t get any sense out of him for ages. He won’t speak to me for hours on end, and he won’t eat. Keeps saying he doesn’t want to be here.’

Cal struggled to hold back tears. ‘Why haven’t they admitted him?’

His mother bit her lip and blinked furiously. ‘You know why.’

‘Granny Fraser?’ he guessed and she nodded. ‘It’s not like that these days,’ he assured her. ‘I don’t think they do electric shock treatment anymore.’

‘Your dad isn’t taking the chance.’

‘What did the doctor say?’

She pulled a face. ‘Not a lot. Gave him a prescription for antidepressants and sent him away.’ She banged a fist down on the table. ‘Your father wouldn’t let me go in with him – he saw the doctor alone. God knows what he said to him, but I bet it wasn’t the truth about how he’s feeling. Your dad was never one to discuss his feelings.’

‘He needs help, Mum.’

‘Don’t you think I’m aware of that!’ she yelled. ‘But if anyone sees him like this he’ll be sectioned.’

‘He won’t, Mum.’

‘Do you know that for a fact?’ she demanded.

He didn’t. He knew absolutely nothing about mental health provision. ‘What’s he told them at work?’

‘He hasn’t spoken to them. I had to. The doctor signed him off with exhaustion, would you believe, so that’s what I told them he’s suffering from. Your father is terrified they’ll find out. He doesn’t want anyone to know.’

‘They’ll find out eventually.’

‘Not if we don’t tell anyone.’

‘Mum, you can’t hide it forever,’ Cal insisted.

‘I can and I will. He doesn’t want anyone to know. He doesn’t need to be in hospital. What he needs is peace and quiet, and his family around him. We can make him better ourselves.’

‘Does Fliss know?’

‘No! And you can’t tell her.’

‘She’ll want to know. I would, if I was her.’

‘If you say anything to your sister she’ll be home like a shot. Felicity has worked hard to get where she is, and I don’t want her to jeopardise that.’

Fliss lived in Manchester and worked in television – behind the screen, not in front of it – something to do with the production side of things but he wasn’t sure what.

‘I’ll make you a deal,’ he said. ‘I’ll not say anything to anyone for now, but if he gets worse…’

The tears he’d been holding back nearly escaped when he saw the relief on his mum’s face. Thank goodness he’d come home, because she never would have coped on her own.

‘Calan, promise me you won’t say anything to anyone,’ she begged. ‘I’m scared of what your dad will do if people find out. It’s the shame, you see. He’s never got over the way he was picked on at school when the other kids found out his mother had been in a mental institution.’

‘They’re not called that these days, Mum, they’re—’

‘I don’t care. It’s what your dad wants. Please, I beg you, don’t tell a soul. He’ll get better on his own. I know he will.’

What his mother didn’t appreciate, and neither did Calan, was just how long that would take.

Tara anxiously stared at her mobile phone. Cal had been gone almost seven weeks. Forty-seven days and thirteen hours to be precise, and she had felt every second of it.

She didn’t know what it was, but something was definitely wrong.

It had begun as soon as he’d returned to Inverness. Tara knew long-distance romance wasn’t easy and that it had to be worked on, but it seemed she was the one making all the effort. Cal said the right things when she managed to get him on the phone, and wrote the right things in his messages, but the passion they’d shared in Glasgow was lacking. The promised visit to Inverness hadn’t materialised, and neither had he come to see her. The summer was slipping by but so far, she’d been unable to pin him down.

Tara had a horrible fear Cal didn’t love her anymore, and it was tearing her apart. She wished she had the courage to ask him outright, but she was terrified of the answer. As long as she didn’t know, she could pretend everything was all right.

When her phone finally rang, relief swept through her. ‘Cal, hi. How did the interview go?’

‘I got the job.’

‘Wow, that’s fantastic news! Congratulations! When do you start?’

‘As soon as they’ve obtained references and done the necessary employment checks.’

Tara’s sixth sense prickled. He didn’t sound thrilled. He should be over the moon, considering this job was exactly what he wanted – an assistant estate manager, working for a large manor in the Highlands, not far from his home town. It was perfect. So why wasn’t he more enthusiastic?

‘We should celebrate,’ she said, then lowered her voice, because although she was in her bedroom with the door closed, her mother was downstairs. ‘ Properly .’

‘Um, Tara—’

‘Shall I come to you? We could stay in a hotel or a bed and breakfast, and maybe you could show me around the estate. I’d love to see where you’ll be working. If we can drag ourselves away from the bedroom for long enough.’ She uttered a throaty laugh, her pulse quickening as she thought about what she intended to do with him as soon as she got him alone.

‘Tara, I don’t think that’s a good idea.’

‘Oh, OK. Anyway, we’ll probably be too busy for you to show me around, if you know what I mean.’ She giggled. ‘God, I miss you so much. I can’t wait to see you. I love you, Cal.’

She waited for him to tell her he loved her too. But he didn’t. He didn’t say a word.

‘Cal? Are you still there?’

‘Yes.’

Then it struck her. He didn’t say ‘I love you’ back, because he didn’t .

‘You don’t love me any more, do you?’ she blurted.

She heard a noise that sounded like a sob, but realised Cal was clearing his throat.

‘It’s not that,’ he said, and the heaviness in her heart lifted for a split second. Then he continued, ‘It’s just that we’re so young. Too young for a serious relationship.’

His voice was stilted and staccato; there was no emotion whatsoever, and she stuffed her fist into her mouth to hold back the scream that threatened to break free.

‘My mum and dad agree,’ he said. ‘They think we’re too young to settle down, especially when you’ve got another year of uni left. You need to enjoy it and have fun, not mope around waiting for me. And with my new job, I’m not going to have much free time, and—’ He took a breath, and she heard him exhale slowly. ‘It’s not going to work, Tara. Everyone knows long-distance relationships don’t work.’

He didn’t mean it. He couldn’t mean it.

‘You don’t want to make it work,’ she accused, pain stabbing her in the chest. It felt like her heart was being torn from her ribcage and she couldn’t breathe.

‘I’m sorry, Tara, I—’ He gulped. ‘I’m sorry.’ And before he ended the call she heard him whisper, ‘Be happy.’

As if she could ever be happy again…

Tara’s mother found her sobbing on her bed, her heart broken into a thousand pieces, her dreams of a future with Cal shattered on the rocks of her unrequited love.