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

Chapter 14

Tara rescued the piece of paper before the printer spat it onto the floor and examined it closely, turning it this way and that as she held it up to the light. The pattern had come out quite well she decided, as she compared it to the photo that had been emailed to her by the sister of the woman who owned the funeral parlour. With the construction of the building itself complete, Tara was now turning her attention to the part she liked the best, the interior decorating. She always began with the ceilings, then the walls and finally the floor covering, before installing any furniture, fixtures or fittings.

Today she was wallpapering. Using the photograph of the white and gold paper on the walls of the reception area, Tara had reproduced the image on the computer, shrunk it down, and printed it out. She was about to cut it to the right size when the studio door opened and Bonnie bounded in.

‘What are you doing?’ the girl asked.

‘I’m in the middle of decorating this, um, house.’ Tara wasn’t sure what to call it.

‘Can I watch?’

‘Sure. Come through.’

Bonnie lifted up a section of the counter so the door underneath it opened and scurried through it. She came to stand by Tara’s elbow.

‘I’ve never seen a doll’s house being decorated before,’ she said. ‘Can you really change it whenever you want, like a real house?’

Tara remembered telling her the same thing the first time they’d met. ‘Yes, you can. Many people buy just the shell with no paint on it whatsoever, because they like doing it themselves.’ Tara pointed to a cardboard box on the floor under one of the shelves. ‘Take a look in there.’

Bonnie peered inside, and Tara smiled to see that the girl was careful not to touch anything.

‘You can take them out and have a look at them,’ she said. In the box were various rolls of paper, from brick-effect to slate, tiles to cobbles.

‘Wow!’ Bonnie picked up each one in turn. ‘They look real.’

Tara smiled. ‘That’s the idea.’

Bonnie returned to stand next to her as Tara explained how careful she had to be when measuring and cutting, and as she spoke, Tara kept glancing at her. The child had Cal’s eyes – the same colour and shape. She had his hair too, and his smile.

Tara wondered where he was right now. What was he doing? She hadn’t spoken to him since the night on his deck, although she’d glimpsed him in the distance, and if he’d gone out in his boat again, she hadn’t noticed. She wondered whether he was avoiding her because he was regretting his offer. Maybe he was regretting the evening itself.

She didn’t regret it at all. To be told that he’d only married Yvaine because she’d been pregnant had flipped a switch in Tara’s head. She was no longer bitter. Instead, she felt sad and regretful. If only he hadn’t been so sure back then that he knew what was best for her, she might have talked him around and persuaded him that they could have made their relationship work.

Instead he’d had rebound sex and a whole lot of grief had been the result. But, as he’d pointed out, if he and Tara had stayed together, the beautiful child standing by her side wouldn’t exist, and that was unimaginable.

Bonnie was gorgeous, and Tara’s heart went out to her. Tara mightn’t be able to ease the girl’s sadness at having to leave Duncoorie, but the doll’s house she was going to build for her might smooth the transition a little. She would start work on it as soon as she’d completed the funeral parlour.

An hour later – by this time Bonnie had borrowed a chair from one of the other studios and was perched next to Tara, ‘helping’ her – the door opened again.

Tara’s heart lurched when she saw it was Cal.

‘I thought I’d find you here,’ he said to his daughter, then he turned his gaze to Tara and said, ‘I hope she hasn’t been a nuisance?’

‘I’ve loved having her here,’ she answered truthfully. Bonnie was good company. She was enthusiastic, inquisitive, bright and chatty. She was a quick learner too, picking things up faster than Tara had when she’d first started making doll’s houses and all things tiny.

‘If she gets on your nerves, just kick her out. She won’t take offence, will you, Bon-Bon?’

‘Dad, stop calling me Bon-Bon.’

‘OK, Bon-Bon.’

‘ Dad! ’

He chuckled, and it warmed Tara’s heart to see what a lovely relationship he had with his daughter.

‘Mack has a couple of spaces in the boat for this afternoon’s trip,’ Cal said, his attention reverting to Bonnie. ‘Would you like to go?’

‘Me and you?’

‘Yes, me and you. Who did you think I meant?’

‘Me, you and Tara.’

Cal’s eyes widened a fraction. ‘I’m not sure Tara would want to come.’

‘Can you ask her?’ But before Cal could open his mouth, Bonnie said, ‘Mack does whale and dolphin watching trips. Have you ever seen a whale?’

‘Actually, I haven’t.’ Tara replied.

‘A dolphin?’

Tara shook her head.

‘Would you like to?’

‘I would, but perhaps not today.’

‘Please come. It’ll be fun.’

‘Yes, come,’ Cal chimed in. ‘You’ll enjoy it, although there’s no guarantee that any whales or dolphins will put in an appearance.’

Tara wasn’t sure. She didn’t want Cal to feel obliged to back up Bonnie’s impromptu invitation. ‘I’ve got to finish this,’ she said, indicating the partly decorated funeral parlour.

‘If I promise to help, will you come?’ Bonnie stared at her hopefully. ‘Dad says that all work and no play makes Jack stupid.’

‘Dull,’ Cal laughed. ‘It makes him a dull boy, meaning he’s boring because he works all the time and doesn’t enjoy himself.’

‘You don’t want to be boring, Tara,’ Bonnie told her solemnly.

‘No, you don’t.’ Cal twinkled at her, and Tara blushed.

‘If you’re sure,’ she hedged. ‘I don’t want to impinge on your time with Bonnie.’

‘You won’t,’ he assured her. ‘Pick you up in half an hour? Wear something warm. It can get blustery out there.’

Cal was pleased to see that Tara had heeded his advice. She was wearing a padded jacket, and also had a knitted hat in her hand and a sturdy pair of boots on her feet. She smiled uncertainly, and he hoped she hadn’t felt railroaded into accompanying them, despite saying she would be happy to go out on the loch in the skiff.

Bonnie kept up a steady stream of chatter from the back seat on the short drive along the loch to Mack’s place, leaving Cal free to wonder what the hell he was doing. Cooking a meal for Tara the other evening was a step beyond having a professional and friendly working relationship with her. It had bordered on being intimate. And now he was taking her on a boat trip? Thank goodness for Bonnie. She would hopefully act as a buffer between them. However, if it wasn’t for Bonnie, Tara wouldn’t have been accompanying them in the first place.

Cal spied Mack as soon as he pulled into the parking area. He was on the boat, dressed in his customary shorts and T-shirt. He rarely wore anything different. The man didn’t seem to feel the cold and was impervious to rain.

‘Cal.’ Mack grinned as Cal approached and held out his hand. He chucked Bonnie under the chin, then turned his curious gaze on Tara. ‘Who’s this?’

‘Tara Sh— McTaigh. She’s just moved to Skye.’

Mack offered her his hand to shake, speculation in his eyes as he glanced at Cal, then back to Tara. Cal also saw something else in his friend’s eyes – appreciation and interest.

It ruffled Cal’s feathers.

No doubt Mack would ask him about her as soon as he managed to get him on his own. What should he tell him? Back off, because I loved her once and I’m pretty sure I still do ? Or should he tell Mack to go for it, because there was next to no chance of him and Tara picking up where they left off? But the thought of her being with someone else, especially a mate, was unimaginable. Then it struck him that he might have to get used to it. Although Tara hadn’t long come out of a marriage, she was young, incredibly attractive and a lovely person, and sooner or later she would want to start dating again.

A knife twisted in his gut, sending a dart of pain right through him. If only he had told her about his father and the promise he’d made, things might have been so very different. They might have got married, and Bonnie might have been their daughter—

‘Dad, why are you frowning?’ Bonnie was wearing a frown herself as she stared at him.

‘I didn’t realise I was.’

‘Are you cross?’

‘Not at all. Shall we go onboard and sit down?’

Bonnie wanted to sit as near to the prow as she could get without being in the cabin, and Cal placed himself immediately behind her, so he could grab her if he needed to. Tara sat on his other side.

Tara was forced to shuffle closer as the boat filled up with passengers, and he became conscious of her thigh touching his and her arm pressing against his shoulder. It seemed only natural to drape his arm along the gunwale to allow her more room. His hand itched to curl around her shoulder and pull her close, but he resisted the urge. Touching her more than this would be too much to cope with, and being this close to her was already sending his pulse into overdrive.

After Mack and his crew cast off and the boat had chugged away from its mooring, Mack launched into his usual spiel, informing people of the area’s geology and history and what wildlife they might see.

Cal tuned out. He’d heard it several times before and was well aware of the wildlife that inhabited the waters around Skye.

He was more interested in trying to watch Tara’s expression out of the corner of his eye. She was scanning the sea, her eyes narrowed in concentration, and he hoped today would be lucky for her and she would get to see a whale or a dolphin, because they didn’t always show up. However, the loch was sheltered from the open sea and was a good hunting ground for fish, so maybe they’d get lucky.

Seals were a common sight though, and as the boat skirted around the coast and the small islands just offshore, Mack pointed out the harbour seals that were hauled out on the rocks. Bonnie was excited to see them, but not nearly as excited as Tara.

‘Haven’t you seen a seal before?’ Bonnie asked her.

‘I have, but not often. You are so lucky living here and having them on your doorstep.’

‘You live here, too,’ Bonnie pointed out. ‘Dad says you live in the boathouse.’

‘I do, but not for much longer. The boathouse belongs to Miss Gray, and I’m hoping to buy a house of my own soon.’

‘But you’ll still live on Skye?’

‘Yes, I will.’

Bonnie gave her a satisfied grin. ‘You’ll be lucky, like me. All this,’ she threw her arms wide, nearly smacking Cal in the face, ‘will be on your doorstep, too.’

‘By the end of the summer, Tara will be sick to death of seals,’ Cal joked.

‘I won’t.’ Tara shook her head. ‘How can anyone be sick to death of seals? Look at those cute faces.’

‘I like seals, don’t I, Dad?’

‘You do.’

‘And rabbits and deer. Sometimes I see foxes, and once I saw an otter.’

‘Otters are quite elusive,’ Cal said.

‘That means they hide a lot,’ Bonnie explained seriously.

Cal caught Tara’s eye, and he could see she was trying not to smile.

‘One time, Dad took me to this place in his boat, and we got out and had to walk for ages, then we hid in the grass and waited and waited. It was a long time, wasn’t it, Dad? And we had to keep really quiet and still, and that was hard. But we saw a mummy and a baby otter. They were so cute, but I sneezed because the grass tickled my nose and it scared them away.’ She looked sad, but not for long. ‘Then we had a picnic, didn’t we, Dad? Did you bring anything to eat?’

Cal laughed. ‘No, I didn’t. You’re worse than a gannet, always hungry.’

‘Gannets eat a lot,’ Bonnie told Tara before turning back to him. ‘What’s for tea?’

‘How about a chippie supper? But don’t tell your mother.’

‘Yay! And Tara can have some too, can’t she?’

He met Tara’s eyes again. ‘If she wants,’ he replied steadily.

‘Dad has got beer in his fridge,’ Bonnie announced. ‘He drinks it after I’ve gone to bed.’

Tara pressed her lips together, her eyes crinkling at the corners as he said, ‘Bonnie, you can’t go telling people that.’

‘Why not? It’s true, you have got beer in your fridge. Mummy has wine in hers. Do you like wine, Tara? I don’t. It’s nasty.’

Cal was appalled. ‘How do you know what wine tastes like?’

Bonnie’s expression became sly. ‘I had a sip once when Mummy went to the loo.’ She pulled a face. ‘I didn’t like it.’

‘Good! I hope you continue not to like it for years and years.’

‘I don’t like coffee either, or tea, but—’

Whatever Bonnie was going to say was lost as a cry went up and passengers leapt to their feet as the boat came about. Whales had been spotted off the starboard bow, and Bonnie who was in an ideal position, turned towards the water.

‘Look, Tara. Whales!’

There were at least three, Cal counted, as they expelled puffs of air out of their blowholes. Their bodies were sleek and black, breaking the surface before sinking below again.

‘Minke,’ Cal said, just as Mack announced it. ‘Quite common in these waters.’ Then he shut up to allow Tara to listen to Mack’s commentary.

He also wanted to be free to gaze at her face, which was alight with wonder, her eyes shining as he stepped back a pace to allow her to move in front of him for a better view. The sight of her stole his breath, as a memory of seeing that very same expression when she’d opened his Christmas present to her flashed into his head. They’d made love on the floor, to the soft strains of ‘Away in a Manger’ and the crinkle of wrapping paper. He wondered whether she still had the pendant.

The boat kept pace with the whales whilst maintaining a respectful distance, then after the magnificent creatures had sunk below the waves for a final time, Mack turned the boat around and they headed back to shore.

Mother Nature hadn’t finished with them yet, though. She had another treat in store by way of a pod of bottlenose dolphins which surrounded the boat, to the delight of everyone aboard. Leaping from the water or riding the bow wave, they produced squeals of excitement from the younger passengers, and Bonnie had difficulty containing herself.

Tara didn’t say a word. She didn’t need to. Her face said everything. She was transfixed, and when the playful creatures had enough and darted away, she dropped back onto the seat, her face glowing.

‘That was one of the best experiences of my life,’ she said. ‘Thank you so much for persuading me to come.’

‘I knew you’d like it!’ Bonnie cried. ‘Uncle Mack is the best! He always knows where to find them, doesn’t he, Dad? If you ask him, he might show you a basking shark. They’re awesome.’

Cal muttered an unintelligible reply. It might be selfish, but he didn’t want Tara asking Mack for anything.

Mack’s interest in Duncoorie’s newest resident became apparent after the boat docked and Cal thanked him for taking them out. Mack’s gaze lingered on Tara for far too long, and when he caught hold of Cal’s arm and drew him briefly aside, Cal bristled at being asked whether anything was going on between them.

‘She’s an old friend,’ Cal said, reluctantly. ‘From uni.’ And then he added, because Mack would undoubtedly find out, ‘We used to date.’

Mack studied him intently, then held up his hands. ‘Message received.’

‘What message?’ He glanced around to see that Bonnie and Tara had reached the car and were waiting for him to unlock it.

‘You still fancy her.’

‘I don’t.’

‘Yeah, right.’ Mack followed his gaze. ‘Bonnie likes her.’

‘She does.’

‘And Tara fancies the pants off you.’

Cal shook his head. ‘I told you, she’s an old friend. It’s not like that.’

Mack clapped him on the back. ‘You keep telling yourself that. I think you’ll find I’m right.’

Mack might have given Cal food for thought, but it was fish and chips that Bonnie was interested in. ‘Dad!’ she yelled. ‘I’m hungry. Hurry up!’

Cal hurried, despite his appetite having deserted him. It soon reappeared when he was unwrapping the steaming bundles in the kitchen back at the cottage, as Bonnie got the plates out and Tara poured the drinks.

The three of them sat at the table to eat their supper, and as he devoured his, Cal put his rediscovered appetite down to the hope that he and Tara had proved they could put the past behind them and be friends and colleagues going forward.

It had absolutely nothing to do with Mack’s ridiculous comment.

What Mack had said about Tara fancying the pants off him continued to

prey on Cal’s mind well into the evening. If only Mack knew the true

extent of what had passed between them. Cal and Tara had been

inseparable. The hot, intense love they’d shared had gone way beyond

fancying each other.

And deep down he knew they weren’t done. He sensed they had unfinished business. That he still loved her was a given, but did she still have feelings for him?

Mack seemed to think so.

Cal hated that Tara thought he’d thrown away what they had because he’d told her that long-distance relationships didn’t work. He hated even more that she thought she’d meant so little to him that he’d leapt into bed with the first woman who’d batted her eyelashes at him.

Tara deserved to know the truth.

His phone rang, cutting into his thoughts.

‘Hi, Mum.’

‘Hello, my lovely boy. How was your weekend with Bonnie?’

‘Exhausting.’

‘I bet! Did you do anything nice?’

‘We went out with Mack. He had a couple of cancellations.’

‘I bet she enjoyed that. I wouldn’t be surprised if she goes into something to do with wildlife when she’s older.’

‘Or doll’s houses.’ Cal chuckled. ‘One of the studios has been let out to a woman who makes doll’s houses, and Bonnie is fascinated. In fact, Tara came with us on the trip.’

‘Did she now?’ His mum’s tone was full of hope. ‘What’s she like?’

Cal hesitated. How could he describe the woman who held his heart in her hands and didn’t even realise it? There weren’t enough words to do her justice.

‘Cal?’

‘I used to date her. At university.’

Something in his voice must have pinged on his mother’s radar. ‘What aren’t you telling me?’

‘I…’ God, this was hard. ‘I love her. I always have.’

‘I see. That explains why Yvaine is the way she is.’

Did it? Cal couldn’t see how. ‘Yvaine knew I’d dated someone called Tara when I was at uni, but she didn’t know I was in love with her.’

‘Trust me, sweetheart, she knew. If you don’t mind me asking, why did you and Tara break up?’

‘Because of Dad.’

There was a sharp intake of breath, then silence. Finally, she spoke. ‘Who broke up with who?’

‘I broke up with her. She was in Glasgow and I had just landed that job in Inverness, and…’

‘And you weren’t able to tell her why you couldn’t go to Glasgow to see her every weekend, or why she couldn’t visit you,’ his mum finished.

She understood immediately, without him having to explain.

He heard her sigh. ‘I knew something was wrong, but I put it down to all the worry over your father. Why didn’t you tell me?’

‘You had enough to be getting on with.’

She snorted. ‘Liar. It was because you didn’t want me to feel guilty about asking you to keep your dad’s condition quiet.’

‘Yes.’

‘That bloody job of his had a lot to answer for.’ The anger in her voice made him flinch.

It was true, though. His poor dad had been under so much pressure at work that one day he’d snapped. A proud man, he hadn’t wanted his family, friends or colleagues to know the full extent of it. So he’d kept it quiet as much as he had been able to, taking early retirement. Slowly, with his doctor’s help, he’d recovered, but it had been too late for Calan – He was already married to Yvaine.

His mum said, ‘I take it Tara doesn’t know?’

‘No.’

‘Tell her.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Does she still care for you?’

He blew out a breath. ‘I don’t know. I hope so.’

‘Has she forgiven you?’

‘Probably not.’

‘Do you think she will if you tell her the real reason you ended it?’

‘Maybe.’

‘Then you must tell her.’

‘Will Dad mind?’

‘If it means you have a second chance at love, then no, he won’t mind. Anyway, ten years is a long time and people’s attitude towards mental health has moved on.’

Cal let out a sigh, releasing some of the tension he’d been carrying. ‘Thanks, Mum.’

‘I’m sorry. If I’d known, I never—’ Her voice broke, but she managed to say one last thing before ending the call. ‘I hope she makes your heart sing.’