Chapter Five
Brann
B rann took a swig of water from his steel bottle. ‘It’s so stuffy for April.’
‘Yeah, and this fucking straw isn’t helping,’ Harrison muttered. ‘It stinks.’
‘Yeah, the idiots in charge of this place haven’t got a scooby what they’re doing. I don’t get why we’re to start here before repairing the damaged stables first. This’ll take much longer. I told that Barbara woman, but she’s so scatty.’
‘Yeah, and the owner. Fuck my life. What does he look like? I know it’s Scotland, and it’s the countryside, but really? Who the hell wears plus-fours and that sort of get-up these days?’
‘You’re not wrong.’
Rupert Chattan-Blythe, as he’d introduced himself, may as well have been called Sir Pompous d’Aristocratic Twat. He seemed like a nice enough person but had so much bluster it was like he’d stepped straight out of a period drama. Brann’s phone rang and his chest tightened. The school. Again. What was it this time?
‘Hello.’
‘Is that Mr Duthie?’
‘Yes.’
‘I’m just calling to say that Caitlin’s taken a wee turn in class and isn’t feeling very well.’
‘Oh really? Does she need to go home?’
‘She’s been to the matron for a wee lie down and she’s gone back to class for now, but I’ve said I’ll call you and let you know, because if she’s still feeling bad at lunchtime it might be better if you came for her.’
‘Right, ok. Thanks. I’ll call back at lunchtime and see how she is.’
‘What’s up?’ Harrison asked as soon as Brann ended the call.
‘Caitlin’s not feeling well.’ He frowned. ‘Is something going on with her again that I don’t know about?’
‘Like what?’
‘I dunno. That’s the second time recently the school’s called about her. The last time, she seemed better the minute we got home. She never mentioned her ankle again.’ Hopefully, she wouldn’t relapse and start self-harming again. Not when she’d seemed so much better.
‘Who knows?’ Harrison said. ‘She’s pals with lots of little rich girls who like ponies and places like this. She doesn’t really fit in.’
‘Hmm.’ Brann slung his phone into the back pocket of his jeans. He knew exactly how that felt. He and Kristalee had stuck out like sore thumbs when they were at school. ‘I need air. This building is making my skin crawl.’ He left through the rickety door of the old steading. Some of the straw smelled like it had been there for a hundred years, which was maybe when this place was last used. It would take days to clear it before they even started on the building work. Such a waste of time and resources. He ripped off his t-shirt and threw it carelessly onto the ground, sure it was crawling with all sorts of bugs. The weather was warm, if not baking, but a creepy sensation was making him itch.
He grabbed an empty wheelbarrow and pushed it towards the door. It might be better to subcontract some people just to clear out the mess. He had better things to be doing. The news about Caitlin was unsettling, and a helplessness besieged him. What could he do? She hated him interfering, and it was her life, but he wanted her to be ok.
Before he returned inside, the sound of hooves on the track caught his attention. He spotted a chestnut horse on the path. Its rider was slim and elegant, wearing a lilac top and tight jodhpurs.
Oh shit.
It was her. The snooty heiress. Wasn’t she supposed to be gone? Get inside quick! Before she notices. But he couldn’t move quick enough.
‘What are you doing here?’ She narrowed her eyes, and he winced.
‘Er… Working.’
‘Working? Here?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Why?’ She towered over him from atop her horse, eyeing him up and down, taking in every inch of his muscle, the celtic knot-work tattoo on his left bicep and his wide chest. Did she like what she saw? He was no stranger to exercise and was in good shape, but he still felt exposed, like she was x-raying him inch by inch. Why had he discarded his shirt? ‘We agreed you weren’t going to be working here.’
‘I don’t think we agreed on anything. You said we weren’t a good fit.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘But Barbara called and offered me work, so I assumed you’d changed your mind.’
The heiress slowly looked away. ‘But why here? This area isn’t a priority. If you’re working, why aren’t you at the fallen-in stables?’
‘I suggested that to Barbara. To be perfectly honest with you, this is a total waste of my time.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘She’s got me cleaning up mess that’s possibly been in there since the nineteen-fifties. I doubt that’s what you want to be paying me for.’
‘I shouldn’t be paying you for anything because you’re not even supposed to be here.’
‘My contract says otherwise, your highness.’
‘Don’t call me that. It’s rude.’
‘Rude, am I? I’m not the one who parks in disabled parking spaces and drives like a bat out of hell, putting other road users in danger.’
She ground her teeth and seemed to be letting out a slow breath from her nose. ‘Neither of them is what you think, ok? I didn’t realise the fog was so bad, because I wasn’t concentrating. I stupidly let someone get to me and made a bad decision. And I didn’t notice the disabled badge on that parking place until I was about to leave… And then…’ she groaned, glancing away. ‘Of course it all sounds like a stupid excuse now and I don’t expect you to believe me or let it drop, but I’ve said my piece, and that’s that.’
For a moment, the sharpness in her irises dulled, and a hint of vulnerability flashed there, but she blinked it away.
‘Who called you about this work?’ Her gaze bored into him again. ‘Barbara or my father?’
‘Barbara.’
‘I need to speak to her.’
‘You do that. I’ve got to get back to shovelling shit.’
‘Probably what you’re best at,’ she muttered. ‘And for the love of god, it’s not that hot.’ Her eyes lingered on his chest again and her cheeks went slightly pink. ‘Put some clothes on.’ She nudged her horse and rode off back down the path. The horse swished its tail with a dismissive flourish.
‘You won’t believe this.’ Brann marched back inside.
‘What?’ Harrison frowned at him.
‘Do you remember that posh heiress who thought we were car thieves? She’s here. She’s just had a moan at me. Cow.’
‘What did she say?’
‘That I’m not that hot.’
He snorted.
‘Ok, not that exactly. But she demanded I put some clothes on… Christ.’ Brann dug his hands into his hair.
‘I bet she leads a sheltered life. She’s probably never seen a topless man before.’ Harrison smirked.
‘Well, she was definitely having a good look.’
‘Oh please,’ he groaned. ‘That’s gross.’
‘Why?’
‘I don’t want to think about some posh bint leching over my dad.’
‘Don’t call her a bint.’
‘Seriously, why not? You called her a cow.’
‘Suits her better.’
‘What’s her name, anyway? Wasn’t it something that sounded like “awful”?’
‘Ophelia. What a name… eh? O-feely-her-arse.’
‘Dad! That is much worse than calling her a bint. And please tell me you don’t want to do that.’
‘Course not. Now shut up and let’s get back to the shit.’
They worked on until they couldn’t take much more of the smell, but at least it distracted him from thoughts about princess Ophelia.
Staring around, Brann sighed. ‘It doesn’t look like we’ve done anything. This place is such a frigging mess.’
‘Can we stop for lunch?’ Harrison said. ‘I need out of here for a bit.’
‘Yeah. Let’s get the food and we’ll sit out.’ Brann got their lunches from the van and they slumped down next to the paddock fence. A woman was in a lower field carrying a bucket. She had extremely long fair hair, pleated down past her bottom. At least it wasn’t Ophelia, though Brann was certain he hadn’t heard the last from her. Just the thought of her wound him up and made his blood overheat, though he wasn’t sure if it was irritation causing it, or something completely different.
He glanced up. ‘Uh-oh.’ Footsteps on the path and they were getting louder. ‘I hope that’s not her again.’
‘Bet it is.’ Harrison stuffed the remainder of his roll into his mouth. ‘She’ll be coming for another ogle.’
‘Shut up.’ Brann jumped to his feet, grabbed his shirt from the ground and pulled it on. Even if it was infested with fleas, it was better than facing her half naked.
Gravel crunched under riding boots, and Brann looked up to see Ophelia marching towards him. She stopped, eyed him up and down and ran her fingertips up her riding crop.
‘Ditched the antlers for a new weapon?’ he asked.
‘Oh, very funny.’ She flicked her long, elegant ponytail over her shoulder, and blinked several times like she was trying to clear an image from her mind. Cow or not, she was bloody beautiful. She scanned around. ‘What exactly are you doing here?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Nothing?’ She frowned at him. ‘Then why—’
‘It’s my lunch break.’ He winked at her.
She gave him the smallest of smiles, before it faded and she smoothed back some stray hairs, like she was gathering her thoughts. Or perhaps she was annoyed with herself for daring to send a smile his way. ‘There was something on the news about that.’ Her eyes met his again.
‘What? My lunch break was on the news?’
‘It was about how much time and money the public waste paying builders to sit about drinking tea and eating donuts.’ Her smile returned, only this time her pupils flashed with a wicked glint.
He barked out a laugh. ‘If you think I’m shovelling all that shit without my tea and donuts, then you’ve got another think coming.’
She smirked and sailed past him through the open door. ‘Oh Jesus.’ She pulled back.
‘Yeah, not pleasant, is it?’ Brann said. ‘Fancy a sticky bun to take the taste away?’
She rolled her eyes. ‘No, thank you.’
‘So, are you here for a particular reason, or to check if you and I are a better fit these days?’ He linked his gaze with her. A crackle of electricity sparked inside him. She maintained eye contact, but her expression faltered ever so slightly. She was feeling this too. It was obvious. The tension thrummed, and neither looked away.
She took a step closer. ‘Dream on. I’m here to make sure the work is done efficiently, that’s all.’
‘Oh yeah? Well, if you think that means me working through lunch, forget it.’
‘Not what I meant, but you can pack up here.’
‘You’re firing me? Because I have a contract and I haven’t breached it, so I’d like to know on what grounds.’
‘I’m not firing you, just moving you on. This isn’t the job I want you doing right now.’
‘And what would you prefer me to do?’
She raised an eyebrow as if contemplating something, and he silently dared her to say what was going through her mind. ‘I have a whole list.’
‘I bet you do.’
She narrowed her eyes. ‘Are you always like this?’
‘Like what?’
‘Oh, never mind.’ She shook her head. ‘Just follow me.’
‘Yes, your highness, though why should I do what you say? Have you got proof you’re in charge now? How do I know you’re not messing with me, so I get sacked?’
‘I guess you’ll have to trust me, won’t you?’
‘I’m not sure that’ll do. After all, when I say I’m Brann Duthie, you think I’m some car-stealing criminal. Now it’s your turn; show me the proof. In fact, why not go the whole hog and get a DNA test? Come back and speak to me when the results are in.’
‘Oh, how amusing you are.’ Ophelia flicked her crop against the wall. ‘But none of that will be happening. You’re free to go and ask my father. I’ll even come with you if you want someone to hold your hand.’
‘I don’t want you holding anything of mine.’
She raised an eyebrow and her lips twitched. Fuck’s sake. She obviously knew he was lying. Of course he was. He wouldn’t object to her putting her hands anywhere she wanted. Her expression said she got the memo loud and clear.
‘Don’t worry, there’s no danger of that.’
He shook his head, biting his tongue. ‘So, what do you want me to do? Or are you going to toddle back to daddy first and tell him what a bad man I am? Maybe you’ll get me sacked before my next tea break.’
‘I’m perfectly capable of doing that myself.’ Her eyes ran him over from top to bottom.
‘I don’t doubt that.’
‘Come with me and you’ll see where I want you to start.’ She beckoned him.
‘Ladies first.’ He smirked. ‘I’ll follow like a good boy.’
‘Indeed.’ She glanced over at Harrison, who stood next to the fence, gaping. Brann cringed and half closed his eyes. Hopefully Harrison hadn’t heard any of the barely disguised innuendo.
‘So, where are we going?’
‘I’ll show you where I need you to concentrate your skills.’
‘With pleasure.’
She stared at him, and her eyes flashed. ‘I’m talking about the damaged stables.’
‘Me too.’
‘Well, you can start there ASAP. That’s the priority. But you and I will need a proper meeting at some point to discuss the work schedule and timeline.’
‘I can’t wait.’
‘Oh, me neither. It’ll be the highlight of my year.’ She led the way to the stable, which was a short walk from the steading building they’d wasted the morning on. ‘It’s fairly self-explanatory what needs to be done. In fact, I’m sure you understand it better than I do.’
‘Yeah. I know what to do.’
‘Right. Well, I’ll leave you to it. That’s quite enough fun for one day. Just let me check my diary for when we can meet. Can’t do tomorrow. Got a date.’
‘Lucky you. Lucky man,’ he added with an ironic lift of his brows.
She threw him a withering glance. ‘Wednesday morning looks clear. Does that suit you?’
‘Sure. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.’
‘Got yourself a date then.’
‘And here was me thinking I’d dodged that bullet.’
‘Oh, don’t worry, you have.’ She left with a flick of her ponytail.
Brann stared after her.
‘Oh my fucking god.’ Harrison craned his neck to check she’d gone as he approached. ‘What the hell was that all about?’
‘Search me.’
‘Ha! She totally fancies you.’
‘Shut it.’
‘Yeah. Cause you fancy her too.’
‘No, I don’t.’
Harrison laughed. ‘It’s so bloody obvious. She wants to get down and dirty with you in the hay.’
‘I said shut it.’ But he grinned because Harrison was right. ‘She’s so maddening.’ Brann balled his fists. ‘My god, I’d like to…’
‘Smack her with that crop?’ Harrison suggested.
Brann snorted.
With all the unresolved sexual tension building inside him, he couldn’t focus. But Christ, he had to let his mind be free of her. This was a job. It could potentially be a big job, one that could build the company’s reputation. He mustn’t blow this opportunity chasing some fantasy woman he enjoyed a bit of verbal sparring with. His seventeen-year-old self wouldn’t think twice about fooling around with her, but twenty years of experience had taught him a few things. Things he had a funny feeling he might have difficulty remembering when Ophelia was around.