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.
"So we kind of got off to a weird start," she said, bringing his attention right back to where he didn't want it.
Dev crossed his arms over his chest.
"You're not a big talker are you?"
"Not really, no."
She nodded, thought a minute and finally said, "I think I should just go." She pushed of the counter.
Damn it. "Wait." She stopped. "Look," he paused, at a loss for words and quickly trying to come up with something to explain he normally wasn't this bad.
"You're right. We got off to a weird start.
A shocking start, a mind blowing—" her death glare stopped him and he revised.
"Right." This was bloody torture and was so ridiculous that he felt a smile coming up from the depths of his body.
A low laugh came out, one that had him shaking his head.
The way they'd met. They way he was acting. It was all nuts.
The scowl on her gorgeous face turned to mirth until she was laughing too. "Okay. I guess it is kind of funny," she admitted. "How about we just start over?"
"I canna unsee what I saw, lass," he replied with an easy grin. "But I'll try not to let it cloud our future interactions."
"Oh gee, thanks. If it's not too much trouble for you."
He shrugged. It was going to be a hell of a lot of trouble, but he was willing to try. "I'm just a man, Katie, not a robot. You left me with quite an impression. It's burned into my brain and—"
She held up a hand to stop him and went back to glaring, and Dev decided he liked causing the myriad of emotions that had crossed her face since she'd arrived.
But most of all, he liked the humor. He'd forgotten the lightness it brought, the way it momentarily erased the darkness.
He'd laughed with his brothers recently, too, finally able to spend some time together after months on end…
And now Kate was here, knocking his socks off, and making him remember what it felt like to spar with a woman, to match wits, to feel the hot punch of attraction.
"So where is this dog of yours?"
"She's in here." He led Kate into the living room where Hildie lay curled up on her dog bed.
She hadn't been herself and it was worrying him.
Normally, she would have been up and alerting Devin to Kate biking down the lane.
Normally, she would have stood by his side to make sure he was safe.
Normally, she would have inhaled her breakfast.
"A Shepherd," Kate said, seeing Hildie. He was about to tell her to take it slow, but she stopped next to him instead of invading the dog's space. She was giving her time to get used to a new presence in the room. Smart. "Is she friendly?"
"Wary at first, but friendly."
Dev watched with interest as Kate knelt, and waited.
It didn't take long for Hildie to rise and walk over.
She sniffed Kate's knee, then her arm, then her hair.
Then she sat down. Murmuring her approval, Kate finally touched Hildie, giving her several long strokes and scratches.
Hildie lay down at Kate's feet and let out a long sigh.
So unlike her. After a while, Kate stood, thought a minute, and said, "So she's off her food.
Tired. Lies around a lot. Looks sad. Does she whine out of the blue? "
"Yeah. Sometimes."
"And how long has she been doing this?"
"Almost two weeks."
"Is she spayed?"
Dev blinked. Pregnant? His Hildie. No way. "All female MWD's are spayed before they go into training. Otherwise it'd cause too much trouble while they're on tour."
Kate frowned. "You're telling me she was a military working dog?"
If there was one thing Dev didn't like talking about, it was the military and the time he'd spent in it.
He wanted to leave the past in the past. But he also loved Hildie more than life itself.
He'd jumped in front of enemy fire for her, and she'd done the same for her handler.
Finding out what was wrong was more important than his reluctance.
"She was a PEDD, a patrol/explosives detection dog. "
Kate stared at Devin in shock. "And you were her handler."
"No." Already his pulse was up and the anxiety was increasing.
He didn't want to focus on this. Didn't want it to keep being a point of interest for Kate.
So Dev drew in a deep breath and quickly ripped off the Band-Aid.
"Her handler was one of my best friends…
" And that was as far as he got. The rest wouldn't come.
"Well," she said at length. "If she's not going through pregnancy symptoms… Could it be PTSD?"
Dev shook his head. "She was evaluated before adoption. Didn't show any signs."
"Well, they don't call it post traumatic stress for nothing. Could be it. Or she could just be lonely, bored—"
His back went stiff. "She's not lonely. She has me. I'm with her all the time."
Kate's dark brows went high and her mouth thinned. "I'm sure she's perfectly happy with you. I'm just thinking out loud. If she's physically healthy, then her problem could be emotional. Or she's just in a funk—maybe she misses her work, being busy all the time."
"She's busy here." He winced at the defensive tone in his voice. Why was he getting all worked up?
"Look," Kate said, exasperation lacing her tone, "you're the one who said to come by. Don't get mad at me just because I'm throwing possibilities out there. It's better than doing nothing."
Instant indignation shot to the surface. "What are you saying? I'm doing nothing for her?"
"No. Not saying that at all. You're worried about her.
It's obvious you love her and want the best, so you don't have to go on the attack.
I'm not attacking you, Devin. I'm not the enemy.
" Her cheeks had turned pink and her eyes were bright and irate.
Oh, she was mad, practically fuming. "You're lucky I'm going to let your crappy attitude slide. "
"Oh you are?"
"Yeah, I am. See, I'm actually a pretty nice person, even when some guy I barely know is being an asshole."