Chapter 9
Dev usually had a good idea about what he wanted in life. He took his time making decisions and hardly ever second-guessed those decisions once made, going after what he wanted with his usual steady mindset. Until now.
Until Kate.
He stood there in his driveway watching the Rover speed away and ran a hand over his face, wondering what the hell had just happened and why he felt like the world had tilted off its axis a little. Everything was off. Unsettled. Unbalanced.
Both Hildie and Terry stared up at him, waiting for some direction, someone to take charge. He snorted. Hard to take charge when it felt like he was losing his mind.
Dev was pretty familiar with rise, shower, eat, work, eat, and sleep. He'd been on that routine for months without much deviation at all. And he liked routine. He liked simple. Not this . . .chaos.
"Stick with what you know, kids," he told the dogs, turning toward the house.
Thirty minutes later he was showered, dressed, and on his way to the main house to eat breakfast in Fran's kitchen. The usual. The way things were supposed to be.
"You're later than usual, lad. Feeling all right?" Fran asked from her position at the stove as he came through the door.
"Fine." Dev crossed the stone floor, kissed her cheek, and then grabbed a plate from the shelf. "And you?" He held the plate as Fran loaded it with eggs, bangers, a slice of quiche, and biscuits.
"Brilliant." She smiled at him. "Ellie, Robert and Mary's granddaughter, starts working here today. She's minding things while I go visit my Sara. Just a few hours every week to start."
Dev sat at the table. "Name sounds familiar," he said before shoving a large bite of eggs into his mouth.
Fran poured a cup of coffee and set it in front of him. "Should. Hamish tried like mad to set you two up, remember? I kept telling him she wasn't the right lass."
Dev grunted.
"I fear we'll never find the right lass for our Dev," Ian said as he came through from the dining room. Dev shot him a glare. Ian grinned, ruffled Dev's hair and then leapt back as Dev swatted at him.
"Lads," Fran warned.
After Ian poured a cup of coffee, he leaned against the counter. Dev could feel his brother's eyes on him. No doubt Lucy filled him in on the events of the morning, what she'd seen, and whatever Kate chose to tell her. Bloody perfect. As the older brother Ian was required to get some ribbing in.
"All right, looks like I'm done here," Fran said, taking off her apron and hanging it on the wall. "Ellie will be here any minute."
"Go on," Ian told her, "I'll show her around when she gets here."
Fran paused and eyed the two of them. "You lads behave yourselves."
Dev chuckled at that, making Fran shake her head as she left the kitchen. Then, he counted, wondering how long it would take—
"So what the hell happened this morning?"
One second apparently.
Dev washed his food down with his coffee as Ian sat at the table. "Not what you think, bro."
"Then correct me."
"Rather not."
Ian leaned back and eyed him. When he was younger, Dev always crumbled under that steady blue gaze of his brother's. Since then, he'd learned to wait it out, not rise to the occasion.
"Lucy's a little worried," Ian finally broke.
All he wanted was to eat his breakfast in peace and not think about Miss Chaos herself.
Dev polished off the second biscuit. "Nothing to worry about.
Things got off to a weird start that's all.
" And if he hadn't seen Kate naked in the barn, maybe things wouldn't have progressed the way they had.
His brain wouldn't have been scrambled from the get go.
Ian wasn't going to let it drop, however. Dev could see it in the thoughtful, intelligent gaze staring back at him.
"Look. First day. She ran into my barn buck ass naked after skinny dipping in the loch. Kind of set us off on the wrong foot."
And he hadn't been the same since.
Ian let out a whistle. "Damn, man." He dragged a hand through his black hair. "That'd make for an awkward beginning."
"Trust me, it was way more than just awkward. Have you seen her?"
"She's a beautiful woman," Ian admitted. "Has had a rough few months."
Finished, Dev stood. "Her business, not mine."
"Didn't seem that way this morning."
Dev rolled his eyes and went to rinse his plate in the sink.
Ian's chair scraped over the stone, but Dev didn't look.
He was done with the conversation. Ian's hand landed on his shoulder.
"She'll be gone soon. Out of your hair. Who knows, maybe she'll find a good guy.
Bring him to the wedding in a couple months. Not your business."
"Nope," Dev said as he scrubbed the plate clean.
Ian gave him a slight push. "You're such a liar."
Dev turned to find Ian grinning like a damn fool. "And I'm about to mop the floor with your face."
"Bring it on, little man." Ian darted out the kitchen door, Dev hot on his heels.
After the lads were gone, Fran and Hamish pushed away from their eavesdropping spot along the dining room wall and smiled. "Aye, she's the one," Hamish said with certainty. "That skinny dipping . . . fate I tell ye. Couldn't have done better m'self. Gave those two a head start, I'd say."
"I think you're right. But it doesn't sound like it's going well now. How do we get them together?"
Hamish's eyes went narrow and his mouth grim. "Don't ye worry about that, luv. Leave it to ole Hamish."
Fran's eyes practically twinkled as she grabbed his bearded face and kissed him. "I trust, ye, Hamish. These lads will be settled in no time."
Hamish swatted her on the rear as she walked away. "Enjoy yer visit with our lass. Tell Sara her ole da sends his love."
Kate woke with a pounding heart.
Sex dream. Devin. Dear Lord.
She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Her skin tingled and her pulse pounded in all the right places, creating an unsatisfied ache that grated on her nerves.
Damn it! This was the last thing she needed.
The whole point of retreating to bed had been to avoid all thoughts of the big, bad Highlander.
Now images of hot, sweaty sex flashed through her mind like a pornographic slide projector.
"Great," she muttered, getting up, stripping, and heading for the shower.
The cold water shocked the sexual haze right out of her, and by the time she was showering, the dream had faded into the background and she felt more like her usual self.
She'd slept until eleven, which she hadn't done in years, and was starving.
After making a quick sandwich, she took her lunch to the patio and admired the loch as she ate.
The temp had to be hovering around seventy. Perfect weather. Maybe she'd go fishing or head into the village for some shopping. She still hadn't gotten anything for Gram or Riley…
An engine echoed, growing louder with every second. Kate straightened, hoping to hell the approaching vehicle passed by.
But it stopped. A car door opened and shut.
Please don't let it be him.
"Hello!" Hamish's booming voice rang out.
Relief slid down her spine. "Back here!"
He came around the cottage and Kate couldn't help but smile. Hamish was so full of energy and life, and happiness. He was sharp-witted, too, and she hadn't forgotten his penchant for matchmaking. "Fine day, eh?"
"It's beautiful." She eyed him for a second, wondering why he was here. "Is this a social call or a matchmaking call?"
Hamish burst out laughing. He held up his hands in surrender. "Already been scolded by Dev. No more matchin' for me."
Somehow she didn't buy it. "Social call then?"
"Of a sorts. Brought ye a gift." He turned and started walking, gesturing for her to follow him around to the truck.
"A boat?"
"Well, now, it's just a wee thing. Easy enough for one person ta handle. Though ye might like ta paddle around the loch some."
"Actually, Hamish, that's not a bad idea at all." In fact, it was just what she needed. A nice relaxing day on the loch.
"Thought so," he said with a wink. "I'll back her up to the water and get her unloaded."
Once Hamish backed his old truck to a good spot down shore, Kate helped him slide the fiberglass boat off the bed of the truck and into the water.
It was lighter than she expected. The size of a canoe but wider in the middle with one bench at the back near a small motor.
The rest was open. "Sara, my daughter, used ta fill it with pillows and blankets, take a book, and spend all day lazin' on the water. "
Kate was already envisioning how lovely that would be, just floating on the water, napping, reading, staring up at the sky and watching the clouds go by. The way the loch was shaped, with its curves and coves, she'd have no trouble finding a bit of privacy.
"Fran made ye this." Hamish pulled a large picnic basket from the passenger seat and then placed it in the boat.
"Around the point there," he said gesturing to the tree-lined bit of land jutting into the water, "and ye'll come upon a small sheltered bay.
There's an island in the middle. The lads used ta camp there.
A good place ta stretch yer legs, have supper, and watch the sunset. "
Kate wasn't sure what to say. His and Fran's generosity was humbling. She wasn't used to people she barely knew going out of their way for her. "I don't know what to say, Hamish. This was really nice. Thank you. And please tell Fran the same."
"Was no trouble at all, lass. For either of us. Just enjoy yer day."
"Thank you. I will," she said with a smile.
It didn't take her long to fill the boat with pillows and blankets.
She grabbed her jacket and quickly scanned the small selection of books in the cottage.
She'd read some, others were heavy classics that weren't right for the day she had in mind, and the rest were travel books and guides.
She chose a book of poetry by great Scottish poets and then grabbed Highlander's Harlot.