Chapter 6 #2
“I’d love to,” Elle said. “I’m dying to meet them.
” She hoped to have children of her own someday, but that day was pretty far off.
First things first. Music was her baby at the moment and would be for the foreseeable future.
She thought about her older brother. He was married and had two children.
She loved being an auntie, but she rarely saw them because of her busy schedule.
Maybe when she got back she could find the time to visit the ranch and see everyone.
Of course, she’d have to talk to Eric about rescheduling some dates, but he could make it happen.
He might not be very happy about it, but he’d do it.
***
Hamish watched as Elle disappeared from view. There was something about the lass that appealed to him, but he knew better than to let himself think along those lines.
“Why, Hamish MacBeown, have ye never played the lute fer me?” Nessa stood before him, hands on hips and head cocked to the side.
“I’ve never played it fer anyone but meself,” he said.
Nessa was a lass he’d bedded a time or two.
He let her know he wasn’t looking for marriage and she’d been agreeable at first, but obviously she had other plans she hadn’t been truthful about.
Once he understood what she wanted, he’d ended things.
“Yer quite good. That strange lass sings well enough, but without ye, I wouldnae be bothered listening to her.”
He could hear a note of jealousy in her voice. His eyes wandered to the doorway Elle had just passed through.
Nessa’s eyes narrowed. “Ye want her dinnae ye?” She spat this out with a venom that surprised Hamish.
He could end this crazy infatuation Nessa had with him right here and now if he told her the exact opposite of what was really happening. “Aye. I do.” As he said the words, the truth hit him over the head. No matter how much he understood she wasn’t for him, his heart had other plans.
“Have ye had her? Is she better than me?”
“Nessa ’tis nae a matter for ye to concern yerself with.”
She sidled up to him, nestling into his body. “Ye can have me any time ye like. Ye ken it.”
“I ken it.” He moved away, putting space between them. “I ken it, but I dinnae want ye.”
“Ye did once and I believe ye will again.” She closed the gap between them, raised herself on tiptoe, and kissed him, biting his lip as she did.
His eyes flew open in shock at her boldness and his hand flew to his lip. When he pulled it away, he saw blood on his fingers. He stared angrily at Nessa as she backed away staring him in the eye and grinning before she spun away.
“She’s a devil, that one,” Donal said.
“Where’d ye come from?” Hamish asked.
“I was right here the whole time, but ye were too busy following one woman with yer eyes and fending off another with yer words.”
Hamish shook his head. “I should never have bedded her. I knew it was a mistake then and now I’m dealing with her jealousy.”
“She wishes to have ye back?”
“She never had me to begin with. ’Twas our agreement.”
“Ye must have done something right because she seems to have changed her mind.” Donal arched an eyebrow, watching Nessa as she went from table to table cleaning up. “She’s a feisty one, she is. Look at the way she eyes ye every chance she gets. Mayhap she needs another man to fill her bed.”
“Be my guest, Donal. I’ve nae interest in her.”
“I believe I will.” He walked away towards Nessa, who greeted him as if he were her long lost lover, all the while peeking over his shoulder at Hamish.
He’d had enough of this nonsense. He picked up his lute and headed back to his quarters. He had a lot to think about and none of it included Nessa.
***
The little ones were already asleep by the time the women made it upstairs, but Elle had enjoyed seeing their adorable little faces as they slept.
“Tomorrow we’ll be sure you get to see them when they’re awake,” Ashley said.
“I’d like that,” Elle replied.
“So, you and Hamish, huh?” Jenna teased.
“What? No! Not me and Hamish.” She glanced at the three women surrounding her and noted their skepticism. “Really. Hamish is an amazing musician and we collaborated on that song. That’s all.”
“That’s what you think,” Ashley said with a chuckle.
“I’ll admit. He’s handsome and very manly, but he lives here and I don’t.”
“That can be remedied very easily,” Sara said.
“No. It can’t. I’m going back. Soon, I hope. Or whenever Edna decides to let me. And when I do, I won’t have time for a man. Any man.” She had work to do. A career to salvage. There wasn’t going to be time for a relationship.
“Okay. Okay. We’ll see,” Ashley grinned.
Elle knew she wasn’t going to convince them, so she rolled her eyes skyward in surrender. “When do you think Edna will contact me?”
“Who knows. Once she’s set her plan in motion, there’s no telling what will happen or when she may concede defeat.”
“If she ever does,” Jenna added. “But in the meantime, we get the pleasure of your company.”
Elle let down her defenses and smiled warmly at these three brave women.
“I think you’ve got that wrong. I’m the one who is enjoying the pleasure of your company.
I mean it. I’m honored to know all of you.
This would never happen in my time. I never get a chance to meet real people, just the vultures surrounding me on a daily basis.
The one’s who are there for whatever they can get out of me. ”
“I’m sorry,” Sara said. “I always thought being a celebrity would be really cool, but I guess maybe not.”
“My life isn’t my own. I have people depending on me to do well so they’ll have a paycheck.
Everyone else wants a favor. Can I listen to their song?
Can I introduce them to my manager? Can I help them become a star?
” She shook her head as she listed off a litany of items that people wanted from her.
And when she couldn’t deliver, they hated her for it.
Said she was rude and selfish. “I can’t even imagine what Eric’s going to say to me when I get back.
None of them really care what I’m thinking or feeling.
It’s always about the next song, the next appearance.
Sometimes I wonder why I do this. I think maybe I should go back home and fade away into obscurity. ”
“Wow! I never would have guessed,” Ashley said.
They were walking down the passageway to Elle’s room. The cold stone walls were warmed by the yellow glow of torches placed intermittently along the way. When they reached her door, the three women encircled Sara, hugging her.
“We’re here for you,” Sara said.
“I know and I’m so grateful to you. I only wish you could all come back with me. I need friends like you.”
She opened the door to her room and then watched the women walking away. Ashley and Jenna to their chambers and Sara towards the stairs. “Be careful going down those stairs, Mama!” she called to Sara.
“I’ll be extra careful, I promise.”
Ashley and Jenna turned around and headed straight back to Sara. “We’ll go back down with you,” Jenna said. “Our husbands are still down there.”
Elle stood in the doorway for a moment longer, smiling to herself and realizing that she’d smiled more since she’d been here at Breaghacraig than she had in a long time.