Chapter 5 A Bossy Curmudgeon
A Bossy Curmudgeon
Suzie spent a frustrating morning pacing the luxurious bedroom. Angus had delivered a delicious breakfast and locked the door again once he’d set down the tray. She’d filled an hour lolling in the tub amongst decadently scented bubbles, but her mind refused to divert from the stubborn bear.
Niall Sinclair was driving her crazy. Why did she find him sexy? He was a bad-tempered, bossy, conniving curmudgeon.
It wasn’t right for him to keep her prisoner, and she couldn’t believe Saber had been okay with this situation.
Saber and London had helped her and Edwina when they’d strayed into stupidity, and representing their town at the gathering was a way of saying thank you for their advice and encouragement.
Neither she nor Edwina had hesitated when London explained what they wanted and why.
No one had pressured them for positive results, and when she hadn’t clicked with anyone, Suzie had been glad.
She’d assumed Edwina had the same mindset until her friend abruptly vanished, leaving Suzie with unanswered questions and hurt feelings.
Heavy and hurried footsteps sounded outside her door. The scrape of a key had her whirling. The door burst open, and Niall stood there, fury radiating from his muscular body. “Come with me.”
He didn’t wait but pivoted abruptly and advanced down the passage.
Suzie blinked, her curiosity sparking. She trotted after him, questions trembling on the tip of her tongue.
They were in a castle wing she hadn’t explored when she caught up.
Niall approached a wall, which she belatedly realized was an elevator.
Ah! So that was how the castle owner avoided the gathering attendees.
Given his preference for privacy and secrets, it was astonishing he’d allow the convention at the castle.
She’d guessed he owned it, given he lived in the private rooms above, but maybe that was her assumptions tripping her up again.
“Niall, do you own this castle?”
“What?”
“Do you own Castle Glenkirk?”
“Yes, what of it?” Suspicion colored his tone now.
Disappointment flowed from her in a soft sigh. The man’s rough handsomeness and apparent strength were attractive, but his grumpiness was getting old. Who wanted to witness that snarly face every morning?
“I was curious. Why permit the gathering at the castle if it’s your home?”
“None of your business. Your job is to assist me until my honey launches. Once that day comes, you’re welcome to leave.”
“Wow, who rained on your parade?”
“Someone broke into my lab early this morning.”
Oh. “Wasn’t me. You locked me in the bedroom. I hope you’ve thought carefully about that. What if there’s a fire? I’d burn to a crisp before anyone could rescue me.”
The man released a growl, sounding more animal than human, and Suzie bit back her smile. Excellent. Her prattle was annoying him. Well, he’d learn how annoying she could be. Soon, he’d be pleading for her to leave. He’d pay her to vacate the premises.
“I know you weren’t responsible. You don’t have a phone to call anyone.”
“Thank you,” Suzie said, not hiding her sarcasm. “Where are we going?”
“To my lab. I want to assess the damage.” He swung around to nail her with a glare. “Recall you’ve signed a non-disclosure agreement. If you impart sensitive information to anyone, I will sue. You’ll rue the day you decided to cross me.”
“Well,” Suzie said, an understatement of gigantic proportions. “I guess you’ve told me.”
“This isn’t a laughing matter.” Niall slapped his palms against the stout wooden door leading outdoors, pushing it open.
The early morning sun seared her eyeballs, and she blinked frantically to adjust her sight. She stumbled, and the bear’s hand shot out, righting her before her befuddled brain snapped into motion.
He tugged hard. She lurched toward him and collided with his chest. His hard, muscular chest. The spring flowers and mint with a hint of honey sweetness she’d come to associate with him assailed her.
They stared at each other, and she spotted his bear shyly peeking at her through brown eyes that had turned more amber.
Then Niall blinked and thrust her away as if she were something nasty.
Suzie staggered, but he righted her with a quick, steadying hand, leaving her confused.
Befuddled. The bear-man didn’t behave like other males.
While it was true he possessed a little absentminded scientist, the driven businessman was very much in control.
That would account for his bad temper, or maybe…
“Do you have a stomachache? Are you eating enough roughage?”
He stared at her briefly before barking, “Stay there while I get the car.”
Suzie considered running, but Niall had spoken to Saber.
She’d heard the truth in his voice when he’d mentioned this, which meant Saber didn’t have concerns for her safety.
He would’ve sent Scott and Liam to rescue her if he’d sensed danger.
Saber was supportive like that, and she trusted his instincts.
No, she’d stay put as ordered. Despite repulsing him, she was still curious about the bear’s next move.
A red sports car zoomed around the corner and braked beside Suzie. She grinned as Niall climbed from the driver’s seat and ran around to open the door for her. Wow, a gentleman. Those were few and far between. Not even her father did this for her mother, despite their deep affection.
Feeling like a princess, she entered the car and took a deep breath. Delicious bear-man laced with a new-car aroma. Soon, Niall sped down a long driveway away from Castle Glenkirk. Once they reached the village, he took another road which led to a larger town with better transport links.
She’d thought they’d drive right into town, but they were still traveling through green fields studded with cute, shaggy Highland cows when Niall turned onto a side road.
He went a short distance, the land becoming hillier before they pulled onto a gravel driveway.
When they rounded a corner, a large shed came into view.
A muddy hunter-green SUV had parked outside.
Niall pulled up beside the vehicle and switched off the ignition.
He climbed out and strode to the building’s entrance.
When Suzie hesitated, he glanced over his shoulder and backtracked to open her door.
“You’re coming with me. Pay attention and take mental notes. I want to hear your thoughts later.” He waited impatiently, and she scrambled from the vehicle. The door slammed, then he grasped her arm and propelled her into motion.
He was a mix of complexities and bad moods, keeping her off balance and strangely exhilarated because he wasn’t dull, unlike the men she’d dated at home.
“You don’t need to drag me,” she said when her shorter legs refused to keep up with his long strides. “I’m coming willingly.”
He released her arm, and the glower he shot her way warned her to behave. She’d consider this, but all bets were off if he continued acting like a tyrant. She had a limited tolerance for bossy men.
At a side door, Niall plugged in a code and used a key. This opened to a vestibule area with yet more security measures. Niall put his eye to a peephole and waited. After seconds, the lock clicked, and the door opened.
“Wow,” Suzie murmured. “You’re serious about security. I thought you were taking me to a hay barn.”
“That’s the idea. Thieves think this is a farm building. They’d never believe we produce honey here.”
“But where are your worker vehicles?” Suzie asked. “Surely it takes a team to manufacture the honey?”
“It does, but we use this facility in the pre-production stage. No one knows of it except me, my second-in-charge, Michael, and Harris, who keeps an eye on the place and makes sure everything runs smoothly.”
“Have they signed non-disclosure documents?”
“We’ve worked together since I first arrived in Scotland, and the laird was in charge. We’re friends, and I trust them implicitly.”
Wow, hard to imagine this grumpy man having friends.
Niall led her along a dimly lit passage into a massive open area partitioned into sections.
“Harris,” Niall shouted.
“Over here.”
With ground-eating steps, Niall headed toward his friend. Suzie hurried after him, curious about this glimpse into Niall’s business. Niall skidded to a halt and released a harsh curse.
A few steps behind him, Suzie took seconds longer to assess the damage.
Jars of honey lay on their sides, the liquid contents dripping to the floor.
Other jars had broken, shards of glass crushed beneath careless feet.
Someone had upended every jar of honey they could find.
They’d swept them off shelves, and judging by the smears on the wall, they’d fired jars at every surface.
“So much wasted honey,” Niall said, grief flitting across his features along with despair and bitterness.
Suzie glimpsed all these emotions before the big man straightened his shoulders and slid back into businessman mode, laser-focused on the problem and the next steps.
“Did they destroy all the honey?” Niall asked.
“No,” Harris said, scraping his hand over his sparse hair.
His shoulders were stooped in his wiry frame, but when he glanced at her, Suzie saw bright intelligence in his blue eyes—the curiosity.
“The jars we bottled yesterday were in the lunchroom under the table. I ran out of storage, and it’s cool in there. ”
“They didn’t trash the lunchroom?” Niall asked, his stark tone alerting Suzie to the importance of the answer. “I left my research notes in there. I meant to grab them, but a phone call distracted me.”