Chapter Seventeen
The Village
Dinner Time
The Jeweler
Honestly, they were all ready to have a night out of the castle, but first, there was something else that needed to be handled. It was time to get Ceit’s ‘heart’ looked at, in hopes of figuring out what the name was on the back.
They needed more than ‘Cathal C’ in order to help put the woman to rest.
Finally.
Fortunately for them, they were lucky enough that Finn’s sister, Catherine, had been reachable, and willing to assist them, even if it was after hours.
So, after parking, they headed toward the jeweler. Inside, she was sitting behind the counter, waiting for them.
“Thank you for staying here a little later for us,” Gabby said, greeting her sister-in-law with a hug and a kiss to each cheek.
Truthfully, the woman didn’t mind. She was curious as to what was going on, and her brother wouldn’t share anything with her. He was pretty tight lipped when it came to the going ons at Ravensmire.
Unfortunately.
“No worries, Gabs. Do the introductions,” she said, checking out Elizabeth. “Especially her.”
Elizabeth heard that, and now, the woman had her focus.
Honestly, Elizabeth wasn’t one hundred percent sure what the woman was thinking. She was smiling like a lunatic, but in her world, that was a very different thing than when someone was doing that here.
She just hoped this didn’t blow her anonymity here. It was nice to be able to blend in, and all she had to do was wear a hat, or stay beside Graham.
“These are my family from back home,” Gabby said, taking ownership. “This is Elizabeth Blackhawk, and this is her husband, Ethan. They are Michael’s parents, and now Graham’s in-laws.”
And that was the absolute truth.
Elizabeth didn’t miss that Graham also got all smiley when he was included in that introduction. Someone desperately needed parents.
She could tell.
When Elizabeth held out her hand, Catherine immediately started to gush.
Yeah, and it was pretty much what Elizabeth expected. No one fangirl-ed the murder investigator. It was all about the man who stole her cases to make into books and movies.
“Oh, Maisie is going to be so jealous that I got to meet Jackson James’ wife!” she said, bum-rushing Elizabeth.
That shocked her.
Not what she said, but that hug.
It was one hell of a one, too.
It was crazy to her that Michael didn’t try to stop the woman from that embrace. In fact, she bearhugged her so hard, she lifted Elizabeth off the ground.
Holy.
Shit.
That was a greeting.
And she wasn’t hating it.
Elizabeth loved a hug.
“Lass! It’s a pleasure,” she said, setting her free. “You are nothing but bones! I hope Graham is feeding ya!”
Michael laughed at the look on Elizabeth’s face.
Yeah, this place was wild, and Finn’s family was even wilder. If Elizabeth was going to be here for a few weeks, she’d need to get accustomed to it. The Scottish were a warm, kind people who loved nothing more than a compliment and a hug.
Or so he was learning.
“They are huggers,” he admitted. “Get accustomed to it,” he offered.
Oh, she was a hugger, too, but it had been a long time since a stranger had managed to get into her personal space.
Granted, she didn’t mind.
Catherine seemed like a warm, caring person.
Jesus.
Another Catherine.
Their world was filthy with them.
When she hugged Ethan next, Elizabeth laughed after she asked him one question.
“What’s it like being Jackson James’ brother?”
Blackhawk found that amusing.
How did he answer that?
“Well, it’s always an adventure being related to Callen, and it has been since we were kids,” he admitted.
Oh, she bet it was.
When the door opened, and in came Finn, he was still in his work attire. His tie was on, and his badge was on his hip. He also immediately chastised his sister.
“Catherine! Are you annoying the guests?” he asked.
She snorted.
“Yer lucky I didn’t bring Fiona to this meet and greet,” she admitted, winking at Elizabeth. “Or Maisie. She’s still talking about having dinner with Jackson James and him signing all of her books.”
Yeah, Callen was also still talking about that, too. He’d met Fiona, and the woman, apparently, was a force to reckon with. She’d made Callen come back to their home, and she fed him until he’d been so full he waddled.
Or so he said.
When her brother was done harassing her, she was focused on Elizabeth again.
“Lass, you have the prettiest eyes. They are so icy blue. I can see the warmth in them. You have a good heart. I can tell,” she said.
“Can you?” she asked.
Catherine laughed.
“Nah, I only know that Gabs said you’re a sweetheart! What do I look like? Some weird witch who’s reading tea leaves and palms in my downtime? I trust my sister.”
Elizabeth snorted.
She was pretty entertaining, and she understood why Gabby was perfectly happy to settle here. Finn’s sister was a piece of work. She imagined all of them were the same.
Gabby shrugged.
“I mean, I told you not to believe what you’ve seen in the media. Elizabeth is a sweetheart. There’s not a mean bone in her body.”
When Michael laughed, finding that funny since he’d seen her eviscerate people when they got in her way, Elizabeth elbowed him in the stomach.
HARD.
The last thing she wanted was the truth getting out. She kind of liked the newness of people not judging her before they got to know her.
Yeah, Scotland was a good place, and she loved it here. This wouldn’t be her last time here.
Bet.
On.
It.
“Don’t make me hurt you,” she warned Michael. “You’ve gotten soft from not being forced to the gym every day.”
He snorted.
Wasn’t that the truth?
“Okay, Mom,” he said, rolling his eyes. Instead of the gym, he was getting his cardio in a whole other way.
A Scottish man.
As they finished up the introductions, Catherine held out her hand.
“I hear you have something for me to look at,” she stated, making the loop appear so she could do the inspection.
That she did.
Reaching around her neck, she pulled off the gold necklace that she’d worn to keep safe. It was between her breasts, along with the rosary she always wore.
When Catherine saw the rosary, she lifted a brow.
“Are ya Catholic, Lass?” she asked.
Elizabeth nodded as she handed her Ceit’s ‘heart’ to inspect for them.
“Yeah, can’t you tell by how many kids we have?” she asked, amused. “My house is filthy with children.”
Catherine lowered her voice.
“I thought it was the fact that the men in your life are gorgeous. My bad,” she stated, amusing everyone when she started laughing too.
Ethan shrugged.
“I am sexy, so…”
His wife winked at him.
That he was.
“Fiona will approve of the babies. When are you bringing them to dinner, Finn?” she asked. “You know Maisie is going to want to ask all kinds of questions.”
The man sighed.
“I apologize, Elizabeth and Ethan. My family has very few concepts of what a boundary is. UNFORTUNATELY, Fiona is going to want to meet you and see if you’re good enough for Jackson James. Apparently, he charmed her. Oh, and my father is looking for him for stealing his wife’s heart.”
That amused Elizabeth since Fiona had to be almost eighty, and her husband was over that.
“I’ll get a time for us to all have dinner with the parents,” Catherine stated.
He tried to stop the runaway train.
“I don’t have to bring them home, Catherine. I’m not married to them. You can’t go around holding the Blackhawks hostage. That’s insanity.”
She shrugged.
“I mean, what Fiona wants, Fiona gets, Laddie, and besides, Elizabeth needs a good meal. Bring her to the farm. Ma will get her fattened up. She can pet the farm animals. Americans get a kick out of that.”
She gasped.
“Fiona has animals?” she asked. “There’s a farm with multiple animals on it?”
Oh, well, that was decided.
Once more, the white woman in Elizabeth won out, as that need to pet every single furry animal came to the surface.
Catherine shared.
“Graham is getting one of our dogs,” she said. “Fiona breeds them. She has a deep love of Irish Wolfhounds. They are her babies. She weeps every time they are adopted. This time, she’s proud one is going to Ravensmire.”
ONE?
Oh, Elizabeth had news for her.
She wanted ALL the doggos.
ALL.
OF.
THEM.
Hearing that, Elizabeth shoved Ethan out of the way and instead, linked her arm through Catherine’s.
“Tell me more, and for the record, Ravensmire needs more than one. I’m going to need a few of those dogs for the castle. Can we make that happen? Oh, and one for Gabby’s home too!”
That made Blackhawk laugh.
And Graham.
He’d seen a big difference in Elizabeth in just a day, and if it meant having multiple dogs…oh, no.
Poor him.
Ethan just shook his head.
“I think I was just thrown over for a woman. I’m not sure, but I suspect my wife just tossed me for dogs.”
Gabby laughed.
“Well, it could be worse. It could be over a man.”
Well, she had a point there. That would have had a very different response.
Finn tapped his wife on the shoulder.
“Why did she just tell my sister that we were getting a dog, GAbrIELLA?” he asked. “I know for a fact that you aren’t bringing those horses into the house.”
She smiled at him.
“What if I said this,” she asked, whispering in his ear. As she did, his eyes went huge.
“We’ll take one,” he said. “Maybe two.”
That made all the men laugh because they were, after all, simple creatures, and there was no doubt what Gabby had been whispering.
As Elizabeth and Catherine were talking, Ethan began looking at the other things in the shop. He wanted to bring a few things home for the family.
Oh, and also in case he found something for his wife. It didn’t take him long before he saw a gorgeous necklace. It was gold, and it had the same ruby stones that her rosary had.
They glinted in the case’s lights.
He believed he’d found a winner.
Elizabeth’s favorite colors were red and gold, for the Marines who protected her and Koda.
He was definitely buying that for her.
When he glanced over, Catherine was working on the necklace as Elizabeth hovered.
As they waited, Gabby shared what she was thinking.
“She looks better.”
Ethan was aware.