Chapter 12
Twelve
SLOANE
Yesterday Walker showed up at the cottage in the morning to collect the cake and address to deliver it to.
He asked what I’d told Callie, and I explained I felt horrible about feeding her the lie about the car.
His answer was to ask for the keys, promising to have it removed so she wouldn’t get suspicious.
The thought of losing transportation tightened my chest, but it was better feeling stranded and reliant on others than telling Callie the truth.
I also handed over a lemon tart, Walker’s favorite, as a thank-you to him, which he’d taken with a gruff nod and not much else. With one last piercing look at me, he asked if I was okay, and when I answered yes, he left, reminding me he’d be back in the morning.
And that was how I found myself, the next day, in the passenger seat of his Range Rover with Callie in the back, ready for school.
“You’re a little early,” I said.
“I like to stop at Flora’s for a coffee. Want one?”
I would not say no to Flora’s coffee. “Is it Monday?”
The corner of his lip curled up ever so slightly, and he pulled away, only to slow to a stop less than a minute later outside Flora’s.
“Uh, this is a no-parking zone.”
He shot me a look. “I’ll be quick. What do you want?”
“A latte.”
“Callie?” He looked over his shoulder. “You want an orange juice or something?”
She grinned at him. “I’m good, thanks.”
Once he was gone, I turned to look at Callie. “You cool with this?”
She nodded, smiling like a Cheshire cat. “Everyone at school thinks he and Mr. Galbraith are like superheroes come to life.”
Mr. Galbraith was Arrochar’s husband, Mac, and our landlord. He and Walker, both very tall and broad-shouldered, possessed an air of capability and calm mixed with a “you don’t want to mess with me, motherfucker” vibe. Very compelling. It did not surprise me that even the kids picked up on that.
“They’ll be so jealous Walker’s driving me to school every day. A couple of the girls said their moms have a crush on him.” She made a face. “He wouldn’t like any of them.”
I turned back around in my seat, wondering if he’d slept with any of those moms. My already confused mood soured, and I had to force myself to shrug off the feeling.
Just in time for Walker to return. He held the drinks out to me and I took them, watching the way he moved with impressive grace for his size. His seat was pushed back as far as it could go, which was why Callie sat in the middle of the bench seat.
Dragging my eyes off the strong thighs that stretched his black suit pants, I handed him his coffee and he took a sip before settling it in a cup holder.
“Thanks for the latte.”
“No problem.” He pulled away from the sidewalk.
“Walker, my tae kwon do teacher said I’m a natural,” Callie told him as we drove toward school.
Walker glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Of course, you are.”
She beamed. “Will you come watch me at my first grading?”
A grading was when they were tested to move up to the next rank, and from what I gathered was like a whole big event we’d spend at least half a day at.
“Uh, I’m sure Walker has other things to do, baby girl.
” I didn’t want her trapping him into saying yes to socializing with us outside of this arrangement.
“I’ll go,” he replied. “Just tell me when.”
I wanted to tell him not to promise her that, but I couldn’t help the flare of gratitude that overruled my fear.
As we drove, I sipped at my latte and listened while Callie regaled Walker with the minutiae of her life these past few weeks in an impressively condensed five minutes.
He listened patiently, nodding in the right places, and asking her questions, like how she felt when Michael Barr called her a name when she beat his mark on a math test. His lips quirked into a smile when she told him it made her want to beat all his marks from now on.
“Good girl,” he murmured, approving, and Callie laughed.
The man was honestly a different guy with my daughter.
We got out of the car when we arrived at the school, Walker at our backs as we strode to meet Regan at the gates. There was a group of moms who were kind of cliquey and always stood together at drop-off. I could feel them watching us, probably wondering why Walker had driven us to school.
We waited for the bell to ring, for the kids to disappear inside, Regan and I engaging in conversation while Walker stood beside us, alert.
Regan asked if I was okay, and I assured her I was before we moved on to talk about Monroe and Lennox.
I’d chatted with Roe on the phone yesterday, and she seemed good. Tired but good.
Finally, once the kids were inside the school, Walker touched my arm. “Time to go. Regan, you’ll call if there are any issues after school or at tae kwon do.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes, sir. On it, sir.” She tapped two fingers off her forehead.
He scowled at her, and she threw him a cheeky, dimpled smile.
Laughing under my breath, I let Walker lead me back to the SUV, ignoring the heat of his palm that didn’t quite touch my back. He opened the passenger side door, and I climbed in.
“She needs to take this more seriously,” he grumbled once he was behind the wheel.
“I don’t think she’s not taking it seriously.” I smiled. “I think she was reacting to your bossiness.”
Walker threw me a dark look. “Bossiness?”
“Yeah. You didn’t ask her. You told her.”
“How dare I?” he answered dryly.
“You were in the army, right?” I blurted, my curiosity about him brimming over now that we were alone. “You have military stamped all over you.”
Walker didn’t look at me as he drove out of Ardnoch toward the estate. “Not army. I was a Royal Marines Commando.”
I blinked in surprise that he’d offered this information and also because I was pretty sure that was a special unit. “Aren’t those guys, like, elite?”
“Special operations.” He nodded. “We’re part of the Royal Navy. Amphibious light infantry. Tell me what happened on Friday night.”
I wanted to know more about his time in the Royal Marines, but I knew by his tone that he was done answering questions. So I told him everything, observing him closely to see how he’d respond to the news I’d gone speed dating.
His face didn’t move a muscle.
More proof he was not interested in me in that way.
I ignored the burn of disappointment and rejection and waited for Walker to respond to my tale.
However, he remained annoyingly silent until we pulled into the staff parking lot behind the castle.
Then he switched off the engine and turned to me.
“Why are you in Scotland? Who are you running from? Could they have something to do with what happened on Friday?”
My blood ran cold at his out-of-left-field prying.
It was scarily on target, and I stiffened.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.
” Then I shoved out of the car, furious.
Just because he’d decided to stick his nose in to protect us, and I’d decided to let him for Callie’s sake, didn’t give him the right to know everything about me.
I was halfway across the parking lot when Walker wrapped his hand around my arm and pulled me to a stop. He glowered, holding tight to me as I tilted my chin to meet him glare for glare.
I didn’t feel threatened or unsafe.
It was the opposite.
And that annoyed me more.
I yanked my arm out of his hold, and he released me immediately.
“I can’t protect you if I don’t know who I’m protecting you from.” He pinched his lips together.
“This could all be a massive overreaction. You realize that, right?” I shook my head at him, irritated by so many things in my life right now. “I don’t need you interrogating me like I’m the bad guy.”
“You being evasive tells me there’s something going on here.”
“Yeah, you’re interrogating me!” I threw my hands up in exasperation. “And you didn’t even say thank you for the lemon pie yesterday.” On that grand and ludicrous announcement, I whirled and marched into the castle.
Thankfully, Walker let me go. I changed into my uniform and told Frannie I’d catch up with her in our first room. A few minutes later, I knocked on Aria’s office door and slipped inside.
Aria stared at me, brow furrowed. “Is there a problem?”
“I need you to call your dad,” I answered grimly.