There’s a storm brewing
There’s a storm brewing
At a quarter to seven everything was ready, and Kendrick was satisfied with his preparations: a fire was burning in the fireplace – even though technically temperatures were still a little too mild for it, but it lent the large living-dining room a cosy vibe.
He hadn’t put a lot of effort into furnishing the house yet.
Some items he had were from the previous owners, including the large old wooden dining table, which comfortably sat eight.
He realised that he had only entertained visitors once so far – Isla and Jon, on his first evening in Kirkby.
Had he become an antisocial recluse? Never mind!
Even if he had, things were different now!
He had set the table nicely, prepared a salad and made a large pot of rice.
The barbecue on the patio was heating up and would be ready within the next half hour.
A few potatoes wrapped in foil were already resting on the coals.
He had opted for a simple barbecue even though he could cook quite well and had a fair repertoire of dishes.
But putting meat on the grill was a particularly manly thing to do, wasn’t it?
He felt a little embarrassed at the thought, not least because it showed once again how hopeless his attempts were to see Shona as only a friend!
He knew what he wanted for tonight, and he was sure Shona was thinking the same.
Her little slip of the tongue on the phone earlier had spoken for her.
Alright, it could have been innocent enough and she might really have been referring to shopping.
Then again … In any case, he couldn’t wait to see how the evening would turn out, but he swore that he would not make a fool of himself again like he had in Inverness a few weeks ago.
That disgrace still haunted him. This time, he would do better!
Kendrick ran a hand through his damp hair and hoped that the last remnants of sheep odour had gone down the drain with his long hot shower.
Was he ready for the evening? Definitely!
But was he ready for more too? He wasn’t sure about that.
Yesterday they had agreed that a relationship was out of the question at this point, but today they had acted like teenagers in love all day.
He felt lighter and more exhilarated than he ever had in his life.
And he promised himself that he wouldn’t overthink things and would instead enjoy whatever life had in store for him.
There was plenty of time later to worry about potential complications and ramifications.
At seven o’clock sharp, the doorbell rang, and Kendrick felt a severe bout of nerves soar alongside his anticipation.
Wasn’t all of this too early? Too much? Too significant?
But there was no way to back out now, nothing short of faking a patient emergency, which he would not do under any circumstances.
Kendrick hoped there wouldn’t be a real one tonight either.
He had briefly considered diverting emergency calls to the animal hospital, but that would have involved calling to let them know, and he didn’t feel like talking to anybody there.
His heart pounding, Kendrick opened the door and found himself face to face with his guest. Shona looked breathtaking!
She was wearing jeans and a shiny grey wrap top that didn’t leave much to the imagination, even though she had donned a black leather jacket on top.
Her make-up was subtle, but her full lips shimmered seductively, and her grey eyes sparkled bright and downright fiercely tonight.
On her back was once again the huge rucksack she had carried around yesterday, and by her sides were her two dogs, who had transformed significantly since he had last seen them.
“Have you changed your mind about moving in?” he greeted her with a smile and stepped aside to let all three enter.
“I haven’t but I’ve brought you something!
” She went up on her tiptoes to greet him with a kiss.
It had been meant as a peck on his cheek, but he was so caught off guard that he turned his head and her lips landed smack on his.
It was only an instant, barely longer than a second and slightly awkward too; still, it immediately catapulted him back to the pub where she had kissed him so insatiably that he had completely lost control a moment later.
Startled, he took a step back. This was not how things were supposed to go tonight!
“You brought me something?” he repeated, hoping to distract attention from his inner turmoil.
Shona let the bulky bag slide off her shoulders and opened it.
The dogs immediately poked their heads in curiously and it took her a bit of effort to push them aside.
The first thing she handed Kendrick were the food bowls he had lent her yesterday, followed by a large container of dog food.
Straightening up again, she suggested: “Maybe we better feed the beasts first, just to make sure they won’t ruin my surprise?
” Was he mistaken, or did she also seem a little tense and self-conscious?
Kendrick took the bowls and food and headed for the kitchen, which was just as the previous owners had left it.
“Wow, this place is so pretty!” Shona exclaimed. “It’s exactly how set designers would imagine a country kitchen. Was it your doing?”
“No way,” he laughed. “It was like this when I bought the place. But I like it a lot too, and when I’m home, I spend most of my time in here.” He pointed to the kitchen table that held a laptop and small laser printer, plus a stack of patient files.
“Don’t you have an office?”
“Let put it this way, I have a room I call my office, but I haven’t got round to setting it up yet.” He shrugged. “So I update my patient files and write my invoices and whatever else needs doing here. There’s plenty of space.”
He filled one of the dog bowls with water and placed it in little nook that the previous owners may also have used to feed their dogs. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Shona taking in the place. Judging by her astonished smile, she seemed to like it, and that made him ridiculously happy.
“They tolerated the food well, I assume?” he checked with her before heaping some rice into the other two bowls and pouring some of kibble on top.
He cracked two eggs over the food and garnished the concoction with some leftover vegetables he had held back.
Orla and Higgins were frozen in front of him, unmoving as statues, never once taking their eyes off him.
“Okay, you two, here you go. Dig in!” He placed the bowls in the nook and turned to Shona, who gave him a wide-eyed stare.
“What’s up? Did I do something wrong?” He felt slightly unsettled by her penetrating gaze.
“No, quite the contrary ...” she mumbled and cleared her throat. “Did you notice anything about the dogs?”
“They look a lot better than yesterday. Did you give them a bath?”
“In my tiny bathroom? I’m lucky if I manage to take a shower without knocking anything over.” She laughed and shook her head. “No, I had them groomed when we were at the pet shop. They did an amazing job, right? And I think these two actually enjoyed it.”
“They look great. I might have given it a few more days until they’d fully settled into their new life but ...
” He stopped abruptly. Was he seriously reproaching her for such a little thing, and for no good reason at that?
The dogs looked fine and seemed perfectly content.
“Sorry, I’m an eejit. I promise I’ll do my best not to fall back into that old M.O.
You’re doing a great job with them, and I’m sure they’re happy to be rid of the grime and matted fur.
Have you bought anything else for them besides bowls? ”
“Aye, of course! I got them two beds that are so fancy I’m tempted to keep one for myself.
They are certainly more comfortable than the one I have right now.
What else … a couple of collars and a coat each, and a few other bits and bobs.
I doubt they’ll need the coats, but they looked so cute in them I couldn’t help myself. ” Shona gave him a bashful smile.
“Actually, Irish Wolfhounds tend to have joint problems, which are always worse when it’s wet or cold.
So coats aren’t a bad idea.” He was determined never to make her feel like an incompetent pet owner again.
Looking back, he regretted his harsh words from their first meeting more and more.
Shona had a big heart for animals, and while her affection for Nessie had been a little misguided, it hadn’t done any harm.
“Oh, I hope they only ever need them for aesthetic reasons,” she replied lightly, but gave her dogs an anxious look nevertheless.
Orla and Higgins were almost done with their dinner.
“I’ve also bought some nice new halters for my alpacas.
By the way, have I told you that my crazy da is turning my shed into a pro-level stable?
The four alpacas will probably be able to move in by the weekend, and I should have room for quite a few more. ”
“You could offer alpaca hikes,” Kendrick suggested.
It was a spontaneous suggestion, but he knew there were a couple of similar businesses around that must be very popular.
And Collum McDonald would be thrilled to add alpaca tours to Kirkby’s tourist offering.
It could also give a lot more publicity to Shona’s distillery business.
Shona looked at him, puzzled, then burst out laughing. “Mark the calendar! It’s official now: you are fully assimilated and thinking like a true Kirkby local.”
“I’m serious! Alpaca tours would be great. For the animals too; they like to have something to do. And after the hikes, you’ll have the guests taste your whisky and gin. Win-win.” He grinned.