Chapter 12
She was out of gas, stuck on the shoulder of a single-track road deep in the Scottish countryside.
Again.
Unbelievable. She already knew the gas gauge wasn't working, but Hamish had assured her he filled the tank.
Once Lucy had made the heartbreaking decision to leave—why prolong the inevitable?—she wanted to get away as quickly as possible, and this was the last thing she needed. She was already on the verge of an emotional breakdown, having just left the most amazing man she'd ever met.
He hadn't wanted her to stay. He'd made it clear that there was an "end" to their involvement. And she didn't have the guts or the fortitude to meet him for dinner and act like nothing was wrong.
"Un-freaking-believable," she muttered, getting out of the car.
It was another cloudy day, another beautiful landscape.
After taking stock, she made some decisions.
Hell if she was walking back. Onward and upward, that was going to be her new motto.
She'd had a lot to think about today while Ian was off running the estate, and knew it was time to take some bigger risks in life.
She'd taken small ones. Coming to Scotland.
Kissing Ian for the first time. Allowing herself to connect with someone.
But now it was time to get serious.
As she grabbed her backpack and began her walk down the road, Lucy realized that this was the first time in her life that she'd done the walking away.
It hurt like hell.
When it started drizzling, she just shook her head and kept moving.
Leaving the same way she'd come in. Figures.
At least she wasn't dressed like Willy Wonka this time.
As the rain came down harder, she hunched her shoulders, trying not to re-live her arrival.
Seeing the house for the first time. Getting lost. Encountering Ian in the library. ..
She didn't hear the car until it eased up beside her.
The window rolled down and a hand appeared, holding out a familiar cap with a red pompom on top.
Lucy stopped. The Rover stopped. She wiped the rain from her face and, with a steady breath, met Ian's gaze. "You forgot something," he said.
She didn't take the cap. She didn't know what to do. All she knew was that her nerves were going nuts, and her heart was breaking all over again.
"Get in, Lucy," he said.
"No thanks." She glanced up at the sky. "I'm getting used to walking in the Scottish weather."
He frowned. She started walking.
The engine cut off. The door opened and shut. Now there was nothing separating them. Ian fell in step beside her. "You left without saying goodbye."
"Didn't see the point in prolonging things."
"Well, I did," he said frustrated, stepping in front of her to make her stop. "I saw a lot of points, a lot of potential."
"You saw an end. That's what you said, remember?" Confusion clouded his features. His hair was wet and it made her angry how sexy he looked in the rain. "Look, we barely know each other."
He gave her a flat look. "That's a bloody lie and you know it. We know each other, Lucy." She started moving again, but he blocked her path. "The first time I saw you—"
She snorted. The first time he saw her she was out cold in a plaid nightmare.
"Okay," he dragged a hand through his hair. "I thought you were nuts. But later. In the library… Even then I knew something had changed. You changed everything, Lucy."
He was scowling down at her, serious, raw. And she didn't know what to do or say.
"I'm in love with you, Lucy. Beyond reason. Beyond anything that makes a damn bit of sense." Nothing imploring in his tone, nothing sweet. Just facts. Just plain words that seared her soul and stunned the socks right off of her.
She gazed up at him in disbelief, his words not quite settling in—panic, however, had settled in nicely.
This was one of those moments she'd just been thinking about.
Taking the bigger risks. And this was one risk she desperately wanted to take.
She did love him. As crazy as it was, she hadn't a doubt about that.
He was staring down at her, rain dripping off the ends of his hair and nose, with so much worry and hope that her heart melted. Everything, all the fear, it just melted and ran away with the rain.
"Well," she said with a deep exhale. "I'm no chicken, so…"
He swept her up into a hug before she could continue. And then he was setting her down and his lips pressed against hers, all wet and sexy and hungry.
Oh, yeah, she could definitely get used to this.
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