Chapter 24
MARY
The Scottish Night
(Or How to Lose Someone Without Even Realizing It)
If someone had told me this morning that I’d end the day exhausted, covered in dust, with bits of hay in my hair and smelling like horses, I would’ve believed them instantly.
That’s just life as a veterinarian during the Highland Games.
I arrive at the huge welcome dinner a solid fifteen minutes late, my legs heavy and my neck aching.
The castle lawn has been transformed into a massive banquet.
Long wooden tables stretch endlessly across the grass, covered with tablecloths in McGregor clan colors.
Lanterns hanging from the trees cast golden light over glasses and silverware.
Men in kilts wander between the tables laughing loudly, clinking drinks together, slapping each other on the back.
The sun is sinking over the Highlands, painting the sky in shades of pink and orange.
It’s beautiful.
And for one brief moment, I feel like I belong here.
Like I’m home.
A feeling I haven’t had in a very long time.
I scan the crowd while crossing the lawn, searching for Finn.
I look over faces, silhouettes, groups of people.
Nothing.
A small stab of disappointment twists in my stomach, and I immediately shove it away.
He’s a doctor. He had emergencies all day too. We’ll run into each other during dinner. Obviously.
I spot my cousins seated at one of the central tables—because of course Maggie placed us exactly where everyone can see us—and slide onto the bench between Keira and Cameron.
“Finally!” Keira exclaims. “We thought you’d fallen asleep in a stable somewhere.”
“I almost did,” I admit. “What a day.”
Connor hands me a glass of wine, which I accept gratefully.
“Seen Jamie?” he asks with a sly smile. “Apparently he’s back.”
“Yeah, I ran into him this morning. Helped him with an injured horse. It was nice seeing him again.”
Cameron and Connor exchange a look I don’t understand.
“What?” I ask suspiciously.
“Nothing,” Cameron says innocently.
At that exact moment, Maggie rises at the far end of the table, surveying the crowd with a deeply satisfied smile. She’s wearing a tartan shawl and a brooch sparkling in the lantern light.
Gradually, conversations fade into silence.
“My dear friends!” she calls in a voice that carries across the entire lawn. “Welcome to McGregor Castle for our annual Highland Games!”
Applause and cheers erupt. Someone yells something in Gaelic that makes half the crowd laugh.
Maggie launches into a speech about tradition, clan honor, and the importance of these Games that connect us to our ancestors.
I listen distractedly while glancing around every few seconds.
Still no Finn.
The speech ends in another wave of applause. Servers begin bringing food to the tables—lamb stew, roasted potatoes, seasonal vegetables. The smell is incredible, and my stomach growls loudly.
My grandmother settles near us.
“Where is our good doctor?” Maggie suddenly asks, leaning toward me.
My heart skips.
“I… I don’t know. Maybe he’s finishing something at the medical station?”
Maggie studies me with that intense look that always makes me feel like she can read my thoughts.
“Hmmm.”
I force myself to smile innocently—or at least I hope it looks innocent—and stab my fork into my food.
“He’s probably exhausted,” I add lightly. “We’ve all been awake since five this morning.”
Maggie nods slowly before returning to her own dinner, but I can feel her watching me off and on for the rest of the meal.
Conversation flows around the table.
Lachlan tells some story about bagpipe competition preparations. Emma laughs while describing emergency repairs she had to make to traditional costumes. Callum and Jane sit quietly together with their fingers intertwined across the table.
Everyone seems happy.
Relaxed.
Excited for tomorrow.
And meanwhile, I keep searching for Finn between bites.
Where is he?
“Mary, are you even listening?”
I jump slightly.
Keira is staring at me with an amused little smile.
“Sorry. What were you saying?”
“I asked how your day with Jamie went.”
“Oh. Good. Really good, actually. It felt like old times, you know?”
Emma and Keira exchange another mysterious look.
“What now?” I ask, irritated.
“Nothing,” Emma says. “It’s just… Jamie always had a thing for you, didn’t he?”
I frown.
“What? No! He’s a childhood friend. That’s all.”
“If you say so,” Keira murmurs before biting into a potato.
Dinner finally ends.
My plate is still half full. Apparently exhaustion kills appetite after all.
Maggie rises again to announce that musicians are setting up and the evening is only getting started. Excited cheers ripple across the tables.
I use the movement as an excuse to stand and search for Finn.
Maybe he arrived during dinner and sat at another table?
But after circling the entire lawn, I have to admit he isn’t here.
Worry starts creeping in.
It’s strange that he didn’t come.
Unless he fell asleep back at the cottage. Honestly, that would make sense. He’s been awake since dawn too.
That must be it.
I left my phone in my room after the battery died, and I haven’t had time to go get it.
I return to my cousins just as someone suddenly yells:
“Everyone to the bonfire!”
The idea spreads instantly.
Within minutes, everyone is excited again. Nobody wants to go to bed yet. There’s too much energy, too much anticipation for tomorrow’s Games.
Cameron turns toward me, eyes sparkling.
“Mary! You coming?”
How am I supposed to say no?
The collective excitement is contagious.
Half an hour later, a massive bonfire crackles in the field west of the castle. Dozens of people gather around the flames, some sitting on blankets, others standing with drinks in hand. Children weave between the adults laughing loudly.
Someone pulls out bagpipes.
Someone else a fiddle.
Another a bodhrán.
The music begins, lively and joyful.
I let myself get swept up in it all, laughing with my cousins. The cool night air wakes me up a little. Firelight throws dancing shadows across people’s faces.
There’s something magical about this scene.
All these clans together.
Music echoing through the Scottish night.
The warmth of so many people gathered in one place.
I automatically scan the firelit faces.
Still no Finn.
He really must be asleep.
Good for him.
I decide to enjoy the evening.
A man I don’t know offers me a glass of whisky. I accept with a grateful smile and sip it slowly while listening to the conversations around me. Everyone’s talking about tomorrow’s Games, the competitions, friendly bets over who’ll throw the caber the farthest.
The music grows louder and faster.
Couples begin forming to dance.
And suddenly I hear my name.
“Mary!”
I turn around.
My cousins are approaching laughing, and with them—
Jamie MacNeil.
My heart jumps.
This time from genuine happy surprise.
“Jamie! You’re still here? I thought you’d disappear as fast as possible after today!”
He laughs, looking relaxed and happy.
“And miss the best night Glenfield’s had in years? Are you kidding?”
Cameron nudges me toward him.
“Jamie was telling us about his adventures in Inverness! Apparently he opened his own clinic!”
“So quickly?” I say, genuinely impressed. “Jamie, that’s amazing!”
I’m surprised he didn’t mention it earlier while we were working together, but I don’t point it out.
He shrugs modestly, though I can see the pride in his eyes.
“It’s going well. Slowly. And…”
He hesitates awkwardly.
“And?”
Emma jumps in with a mischievous grin.
“He met someone there!”
“That’s wonderful! Tell me everything!”
I might be imagining it, but I swear Jamie blushes slightly.
“It’s very recent. Nothing serious yet. We’ll see where it goes.”
“But that’s fantastic! You look happy.”
He looks at me with a strange expression I can’t quite decipher.
“I am. Or at least I’m trying to be.”
The music suddenly changes into something faster and more energetic. Excited shouts rise around the bonfire. Couples quickly pair off for a traditional dance.
I immediately recognize the opening notes of the Gay Gordons.
Jamie turns toward me and offers his hand with a smile.
“One dance? Like old times?”
I don’t even hesitate.
“Why not? How long’s it been since we danced together?”
“The ceilidh after senior prom, I think.”
“That’s way too long!”
I slip my hand into his and we join the other dancers.
It’s Jamie.
My childhood friend.
The boy I played outside with as a kid, the one who witnessed every ridiculous thing I did as a teenager.
The dance begins.
Jamie is an excellent dancer, but I already knew that. He spins me effortlessly, guiding me through the complicated steps, laughing when I stumble during a tempo change.
“You’re rusty!” he teases.
“So are you!” I shoot back, deliberately stomping on his foot.
He laughs even harder.
We spin and jump through the frantic rhythm of the music. Around us, other couples do the same. I spot Lachlan and Emma dancing in perfect synchronization. Callum and Jane whirl around laughing together. Even Maggie watches with a satisfied smile, tapping her foot to the beat.
I let myself get swept away by the music, the laughter, the heat from the fire.
For a few precious minutes, I forget how exhausted I am.
I forget my worries.
I forget everything except this collective joy and the energy surging through me.
I’m having fun.
Real fun.
No hidden thoughts. No overthinking.
“You look happy,” Jamie says suddenly during a brief pause in the choreography.
“I am! It’s so good seeing you again. Being back in all this.”
That strange intensity returns to his expression.
“Mary… I need to tell you something.”
I frown curiously.
“What?”
He hesitates.
Then shakes his head.
“You haven’t changed. You’re still so… you.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult.”
“It’s definitely a compliment.”
The music sweeps us back into motion before I can respond.
And in the middle of one of those turns, I see him.
Or at least I think I do.
At the edge of the firelight.
Back turned toward the flames, standing in a posture I’d recognize anywhere: slightly hunched shoulders, hands shoved into pockets, head lowered.
My heart jumps.
Finn.
He came after all.
A smile spreads instinctively across my face, ready to wave him over, call his name.
But Jamie spins me again, and I lose sight of the figure for several seconds.
When I look back, nobody’s there.
I frown.
Was it really Finn?
Or is my mind playing tricks on me, showing me what I want to see?
I scan the darkness beyond the circle of firelight.
Nothing.
And suddenly, Finn’s absence hurts.
I wish he were here with me.
I wish I could share this with him.
And then a thought crashes into me out of nowhere:
How would I feel if Finn left Glenfield?
It feels like I swallowed a sack of stones.
That’s how badly my stomach hurts.