Chapter 23 Mo
Mo
Mo waited for the click of the restroom door.
Graham put a wide brown hand on her shoulder. “That poor girl, Mo. She’s in pieces.”
She felt like a new heart had moved into her chest—like she could feel Deli’s fresh hurt pulsing in the faded shadow of her own. “Love will do that to you.”
Blair scoffed. “For the record? I hate that knobhead.”
“Aye,” Andrew echoed. “We hate that knobhead.”
“I have a plan.” Douglas tapped the tips of his fingers together with a puckish grin.
Mo smiled with relief. “That’s why I came to you, Douggie. Whaddya got?”
His eyes took on a twinkle. “Assuming you want to keep her here as long as possible?”
Mo nodded. Lachlan’s knuckles turned white around his empty glass.
“I say we sell her on the idea of an oiled fantasy lad as the missing piece in her plan and send her on fool’s errands, one by one. We’ll buy her time.”
“She needs time.” Mo knew how difficult it was to see yourself differently—to imagine being happy in a new life. “Deli just needs a chance.”
“Then a chance she’ll have,” Graham said. “I can take her to a games practice. Shouldn’t be hard to imagine strapping young bucks there. And Lachlan will be there to show her a good time, eh, Lachlan?”
Lachlan looked pinched, like he was holding back something he very much wanted to say. He barely moved his lips as he said, “Yes, I’ll be there, but—”
“She can help me with events,” Mo said. “Plenty of groomsmen to be wooed. And Lachlan can have her help around the pub!”
Hannah grinned and nodded. Lachlan let out a low huff.
“Yes, yes,” Douglas said. “And I’ll have her help Cairn with the sheep feeding.”
Mo frowned. “Are you sure, Douggie? Cairn?”
Lachlan had been surly since Deli had arrived. Now he looked downright fussy. “I think this is a bad idea, but sheep feeding sounds good for her.”
Blair stared hard at Lachlan. “It will all be good for her. We will all be good for her.”
Mo knew that grieving for her life before Fearnhall was a never-ending task—who her family should have been, who she could have grown old beside.
She was content with her lot, but sometimes, just sometimes, she woke up alone in that little house and felt surrounded by ghosts.
But moments like this reminded Mo she would never have a shortage of love.
Blair lifted her glass and smiled. “She’s one of us, Mo.”
“You know what?” Douglas reached for Mo’s hand. “She reminds me of you.”
Mo blinked back tears and raised her glass. “To time and chance!”
Lachlan stood and returned to his post as the rest of the lot shared a toast.
Her niece arrived just as it ended. Mo didn’t like the way her eyes shone, but Deli still smiled.
“Aw! What did I miss?”