Echoes of Edinburgh (9 page)

“And what is
the essence of us, as you put it?” he asked, resisting the impulse to drape his arm around her shoulders.

She smiled and tucked the small caricature into her purse. “You ask deep questions. Did you notice I didn't slip or fall down today? Not even a skid mark.” Her lips downturned in a mock pout when he didn't crack a smile. “That was supposed to be amusing, Harry. I'm actually quite proud of that fact, you know. The part about not falling down.”

He stopped and waited until Shelby realized he wasn't beside her. After a moment, she turned, one brow quirked, and walked the few steps back to where he stood. “Everything all right?”

“Don't misunderstand, but I was rather hoping you would.”

“Fall down, you mean?” She slowly shook her head. “That's not the chivalrous man I've grown to...” Shelby stopped and opened her eyes wide, threatening to drown him in a lovely sea of blue, made even deeper by the night sky. He'd love to hear how she'd finish that sentence.

Taking her by the hand, Harrison walked with her into the lobby to a quiet corner, partially hidden by an oversized potted plant. “I hope you'll accept my offer to be your personal tour guide while you're here. I can schedule most of my appointments in the mornings and meet you here every day at one o'clock.”

“So you can catch me when I fall?” Her smile soared straight into his heart, settling there. “I had the best day ever,” she whispered.

Shelby's words were a caress to his ears, inspiration for his soul. Before he knew it, the way he felt in this moment,
he'd
start writing love sonnets to leave outside her hotel suite.

“Me, too.” He shifted from one foot to the other, unaccustomed to feeling awkward and at a loss for words. So much for his sophisticated, international man-of-the-world image. “Would you mind if I—”

“Oh, oh. I'm slipping, Harry. Catch me, please?”

Sure enough, Shelby started to slump toward the floor. Was she actually willing to fall on the floor? Harrison drew her into his chest in a fabulous déjà vu of the incident in the Castlehill Gardens. Surely, she could hear how fast and hard his heart was pounding. Or feel it. Like her hand in his, they
fit
.

“I do believe I've found your weakness,” she said, her voice throaty. Sexy. “You get all sweet when you want—”

“Please be quiet so I can kiss you, Shelby love.” Harrison caught the flicker of delight in her eyes as he lowered his head and covered her lips with his. Moving his arms around her, he nudged her closer. Her touch thrilled him when she slid her hands up his chest and rested them on his shoulders. Shelby's lips were warm, responsive, and softer than he could have hoped or imagined. Indulging himself, he tangled his fingers in her hair, appreciating the silkiness of it. Beautiful Shelby. She could so easily become a craving.

Harrison suppressed a groan as he released her. Regret slashed through him. Maybe he shouldn't have kissed her like that, and he hoped he hadn't offended her. Shelby had him stirred up all kinds of crazy. Inside, outside,
everywhere
. Leaning his forehead against hers, he attempted to gather his emotions, scattered as they were. “Tomorrow then. One o'clock?” he said, dropping a final, light kiss on her forehead. “Please say you'll come.”

She nodded and appeared a little dazed. It wasn't his imagination that she'd been equally affected by the kiss. “I'll see you then.” A few feet away, she pivoted. “One request, please? No more haggis.”

“You've got it.”

He watched until Shelby entered the elevator across the lobby and the doors closed. An older gentleman sitting in a nearby chair winked as Harrison turned to leave. “Aye, ye are a lucky lad. Such a bonnie
bairn
you'd make together.”

Stunned speechless by that comment, thankful Shelby hadn't overheard, Harrison could only give him a polite nod and depart.

Shelby was the type of girl to be courted properly, and his mama raised him right.

Before Shelby returned to Chicago, he had a limited window of opportunity. While not wanting to push her for too much too soon, he ran the risk of that very thing by opening his heart.

Taking it slow would be advisable, or he ran the chance of scaring her away. Strong in spirit though she might be, he could tell she was still a bit wary of him, probably assuming he was some kind of freewheeling, jet-setting playboy. Nothing could be further from the truth. Even though Shelby probably wouldn't believe it, after the fiasco with Tiffany, he'd done nothing more than flirt with the women he'd met in his travels. Sure, he'd shared a meal and some kisses here and there, but none more than once or twice.

Like he'd told Pops, he didn't stay in one place long enough to form a lasting relationship. That was the way he'd liked it. Until now. Enter Shelby Harmon, and everything in his life turned upside down.

If it wasn't for his faith, he'd have succumbed to worldly passions a long time ago. He'd had offers and more than a few blatant invitations. He was weak, but the Almighty was that much stronger. He was more physically attracted to Shelby than any other woman he'd ever encountered, but he never wanted to compromise her in any way. The need to honor her, respect, and cherish her was paramount. He'd learned from necessity to exercise extreme caution, where to meet a woman, and what to do, and not do, in order to maintain his sanity—and everything else he held precious and sacred—intact. In a world full of temptation and rampant sin, he needed to rise above. Oh, but for the grace of God indeed.

Staying true to his beliefs was sometimes hard, but he loved how God knew that about him and blessed his life in so many other ways. Was Shelby in God's plan for Harrison's life? Her laughter filled him, her smile made him somehow complete. As a person, and not just as a man. He'd thought he'd closed his heart to love. Not forever, but until a woman came along to change his mind, something he'd thought might never happen. Now, he'd set a personal record. Falling in love in little more than forty-eight hours. Incredible.

While the unassuming beauty from Kentucky was a world apart from his ex-girlfriend in so many ways, Shelby was every bit as strong and magnificent as the thoroughbreds at Harmony Lane. But like those thoroughbreds, she might work her way into his life and then bolt from Edinburgh, running like the wind and stomping all over his heart.

 

 

 

 

11

 

Monday Morning, Day Three

Shelby opened the french doors of her suite and stepped onto the balcony. What a beautiful morning. Birds chirped in the trees a few floors below, and a light breeze brought a chill, making her shiver. She hugged her arms across her chest and peered over the railing. An older woman pushed a pram and a young girl skipped beside her. Men and women, dressed in the customary black and white attire of office workers, strode on the sidewalk with purpose. Tourists strolled the streets with cameras strung around their necks. A businessman, briefcase in hand, checked his watch as he hurried out of the hotel.

“I hope you take time to check out the shop windows while you're in Edinburgh, my friend,” Shelby murmured as the man climbed into a waiting cab.

In Chicago, she'd have been up for several hours by now. She would already have showered, prepared her breakfast of maple nut oatmeal and wheat toast, and gulped down coffee while checking her e-mail with one ear on the morning news and stock reports. Two-and-a-half hours from start to finish, like clockwork. Rarely did her routine vary.

“Wow. How boring am I?” Time to make some changes. Time to
pray
. That was the place to start. She'd known it in her heart, but she'd avoided putting it into practice, apparently preferring to wallow in self-pity and loneliness.

No time like the present
.

She crossed her arms on the balcony railing and lowered her head.
“Lord, Your ways are so far beyond what I can ever imagine. Help me to be open to the new opportunities You bring each day, and help me to discover Your purpose for my life. Thank You for bringing me here to Edinburgh and for allowing me to meet Robert and Harrison.”

An unwelcome, sobering thought invaded her mind. What was she going to do about Harmony Lane? Shelby closed her eyes, overwhelmed with the daunting task ahead. This trip had turned into a welcome diversion, but soon enough, the difficult decisions needed to be made. Decisions only
she
could make as the sole heir to inherit Harmony Lane.

“I'm not worthy, Father
,” she said, shaking her head. “
Now, more than ever, I need Your guidance and wisdom. I don't want to give it up, don't want to sell it. I'm trusting You for the answers.” She wiped away a stray tear. “You know it's hard for me, but I'll try my best to be patient and wait on Your answers. And I'm really sorry I've been away so long.”

She opened her eyes and turned to go back inside. A flash of red on the street below caught her attention. Harrison walked almost directly beneath her balcony, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and khakis. In one hand, he carried a long-stemmed, yellow rose. Clutching the collar of her lightweight robe, Shelby moved back a few steps and out of view should he glance up and see her. Not that she'd mind, but she figured he preferred the element of surprise.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, a firm knock on the door sounded. She could rush across the room and open the door, but no. Let the man keep his secrets. First counting to fifty, she slowly crossed the room and opened the door to find another yellow rose on a room service mat. Harrison's lovely gestures could spoil a girl in the best way imaginable. She retrieved the bloom and eagerly opened the card. She recognized a portion of
Address to a Haggis
from the postcard she'd bought at a gift shop, and it made her smile.

“Robert Burns, eh?” Mr. Burns might be deemed the National Poet of Scotland, but she adored Harrison's romanticism in how he translated their moments spent together with the sentiments on the cards. Clever man.

As promised, Harrison met her in the lobby at one o'clock. As carefree as he was, the man valued punctuality as much as she did. All without a watch, no less. Not that she'd ever complain, but how could he spare so much time for her each afternoon since he was in Edinburgh on business? He'd made it more than clear he loved his work. Equally obvious was the fact that he'd paid close attention to her observations during Robert's driving tour on her second day in the city.

During the course of the afternoon, at the Edinburgh Zoo, they'd mimicked the antics of the giant pandas, Tian Tian and Yang Guang, and followed it with high tea on the Royal Yacht Britannia. She held her pinkie finger in the air while sipping daintily from the tea cup, making him laugh. Then he spoke in a haughty, affected voice and regaled her with stories of his fascinating world travels.

Harrison made everything fun. When she was with him, she forgot about everything waiting for her back home, something she'd never have believed even a remote possibility.

They walked...and talked...seemingly for miles on end, making Shelby thankful she'd slipped on her ballet flats. They alternated between animated conversation and times of quiet, but it was a shared,
comfortable
quiet. Harrison proved a great listener, his insightful comments enlightening and thoughtful. Polite and courteous almost to a fault, he held open doors, pulled out chairs, and introduced her to an acquaintance at The Queens Arms Pub where they stopped for a quick, late supper.

At almost eleven in the evening, he'd said a quick good night in the hotel lobby with a devastating smile and a wave. Shelby hoped she hadn't pushed the boundaries by being so flirty and more or less forcing him into a kiss the night before. Never had she acted so forward with a man. Somehow, she didn't think he minded. She liked how Harrison set the boundaries for them. At least one of them was acting rationally.

As she settled in for the night, Shelby remembered how she used to pray with Mama beside her, both on their knees at the side of her bed. They prayed every night for Daddy to meet Jesus. He did, at the Easter sunrise service when she was nine. Her father claimed it was the pivotal moment in his life, both personally and professionally.

How she missed her parents, wished they could meet Harrison, wished he could have known them for the wonderful people they were. Harrison's faith was deep and solid, yet also uncomplicated. When he told her about specific ways the foundation could help a child achieve a personal dream, he inspired Shelby to make changes in her own life when she returned to Chicago. To do something outside of herself that wasn't connected with her work as a stockbroker. Get involved with or even start a ministry or charity of some kind perhaps.

No wonder her life had seemed somehow empty. She just hadn't understood why. Building upon her love of numbers, she'd trained for years to help others establish a solid financial future. She was adept at it and made a good living. Being with Harrison had already opened her eyes to how much more there was to life than numbers, no matter how valid her profession. The things that mattered most shouldn't be based on happiness derived from a fat portfolio filled with stocks and bonds.

Mama and Daddy raised her well, and they'd modeled a godly marriage built on solid values and morals. They'd demonstrated through their own faith and the way they lived their lives how to
always
depend on Him—from the smallest choices to the most important, life-changing decisions. Yes, the Lord graced her with the
gift
of great parents. She needed to learn by their example. Trust God to lead her and help her know what to do in every aspect of her life.

Shelby turned off the lights and snuggled under the covers. She'd come to Edinburgh in search of one man and instead found someone else she never could have expected—Harrison Reed, a man with whom she could so easily fall in love, as impractical and impossible as it seemed. A man who traveled the globe and might never be content to stay in one place long even though he told her he was “starting to” tire of the traveling.