Love Everlastin' Book 3 (26 page)

Finally, he went to the left
side window and looked down at the snowman. Crowning it was an
intact bird. Motionless, but turned now in the direction of his
side of the house. He was beginning to question if he'd actually
knocked the stuffing out of the damn thing when he spied Roan
trudging through the snow in the direction of the carriage house.
Winston didn't need his psychic abilities to tell him that the
current laird was fuming about something.

His stomach grumbled loudly,
reminding him that he hadn't eaten yet today. He watched Roan enter
the carriage house then, shoving his hands into his pockets, left
the bedroom and headed for the staircase.

* * *

Lachlan lifted his head from
his hands when he heard footfalls approaching. A weary frown masked
his features as Roan approached, the livid expression on the man's
face warning him he was in for another tongue lashing. He sat up
straighter, his hands resting on his knees, and braced himself for
Roan's anger.

No sooner did Roan come to a
stop, he reached down and, gripping the front of Lachlan's shirt,
harshly yanked him to his feet. The heavy wool blanket which had
cloaked Lachlan's shoulders, fell on the cot. Lachlan's head
whipped back with the force of Roan's action. To his further
surprise, Roan shook him, then abruptly shoved him onto the cot and
backed off two paces.

Lachlan was breathing
heavily when he shakily got to his feet. He couldn't avert his gaze
from the fury in Roan's eyes.

"Wha' did you do to Beth?"
Roan shouted, his balled hands trembling at his sides. "It’s bad
enough you've been sulkin’ ou' here like some wounded rodent, and
avoidin’ everyone like
we're
to blame for yer bloody resurrection! But I draw
the line when it comes to Beth, you paughty old mon!"

He angrily raked his fingers
though his mane of light brown hair, as if the action might help to
calm him a bit. It didn't, and he began gesturing wildly as he
continued, "She has stood by you through it all! Stood by you when
the rest o' Crossmichael wanted you damned to hell! Now she has
given you two grand babies, and wha' does she get for her troubles?
Mair pain!"

Roan jabbed the air in front
of Lachlan's face as he went on, "You were always a self-servin’
bastard, weren't you, old mon?" he charged bitterly. "Weel let me
tell you this, and it best sink in verra deeply in tha' thick skull
o' yers, cause I swear on ma soul, Lannie, I'll no' stand by and
watch you hurt tha' womon again!

"You have never appreciated
how lucky you were. Aye!" Roan spat this out contemptuously.
"Robert and Tessa cut short yer miserable life, but you had mair in
death than maist in life! Make no mistake I love Laura, and I thank
God every day for bringin’ her and I back togither, but Beth....
Any mon blessed enough to have her love, should kiss the ground she
walks on! She is the best part o' you, you stupid old mon! She is
the heart o' this place!"

Breathing heavily, Roan
stepped up to Lachlan. "I saw her come into the house a few minutes
ago, lookin’ as if the life had been knocked ou' o' her. Didn't
take a genius to figure ou' you'd hurt her again. I won't have it,
Lannie. Get a grip and start actin’ like the mon you’re supposed to
be!"

Several seconds ticked by in
silence, enough time to refuel Roan's anger.

"Haven't you anythin’ to say
for yerself?"

His gaze never wavering from
Roan's, Lachlan said in a monotone, "Dinna call me old."

Roan jerked back as if
Lachlan had dealt him a stunning blow. He stepped back, incredulity
washing the color from his face. Then, as though he didn't have it
within him to stop himself, he sailed his right fist through the
air and landed it on Lachlan's jaw. The impact knocked the former
laird onto the cot where, too stunned to move, the sounds of his
hoarse breathing filled the room.

Roan, too, was breathing
heavily as he stared down at his smarting hand as if shocked he'd
actually struck out with it. His anger became overwhelmed by guilt
and shame. A temper he had, but he wasn't a man who condoned
physical violence. Lachlan had always possessed the ability to
provoke him, but he couldn't remember ever wanting to hurt him as
much as he did moments ago.

"Damn me," he murmured,
staggering back three paces, and staring at the raw desolation on
Lachlan's face as if that in itself were a deadly weapon. "Soon as
the weather breaks, I'm takin’ Laura and the lads away from here.
Keep yer house and yer bloody possessions. May it all comfort you
throughou' the rest o' yer pathetic existence."

Roan headed for the door,
while Lachlan sat up and gingerly touched the painful, throbbing
area on his left jaw. At the threshold, Roan suddenly stopped and
looked Lachlan's way.

"Aggie's passin’ over right
efter dinner. We're havin’ a party for her and ye’re
no'
invited. You've
brought us enough misery. So I'm askin’ you, Lannie, stay away till
she's gone. Come morn, take back yer bloody house. Take back
everythin’ you've fought so hard to keep all these
years."

Roan closed the door behind
him, leaving Lachlan cocooned in silence so loud, it closed in
around him.

"Aggie's leavin’?" he
murmured, misery making taut his face. "Oh, Aggie. Dinna
go."

He broke down in great,
shuddering sobs. Manly or not, he couldn't stop the tears. He
couldn't stop anguish from consuming him. He was desperately
frightened and lonely, but had no idea how to overcome these dark
forces.

His Beth.

He would never forget the
hurt he'd read in her eyes, for he knew she would never forgive him
his weaknesses. And Roan, the only friend he'd ever had, hated him.
Now Aggie was leaving, and he knew it was because of him. They all
belonged at Baird House. They were the magic, the heart of the
Baird estate.

He was vaguely aware of
someone sitting next to him, but was given a start when arms went
around him and his head was pressed to something warm and
solid.

"Lachlan," a feminine voice
sighed, tender chiding lacing the tone. "You certainly have a way
of bringing out the worst in some people."

Confused and trembling
violently, Lachlan drew away and forced himself to look into the
face of the woman. The visage that appeared to shimmer as he
squinted through his tears, belonged to—

"Laura?"

C
hapter 10

A somewhat shy smile turned
up the corners of Laura's mouth. "At least you didn't call me
Tessa. I thought for sure you would want to add me to your list of
admirers."

Despite his inner and
external pain, he managed what sounded like a chuckle. "Wha' are
you doin’ ou' here? Tis cold."

"I noticed," she said wryly
then, gently cupping his chin with the fingers of her right hand,
inspected the left side of his face. "Did Roan do this?"

"No." He inwardly shriveled
with she cocked a challenging eyebrow. "Aye," he amended
begrudgingly, "but I provoked him. Dinna blame him."

"When he came tearing into
the house, I knew something had happened." She lowered her hands to
her lap and regarded him solemnly. "Lachlan, you're a mess. Not to
mention facial hair definitely does not become you. Why are you
doing this to yourself?"

Lachlan lowered his gaze. "I
dinna know why. Roan told me to get a grip." He looked into the
beautiful green eyes, and shrugged. "But that's the problem, Laura.
I dinna know who or wha' I am, anymair. I'm displaced. Tis like I'm
in the middle o' two opposin’ forces pulling me this way and tha',
and I've no' a clue which is the right side."

Renewed tears burned his
eyes and added to his frustration. "I dinna want to hurt anyone,
Laura. No matter wha' I do, though, I'm responsible for someone's
pain."

Laura was thoughtfully quiet
for a time, her gaze studying him with unnerving calm.

"Okay, Lachlan, I want you
to listen very carefully to me. Granted, being dead then coming
back to life, can be—shall we say—unsettling?"

He nodded grimly.

"Probably as unsettling as
discovering you're the reincarnation of a murdering bitch with the
hots for wealth, right?"

Lachlan was taken aback by
not only her words, but the humor in which they were spoken. A
tenuous grin appeared on his mouth before he said,
"Possibly."

"Second chances are scary,
Lachlan, because we have so much to make up for from the first time
around."

She sighed deeply, her gaze
staring off into space. Then she looked him in the eye with a more
serious air about her. "You are Lachlan Baird, a man who broke away
from his family to find his own path in life. A man who built an
incredible house and through tragedy, created a legacy that will
live on in the minds of people for generations to come. You are
Lachlan Baird, whose love for a woman brought her to Baird House to
die, so she wouldn't be as lonely in death as she had been in life.
And you are Lachlan Baird, who not only forgave his murderers, but
opened his heart and home to them."

A mist of tears appeared in
her eyes as she lovingly tapped him beneath the chin. "How can you
doubt who and what you are, Lachlan? You began as flesh and blood,
and have miraculously been given back to those who love and need
you in their lives."

"Laura," he choked, "I canna
believe ye’re bestowin’ this kindness on me."

"For the most part, you and
I share a terrible past, Lachlan. Sometimes my shame for Tessa's
actions comes back to haunt me, but I get past it. Do you know
how?"

He shook his
head.

"I remember last Christmas
Eve, when I was lying on the ground with that awful knife in my
chest, and you leaned over me. I remember the look in your eyes.
They told me you would forgive me anything." She reached out and
clasped his hands within hers. "They told me you would take my pain
if you could."

"The dirk was intended for
me, no' you."

"That isn't the point,
Lachlan." Releasing his left hand, she placed her right palm over
his hammering heart. "Long ago, you were my—Tessa's—husband. I
can't count the times I've wondered how different our lives would
have been if I had loved you and not Robert. If I would have had
half the heart I have now. But wondering doesn't change our
destinies. Nope. We're all where we should be. Together. Striving
to live our lives to the best of our abilities.

"I know you're afraid,
Lachlan. Maybe the reason why I understand what you're going
through more than the others is because I'm still frightened of
Tessa. I know that era isn't mine, but I'm nonetheless connected to
it through her memories—just like you'll always be connected to the
eighteen hundreds. But that doesn't mean the past should rule us
now."

"Aye," said Lachlan
dreamily, his eyes now staring off into space. "I was a fair
businessmon back then. No reason I couldna make ma mark in this
time."

Laura's smile glowed on her
face. "I can hear the wheels in your brain finally
turning."

"Aye. Aye."

"You still have Baird House.
And your wealth—"

"No," he cut her off,
lifting a hand in the air to emphasize the word. "Tis all yers and
Roans."

"Lachlan—"

"Laura, I'll no' take
back—"

"What is rightfully yours?"
she laughed mockingly, hoping to impress upon him how ridiculous it
was to refuse what already belonged to him.

Lachlan steepled his fingers
in front of his chin. "Roan once talked abou' turnin’ Baird House
into a retreat. Does he still think abou' tha'?"

She nodded.

"Maist o' the rooms aren't
in use."

She nodded again. "There are
lots of empty room. Some I haven't even seen yet."

"Enough for
two
growin’ families
alone on the third floor. The second floor could be opened to the
public. Even this carriage house would make a grand getaway
cottage."

"Personally, I think you and
Roan would make hellaciously dynamic partners."

His features scrinched up.
"Is hellaciously really a word?"

She laughed. "If not, it
should be."

"Aye. Hellaciously. Feels
good on the tongue."

Again Laura laughed, and for
the first time since his return, Lachlan beamed with
hope.

"Here I was afeared o' the
future," he said almost breathlessly, "and the future's been
starin’ me square in the face. Och, Laura, I can be an old
fool."

"Maybe a wee stubborn now
and then, but I think you're entitled. However, I also think it's
time you groveled at Beth's feet for forgiveness."

Lachlan released a breath
through pursed lips. "Fegs. She was fair ready to slay ma heart
when she left."

"She was here?"

He nodded. "Roan saw her
when she returned to the house. Tis why he came ou' to put me
straight. Fegs, Laura, I've made a fine mess o' things. I haven't
so-much-as looked at the twins. I've been afraid o' seeing ma
failure in their wee faces."