MacGowan's Ghost (26 page)

Definitely
cuter than the
coos
.

She continued to inspect him until a smile lifted the corner of his mouth. Then he turned and hung his head, the smile widened until nearly all his white teeth showed, and he looked back at her. The sexiness of the total guy gesture made her smile.

Allie wiggled a finger. “Come here.”

He moved closer, dropped her arm, and placed both hands on her hips. “Aye?”

Lifting her hands, she slid off Gabe's shades. The sun made his eyes a brighter green, flecked with gray. Without unlocking gazes, she slipped the glasses into the pocket of his jacket.

They stood there together for the longest moment, simply staring. She for one couldn't help it. Gabe's rugged beauty stole her breath. She loved his strength, his intensity, his humor, and the boyishness that had suddenly emerged. All of it shone through his eyes.

Lowering his head, Gabe settled his mouth over hers and, with an agonizing slowness, kissed her. One of his hands left her hip and buried itself into her hair, his strong fingers angling her head just so before tasting her lips, one at a time, then brushing her tongue with his. The sensation made her groan against his mouth, and her hands then rested on Gabe's hips, pulling him close until her back rested against the large, wide, concrete fence post.

Gabe's lips moved to her throat. “I'm no' made of iron, lass, so be careful where those hands go, aye?” he said against her skin.

That
sensation made her shiver.

“Sorry,” she whispered, and she felt him softly laugh.

Then he pulled back his head and stared at her. “The
coos
are gettin' quite a show.” He glanced at them over her shoulder. “I think they're makin' me nervous.”

Behind them, the
coos
mooed.

Gabe and Allie chuckled.

“Ready to go?” he asked. Then gave her a quick kiss, thought better of it, apparently, and kissed her long.

“Now's good, I think,” she muttered.

Gabe laughed, took her by the hand, and pulled her to the Rover. Then they were on their way.

As they drove, Allie shifted her glances between the beauty of the northwestern Highlands, and the beauty of the northwestern
Highlander.

Both were pretty darn gorgeous.

Allie couldn't quite get enough of Scotland's landscape, from the craggy rocks and the fields of faded heather to the random stone wall rambling across the moors.

And when it came to the Highlander beside her? God, she didn't think she'd
ever
get enough. And that
scared
her.

Gabe wouldn't tell her where they were headed, and since she didn't know much about Scotland, she just went along for the ride, soaked up the flashing scenery, and enjoyed Gabe's company. He told her funny stories of him, Sean, and their sister, Merri, when they were kids, and Gabe, being the oldest, usually got in the most trouble. When they were
caught
, he added.

She knew the feeling well, being the oldest herself.

They came upon a small, intriguing little town with a name Allie couldn't pronounce to save her life, and Gabe guided the Rover through a couple of traffic lights before pulling into a small alcove of shops. Gabe parked, turned, and grinned.

“I've a little something to show you, lass,” he said. “Interested?”

Allie lifted a brow. “Always.”

They got out, crossed the small parking lot, and entered a local gift shop that Allie soon discovered contained local artists' crafts for sale. As they walked in, a small bell tinkled at the door, and a middle-aged woman wearing a lovely tartan skirt and white blouse looked up from the register, saw Gabe, and smiled.

“Well, hello, Mr. MacGowan. How are you this fine day?”

Gabe returned the smile and gave a nod. “Verra well, thanks.”

“Oh, we've just put in a new order for you, lad. I was going to drop it into the post, but since you're here I'll just give it to you before you leave, aye?”

“Aye, thank you.”

Allie gave Gabe a questioning look, the corners of his mouth pulled into a grin, and he placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her to the back corner of the shop. They stopped before a glass wall display case.

Allie glanced at it. “Gabe, why are we—”

She quickly turned back to the display case, and the small plaque that read HAND-CARVED, ONE-OF-A-KIND PIECES MADE TO ORDER BY LOCAL ARTIST.

Allie blinked. She found several rows of various-sized marble chess pieces. Articulately carved into the shapes of warriors from various centuries.

Allie placed her fingers over her lips.

Allie peered through the glass. “You little devil.” She looked at him. “They're absolutely amazing, Gabe.”

He gave a casual shrug, but Allie could see the pride in his smile. “Friends of mine are responsible, actually. I'd given them a set, for all their help, and they'd directly taken them to several of their favorite stores to show the managers.” He rubbed his chin. “They're sold all over Scotland, England, and Wales.”

“And Ireland, dunna forget,” said the clerk up front.

Gabe looked down at Allie and grinned wider. “And Ireland.”

“Canna keep the stock available,” said the clerk. “Orders come in weekly.”

So Gabe was an artist of hand-fashioned marble chess pieces.
Amazing
.

Allie slipped her hand into Gabe's. “You must be so proud. They're all beautiful.”

He stared at her for a long moment. “I'm verra pleased you're pleased.”

They left, after Gabe received his new order, and pulled out of the quaint little village. A small town that took several miles before Allie could finally pronounce the name. Drumnadrochit. Gabe had laughed at her first attempt, and she'd had him repeat it several times before she finally got it right. Before long, the road began to wind and curve until eventually, Allie could see water. Hills, covered in the faded brownish purple of heather, rose behind the water, and there, in the distance, a ruined castle perched high on a cliff.

“Where are we?” she asked.

Gabe grinned. “You'll see.”

Several minutes later, Gabe turned the Rover onto a long private drive and started the ascent. Tall Scotch pines, oaks, and rowans, as Gabe pointed out, rose behind a small white cottage at the top of the hill. They parked the Rover and Gabe shut off the ignition.

He turned to her and grinned. “You're no' afraid of monsters, are you, Allie Morgan?” he asked. He wagged his brows.

Allie cocked her head. “Monsters?”

Gabe grinned, got out, and came around and opened her door. He pulled her to her feet, turned her around, and pulled her against him, her back to his front. Allie glanced up, and the sun shot through the canopy of trees above them, dotting everything with little patches of light. The air, a bit cooler, smelled clean and crisp in contrast to the warmth of Gabe behind her.

Gabe leaned his head, brushed his lips to her ear, his breath on her skin making her shiver; then he whispered, that deep brogue washing over her, “Close your eyes, Allie Morgan.”

Without question, she did.

“Now move with me, lass,” he said, urging her forward, his hands guiding her hips. “I willna let you trip or run into anythin'.” Again, his mouth moved to her ear. “Trust me.”

“I can barely concentrate on moving my feet when you do that thing to my ear,” she said.

Gabe laughed softly. “Sorry. I canna seem to help myself. Now just take regular steps. We'll be there soon.”

Although Gabe was driving her completely wild with his hands on her hips, his chest against her back, and the scruff of his chin against her neck, Allie moved. How she managed it, when all she wanted to do was dissolve into a puddle of mush at his feet, she couldn't decide. Her heart soared at their nearness, at the thought of being alone.

At the thought of controlling themselves.

She could just imagine the friar popping in at the most inopportune time. It made her smile.

“No peekin',” Gabe warned.

“I willna,” Allie answered.

Gabe laughed, and Allie felt the low rumble in his chest at her back.

After a few minutes of walking in that heavenly state, with Gabe MacGowan's hands gripping her hips, he finally angled her, and then pulled her to a stop.

His strong arms slid around her abdomen, he pressed close against her and rested his chin on her shoulder. “Open your eyes, Allie Morgan.”

Slowly, she did, and she gasped.

The beauty of it literally took her breath away.

High atop a craggy, pine-covered cliff they stood, with a wide loch that seemed to stretch for miles in either direction below them. The sunlight glistened off the water, making it sparkle like a thousand shards of glass. On the other side of the loch, more heather-clad hills and hardwoods whose leaves had begun to change color.

“Again, I ask,” he said in her ear, and a shiver ran over her spine at the warmth of his breath on her skin, “are you afraid of monsters?”

Allie leaned against him as her answer struck. “You mean Nessie?” She smiled and turned in his arms.

“This is Loch Ness?”

Gabe grinned. “Aye, a portion of it, anyway.” He looked at her. “ 'Tis one of my favorite places. I thought you might like—”

Allie hushed him with her mouth. Slipping her hands over Gabe's neck, she pulled his head down and kissed him. At first surprised, Allie felt Gabe's body relax, and he pulled her tightly against him and kissed her back. His hands, flat against her back, lowered, sliding over her backside, and pulled her even closer.

She knew then how much Gabe really liked kissing her.

At that contact, Gabe groaned, a low sound coming from deep within him, and his kiss deepened, tasting every corner of Allie's mouth, her tongue, and he groaned again and pulled back. He looked at her, green eyes now a tumultuous green gray, their bodies so close Allie could feel his heart beating.

After a moment, he smiled. “I take it you like the loch?”

Allie smiled. “Absolutely.”

It was only then, glancing behind Gabe, that she noticed the back of the cottage had an enormous railed deck that ran to the edge of the cliff, overlooking the loch. An outdoor stone fireplace sat off to one side, and what looked to be the frame of a wooden sofa, minus cushions, stood before the hearth.

She looked at him, only to find Gabe watched her closely. “Whose place is this?” she asked.

Gabe glanced out over the loch, shrugged, and grinned. “Mine.”

Chapter 23

A
llie simply blinked. “Yours?” Again, Gabe shrugged. “ 'Tis small, so it didna take me long to build. I bought the land on a foreclosure.”

“You built it? As in”—she held up her hands and wiggled her fingers—“
built
it?”

The pride in Gabe's eyes flickered. “Aye, I suppose I did. With some help from me da, Sean, and friends.”

“It's gorgeous, Gabe,” she said. “When did you have time to build it? You're at Odin's nearly every day.”

He glanced up at the cottage's roof, at the deck, and back to the loch. He didn't look at her. “When I was dryin' out.”

Without hesitation, Allie stepped into his arms, lifted her hands to his jaw, and forced him to look at her.

He did.

“Then it's almost as amazing as you, Gabe MacGowan.”

He nodded, and the smile on his sexy lips reached his eyes. “You're wily with the words, Allie Morgan.” He glanced down. “You have a way of makin' a man forget he screwed up.” He kissed her, soft, slow, and long. When he lifted his head, his green eyes were stormy. “Thank you.”

Allie had to remind herself to breathe. God, the way he looked at her made her feel completely alive. She grazed his jaw with her fingertips. “Are you going to show me the monster?” she asked.

One side of his mouth quirked and he lifted a dark brow.

She narrowed her eyes. “Dunna be a perv, MacGowan.” She jerked a finger over her shoulder, toward the loch. “The monster oot
there
.”

Gabe's quirky grin turned into a full-blown smile, just before he threw back his head and laughed. In the dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy, he rubbed his jaw and his eyes twinkled. “You, Allie Morgan, are somethin' else.” He shook his head. “Aye, let's go look for the monster, then.”

After a tour of the cottage—which, although small, as Gabe had said, was immaculate and charming, with two small bedrooms, a fireplace, kitchen, and living room—Allie stood, staring. Completely furnished, it was the perfect getaway home.

“I had a friend from across the loch stop over, air it out, and take off the coverings,” Gabe said, looking around. “His wife was kind enough to send us a bit of food, too.” He pointed. “I met them both whilst building it. They have a cottage, just there.” He pointed across the way and up to the left. “The Munros. Nice couple.” He looked at her. “They'll probably stop over this evening, if you've a mind to mingle.”

“I'll be happy to mingle,” said Allie, and briefly thought of how, not very long ago, she'd admitted to Dauber that she wasn't much of a mingler at all. Funny, how some things change according to the people who unexpectedly pop into your life. Imagine her, Allie Morgan. A
mingler
.

“Och, I've got somethin' for you,” Gabe said, unzipped one of the two large duffel bags he'd brought, and withdrew a long pair of . . .
rubber boots
?