MacLarens of Balmorie 05 - Once Upon A Time In Scotland (8 page)

She took another look at the big Scot and immediately saw the resemblance. “They don't get along?”

“Oh, they get along fine. But of late, things have been a wee bit tense between them, ye might say.”
Abbie
picked a chip from the bowl nearby, wanting to inquire more, but she didn't want to seem nosy. Luckily, Fran continued without a hitch.

“Liam wants his brother
ta
live, no' lock himself up there in that big house of his. And our Ross—as good as he is—seems
ta
think everything is fine. Why, look at the lad. Big, handsome brute needs
ta
find a good woman, have wee ones...” Fran looked at
Abbie
with a critical eyes.

Abbie
laughed and held up her hands. “No, not me. I'm off the market.”

“Well,
canna
blame an auld woman for trying,” Fran said with a smile. “Is
yer
husband no' here with ye, lass?”

“No. No husband. Divorced. Have a beautiful little boy, though.”

Fran seemed just as eager to talk kids as she had been about Ross, so
Abbie
spent the next few minutes going on about her favorite subject. When Fran went off to refill the punch bowl,
Abbie
made her way to the patio. Liam had already come in and was dancing with a large group, including his brother and the gorgeous blond.

The evening air was mild, the loch beautiful, the slight breeze making her turn her face into the wind. With the music and sounds of the party behind her and the view in front of her, she felt content. She never minded being alone. She had no issues with dining alone, watching movies alone, or living her life the past four years without a partner. The quiet was her balm, the thing which energized her. An introvert, some might say. And they'd probably be right.

But there were times when she missed and craved connections.

She was lonely. Acutely so, and had been for quite some time.

Her eyes misted, so she avoided the subject and walked to the edge of the patio where she found the garden, which wrapped around the corner of the castle and then spread out in a neatly designed pattern. As she strolled the narrow paths between herbs and flowers and vegetables, she thought of her mother, an avid gardener, and reminded herself to call when she got back to the cottage and also to send a few pictures she'd taken of the ruins.

One of the paths led into the trees.
Abbie
took it, figuring it was the path to the chapel that Riley had mentioned.

Among the trees, the air was cooler, the scents of earth and pine strong. With the Scottish music blaring behind her, she felt like she'd stepped through time and the thought made her smile.

Soon, she arrived at the stone chapel. It was small and quaint and utterly charming with its
peeked
roof, arched double doors made from thick wood, and matching arched windows. The wildflowers in beds, the wooden bench in a secluded spot, the vines framing the chapel door... It was all so perfect.

Riley's wedding was going to be amazing. It was the most romantic spot
Abbie
had ever seen.

Inside, the chapel was cool and the light was dim. There was a short row of pews and an open area at the front with a raised dais, altar table, and a wooden Celtic cross hanging on the wall below a small stained glass window.

She sat in the front row and closed her eyes, just absorbing the atmosphere, the history, the smell of wood and stone, and the lovely sounds of bagpipes now playing from the castle. Like a dream, she thought with a smile. She'd always wanted to visit Scotland. Her love of books had led her through Scottish
historicals
, romances, and mysteries. But no words on paper could ever compare to the real thing, to the place she sat right now, to the people she'd met, or the landscape in
Balmorie
.

How great would it be to live here, to buy a small cottage and watch Logan grow up with miles and miles of hills and forests and all the freedom a kid could ask for.

Letting her imagination run wild,
Abbie
stayed in the chapel until the hard wooden pew hurt her back. By the time she left, twilight had descended—or the gloaming—as it was called. The tall lantern by the chapel had come on and as she began the journey back, she noticed the path was lit with small lanterns hanging from hooks stuck into the ground.

It was such a beautiful sight it made her pause and take it all in. It was a magical, plain and simple. And in a weird way, it made her feel even more lonely than before.

What would it be like to have what Riley and Jamie had? She'd thought she'd had that with Jake, but looking back now, it was clear what she'd felt and hoped for with Jake hadn't even come close.

Lucy and Ian had married in the chapel at night in the snowy winter. How lovely that must have been. Though a nighttime wedding in the summer time would be just as incredible. She could see it clearly. Lights strung in the trees. The chapel lit up and decorated. The flowers and vines blooming.

On her walk back, she saw a small path leading deeper into the woods. Feeling adventurous, she followed it, eventually emerging from the woods to find a quaint pebble beach by the shores of the loch. A rope swing hung from a large tree branch. There were two Adirondacks and two canoes pulled onto the shore. The area was lit with lanterns and lights in the trees, and
Abbie
felt like she'd just found a wonderful little secret.

Next time she'd bring her notebook.

Careful over the rocks, she made her way to the swing and sat on the wooden plank, grabbing both sides of the thick rope and pushing off.

CHAPTER 7

Liam looked everywhere for
Abbie
. Her bike was still leaning against the side of the castle and the last time anyone had seen her was over an hour ago on the patio. Upon Mia's suggestion, he was now making his way to the chapel. If
Abbie
wasn't there, he might start worrying.

She wasn't in the chapel.

Bloody hell.

As he exited the small building, his concern mounted. He put his hands on his hips and listened. She could be anywhere. As he walked back through the woods, the path to the secluded pebble beach had him turning. As he drew closer, the sounds of a constant wooden creak told him someone was there, swinging.

Relief filled him at the sight of
Abbie
swinging gently, her legs straight, her ankles crossed, the hem of her dress riding up her thighs. She leaned to one side, her head resting on the rope as though lost in a daydream.

He knew he should leave her to her solitude, but even as he had the thought he was walking forward, his boots crunching loudly over the small rocks. At the sound, she jerked, spinning the swing around. When she saw it was him, relief relaxed her shoulders, but her eyes narrowed to fine points.

The soft lights cast everything in an otherworldly glow and made
Abbie's
skin golden. It was hard not to stare as he sat on the Adirondack's armrest to face her, his outward movements deceptive while inside he was . . .
Good, Lord.
Nervous.

“Party is still going strong...” he began quietly, able to hear the faint sounds of music and the occasional burst of laughter.

She didn't answer, just pushed the swing back and forth with her toe.

“Planning on coming back anytime soon?” Conflict flowed through him. He was glad he'd kissed her and yet he was kicking himself for making a move that obviously had alienate her. Why else had she avoided him all night?

“Why do you care, Liam?” A frown lined her forehead. “I'm sorry, I don't mean that in a rude way.”

His heart skipped a beat and he blinked, surprised she'd be so blunt. He knew exactly what she meant, but he needed a minute to gather his thoughts, so he asked, “How do you mean it then,
Abbie
?”

“Your family is back there, your date... the last thing you should be worrying about is me.”

His brow raised. He didn't know where to start. The mysterious date he supposedly had or why he'd come looking for her. Why the hell had he? She repeatedly made it known she wasn't interested and here he was making an ass out of himself, following her around like some pathetic lovesick fool. Aye, he'd worried about her. But obviously she didn't want him to or need him to.

Regretting his decision to come find her, he stood. “My mistake. Enjoy your evening,
Abbie
.”

Her soft curse reached him as he covered the beach with a long stride. “Damn it. Liam, wait.”

He paused. He shouldn't wait, shouldn't turn around and instead let this whole thing end here—whatever the bloody hell
it
was. But he found himself turning around anyway. She stood in the middle of the pebble beach. “I'm sorry. That totally came out wrong. It's just...” Her hands wrung together in front of her dress. “I thought you had better things to do than hang with me, is all.”

He cocked his head. “You mean with my date?”

She gazed everywhere but at him. “Well, yeah. I mean, she's gorgeous and you two seemed...”

A grin tugged the corners of his mouth, but he was too curious to see what she'd say about him and Harper. “What?”

“Familiar. I don't know.”

Liam closed the distance between them. Her dark eyes seemed to glitter, reflecting the tree lights as she gazed up at him. “Harper and I are friends. We were almost step siblings once. My brother was completely in love with her. Still is, apparently.”

“Oh,” the soft word came out with embarrassment.

He moved closer and she took a step back, her heel catching a small rock. Her ankle turned. Liam grabbed her arms to keep her upright. “Careful,” he murmured as she steadied herself. Her skin was smooth under his hands. This close, he could scent peaches in her hair.

“Probably not the best shoes for this place,” she said with a small laugh.

He could've let go.
Should
have let go. “How's your wound?” he asked, guiding her to the wooden chair.

“Hurting a bit in these shoes, but—”

After she sat, he pulled the second chair to face hers, sat on the edge and lifted her foot. It was quiet for a moment, the gentle lap of the water and the bagpipes taking over.

“What are you doing?”

Her low, breathy voice made nerves leap in his stomach as he unbuckled the strap around her ankle, then removed her shoe to peel the bandage away. “The air will do it some good.”

He lifted his gaze and met her wide eyes, the expression in them troubled and stark with emotion. She couldn't hide anything. The knowledge made him bite back a smile. She was as wired as he was. “I don't think that's going to stick back,” she said.

“No worries. I brought another.”

She flinched, her eyes growing round with surprise.

Shite
.

He rarely got embarrassed, but the way
Abbie
was looking at him now made his cheeks grow warm. Disbelief threaded through her voice as she said, “You just happened to have another bandage on you.”

For a moment, all he could hear was the pounding of his heart. He cleared his throat and tried like hell to sound casual. “Aye, well... Figured you might have need of one or two with all the dancing. Not that you stayed long enough for that, but...”

Abbie
pulled her foot free, her eyes swimming with emotion and desire. She leaned forward, cupped his face, and put her sweet mouth on his.

A shiver went through him.

And when she removed the pressure of her soft lips, it was only so she could look at him with those big expressive eyes, eyes that told him she wanted more. A lot more. Liam flicked a hot look at her mouth, which was parted and ready.
Abbie
kissed him again, her tongue flicking out to lick his bottom lip.