Some Like It Scot (31 page)

They'd talked about it briefly, late one night, when she'd been looking at the carved headboard. They'd talked about her first vision in more detail, and she'd asked him what he thought the visions meant, and why they'd stopped. He hadn't given her a specific answer, saying he was still confounded by the whole thing, but happy they'd stopped and neither of them had to worry about touching the other any longer.

“That makes two places. Both here on Kinloch.” Katie had her own theories. One was, by both of them coming back to Kinloch and joining together, the reasons for the visions had ceased to exist. She firmly believed they'd been some kind of spiritual message, sent to tell them they belonged together.

It was easy to believe that, because
she
believed they belonged together. As fantastical as the visions had been, they'd both had them. They couldn't deny they existed, no matter how inexplicable and unbelievable they might have been. They'd only continued on while their future together had been in limbo.

She wondered what would happen, in a month, if Graham decided to send her away and reject both the Marriage Pact, and her. Unless…he didn't think she was planning to stay on regardless, did he? Actually, he'd said he didn't plan to stay on, because that would mean Iain would be in power.

As if she'd conjured him up, another car pulled in behind Roan's truck, and out of it climbed the movie star handsome Iain McAuley.

She started back across the grass, but she'd gone a bit farther afield than she'd realized. He'd already approached Roan before she could get close enough to hear what they were saying. The wind snatched most of it away, anyway. However, Roan's body posture and flat expression said it all. And it took a lot to dim the natural light that was Roan McAuley.

She'd had the misfortune to cross paths twice with the contender for Graham's place on Kinloch. She'd like to think she would have found his charm and natural gregariousness cloying and overbearing even if she hadn't had a personal stake in not liking the man. But the truth of it was, he was a very likable guy, which only served to confound her—and many of the islanders, it appeared—who would be much happier if he was simply vile and easy to hate.

The islanders of Kinloch were a people whose nature it was to throw open their doors, and welcome everyone as if they were a friend. It was easy to see why tourism was flourishing. Iain would have otherwise likely been easily loved by the people. He was very good looking, had an easy wit, and never met a person he couldn't charm. The exception being the man she was currently living with, and his two closest friends.

She wanted to think Iain smug and smarmy, but thus far, he'd seemed sincerely friendly.

None of that explained what he was doing on the island, or why he wanted to take over Kinloch. Nice, friendly people just didn't do that for no reason.

“Hullo, Katie,” he called out. “Beautiful day for a stroll.”

Other than herself, he was the only blond on the island. It was rather disconcerting, but worse was he felt it lent them some kind of special bond. She didn't agree. His accent was highly refined, making him sound almost more English than Scot. She liked to think it made him sound entitled. But she knew she was reaching for reasons not to like the man.

“Yes, it's a nice day,” she agreed, then turned to Roan. “We should continue on. Thanks for letting me stretch my legs. A pleasure seeing you again, Mr. McAuley.”

He looked surprised by her easy dismissal, as if he was used to people wanting more of his time, not less. It was perversely why she took great pleasure in cutting him off whenever he showed up. Although she couldn't exactly point to a specific flaw, the fact remained he was a weasel of some stripe who was trying to thwart Graham's continued work on the island. Just because the stripe wasn't apparent to the naked eye, didn't mean he wasn't sporting one.

Roan opened her door and she climbed in without another look in his direction. “Good day,” Roan said to him, a rather satisfied smile on his face as he shut the door and climbed in his own side.

“Thanks,” Iain said. “And it's Iain,” he called out to Katie.

She would never call him that, just to continue to piss him off.

“Still no idea why he's really here?” she asked Roan as they got back on the single-track lane and continued on their journey.

“None. I've done about all the digging I can do. Shay has also done his share, given he's in Edinburgh, but he's found nothing other than that Iain has worked for the same firm since getting out of school, and his mumsy left him quite well off when she kicked the proverbial bucket. I have no clue what he wants from us, or why he's taken such an extended sabbatical to do it.”

“Hmm,” Katie said, but what she was thinking was the same thing she'd been thinking for the past few days now. There was one person she knew who could dig the dirt on the queen herself if given the time and proper motivation.

Roan's phone chirped and he fished it out of his jacket pocket. “Aye, Eliza, what is it, my darlin'?”

“Dinnae ye darlin' me, ye scamp.”

Roan and Katie shared a quick grin. Roan's teasing of Katie was a new hobby of his, whereas he'd spent a lifetime getting a rise, and the occasional blush, out of his office assistant, who was easily old enough to be his grandmother.

“Don't tell me you're jealous because I am off gallivanting the countryside with a beautiful woman. You know yer first in my heart, and—”

“Actually, 'tis Katie I am trying to track down.”

Roan glanced at Katie again. “Oh? Can I pass along a message, or do ye need to speak to her?”

“Well…”

Eliza had a stout voice to go with her stout figure, so Katie had heard every word.

“What is it, Mrs. McAuley?” she called out. “I'm right here.”

“It seems ye have a visitor. Just in off the ferry.”

Katie felt her face go pale. Had her parents found her so quickly? “I do?” she croaked.

“Aye, and he claims to be yer husband. Oh, and Graham just came in. Shall I tell them both to wait here for ye?”

Roan had already turned the truck around. In fact, they passed Iain, who'd climbed back in his car, and was following them back into town.

“Well, things just got interesting,” Roan said.

“You don't know the half of it.” Katie slumped down in her seat and started to swear.

“I
beg your pardon, Mr. Sheffield, but Katie is no' your wife. I know this, I was there.” Graham had stepped into the office as Eliza was on the phone announcing the very fact.

He'd had a long, frustrating day—arguing with one of their seed suppliers, mediating a sheep-stealing issue between two of his crofters, then his lorry had blown a tire on the way in—and he was supposed to be there to talk with Roan, who was out and about with Katie. Again.

When he saw the two of them pull up out front followed by that arse in swine's clothing, Iain McAuley, Graham came very close to simply chucking it all and catching the next ferry to anywhere but Kinloch. They could have the damn place. Let pretty boy run it into the ground.

“You!” Blaine said, stabbing a finger at Graham. “What the hell have you done with my Katie?”

“You might want to lower that finger before I snap it off,” Graham said with exaggerated politeness. “I've done nothing with yer Katie.”
Except all the things you can't do with her
, he'd wanted to add, but that was his foul mood talking. He managed to keep his tongue. “She'll be here in a moment to prove it.”

Roan held open the door and Katie rushed in. “Blaine? What are you doing here? How did you—”

“It wasn't easy,” he said, with a relieved sigh as he swept her into a tight bear hug. “Took me almost a week. I believe that's a record.”

“Speaking of that, I'm glad you're here.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward Roan's office. “Follow me, everyone.” She looked at Eliza. “Please, if you want Graham to continue keeping everyone on Kinloch happy and successful, do whatever you must, but keep that guy out of Roan's office.” She nodded to Iain, who was stepping up to the front door as she spoke.

She didn't wait to see what Eliza did, but hurriedly shuffled them all into Roan's office and shut the door behind her, then locked it for good measure.

“Blaine, this is Roan and Graham. Well, you've met Graham. Sort of. Roan, this is—”

“The guy ye didn't marry. Not good sport telling lies, ol' chap,” he said to Blaine. “I have second dibs on her if Graham here proves himself to be a complete idiot and blows the best thing he's ever been lucky enough to find. I'm thinking ye're a distant third now. Especially seeing as there are some aspects of her new relationship that, let's just say, might have been lacking in her last one.”

“Roan!” Katie gasped. “I'm never telling you anything ever again.”

Roan shrugged, unrepentant.

Graham watched the entire thing like a tennis match gone mad. “Care to explain your theatrics?” he said, before they could burst into simultaneous chatter once again.

“You mean me?” Katie asked, once she realized he was talking to her and not Blaine. “It's not theatrics.” She turned to Blaine. “I wanted to call. A thousand times. And a hundred times that. I would have. But I needed to resolve things here first.”

“Here? You just got here. What could possibly need resolving?”

“I'll fill you in later, and you can do the same for me. My parents?”

He just shook his head.

Katie winced. “That bad?”

“Armageddon is bad. This? Much, much worse.”

She flinched. “I'm sorry. You—did you—and Tag…?”

Blaine looked to Roan and Graham, then back to her. “As you said, we'll catch up later.”

“Katie—” Graham began.

“I know, I know.” She looked to Graham. “I made another discovery today. About—uh, things. We'll talk later.”

“Can I get in on this date night schedule?” Roan asked.

“Shut up, Roan,” both Katie and Graham said simultaneously.

He lifted his hands. “Just trying to keep up.”

“As I was looking at my…discovery, Iain pulled up.”

“What did he want?” Graham asked.

“What does he ever want? I have no idea. We blew him off and got back in the truck, and I asked Roan if he or Shay had gotten any dirt on Iain, which they haven't, and that made me think of”—she turned to Blaine—“you. And now here you are. I really think there is something to the visions, Graham.”

“Visions,” Roan and Blaine said at the same time.

“It's nothing, don't worry,” she told them. “But you're here, Blaine, and just in time.”

“We need to talk, Katie. You need to come home with me.”

“We do need to talk. Blaine, I'm not coming home”—she looked straight at Graham—“if I have anything to say about it. And, if a certain thickheaded man on this island will ever pull said thickhead out of his overly scientific ass long enough to see the good thing he already has right in front of him, and how damn lucky he is to have it, this will be my home.”

Roan hooted. Blaine spluttered. Graham…
finally
spurred into action.

He stepped forward, and very calmly, but deliberately, put his hand out for Katie. “It seems there is a lot of talking to be done with a number of different people. I'd like to pull rank here and talk with you right now. If you dinnae mind.”

“I'm sorry,” she told him. “Wait. No, I'm not. Graham—”

“Alone,” he said. “Please.”

She held his gaze for a long moment, mutiny in her eyes. Then her shoulders slumped and she nodded. “Fine, fine, but first.” She turned to the other two men introducing them again. “Blaine Sheffield, Roan McAuley. Roan? This is the man who will find the answer to our most perplexing question.”

“He can tell me why you're chasing after that idiot when I'd marry you in a heartbeat?”

“Funny. We can't marry. We're like second cousins.”

“Right, second cousins, two centuries removed.”

“Well, you're like a cousin to me.”

“Ouch.”

“Katie, honestly,” this from Blaine. “We really don't have time—”

“No, we don't. In fact, time is running out fast. Blaine, Roan will give you the details, but there is a man here, right out in that office, in fact, who is trying to take over this island, only none of us can figure out why.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“I want you to find out. If anyone can do it, you can. Come on, Blaine. You owe me.”

“I most certainly do not. You left me standing at the altar!”

“Okay, poor choice of words. But I did that for your own good, as well as for mine. I didn't know what it would lead to”—she looked to Graham—“but I do now. After telling everyone including myself how independent I am now, I've done exactly what I always do. Sit back and don't rock the boat.” She took a step closer to Graham. “Well, I'm rocking it now. So look out. Blaine, please, if you've ever loved me, then help me. I promise, other than coming back to Maryland, I'll do whatever I can to help you.”

She took Graham's hand, and went to the door. Graham wasn't sure who started clapping, but he was pretty sure it wasn't Sheffield.

Graham, on the other hand, had just spent the past five minutes going from confusion, to fury, to disconcertment…to pride. As they passed Iain, he sketched a quick salute.

Surprised, given Graham had generally pretended the man was invisible to him, it took Iain a moment to snap to attention and take advantage of the occasion. “Graham, I've come to discuss—”

“Sorry,” Graham called back over his shoulder as Katie continued marching him out the front door. “Can't chat now. But rest assured we're all probably going to have a big chat later on.”

It was the first time he'd ever seen Iain frown.

“Where are we—”

“Mind your head,” she told him as she shoved him into Roan's front seat with a strength that belied her much smaller frame.

He barely managed to duck in time to keep his skull from being cracked on the frame, and had just closed his door when she climbed in the driver's side and shut the door. “Has Roan been giving you driving lessons?”

“No,” she said, then peeled away from the curb.

Graham grabbed both dash and door handle. “Ye, uh, mind telling me what's going on? Or where we're goin'?”

She didn't answer, but her expression rivaled that of the fiercest Valkyrie. He wisely held his tongue, thinking he'd figure it out in due time. The island wasn't that big.

Still, it was a surprise to him when she drove away from the castle and across to the McAuley side of the island. Just past the machair, she pulled over and parked. Well, it was more a controlled swerve and slamming of the brakes, but he was happy enough to be alive and in one piece. He didn't quibble.

“Come on,” she said, and climbed out. “I want to show you something.” She started off across the green.

He did as she asked. With his long strides, he was beside her in a few steps. “What is it, Katie?” He reached for her arm, but she leapt to the side to avoid his touch.

Neither of them had done that in days. Since she'd come to his castle, in fact. It stung more than a little.

“Not here. You'll understand in just a—” She stopped and pointed. “There. Look there.” She pointed first to where the machair met the grass line. Then she pointed out to sea. “And there.”

Graham glanced from the grass, to the ruins of the abbey, and back to the grass, but he was still confounded. “I dinnae understand. What are ye—” Then he froze, and very slowly turned to look once again at the abbey, then the grassy knoll. Then, finally, at Katie. “It was here.”

She slumped in obvious relief. “Aye.”

“But…why? What is it you think this means?”

She started walking again, and stopped when she was standing directly over the spot where the two of them, or some previous version of them, had lain on a blanket, wrapped in a passion he'd only known from watching it. His gaze lifted to hers, and he felt his heart fill. “Now, I know it for real.”

“So do I.” She stepped closer. “Graham, don't you see? You were going to buck the tradition. You were going to end the chain. I think…I think we've been…a part of that chain. Before. I don't know how many times. This is what you're meant to do. What
we're
meant to do. As long as we've been heading in that direction”—she lifted her shoulders—“No more visions, no more messages.”

“So, I'm supposed to what? Ask for your hand to keep the visions at bay?”

She sighed and shook her head, but there was no hurt in her eyes, only frustration. “No. You're supposed to take the leap of faith like your forebears did.” She stepped closer still. “Don't you see, Graham? That's what all of this is. That's what life is. A huge leap of faith. Otherwise why get up in the morning? Why even try to improve your lot in life? Because you believe there will continue to be a life worth improving, that's why. Leap of faith.”

“Katie—”

“No, let me finish. I was going to wait, to let you make up your own mind—because I wanted you to want this, want me, want the future with me, because
you
truly wanted it. Not because of the Pact, not to thwart the Pact. But because I was worth the leap.”

“But you—”

“I'm not done. Taking off from the church, leaving that life behind, was the only time in my life I've ever dared leap. Then what did I do? I came here…and went right back to sitting on the sidelines, allowing others to call the shots. Shots that involved me, and my life, and my future. Well, I'm not doing that anymore.” She boldly walked right up to him and put her hands on his shoulders.

They both paused a moment, stock still, but nothing happened.

“I didn't know what I
wanted
when I left Annapolis. Only what I
didn't
want. But in that chapel, you stood there and said, ‘You're supposed to be mine.' Graham, I don't know how, or why or what forces really led you to that church on that day. But for every second since the moment you strode into that garden, I am absolutely convinced you are supposed to be mine. I don't want to help you abolish the Marriage Pact. I think that any law, any…belief, that has lasted as long as that one has, with its brilliant and unassailable results, has to be something worth taking a leap of faith for. I told you I would convince you to marry me before the time was up. But if you don't already know, don't already believe, somewhere in your heart—in the place not ruled by data and equations, research and documentation—that I really am supposed to be yours, then waiting another four weeks isn't going to change that.”

“Are ye quite done now?” he asked, when she seemed to finally run out of steam.

She started to pull her hands from his shoulders but he covered them with his own, and pulled them down between them, so he could weave their fingers together. Then he held on tight—as tight as he'd ever held on to anything in his life.

“I've spent my life figuring out solutions to complex problems by applying logic and rational thought. I don't know that intuition ever came into play. My head has always ruled my gut, and my heart. It wasn't even a contest. So ye can see why this Pact went against everything I believed in. It wasn't logical.” He pulled their joined hands up between them. “An act of desperation sent me across an ocean, sent me to find you. From that moment on, nothing in my life has been orderly or rational. No amount of logical problem solving is giving me the absolute answer I am seeking. It was easier to break down the unexplainable, than it was to confront it. The visions, the Pact…I just wanted them to go away, so I didn't have to deal with what I didn't—couldn't—understand.”

“It's—”

He shook his head. “I gave ye yer moment.”

She held his gaze, then nodded.

“Roan and Shay tried to explain the Pact, the leap of faith required, as giving hope. They told me that no one here would ever vote it asunder, because no one wanted to stop believing in its promise, which is a lifetime bond. Four hundred years' worth of them. It gave them hope. Taking that away would have been more brutal, more cruel, and more devastating than a blight that would forever obliterate our crops. That would be an act of God. Of fate. Destroying the Pact would have been an act of man. Namely this one.”